Volkswagen Repair: Transmition, vw cabrio, vw shop

Question
Hi there,
My VW cabrio 1999 needs an immediate replacement of the automatic transmition as it is acting like sleeping, shifting with a delay and makes the tires to rotate in one place.Ihad it serviced today but the mechanic assured me that its condition will agravate with the time. He is not capable of fixing transmitions though and recomended to purchase new or remanifactured one and have it put at another place. However the prices I was given by VW dealers are way too unsatisfactory to me.From what I see in this website,the transmition is sold in parts, but I need the whole package ready to be installed.What will you reccomend or advice me?
thank you in advance.
Regards, A.Conger

Answer
Mr. Conger,
I have very little experience with water-cooled VWs, especially automatic transmissions. I do some sevice work on domestic trannies and servicing often repairs alot of the problems. You could try driving it for a while and wait for it to get worse or buy a quart of that Lucas brand transmission conditioner and adding that to the fluid. I've heard good reports from a few local mechanics on this conditioner and they really like how it works. It may take a few hundred miles to see a change, be patient. If you still want to swap the trans, find a reputable independent VW shop and let them do it all. The price compared to the VW dealer should br considerably better. Good Luck!