Flywheel Shite

[GrumpiusMaximus]

No chance. I like the idea of someone else driving an AX and Robin is a top shiter but not the car for me! I test drove one years ago and got out after less than 100 yards. Combination of it shaking apart and me not fitting in it.

 

I can’t do it on my drive. Don’t have the tools, time or even a safe way to lift the car. Plus I don’t trust myself to do it because (as those that have met me will attest) I am an idiot.

[Axplug]

I forgot to say my other cars an ax so they do go well together.....unfortunately I sold my robin 10 years ago

[dieselassist]

I bought a rough tdi my years ago for breaking-a 99 with 98k miles - on busting it into bits i discovered someone had in the past welded up the DMF- about inch n a half weld runs; looks like they removed the starter n welded the flywheel through the hole ... hardcore committed mingebaggerry there!!!

[Mally]

I welded a Triumph 2000 ring gear through the starter hole once. The gear was loose on the flywheel.

[the judge]

When I worked on frontline Ambulance transits, Ford used to send solid flywheel replacements instead of DMFs. This was 2004 like. But it happened....

[the judge]

Oh and the first one that failed, got welded solid and sent back out for another 10k miles

[Rusty_Rocket]

I don't work in a modern garage, but have never heard of first-hand experience of engine or gearbox failure after fitting a single mass flywheel in place of a DMF.

Do I need to get out more, or is it all hearsay by bar stool prophets?

[Shirley Knott]

A replacement DMF would clearly be the 'proper' way to do things, that said I've experienced SMF conversions on ALH (90PS) and BEW (100PS) cars first hand with no noticeable impact/dead kittens/nuns. Your ASZ puts out a fair amount more torque than those but should still be ok, just be prepared for a slight increase in vibration at idle if that's the route you take.

 

RE the fix or find something else debate I think you're already conscious that you've made the right choice. I bought my SDI for £300 IIRC and within six months it had a new clutch/timing belt/pump and then an alternator and battery too (Read £750-ish spend in total). Friends and family thought I was mad at the time but I set out to create a vehicle that I could climb in it anytime and drive anywhere with all of the confidence I'd put in a modern car all the while doing 50+MPG, that's exactly what I got. I'd genuinely jump in it and drive across Europe tomorrow if I had to without a second thought.

 

It's worthwhile remembering when making decisions like this that the rest of the world are spending £200 a month on finance, ie circa £2400 each year, so the outlay to fix yours is small beer in comparison, particularly since it's a good/low mileage car.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Joey, you know these cars far better than me so I appreciate your thoughts.  I think I'm decided on how to proceed.

 

Pending the quote, get the job done and get the DMF.  It's a clean runner and it drives well.  The engine is smooth.  I like the car.

 

This is, of course, unless the garage find something wrong with the car that I haven't spotted.  

[Jazoli]

I'm having the same probelm at the minute, the wife's 307cc is rattling quite badly at idle and at low revs under load, it needs a dmf but I've been quoted 800 quid to have it done, it's only done 70k but she's doing 2000 miles a month now and it's only a matter of time before it fails, the car has been surprisingly reliable so far but at most it's worth 1500 quid if I sold it, I have just spend the thick end of 600 quid on tyres for because they are an awkward size and I want to try an make sure she can get home in all weather conditions, it returns 52mpg day in day out and she loves it so I'll probably have to have it done, its a strange one for me as I would have got rid of the car if it was mine and I have never spent that much on repairing a car ever in all my life.

[Shirley Knott]

 

 

This is, of course, unless the garage find something wrong with the car that I haven't spotted.  

 

TBH other than the turbo/DMF there's not much else to go wrong with them that costs anything really.

 

Once the DMF's done as I'm sure you're aware you can prolong the life of your turbo by changing the oil every 5k with Quantum Platinum from TPS, it's cheap at £13 with a Mann filter at circa £5 from ECP, also use the full rev range when up to temperature.

 

Spend your time feeling smug when sat in traffic next to Sharons and Darrens in £200 a month shitboxes that they'll give back after a year and never own, all the while watching the savings you've made tot up, rinse and repeat!

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Hah!  I've been servicing it every 10K with TripleQX from ECP.  Will get the TPS oil next time.  Much cheaper.  I've been changing the filters regularly, etc. so I'm not worried about the engine and it's still sweet when it's on boost.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

The mystery of the clutch deepens.

 

Apparently the chap at the garage today (who I trust) managed to get the car started and drove it from its temporary space from the road into the garage without any obvious issue coming to light, once he got the clutch pedal off the floor.  He's going to have a look at it properly tomorrow but it's a bit of an odd one.

 

Either way, something is badly wrong with it.  I'm thinking maybe the master cylinder.  With that said, the flywheel and clutch plate are definitely not right.

[Tamworthbay]

Hmm, odd one. It does sound like the master cylinder could be knackered. That would be an easier/ cheaper fix so that would be good.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Even so, I think the rest of it is pretty knackered...!

[SiC]

I know the pedal box on this age Polo can crack and fail. Do the Golf suffer the same fault?

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I know the pedal box on this age Polo can crack and fail. Do the Golf suffer the same fault?

 

 

Not that I'm aware of.

 

Prognosis and estimate for the car is as follows...

Failed clutch slave cylinder (apparently he nearly got covered in hydraulic fluid when he took off the undertray!), failed flywheel and clutch.  Alongside that, the cambelt needs doing (and is apparently a bit of a bitch to do but they used to work on this train in Octavia taxis), the CV boots need doing (advisory on last year's MOT, knew about that) and there seems to be a worn engine mount (based on gear engagement).  He's pretty sure that the gearbox itself is fine and he checked the underneath for signs of rust and there isn't much at all, apparently.  So as a platform, the car is solid.

 

He estimated about £1,600.  Which is about what I thought without including cambelt change and CV joints so we're going to go ahead with it.  If the gearbox had been fucked or the car had rust issues, we obviously wouldn't bother.

 

All of these are age and mileage-related issues and I doubt I could get a car with an impeccable history (I have the full history from 2010-onwards and it was dealer serviced religiously prior to that as well) for £1,600 that would match it.

Shiters will be glad to know that my guy also strongly disapproves of most modern Golfs and told me not to even bother at looking at anything from the last few years!

[Tamworthbay]

Its a kick in the teeth but you will have a sound motor when it’s done.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

That's the thinking.  At this age, a lot of cars in equivalent position would be scrapped but it's only on 114,000 (Grandmother couldn't raise the clutch properly) and this would make the transmission, etc. good for (hopefully) another 100,000.  A kick in the teeth certainly but these engines have been known to go a long way and mine has been properly serviced all of its life (apart from the time I missed a service interval 18 months ago) and had the money spent on it.

 

The lack of rust is the clincher for me.

[mrbenn]

Good news. Would have been a real shame to sack this car off for what are essentially consumable items, albeit rather expensive items!

 

Any second hand car always needs spending on to make it "right" so it does seem to be a case of better the devil you know.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

This car was bought new in 2005, serviced at the South Hereford VW dealer, part exchanged back to them, bought by my Grandmother in 2010 and serviced by them until April 2016, when it became my car.  I just know its history and that it had all the money spent on it.

 

My Grandmother used to pay for a full service every year.  After driving about 2,000 miles.  I really can't complain.

[mrbenn]

So rare to get a car with that sort of provenance. You absolutely do right to keep it.

[dieselnutjob]

I have personally done an SMF conversion on both an 806 HDI and a Freelander TD4.

Both vehicles have been driven flat out since the conversions and been used for towing stuff etc.

Both are fine.

[bigfella2]

The cambelt is a bit of a bitch, your kidding me!! It's one of the easiest cambelts to do, even an an incompetent idiot like me can change one.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

The cambelt is a bit of a bitch, your kidding me!! It's one of the easiest cambelts to do, even an an incompetent idiot like me can change one.

He was talking specifically about sourcing one that wouldn’t snap.

[egg]

Good luck with it, there's always risk putting this amount of money into car isn't there? But I'm hopeful that it will pay you back.

 

Anyway - how do normal cars become shite? Well two biggest ways are surely a giffer doing 10 miles a year, or someone prepared to spend big in the autumn of its life.

[twosmoke300]

If its the hydraulic tensioner model with ac then it can be a time consuming belt to do. The engine mount can be a right arse to get off

[Neil clark]

Had one fitted at 180k and on 380k now with same gearbox. Peugeot van

[Rusty_Rocket]

It is a bit of a head scratcher, spending twice (?) the car's value on it to get a bit more life out of it.

 

But, that's only because we've been conditioned to throw away things and replace with new.  It's a UK thing.  In somewhere like Poland, they'd see a decent, otherwise good car needing a repair to continue giving good service and I'm sure they wouldn't bin it for the sake of a clutch.

You know the rest of the car is good, so I see no problem with spending out once in a while.  This thing can/ will go on for years yet with all that work done.  How many £1600 cars out there are on the cusp of needing a clutch/ belt/ gearbox/ axle/ steering rack/ head gasket (and the list goes on!)

[GrumpiusMaximus]

My reasoning exactly.