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Strong engine, runs great, but needs a new transmission ($3500-$5500). Often the transmissions on these buses are replaced after 100K miles, so it's amazing that it lasted this long. You might get by for some time, but a new (rebuilt) tranny is in your future. DRIVE is fine, but REVERSE is very weak. Just had a transmission service, and conceivably another service down the line could buy you more time -- but don't delay this repair.

Odometer reads 262K, but previous owner says the engine was replaced at 102K. Mechanics say engine is strong, suggesting 160K, but previous owner has no documentation. He's a VW mechanic, so may have done it himself (or his friend did it -- see below.) It has been on synthetic oil for many years, which may be making a difference also. It can easily pass nearly any other vehicle going up Boulder Canyon.

This vehicle has been stalwart for the two years we had it. Lots of great mountain trips.

You may want to connect with Indian Peaks Auto in Boulder for pre-purchase inspection, as they know the vehicle. I have a VIN Car History report I can email you, as I don't see how to attach it here.

21 AUGUST UPDATE: The AutoCheck report came through this morning, and I learned a few things. (Therefore, I recommend AutoCheck over VIN Car History.) Minor accident in 2006. I contacted the Durango Police Dept, and they sent me a form to fill out in order to receive the details, since we have the case number. This form has to be sent back via snail-mail, with a check for $8.50. I will do that today, in order to expedite things, but it's bound to take a week or so before I hear back. I'm also including some additional photos, as I realized I had not shown the pop-top. It's a little worse than I remembered, probably due to leaving it improperly closed for a while about six months ago. Still, all seems patchable.

You can see from the history report that the vehicle has lived its whole life in Colorado, which accounts for the lack of rust. It looks as though it sat for a while with 102K miles, so I suspect that's when the engine was replaced -- according to the previous owner. If that is correct, then the engine now has 160K on it. The gearhead (1) I bought the vehicle from had bought it from his friend, also a gearhead (2). Based on all this, it seems likely that the engine work was done in 2005, and that's when they started using synthetic oil. Gearhead 1 said his friend, Gearhead 2, was very particular about the synthetic oil (MOBIL ONE).

24 AUGUST UPDATE: I think I forgot to mention that the brakes are new.

Auto Services in Colorado

Wolf Auto Ctr ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, New Car Dealers, Used Car Dealers

Address: 520 E Chestnut St, Sterling

Phone: (970) 522-2523

Vrba`s Parts ★★★★★

Automobile Parts & Supplies, Engines-Supplies, Equipment & Parts, Automobile Electrical Equipment

Address: 2003 E Lincoln Ave, Laporte

Phone: (970) 286-7696

Ultimate Auto Body Werks ★★★★★

Automobile Body Repairing & Painting

Address: 2410 W Belleview Ave, Gateway

Phone: (720) 420-9319

Triple Cross Towing ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Towing, Auto Transmission

Address: 610 W Tomichi Ave, Almont

Phone: (970) 641-5111

T-Mark Automotive Svc ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service

Address: 3943 S Lipan St, Cherry-Hills-Village

Phone: (303) 789-6000

Sergio Auto Body ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Body Repairing & Painting

Address: 3300 W Hampden Ave, Aurora

Phone: (303) 762-0182

Auto blog

Audi CVT suit settlement given green light, 64,000 cars covered

Mon, 07 Oct 2013

Audi drivers, listen up. If you bought or leased a 2002-06 model-year A4 or A6 with a factory-installed Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) that failed, you may be entitled to reimbursement under a recently settled class-action lawsuit with corporate parent Volkswagen.
According to Automotive News, the settlement covers about 64,000 vehicles and alleges that "manufacturing and design problems caused the transmissions to fail and left owners stuck with repair costs." While the suit also argues Audi was aware of these issues (going so far as to hide that knowledge from consumers), the settlement stops short of acknowledging any wrongdoing by the German automaker.
Audi drivers are eligible for a cash reimbursement if their CVT repairs occurred within 10 years or 100,000 miles of the date they bought or leased the vehicle before June 19, 2013. To be eligible for compensation, drivers must submit a claim form (found here) with supporting documents by November 18.

VW, Fiat, Mercedes could be CNG winners in Europe

Fri, Dec 12 2014

Fiat ads in the US try to play up the exotic, sexy side of Italian culture. On the home front in Italy, however, passenger-vehicle sales are marked by something less edgy and quite a bit more practical: the growth of compressed-natural-gas (CNG) powered car sales. In fact, Italy is leading a group of European countries where CNG sales are on the upswing and may be benefiting automakers like VW, Fiat and Mercedes-Benz, according to Automotive News. VW started sales of its Golf TGI natural-gas vehicle this year – the company's fourth in Europe Â– while Mercedes-Benz added a natural-gas B-class model. Fiat accounts for about 50 percent of CNG vehicles sold on the continent. In all, Europe's CNG sales through September totaled about 67,000, up seven percent from a year earlier, Automotive News Europe says, citing research firm JATO Dynamics. And the number of CNG vehicles on Europe's roads could jump tenfold within the next decade. The draw is a combination of lower refueling prices and a CNG drivetrain that typically emits less CO2 than diesel vehicles. As for Italy, about five percent of new-vehicle sales are CNG. To put that into perspective, hybrids, battery-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and diesels combined to account for about 4.2 percent of US vehicle sales last year. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Volkswagen Green Fiat Mercedes-Benz Volkswagen Natural Gas Vehicles CNG

VW midsize crossover production headed for Chattanooga

Fri, 10 Jan 2014

Potential labor woes aside, it looks like Volkswagen's Chattanooga, TN factory must have done something that impressed the bosses in Germany, because it sounds like the three-year-old factory is set to score a second model.
The factory currently builds the Passat, and has been in the running alongside VW's Puebla, Mexico factory to build a new crossover vehicle, likely based on the CrossBlue Concept. According to Bloomberg, a pair of unnamed sources have confirmed that Chattanooga is the favorite ahead of an official announcement.
When last we heard about the CrossBlue Concept, word was that a production decision had been delayed over concerns about the three-row CUV's business case. That August 2013 story claimed that a decision regarding the CrossBlue would be pushed back until early in 2014, which means we're ripe for some sort of news, whether good or bad.

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