After three months away, the Jetta Ute is home! You can read all about why it took three months at The Drive. I’m just happy to have it back, with a new exhaust, running smoothly (no more misfires), and a lot of little stuff done to it.
The next major step is to get it ready for state inspection in April. Now that it’s 15 years old it doesn’t have to pass emissions anymore, so that check engine light on the dashboard won’t be a problem. I do need to get the cracked windshield replaced, which my insurance should cover. The gasket between the engine and turbo is leaking, but I can probably get away without that for inspection because the exhaust from the cat back is brand spanking new. Really my main concern is tires, which were close to the tread limit a year ago and may be too far gone now. I have some nice Yokohamas picked out for my set of 15″ wheels, but there’s the matter of money for them. These tires are bigger than stock, so I may have to give the Jetta a cheap lift before they’ll fit.
The paint is a little worse for wear, but it was just a quick spray job without sanding, and being cleared of snow a few times is likely responsible for it flaking. It’s just temporary anyway until the main bodywork is done, which I won’t be doing for a little while because winter.
There’s never a shortage of minor issues to work on with the Jetta. But in some ways that’s part of the fun.
Besides, look what I was dealing with a year ago today.
Justin Hughes 