Talk of Things Which are NOT Tie Rod End Replacement on Mitsubishi Outlanders, but Started There

Every VW worth owning has service manuals available as far back as 1952

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We disagree on this, but that’s OK. I like the newer stuff, but it’s definitely not DIY friendly.

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This is because I am not DIY.

I know what I am doing. I don’t need You Tube.

I prefer Quality over New gadgets and the disposable garbage they call a car today. VW makes nothing short of a turd today. Rear main seals, camshafts, chains, and so much more. And the funny part is the car buying public thinks the Asian cars are better, but they only copy the Germans so give it a few years and they too will have and have had the same failures.

you wouldn’t know this though as a DIYer.

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DIY = Do It Yourself, not Do It YouTube, but everyone needs to learn somewhere and Youtube can be a useful source of opinions. Unfortunately, not all Youtube actors are informed.

I watched a YT video of a guy seating a half-shaft in a transmission with the vigorous application of a 5 pound mallet. Uh, no. Just no.

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Yeah – VW belongs to the general German idea that you should take your vehicle to the Holy Dealership and have the local priests do any work.

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Lotsa dislike for VW. I have the other opinion. Love em. Love the old aircooleds. Love the waterpumpers with rare exceptions (looking at you, Digifant!). Love my ‘new junk’ as @TLAR puts it (hate the way my Jetta looks like a Taurus, but I just love driving it!). I do ~all my own work, and have had great experiences with the Bently manuals…

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Beth, ALL automobile manufacturers want this and it is nothing new. Occasionally car companies “require” special tools for certain tasks and some of those tasks may only be performed at the dealer - but the aftermarket is often quick to fill this void.

For example - VW / Audi diagnostics. For the at home VW/Audi enthusiast that does his or her own car work or independent VW / Audi garage that needs in-depth factory diagnostic scan tool capability, there is Ross-Tech out of Landsdale PA.
https://www.ross-tech.com/

What our useless federal govt did for motoring in 1996/7 (OBDII) was ineffective and like most of what the DOT does with my Tax dollars, serves no real purpose.

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@jast I love my Late model 3 pedal turbo VW. at 52mpg and one 12volt battery I am very happy. My kidneys don’t go as far as the 15 gallons of fuel though…

I do need to rehome an early rabbit diesel alh truck - didn’t you want a project like this at one time?

All new cars look like a tapered turd from the car Jeremy Clarkson dislikes to the 100k Mercedes. Style in design have left in trade for toaster like shoeboxes or slippery rectal refugees

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You mean like an Element? :upside_down_face:

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Yes, A Honda Element(or Cube,Soul, Scion shoe, whatever) - the least ergonomically designed (using the word “design” is a stretch) car I have ever driven. What a bucket of shyte. Want to turn on the cruise control? let me reach down to scratch my left ankle to depress the master switch(depressed is about right).

Marshall does your 4runner have a sunroof? Is it located anywhere say above any seats where you as the driver or maybe your passengers may make use of this opening or glass roof option ? Def not the case in the Element nope - if I carried say tomato plants that needed partial sun in the far back cargo area, then that glass panel would serve a purpose…maybe.
Fuel tank the size of a Red Solo cup
Fuel efficiency hahaha it is a box with an anemic engine
Few cars have been this unsatisfactory to drive.

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Decades ago, when I worked in Huntsville AL, I hung out with the Sports Car Club folks there. My friends had bought a VW Scirroco to race in Showroom Stock B. One of the rules (since you Were Not Suppose to Improve a Showroom Stock Car) was that you were supposed to have the repair manual for the car with all the specs. It wasn’t difficult to buy this manual for the American, etc. cars. The first time they asked to buy a manual, they were refused. I’ve forgotten what hoops they had to jump through, but they finally got a manual for the dang thing. For all I know, they threatened to return the car…

I mean – sure, all the dealerships want you to bring your car to them for any and all service. But most will at least sell you a manual.

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This reminds me that my brother, a pretty smart + finance-oriented + analytical guy, put together a “decision matrix” spreadsheet when he went to buy a new car 15 or so years ago. It had about 8 or 9 cars he and wife were generally interested in and after all was said and done, the winner was an Element.

I wonder what the other cars were.

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I am surprised your brother is not an i.t. guy…then yes an element could be an ideal match.

Not everyone enjoys the driving experience. (or used to)

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lol…knowing him, he’s probably still got the spreadsheet. They had a young, growing family then so I know capacity/people moving factored in. His wife had a lot of say and is kinda goofy and fancied herself “eclectic” and “free spirit”. She is from Minneapolis.

you might try Elsa online for your VW

I did the same in 2017. Per the logic I should have selected one of the top contenders (Focus ST, Mustang V6 Fastback, Fiesta ST, Mustang EcoBoost Fastback, Golf GTI, Volt, Camaro, Civic Si sedan). But of course I bought none of these because even the most detailed assessment of available statistics doesn’t tell the story.

  • Didn’t get the best feeling about the Focus, the Fiesta ST is still a Fiesta, and the salesperson I was dealing with was grating so I didn’t bother with the 'Stang
  • Salesperson at the VW dealer - whose grasp of English was less than ideal - mistook my request for more firm pricing information as intent to buy shuffled me into the finance office to ink a contract. I walked out. And was promptly waylaid by the manager - one of Rusty Wallis’s sons - trying to “save” a sale that wasn’t gonna happen.
  • Volt was really more than I wanted to spend, the dealer DGAF about it / it wasn’t charged at all (so I got no sense of the daily driving experience), and by the time I force-rebooted the salesperson’s head talking about Cameros I just wanted to leave.
  • I was somewhat amenable to the Civic Si but within 2 minutes of indicating I did not intend to buy that day I was all but asked to leave the dealership; I might have been interested in the considerably-more-plentiful Coupe but the Sedan’s ~1" of headroom was cutting it close while the Coupe’s 0" was not acceptable (all because of an unwanted sunroof that all Si’s come with)

So instead I opted for an acceptable fun vehicle climbing to all of 16 of 23 on my leaderboard - the Subaru WRX.

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I find these analytics fascinating however to be quite frank I am offended a PT Cruiser has not been considered. For the $400 initial cost of the vehicle itself, it cannot be beat. Take another $400 for unforeseen maintenance costs and Allen’s free labor you have yourself a $800 chick magnet. Hoping for some much needed R&R on the weekends? Your PT Cruiser will never let that happen. Self respect?-No. Endless cooling system repairs?-Yes.

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lol…

It is the kinds of Chicks today that are much more of a concern…reminds me of the bar scene from a 1986 comedy with Paul Hogan.