Hello, I recently bought my 1st Beetle, 73 super Bug. I was told it was a reco engine, but two weeks after I bought it, the pushrods tube came loose and dumped oil everywhere.. got it home & my father checked it over & has definatly never been reconditioned. Then he found the floor is totally rusted out & felt like cardboard.
It got a RWC only two wks ago!
I would love some advice on how much you would think a reco engine would cost, and where to get it done... Melbourne south east suburbs.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have just worked my way through a similar process. If you are even remotely mechanically minded and can follow the directions in some of the videos that are out there or the service manuals you may be able to work through this yourself.

Before you go taking on too much you may be able to replace the pushrod tube without pulling the engine, just buy one/a set of the spring loaded ones that are available online. There may however be an underlying cause that this overlooks that one of the more skilled members can help you with.

Rusty Floor Pan
A replacemant floorpan for a complete side will cost you a little over $100, I think mine was $135 delivered, you just cut out the bit you need. I can't weld to save myself but I could cut out the rusty section, prepare the surfaces and cut the new panel ready for welding. Then I had a mate come over and do the specialist work for me before I did the finishing. Complete process was all over in a weekend and few nights after work.

Top End Rebuild
My bottom end was fine, and I really wasn't keen on splitting the motor. The top end is like big boys mechano. $750 for a 1641cc Top End Rebuild Kit, a full weekend to drop and strip the motor, a few nights of hard core cleaning. Two very long nights of assembly, one night for re-installation and another half day of tuning etc. and less than a week later I'm back on the road with a car that is running 1000 times better. You need extra hands for removal and re-installation, aN engine stand designed for a VW motor and a fairly basic set of tools (this will grow according to demand!!!)

I had never had the engine out of my car. I am not a mechanic, although I'm fairly logical so reasonably easily grasp the concepts of how things work. The work that I have done will not be perfect, but the car is running well and I did it all with absolutely minimal help. The sense of pride is like a legal high!!!! If you are even considering doing this yourself it is achievable.

Good luck and keep putting your questions on here. The support is incredible.

On the RWC. Surely there's some recourse on taking it back to the company that passed it to have them fix it.

On the RWC side of things. The engine is not necessarily covered, but if the floor is something that was visible, but was passed, then you would definitely have some reason to contact the licenced RWC provider and ask what was going on. In Victoria photo's are taken of vehicles when RWC is done, so they will have a record of the car that is quite recognisable. If you dont get anywhere with the RWC place, then contact VicRoads. They will follow it up.

Thanks guys.

I certainly will be following up on the RWC. I'm pretty disappointed the rust wasnt noticed up on the hoist

Any ideas on where I can get a workshop manual from? Are factory manuals available?

I've used the Bentley one which is excellent and also used the How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive which is less formal but still informative. I got both on Amazon which seems to have the best price by a long shot.

how to keep your vw alive has been keeping mine alive the past 18 months its like a dummies guide and i was new to vws when i got my car, new to cars in general

Thanks, I will check them out

I took (towed) the Beetle back to the roadworthy tester. It was a dramatic entrance behind the towtruck lol.
The guy came out, very friendly & all smiles, so I showed him the piece of rusted floor I brought with me.

The smile quickly disappeared!

He had a look under the car & seemed genuinely concerned it had been missed.

We left the car there & called back that afternoon, when we were told the interior had been stripped out & were in the process of cutting out the rust. He also confirmed he was going to fix the engine leaks.

So, apart from all the stress & having to leave the car there, possibly till after Easter, things are looking up after the low I had felt when I discovered the leak & rust.

Here's hoping its all fixed properly...and quickly

Good news and good luck. Hope it all ends well for you.

Quote:

Originally posted by Topaz I took (towed) the Beetle back to the roadworthy tester. It was a dramatic entrance behind the towtruck lol. The guy came out, very friendly & all smiles, so I showed him the piece of rusted floor I brought with me. The smile quickly disappeared! He had a look under the car & seemed genuinely concerned it had been missed. We left the car there & called back that afternoon, when we were told the interior had been stripped out & were in the process of cutting out the rust. He also confirmed he was going to fix the engine leaks. So, apart from all the stress & having to leave the car there, possibly till after Easter, things are looking up after the low I had felt when I discovered the leak & rust. Here's hoping its all fixed properly...and quickly

Samantha, I see you've posted about a reprint on the car. Are you back on the road? How did this saga end?

Dean

Hey Dean,

I like your quote line "Ownership of a beetle is not a destination it is a journey". I just want to say... IT sure is!!!!
Thanks for your interest, Got the car back yesterday from the RWC place.. found them to bee really helpful. They replaced four pushrod tubes on the engine and also replace the entire floor! I now have a new floor and pushrods NO CHARGE!!!
Now stripping it back on the weekend to do a bare metal respray, and cut out rust where it needs doing and welding in new metal. It's been a gigantic headache, but hopefully in the end it will be worth it and I wont hate it so much! The last couple of weeks have put a dent in my enthusiasm so I have to panel beat myself back into shape!! lol R their any up coming events where I can look at other beetles?.

Hey there. Dont bee shy, if you read this thred and dont find it interesting... atleast say hello! :-)
Heres a few photo's to update my progress... My Car is stil about a week away from being sprayed.
Samantha

Rusted floor in my 73 super beetle.

new floor welded in at the expense of the RWC place.

Back to bare metal. In about a wk and a half it should bee ready to paint.