I’ve had a few life changes occur recently and now I’m in need of the VW that I’ve had in storage for the past 1+ years. Ok, to be honest, the vehicle has been parked in my garage for two and a half years. It’s a 2001 Golf and, up until storage, the vehicle was well maintained (regular services, maintenance checks, etc).
Before starting, I decided to get input from friends and family on what’s the best way to getting the car started. I wasn’t prepared for some of their responses. “…HOW LONG has it been in storage?” “I wouldn’t even bother – you probably have a family of raccoons living in the engine.” “Your hoses are probably all dried and cracked – good luck getting it started.” “Take it to the dealer and have their service department get it running for you.” None of the comments were particularly helpful, but I didn’t lose hope. The best answer came from my father, “No problem. Just do this…”.
My dad is a genius. He’s college educated, but he’s taught me that experience goes a very, very long way. And that’s how he picked up auto mechanics. He actually quit his job as a culinary chef and opened his own auto mechanic shop back in the 80’s. I’m telling you, the dude has no fear.
“Head out to Wal-mart and buy a battery charge, starting fluid, and a fuel injection cleaner”, he says to me. No problem, Dad.
My dad is flying in to help me get the car rolling again, but with the instructions my father gave me, I felt pretty confident to attempt an initial start on my own. Auto mechanics kind of spook me. But that’s because I know very little about it, but I’m willing to learn. I guess my hesitation is that an automobile is not a cheap thing. I can recover from breaking software (intentional or otherwise), but a car is a totally different story. Mechanic work is expensive. And I certainly don’t have any cash stuffed in my sofa cushions to afford any mistakes.
So the next post will be my documented experience with getting my car to run again. I’m getting all my info and pictures in order, but I can already tell you that it hasn’t been a smooth process. But it’s been a great learning experience and I’m looking forward to getting my VW back on the road.
