DMGThe Car
Just talked to the VW tech. It's a leaky air hose. So that's only $200 to fix (incl. the $140 diagnostic). I'm also going to replace a wheel liner that's worn through, so that'll att another $150 to the total, but all together, that's not too terrible.
However.
He says that there's a bit of "chatter" and "late engagment" in my clutch, which I've been noticing, so I'm going to need a new clutch kit and release bearing. The bill for that through the dealer: $1600.
I'm know the right people when it comes to parts, so I can drop the parts cost on the job from $1000 to $300, but the labor will still be $600, which I'm not crazy about. I'll wait and do that next month, and I'll be shopping that around.
All together, though, I'm not in bad shape. The engine has been rock solid (no cracked heads, etc.), and just about everything that's going on lately has been gaskets, hoses, etc. The clutch wearing out at 130k miles? That's pretty standard, I think. Once everything's put to rest, the car should have another 80k miles in it at least.
And anyway, I don't have a choice, do I.