Jetta Mk2 problems..

[phosphorousgobu]

Hey everybody. I am new to this forum, found it while searching around google.

My car is a 1987 Jetta Mk2 2Door

vehicle identification number said:
1987 Volkswagen Jetta Deluxe
Sedan, 2 door
engine: 1.8L MFI/FI
Manufactured: Germany
Now for my problems:

1. The radio
For as long as we have owned this car, the radio has been a little funky. It doesn't want to do FM. My old man used to beat the crap out of it, and would occaisionally make it work. However, the dash is all cracked where he used to bang it. For me, the radio works sometimes. I turn the car on, then check. If it works, great. If not, I'll try later. things that seem to influence it: the weather? Maybe...If it's on and I hit a bump, it might suddenly stop receiveing and go quiet. Only AM works then. When it DOES work, the signal is very wishywashy. Sometimes I get super-reception, and I can pickup almost every station available. Other times, I can barely get the FM station from 85 miles away (Charlotte, NC...I get crystal-clear reception on other radios) You guys have any idea as to why? It seems to work well on clear days, but not others...no idea.


2. Steering/suspension/struts
A while ago (less than 2 years), an inspection guy said that we need new struts. We paid $500 for parts/labor. Now, when you go around a corner at 35 MPH, the car REALLY pulls on you hard...like G-forces? Take a corner at 45, and you have to lean into the curve because it feels like you are gonna flip over. My 1975-1992 Rabbit/golf/jetta/scirocco/pick-up book said that it was either the struts, or the stabilizer bar...What do you guys think? I know that Jettas ride high, but the car didn't use to do this. Also, a friend said that it was because I had skinny little 13 inch tires. Maybe, but the car STILL didn't used to have this much pull. Are those new struts to blame?


3. The brakes
Recently, the car has been giving us a lot of trouble. When you put your foot on the brake and slowly press down, the car starts slowly slowing down. Well, due to air in the brakelines, the brakes go in and out, at times requiring that you press all the way to the floor, and THEN putting a lot of pressure on the pedal just to slow down. We went to Sears, and the guy said it was most likely a power brake booster. They put one in, but it was a bad one. We made them take it out, and came back a week later when they got a good one in. They put it in, the car worked for a week. Then, the brakes got bad again (due to air slipping in somehow). We took it in, and the guy bled the brakes. He said that if they got bad again, then we would need to replace the master cylinder. What do you guys think?


Sorry for the college thesis-length essay.

Thanks in advance.