:(
I have a 99 VW Cabrio that has been in the shop more than I choose to admit. It now has 99k miles on it and is acting very strangely.
At first I thought it was the emergency brake because when it started getting really cold out, the brake would seem to stay on for about 15 to 20 minutes or so. If I tried to drive it, the back wheels sometimes locked up and the emergency hand brake was unusually easy to pull up and down (there was no resistance as there usually is). Then, on a few very cold days it needed to be jump started in order to start up.
Finally, it would not take a jump and I went out and bought a battery and installed it. The car started right up and responded very well but I noticed immediately when I drove it that it was idling funny. For example, when I am at a stop light, the needle goes up and down on the RPMs. It sometimes stalls out now when I take a hard turn and always feels like it is not idling correctly.
I brought it to the dealership and they told me (after a $95 estimate) that I need to replace the throttle body (a $1,000 repair) before they could tell me what ELSE might be wrong with it. I took the car home and have been dealing with it since then, praying daily that it won?t die on me.
My problem is this: When I called the shop I sometimes take my car to, they had no idea what VW meant by a "new throttle body". They said it might need to be cleaned but they weren?t familiar with replacing one. So, I figured they might just be idiots.
Anyway, the air conditioning stopped working at the end of last summer and I haven?t even dealt with that at all (not even an estimate) because I couldn?t afford it after getting the check engine light to go off so it would pass inspection.
This car has been an endless source of problems; however if it is fix-able and WORTH fixing, I would be willing to do it. I am just so uncomfortable with these problems because I really have no clue as to what is going on and what I might be able to do to fix it. I also couldn?t get a straight answer from the guy at the VW shop as to how long it might be before the car just stops running. Every day, I seriously hope to God that it does not just sputter out.
I would looove some advice or any information at all that people may have to offer. This car has been sucking me dry!
Thank you anyone in advance!!!