As someone mentioned a few thousand messages ago, we the enthusiasts are
not buying many new VWs, so VWoA isn't making much money from us.

I just replaced the starter in my '90.
I paid roughly $140 for a PPR rebuild of a Bosch starter (plus core
charge).  I got it the day I needed it, from BAP/Geon, one of the FLAPS in
Houston.

I called the dealer who had my Eurovan up on a lift for the price on that
starter and nearly gagged: $500 and I'd have to wait for one to be shipped
in from Dallas.
How much profit does the dealer make on repairs?
I saved roughly $400 by doing it myself, and I didn't get the wholesale
price on the part.

There are times when I wish I could be driving my beloved Bozobus again.
Easy to fix, and even the hard-to-find parts were cheaper than those on
the Vanagon and Eurovan.  But something breaks nearly every time I drive
him, he's so tired.  And I don't have the time to do it all myself
anymore, and with only two seats I can't carry my daughters anywhere in
him.  *sigh*  The starter at VW would have bought 2.5 Bozobuses, at the
price that we paid for him in '78 ($200, with 13,000 miles).

Time for front rotors, rear brakes and CV joint boots (and likely the CV
joints), tranny oil seals, power steering pump and AC work on the '90.

I want a TDI Jetta Wagon daily driver and I'll trade my '90 and '93 toward
a Vanagon Carat for hauling big stuff and lots of bodies...
Maybe next year...

bcnu - grungy   Pearland (Houston area), Texas
'60 dddPanel (The Bozobus), '69 Beetle (Bertha), '90 Vanagon, '93 Eurovan