Legal XJ...

[nhrocker]

...and illegal VW?

Had an appointment to get my '99 VW Passat inspected today. I'm not lying when I say the thing is in great shape. Well, I pull it into shop and it doesn't even make it to the stage of getting the scan run. The tech notices the brakes up front look worn, so he goes to check them (they ended up being fine) and notices some play in the upper arm on the drivers side (which I knew was there, am trying to get it fixed under warranty). They stop the inspection there and say they can't sign it off. I didn't think it was that bad, but they did. That's fine, I realize it's their business on the line if they had signed of on it.

So I head home and swap vehicles so I could pick up some stuff in the XJ, which I've just barely gotten running again on a temporarily mounted fuel cell in the back (and a fuel guage that reads backwards now...:confused1). It's still got a laundry list of issues I need to fix, noises I've yet to identify, parts missing, etc. Well after running my errands I decide, "what the heck, I'll give it a shot", toss a grey blanket over the bright aluminum cell and anodized fittings in the back end, and bring it to the shop. They happened to have an open bay, I pull in, and the guy starts inspecting it. He looks over my custom homemade steering, TnT's long arms/belly pan, rear axle, who knows what else, and comes out from under it. Makes me zip tie my front bumper back on, debates the height of the vehicle with another guy in the shop and myself, and then signs it off...

So my plush, fully loaded DD isn't safe for the roads, but my rusting, dented up, "what was that noise?," trail toy is? Woohoo!!! party1: :cheers:

 

[ROBZ95Xj]

sounds about right, good luck with the V-Dub, you ever get and word on the dealership in Bratt? did they close yet?

 

[Bugboy]

well worse case scenario you can use the passat for a rti ramp hehe. jk yep it is strange how things work. i think alot of it depends on the coolness of the vehicle and the youth of the mechanic. if a new guy just got his license he will bust you on everything!

sean

 

[nhrocker]

sounds about right, good luck with the V-Dub, you ever get and word on the dealership in Bratt? did they close yet?

They did close, but until the cars are picked up and taken away they're keeping someone there to run it. I talked with him briefly.

well worse case scenario you can use the passat for a rti ramp hehe. jk yep it is strange how things work. i think alot of it depends on the coolness of the vehicle and the youth of the mechanic. if a new guy just got his license he will bust you on everything!

sean

It was funny watching the guy inspect it. He's not the usual guy that helps me out once in a while, so when he walked under it he didn't quite know what he was looking at. :laugh3:

 

[Begster]

Ya I love how stupid things can be sometimes. Its funny cause I went to get my new 2 door XJ inspected yesterday. The driver side mirror is just a strip of mirror in the center, so there is some room above and below, so he wouldn't pass cause of that, and he gave me crap for having my front plate zip-tied to the grill, says I have to have it on the bumper (no license plate bracket on when I got it) Funny thing is I haven't had a front plate on my big 4 door for a long time now, and they passed inspection on that.

 

[nhrocker]

Haha, it's funny you mention that. I've actually got no passenger side mirror whatsoever. And he handed me the zip ties and sat there waiting as I "mounted" my front plate to the bumper. He also didn't seem to notice at one point when he went under it that his head was where my gas tank should have been... :shhh:

 

[OverTheHillsATTW]

He also didn't seem to notice at one point when he went under it that his head was where my gas tank should have been... :shhh:

Another XJ running on hopes and dreams.

 

[Veeb0rg]

Another XJ running on hopes and dreams.

aren't most xj's running on this though? arty:

 

[asp]

i would love it if mine passed that easily.

 

[nhrocker]

This is not my F'ING week!

Monday at work they announce that Thursday they'll be doing layoffs. On my way to work yesterday my XJ spits out the axle end trackbar bolt while going 45mph. Knowing that if I'm late I'll be let go, I grab a ratchet strap and cinch the bar to the axle tube. I drive it like that the mile and a half to work (not able to turn left, had to floor it into a 4 foot snow bank and slide the rear end over to make one 90 degree left) and make it, with 3 minutes to spare. I end up finding out later that luckily I still have a job, but I'm getting a big pay cut. I can deal with that, I just REALLY need a second, possibly third, job to make ends meet. I go back last night with a new bolt and managed to get the front end put back in place. Find out then that I blew at least one of the shocks. Great. I drove it home like that and it actually rode pretty well.

This morning I bring my VW to a dealership to see if they can cover some stuff under warranty so it can be inspected. Some of it will be. Apparently it needs new upper control arm on the drivers side, and both lower control arm assemblies, new drivers side mirror, and new valve cover gasket. That stuff will be covered. It also needs all new front brakes and a new timing belt...which WON'T be covered. They quoted me $1,414 to do it! And almost all of that is just labor! I can't afford this...

So next week they're doing the warranty work, then I'll probably park it. It'll be cheaper to fix the XJ again than the car. When I can afford it I'll do the brakes on the car myself, and decide what I'm going to do about the timing belt down the road.

 

[asp]

ouch that bites.... sorry to hear that

 

[nhrocker]

ouch that bites.... sorry to hear that

Thanks, hoping to find a second job. I've got some applications and resumes in places, but like no one is hiring...

Anyone need any custom work done? Welding, woodworking, fiberglass, car audio, photography, etc?

 

[t_aldrich]

i can do a t-belt and front brakes on a vee dub....

you probly can too....having them do it for warrenty reasons?

 

[Justpunchit]

Ouch, I know the feeling of the possible layoff stress... sucks man, but us jeople always prevail

 

[nhrocker]

i can do a t-belt and front brakes on a vee dub....

you probly can too....having them do it for warrenty reasons?

Thinking about having them do the belt. They won't cover it because its a wear item, but if I pay them to do it and something goes wrong within so many miles, it's their problem. The brakes I probably will do myself, just can't afford it right now.

 

[ROBZ95Xj]

it may not be much but in the next few weeks i will be needin some fab done to the blue jeep

 

[nhrocker]

it may not be much but in the next few weeks i will be needin some fab done to the blue jeep

Every little bit helps. Plus it'll be some good stress relief. :cheers:

Ouch, I know the feeling of the possible layoff stress... sucks man, but us jeople always prevail

Yeah, got lucky this time. And both my supervisor and his brother (the maintenance supervisor) drive Jeeps. :guitar: