Hiya! Update on my dear Jetta (she still needs a name), got the rotors turned and bled/replaced the brake fluid. Brake pedal went from being super spongy and soft to super stiff and still not stopping the vehicle. I suspect the power brake booster as it has a cracked vacuum line. Going to order a replacement this coming payday.
Also, I found some 0w-30 full synthetic oil that meets the VW 505.00 spec for my car! It made me happy. What do y'all think? Castrol 06244 EDGE 0W-30 SPT Full Synthetic Motor Oil - 1 Quart Bottle, (Pack of 6)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007G7PUMS/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_e8zayb05TDBN9
I'm gonna wait and see how it plays with the 0w40 it has now and decide from there but I'm hopeful for a thinner oil
Metro: the manual says either conventional or synthetic is okay, but I personally prefer full synthetic oils.
Transmission fluid is burnt and sparkly from all the metal fragments flaoting in it. It reacts like a ferrofluid when I pass a magnet over it. I have added a bottle of Lucas oil stop slip and will wait to see when it starts having problems before I start looking to get my tranny rebuilt. I got my info on transmission fluids from this dude:
https://youtu.be/o690DovjDAc
Glow plugs got replaced and that cleared up three of my trouble codes (one for each of the three bad plugs)