My 2006 VW Passat seems

My 2006 VW Passat seems to have trouble starting. It has a key enclosure starting gadget. THe steering column defect button turns on sometimes when this happens, but is only intermittent. I took it to VW and they said that the fix would be a new steering component....to the tune of $1400 and that they would also have to fix the interior comfort mechanism which they claim is also defective. I haven't noticed any change in heat or air conditioning. The car is running fine as long as I put the gadget in partially, wait until all of the bells and lights go away, and then push it all the way in. Do you think it is worth having them repair the problem. It doesn't seem to affect anything else in the operation of the car. Could any mechanic repair this problem or is it a VW only issue that another could not fix.