Work required...any ideas

[cronemeister]

Hi guys. I've just got my Bora back from the dealers after having my front passenger window regulator/mechanism etc replaced (window fell through last week !)....so I'm 140 sheets lighter this month. Anyhoo....in their wisdom....they've carried out their "Express Visual Health Check" as they do....to see how much more money they can shoe horn out of you and they have given me the following list:

Front Brake Pads - £103.40
Rear Brake Pads and discs - £120.14
O/S/F Coil Spring (which is snapped!!) - £117.10
Anti Roll Bar Bushes, Clamps and bolts (both sides) - £124.33
Bottom Arm bushes (Both) - £96.00
Exhaust Back box - £139.80

All in all comes to a grand total of £700.77.

Now.....my Bora is V reg (99) and has done 94k.....and I'm pretty sure that the timing belt hasn't been done on it either....so factor in another £300-£400 !!

The timing belt apart....when I've added up all of the prices for the parts it comes to £263.12....so they are charging £440 for labour....christ....even **** Turpin wore a mask !!

So here is my dilema...again timing belt aside:-

1. Would any of the above parts be able to be fitted by myself....I'm not mechanically minded....although I used to do most of my own work on my MKII Cavaliers that I had after I passed my test many moons ago. What I'm really trying to say is....are they THAT difficult to replace....and how would I go about finding out the procedure for doing any of the above.

2. Is it likely that I could take my car to a different garage and get all of this work done for half of what VW are asking for in total....or possibly a bit more ?

I really love my car, and have had it for 3 years and would like to keep it for at least another year before trading it in for a newer one.

If anyone knows of any reputable garages in the north east area (preferably newcastle) then please let me know.

I should really get my timing belt done soon as well shouldn't I ?.

Lastly.

My car seems to be really sluggish...i have to give it a decent amount of revs pulling away in 1st...and then again after changing up into 2nd...otherwise it just seems to bog down for a few seconds before picking up speed. Any ideas what this could possibly be. I've heard a few suggestions before such as air mass meter, turbo etc...but wondered if these problems are consistant with one particular thing that I could get checked out.

Sorry to make this so long and drawn out....I really am in a pickle and want Borat (my car) to be well again and in tip top condition !!

Thanks in advance for any pointers you might be able to chuck my way !!

[Ben]

Try looking for a VW independant specialist in your local area. the link below will take you to the area of this forum that can help you.


http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=43

[V5_170Mk4driver]

Firstly, some of the jobs you mentioned are easy to do yourself. I have just changed the front and rear discs and pads on my Mk4 V5 golf. I used a website called www.brakeparts.co.uk fot the rear discs and pads and it cost about £65 all in. My car requires the big twin vented discs on the back so yours would be about half that price. I got the front discs and pads for £90 from my local partco trade store (I'm just a member of the public). They are Unipart bits but its the same stuff that an independant would fit.
As for an independant garage in the north east. I have used a Bocsh service centre called VOLKSPARTS. It is based in Meadowfield near Durham. I have found them friendly, competative (compared to the main dealer) and approachable. Their number is 01913780284. And no I don't work for them. As an example of price I was recently charged £94 for an inspection service with oil/filter/fuel filter/pollen filter change. Try that at Pullmans or the one on Scotswood road!
Hope this helps.