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I have owned my '87 for 6 years, and have managed not to take it to the shop once for repair. Until yesterday. I have replaced motor mounts, a timing belt, master cylinder, brake junction, transmission cooling lines, and a number of other small things. Done all the usual maintenance. But when the car literally died twenty feet from a foreign car repair shop, I really couldn't pass up having it fixed versus having it towed the 35 miles home and then working in drizzling, upper 30 degree weather. I think I will next time. Symptoms pointed to either a broken wire to the alternator or a failed alternator. The battery, parking brake, and brake failure lights had been glowing dimmly starting the previous night. On the way to work the car drove fine for almost the entire trip until it started to cut out and then died. When I described the problem to the shop manager he said sounds like the alternator. Good call. It was indeed the alternator and they replaced it. Don't get me wrong. This is a good shop. Been around since the day foreign car ment VW Bug. But what hurt the most, and reminds me why I do all my own work, was what it cost to have an alternator replaced. I could probably beat the $188 for the rebuilt alternator and the $20 for the bushings, but not by a whole lot. However its the $73 for "Electrical Diagnosis" and the $97 for labor to replace it that really hurt. I'm glad its fixed but I'm gonna be shaking my head on this one for some time. Sorry but just had to vent a little.
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