Dying (or dead?) bug

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Ermintrude, Oct 10, 2015.

  1. Rear floor of bug is not looking good. Place where it is held says it'll be £3-400 to repair and that's at £15 per hour. I can't afford it what with the new bus engine. Don't have any place to store it, bus is now my daily and can't afford another car. What can I do? What do you think?
    It was my first car and i'd intended keeping him forever. I did want him restored fully at some point but the house is costing so much more than I ever imagined.
    Any ray of hope or is it time to say goodbye to Dougal and look to new beginnings and new adventures?
    Sometimes I need a nudge to know when to give up on something or I'd just hang onto rubbish in hope it gets better. ImageUploadedByTapatalk1444493711.010085.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1444493736.461790.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1444493765.264654.jpg ImageUploadedByTapatalk1444493790.466619.jpg
     
  2. the place that has it are not vw specialists and have commented on a few things that i don't think are right. no idea where else to take it? They had it to take to an MOT, which it failed, then left it until the 11th hour to do the work, obviously my 10 day grace period expired as they found this on the day before. :(
    any advice welcomed.
     
  3. Jack Tatty

    Jack Tatty Supporter and teachers pet

    Anywhere you could store Dougal? At least over Winter? See how the land lies come Spring?
     
  4. unfortunately not, unless you know somewhere? the place i stored the bus was supposed to be dry, safe and other vw owners... it wasn't dry, the bus got scraped and dented down the side and my leisure battery went missing :( so i gave that up.
     
  5. they don't want to do it...:D

    Have you asked on leeds vw forum?
     
    NickJ and Ermintrude like this.
  6. is it expensive? or is it really difficult to sort the back floorpan? they seem to make a meal of things, obviously i want it done properly ie. no bodge plates over rust and filler but they seem to be making a meal of it. or is it time to say goodnight, dougal?

    not tried leeds as i'm a bit wary of the city ones... peter fletcher is the go-to dub guy around here but he doesn't weld and doesn't recommend anyone :(

    would love to keep him but a starting price at that is only ever going to go higher. I cried when they told me :( i love my bug but think i may need to face reality and give up on the dead horse flogging?
     
  7. Jack Tatty

    Jack Tatty Supporter and teachers pet

    Sorry Ermintrude, I don't know anywhere to store your bug :-(
     
    Ermintrude likes this.
  8. i'm going to ask at dalton mills where i work but really need to either get it back on the road or get another daily as the bus is soo cold and will suffer more :(

    just not sure what to do... is it at the right place, is that a reasonable quote? is it time to say goodbye? i'm a master of flogging a dead horse but this needs more than heart guidance and some head/knowledgeable stuff :(
     
  9. @zed any advice?
     
  10. mikedjames

    mikedjames Supporter

    Check out the cost of complete new floor pan. It might be better value than repairs even though more expensive.
     
    Ermintrude likes this.
  11. i did look t'other day when i'd stopped sobbing but the chap said that the thing it's attached to (pic 2) can't be welded to (i don't even know what that bit is called as all my bug manuals are in the bug which was up on a ramp!)
     
    Merlin Cat likes this.
  12. also, the rest of the floor pan seems solid... it's just the rear under corners under the seat (battery tray and spare cubby hole)
     
  13. If keeping it is so important you will find a way but if money is an issue it may become a money pit :(.

    I'm no welder but all the carpets will need to come out and once you get grinding and cutting more holes could become apparent. It could go on and on. No one can give you the right answer (not without seeing the whole car anyway) See if you can get a few quotes from elsewhere. Price it also for scrap to see what you could make selling him off. Storage if cheap enough wouldn't matter if it got scraped etc if in the long run you could afford to do the repairs. But beware in five years you may have mounting storage costs and still have to get rid of him. Maybe it's better to remember all the good time you had with Dougal and not as a rotting wreck. Shame to see another classic go to the crusher but maybe someone could take on the challenge now rather than leave it for when it's to late. Sorry that's not the optimistic answer you want and hopefully someone on here can shine a ray of sunshine for you :thumbsup:
     
    Ermintrude likes this.
  14. this is why i'm having this dilemma... chap said engine would need to come out too!?
    The car needs cosmetic work anyway but if this is so bad structurally then that's another matter...
    unfortunately can't get other quotes at it's at a garage (wish i'd never taken him there) and now out of MOT (i took him in a month before MOT expired - they don't like to rush)
     
  15. Remember a car is only a car. You are lucky enough to have a bus and its a shame that your bug is rotting and it will clearly cost you a small fortune to have it repaired.

    There are so many threads on this and other forums about this same rusting body issue. Bugs, Bays , T25's all suffer over time. My Bay was rot and the PO had it restored at great cost.

    Some folks who have the time, welding skills and money and patience do fantastic restoration work but if you are not one of these people, who will do the work and who will pay the costs. What would the total cost end up being.

    I am not a bug owner but I have seen the resto pics and work on the floor pan looks difficult and costly.

    The wise and experienced folk on here would tell you that rot is always worse than you can see.

    So, IMHO you should sell on the bug. Maintain and look after your bus. Buy a cheap modern banger with MOT for your main travel.
     
  16. I used to do the rear pan all the time ,it means cutting out a section and welding in ,no longer than a couple of days ,battery trays are prone to rust...

    They are probably thinking new floor pans ,heater channels etc etc ,still no longer than a week for me...;)
     
    nigelcp likes this.
  17. The good thing is you don't need to do anything this weekend (not long I know but.... )
    Unless the car is deemed dangerous and allowing for insurance the MOT rules say that you can drive your bug to and from an MOT centre or place of repair even if it fails. So you could "technically" take it elsewhere if you found someone sympathetic. Please check to see if on the MOT fail they put the fail as dangerous (ie they feel the car would break in half or something like that). I would never recommend driving a dangerous car but don't be held to ransom by the people who have it now.
     
  18. Zed

    Zed Gradually getting grumpier

    They only estimated £3-400, not £3-4k!
    I do anything and everything to avoid Welding/Beetles, but I know a man who likes them as much as I dislike them*. @Dubs

    *Ilike them, but if I had one, like you I'd pay others to work on it. :)
     
    snotty and Dubs like this.
  19. Ideally it needs coming off the pan to do a proper job .what year bug is it ? 3-4 hundred seems a good price
     

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