Reply With QuoteCan I recommend that you give Pete at Newcastle VW Centre a go?
Recommendation-newcastle workshop
Dubber
Has anybody ever taken there Transporter to this bloke at Georgetown, Newcastle (Penfolds)? I'm after a decent mechanic who won't rip me off and knows what their doing to install my clutch slave cylinder. He's quoted me at $1,000 which is pretty good. When I was there some people had some high priced nice looking kombi vans in and I reckon they wouldn't be taking there babies to him if he wasn't any good. Opinions much appreciated...
Volkswagen Fan
Can I recommend that you give Pete at Newcastle VW Centre a go?
Recommendation-newcastle workshop
1997 Golf CL, 2011 Caddy Life TDI, 2007 Golf TDI, 1996 Vento GL (red), 2008 Skoda Octavia TDI
1996 Vento GL (white) - RIP
Super Moderator
VWwA Super Moderator
^ yes this. I have heard about Penfolds but dont know anyone who has actually used them. I would recommend either Peter at VW Centre at Wickham or Twilight Automotive at Warners Bay (cant remember the guys name but he used to work at European Car Centre). I have used both workshops and they are both good.Originally Posted by feenix74
Dubber
Is Pete at Newcastle VW centre independent of a vw dealer. VW has quoted me, wait for it, $6,000 to install a clutch slave cylinder. Not a hope in the world of going anywhere near these thieves...
Super Moderator
VWwA Super Moderator
Haha holy hell. Um yes smart idea to stay away from the VW dealership in general (even if their price was ok) given my experience with them. Newcastle VW Centre is an independent.
Volkswagenist
I took my VR6 to Penfolds years ago. After initial quote of $1100 i ended up paying nearly double that as well as having to get a replacement motor.
Pete hands down. No one else.
Dubber
Yeah, contacted Pete today and it's booked in for next Tuesday. Thanks everyone
Volkswagen Fan
Too easy.
In the immortal words of Darryl Kerrigan: "Tell him he's dreaming."
1997 Golf CL, 2011 Caddy Life TDI, 2007 Golf TDI, 1996 Vento GL (red), 2008 Skoda Octavia TDI
1996 Vento GL (white) - RIP
Dubber
Pete fixed my clutch problem today at a very reasonable price considering the difficulty these present in removing the gearbox. I am very very impressed with this mans knowledge of VW as well as being just an all round great bloke. He taught me a bit about VW today and I now feel like I can enjoy owning a transporter without worrying about if anything goes wrong, where can I find a decent mechanic that can fix it. He has definetly got all future work from me. He also detected that my maf sensor is crook so the vans not running as it should be. So now I'm looking at getting one of these. He suggested I try to get a used one from somewhere instead of forking out a few hundred for a brand new one as it may be in the wiring. So if anybody has got a good working one they would like to part with at a reasonable price please let me know. On a final note I would again like to say that Pete at Newcastle VW centre is definetly the bloke to see when it comes to dub repairs and knowledge. Oh, and I love the Porches he has as well. Thanks people for letting me know about this guy.
Volkswagen Fan
I am glad that Pete has been able to sort you out and that I have been of a small amount of assistance to a fellow VW enthusiast. For full disclosure, if I can point a few potential customers Pete's way, then that is a small amount of the karma I owe Pete paid off for all the great service that he and now his team at Canberra VW Centre Belconnen have given me over the years.
The most recent example was wife's Golf Mk 5 TDI developed a crack in the turbo boost inlet pipe. The CVWC Belco team fitted me in that afternoon at 15 mins notice for a diagnosis, ordered the part and fitted it as soon as it arrived (4 days from Singapore) again by squeezing me in at the end of the a long and busy day's work. After I had paid and left in a hurry to pick up the preschooler, I realised that they charged me for the part but did not charge me any labour (a good 30-60 mins of their time in diagnosis and replacing the broken part). I can keep giving more examples all the way back to the first time I met Pete over 15 years ago when I took my Golf Mk 3 in to him to have a look at a sticky driver's door handle which he fixed for me for free.
His knowledge of all things VW Group is extraordinary - I have watched him work on a air-cooled Beetle one minute and then diagnose an issue with a modified Golf R32 the next. Frankly, if it was not for Pete and his team, I would probably be walking away from the VWs that I love because the recent corporate VW behaviour (DSGs that are prone to failure, Diesel-gate, etc) and the damage it has done to the brand and its reputation.
In relation to the second hand MAF, try contacting Camden GTI, I believe that they are a sponsor of this forum and they have a wrecking yard with many second hand VW bits available at reasonable prices. I have not bought anything from them as yet, but I have been in correspondence with them about getting a replacement power steering rack for my Vento which I am trying to get roadworthy. Hopefully, if all goes to plan, I will be swing via Camden GTI in late-September when we head up to visit my folks and Taronga Zoo.
1997 Golf CL, 2011 Caddy Life TDI, 2007 Golf TDI, 1996 Vento GL (red), 2008 Skoda Octavia TDI
1996 Vento GL (white) - RIP
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