The auto transmission in the Pony had been hesitating when going from 2nd to 3rd when hot. For the last year or so. The Pony’s main mechanic, Art in Richmond, said “don’t worry about it!”. On the way to Chicago and back the hesitation happened enough times that I decided I wanted to do something about it. Also, Art is awesome but he’s been known to say “don’t worry about it!” a lot. Seeing the drivenachodrive guys go through a dead transmission in the middle of nowhere in Colombia sealed the deal.
So the Pony spent the last couple of weeks at Fred’s Garage in Redwood City. Fred’s is sort of a spa for Volkswagens.
Today, I picked it up. Probably because of all the money I paid, I now feel like it drives really smoothly. The transmission now shifts when it should, without hesitation, and there’s no more “clunk” when going from drive into reverse.
These guys are the real deal. They know VWs, they stick to their quotes, and they don’t go for the upsell.
We’ll see what the transmission does in the next year. But everything indicates that it will be all right. And it’s great to know that the last major system in the Pony that was original has just been rebuilt. We’re almost ready to go south of the border!
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steph