Maybe the guy has better things to spend his money on like travel, dining or his place to live.
For example my grandparents who sadly both passed never really cared much about their cars driving really basic ones. I remember a really basic Subaru wagon albiet 4wd that my grandfather made them pull the “fancy” hub caps off when sold that they wanted $100 for. They also owned a 1977 Ford Pickup 4wd although surprising working AC that was just recently sold.
However we still enjoy a nice Bow House with cedar roof, solarium, barn and 100 acres on lake in the White Mountains of NH. They travelled the world and dined out very well but always lunch as it was cheaper.
The pricing of European auto parts is something of a mystery, but here in the US, the actual clutch parts for many US and Asian cars aren’t that expensive – $150-$250 or so. However, replacement involves a LOT of labor because the transmission has to be removed in order to get at the clutch. Getting the transmission out of a front wheel drive vehicle is a major job. So most of the clutch replacement cost is labor, not parts – at least in the US.
If the same situation prevails in Europe, it might be cheaper to get your clutch replacement done in an Eastern European country with lower labor costs. Maybe combine car repair and a sightseeing trip.
Hmmm. Driving to Eastern Europe may be a good idea … However, I’m kinda concerned about it making it that kind of distance. And yep, I kind of figured most of the cost would be labor, as it looks like a job that will take at least a full day or two. (I used to do a LOT of repairs myself back in the States, but it’s a bit harder when you move to an apartment in foreign city, instead of having access to your own tools & garage/basement).
Luckily, the local mechanic seems pretty honest and straightforward – a guy who owns his own little Mom & Pop shop, specializes in German vehicles, and never tries to sell me anything I don’t absolutely need when it came to other, earlier, minor repairs. And he speaks English – which is good, as I can usually get by with simple things, but when it comes to specialized terminology, forget it. (A lot of the times the words you want just isn’t in the average English-French dictionary.) Fortunately, they seem to borrow a lot of English words around here: transmission is “la transmission,” for example. So, you can wind up saying a lot of English words with a French accent and pointing to various vehicle parts.
Um, think I should chime in here and nip something in the bud. While I’m flattered, I am NOT a physicist. To run this place, CERN hires a whole lot of people from many different disciplines; there’s about 2500 of us non-physics types doing every kind of thing you can imagine. (You need refrigerator experts if you’re going to keep something a few degrees above absolute zero, for example.) Technically speaking, I’m in the IT dept.
The only reason I brought up the CERN angle at all is that I, like “the same mountainbike,” was amused by the situation.
It’s one of those quirky things. One day, you find yourself on a trip with the CERN SKI Club with a bunch of guys and gals who use their ski poles to draw Venn diagrams in the snow, complete with vectors and forces, in order to explain some aspect of skiing – and the next day you encounter someone who’s thrilled that he learned how to change the oil in his car.
My lady friend says that this kind of stuff shows that these folks are human, just like the rest of us – and she says she finds their enthusiasm to learn new things “endearing.”
I guess the common thread is that the physics geeks enjoy getting their hands dirty, taking things apart and figuring out how they work, whether they involve dark matter or car maintenance.
Or solving the biggest mystery of all – downshift or brakes, when coming down a steep mountain in the Alps without any guardrails.
Okay, off my soapbox now. Thanks for all the tips!
I’m surprised you didn’t ask the local drivers in Switzerland their driving methods, since its their turf. The Euro is worth more than a dollar.I would think the repair would cost more over there. The labor times are the same world wide when fixing a vehicle.The repair isn’t any easier in Europe than the USA. A busted knuckle is a busted knuckle. Losing one’s religion might need to be translated though.
Your mechanic can drive your car and diagnose it.Its not possible to do that via computer.Sounds like you need a clutch and probably brakes. If in doubt take the car to another mechanic for a second opinion.
How old is your VW? Is it an antique bug? I would prefer to change out the clutch in an old bug than do the brakes.
Just wanted to follow up, and say that I now have a new clutch. That seemed to solve everything quite nicely – the car shifts gears nicely, and has a lot of pep going up hills. Thanks everyone!
PS – The job itself took several days longer than I was first told, but mechanic actually came in at about $100 less than his estimate. So, I’m basically pretty happy. If anyone ever wants the name of a decent independent shop on the Swiss-French border, you know who to contact.
