>  Date:        5/26/99 9:13:00 PM CDT
>  From:        KateMacMac@WORLDNET.ATT.NET (Kate McLaughlin)
>
> ... my VW didn't want to shift.  She liked 3rd so much, she decided to stay
> there....  a place that "only works on VW's"...  mechanic wanted to put in a
> new transmission....  $3,000 for the trans and $2,500 for the work.
>  My poor Stella.  I miss her already!

I had a similar-sounding problem with my automatic transmission about
a year ago, in the middle of a vacation.  We were visiting friends outside
of Chicago, and they reccomended a transmission shop (DuPage
Transmission) that they had used before.  They were very easy to
work with, and they charged me about $1500 to rebuild the transmission
(parts and labor).  I was happy with the price - I had been afraid there
might be a special "stuck, desparate tourist - jack up the
price" surcharge.  (I checked with my local dealer back home,
and their price for a rebuild was somewhat higher than DuPage's.)
The rebuild came with a warrenty, and they said they were part
of a nationwide network of transmission shops that would honor each
others' warrenties (so I wouldn't have to drive back to Chicago if
something went wrong.)

Sounds to me like the quote you got is not just high, but really, really,
really high.

                                                      -Steven Sittser