Ask a Shiter

[robinmasters]

Which Saab engines is it that get all sludgy? And how much work is it-does the dump come off without taking anything else off?

[SiC]

Which Saab engines is it that get all sludgy? And how much work is it-does the dump come off without taking anything else off?

Non silver top 2.3t and 2.0t 9-5 and older generation 9-3. Newer gen 9-3 were a different engine.

 

Not a massive job. Sump off, clean and refit. I don't think there is too much in the way.

[Bren]

After perusing the classifieds for a couple of weeks I have observed the following -

 

Diesel still king - I can only assume that the low paid / gig economy need to eek every possible mpg out of a car.

 

Anything with a recent clutch/ dmf and/or timing belt can make good money - anything that has'nt will be expected to be given away.

 

I had clocked a 57 plate vectra elite 1.9 cdti estate, 97 k on the clock. Full history, clutch dmf replaced, alternator and timing belt water pump.

 

Somebody on here valued it at £6-700.

They were miles out - it went for £1520.

Even traders seem to be selling old stuff as long as it is good - good stock must be difficult to get hold of.

[Kiltox]

Anyone seen / used those dodgy Chinese Webasto/Eberspacher knock off diesel heaters?

[DodgeRover]

Anyone seen / used those dodgy Chinese Webasto/Eberspacher knock off diesel heaters?

No - how cheap are they?

[cobblers]

About £150-200

I've been looking at these for my next camper but not in any depth.

[Kiltox]

Cobblers knows.

 

Search “diesel air heater” on eBay

[DodgeRover]

Ah not cheap enough, I'll go back to looking at ex rover/ jag/ merc/ whatever fuel burning auxiliary heaters then. Or just use an extention cable and 240v fan heater to de ice and warm up in the morning.

[Stanky]

How do you get fuel into the float bowl of a carb - specifically a Nikkei twin-barrel one with a glass side on the float bowl?

 

I'm perilously close to being able to fire up the Geep but need to get fuel in the carb first I think?

 

Or do I just pull the fuel line to the tank off the pump, and put a new line into a jerry can of fresh fuel and just crank it over until it sucks enough fuel through to fire?

 

I understand lawnmower carbs but this a a trifle more complex.

[Guest Hooli]

Yes that will work if the pump is good.

[Hendry]

Right, these are still classed as modern but theyre getting on for 14 years old, and we all know they are rusty, unreliable heaps of shite, so why are there none in breakers? 

 

I want to rob various Golfs of their stereos, seats, steering wheels, road wheels, headlights etc. to upspec my Jetta and can hardly find any in breakers yards, and any of said bits i find I want on ebay are still crazy money. £225 for a worn and fucked steering wheel from a 13year old Golf GTi!!!

 

I honestly thought id be able to feed my habit for retrofitting and upspeccing my car with the Golf being so common, so much available for them and one of the most messed about with cars in terms of retrofits, upgrading spec and so on, I thought with them being old cars now yards would be full of them like they are with Astra Hs, Corsa Cs, Mk3 Mondeos, mk2 Renault Meganes, etc. basically all the common cars from 10-12 years ago, but theres hardly any whenever i go to breakers, also thought parts would be mega cheap because they were so common and plentiful but yet they still command a fortune. 

 

Whats the deal? are mk5 Golfs really actually more long lasting, reliable, and dependable than we give them credit for? or are they hanging on because people are still fixing and persevering with cars which should really be getting fragged, all because they were a VW badge and therefore are commanding more money than other old cars? 

[twosmoke300]

Exportedvor broken by Eastern Europeans

[bub2006]

Electrical information required please. The emv on the volvo isnt clicking when low hold is engaged. Ive stripped it down to find the copper wire strand has broken on the windings so one terminal isnt connected and the plunger on the solenoid isnt engaged. Is anyway of fixing it? The coils arent insulated so all the strands are touching anyway. Thanks.

[Hendry]

Fuckers, I want a GTi multi function flat bottom steering wheel, 17" GTi Monza wheels, GTi 5 door tartan seats, black headlights, GTi honeycombe upper and lower grilles, a decent OEM VAG stereo with DAB, bluetooth and USB, Golf Match silver centre consoles, a GT TDi 170 twin stainless exhaust pipe backbox, GTi caliper carriers so i can fit bigger GTi discs and pads to my standard 140 TDI calipers (same calipers as a GTi from factory) etc etc. and at current prices thats more than my cars worth, but yet had it been a high spec mk2 Focus, Megane, Astra etc. I could get the full lot for a couple of hundred quid and have my pick of dozens of cars in breakers. 

[loserone]

My brother has one, the 2.0 gti, and it's a thirsty rusty unreliable heap of junk.

 

Not quite sure how it's still running actually ...

 

That sounds like quite a list of stuff you want though, why not buy one and strip it?

[face]

I had a five door Golf 5 GTi and it was reliable and great to drive. I stuck about 35k on it in 18 months and it was doing 35ish mpg on average.

 

It needed tyres, battery and a new diverter valve.

 

All models are still popular - I think the GTi will become a sought after classic before too much longer.

[Lacquer Peel]

Why are you bothering, don't you hate your Golf-with-a-boot?

[Tamworthbay]

I quite like them, there I said it, but my brother in law had a gti and has had to have a lot of rust sorted on it and he is now getting shot of it. Not what you expect from a ‘premium’ brand as they keep telling us they are. I don’t know how car makers get it so wrong, my old Passat is twenty years old near enough and still 100% rust free.

[Lacquer Peel]

Because they don't care if a car is rusty after its 2nd or 3rd owner.

[Hendry]

My brother has one, the 2.0 gti, and it's a thirsty rusty unreliable heap of junk.

 

Not quite sure how it's still running actually ...

 

That sounds like quite a list of stuff you want though, why not buy one and strip it?

Don’t have the space to buy a breaker and strip it, no storage space, no garage, not even a driveway, and tbh if I had a hold of a full GTi I’d probably rather keep that and get shot of the Jetta, not to mention if I was able to buy another full car it wouldn’t be another VW.

 

And yes I do hate the Jetta but it was a free car, has had a lot of work done and money spent on it, and also I don’t have the money to buy something else I know has had the same amount of work done, has been in the family since 3 years old, would have similar spec and be as new and modern which is what I need because I don’t have the money or space to have several cars or even play around keeping a much older car on the road, so I’m thinking if I start upspeccing it it’ll keep me interested and not make me hate it so much. For the money I’d get for it if I sold it there’s no guarantee I’d get something that wasn’t one big bill away from the breakers yard as a replacement.

 

Tbh I I could solve this constant DPF regen thing and it’s resultant smokiness I could live with the other faults, like surface rust and broken trim and so on which has all really only came about due to its hard life as a taxi because otherwise it drives well, it’s quick enough, smooth and refined enough, decent on fuel, spec is decent enough, I like the fact it’s unusual and kinda obscure for a modern, And is quite a nice looking car, it’s just tired and even in top spec with not a bad spec on it it still suffers mingebag VW stinginess like no Bluetooth, no steering wheel controls, no USB socket, and so on, VW seemed very late to the party when it came to in car entertainment and infotainment systems because otherwise it’s well equipped with all round electric windows and mirrors, cruise, auto wipers and lights, chrome trim, and all the ‘fancy’ wee things like ambient lights, footwell lights, front armrest with air vents in the back cabin, rear armrest, and since interrogating it with a VCDS it now has permanent footwell lighting, cornering fog lights, US style marker lights, one touch remote window closure, alarm chirps and so on, now they’ve al been activated and I do like, always have, the ability to add in extra features quite easily.

 

I suppose the problem is I’ve seen Golfs with features mine doesn’t have and I want them, also because the mk5 platform lasted so long and spawned so many different models, I’ve seen different dials, clocks, heater controls, steering wheels, stereos, even dash trim and window switches etc that I could add to mine as a straight swap because I like them better than what’s already in the car and they modernise the interior ever so slightly.

 

Then I’ve seen a US market Jetta GLi which is basically a booted Golf GTi which I think looks really good and the parts are available to fit my car, like GTi skirts which fit the Jetta, rear bumper diffuser, black headlining and pillar trims like the Golf GTi which fit the Jetta, and tbh the appeal of messing with all that and having something a bit different appeals, I’ve always been into modifying cars subtly or to what is known as ‘OEM+’ style and tried to do it ok every car I’ve ever owned and ended up just getting bored of the car and having the luxury of being able to afford a newer and more expensive car, now I can’t I actually want to see this through.

 

Also like the idea of taking a tired car and refreshing it and seeing the difference and feeling the sense of achievement, sadly though as I’ve found out parts are still rare and cost prohibitive. Had it been an Astra, Focus or Megan’s I could go down a breakers and strip all good condition parts to replace my broken, damaged or worn bits on the cheap and have a really tidy and good condition car.

[oldcars]

If its got rust, get that fixed if its a keeper. If not i would'nt bother with upgrading parts if its rusty.

[hpi_matrix]

Have you tried facebook? I rarely buy anything from breakers on ebay nowadays, its all on the facebook groups.

[scdan4]

A motors rewinding place should be able to do it easy and cheap.

 

The copper wire is covered in insulating lacquer type stuff, you just can’t see it, it’s clear.

 

DIY is possible but barstard not worth it. Marlins will sell you the wire...

[bub2006]

A kind chap from 300 mania is sending me a complete coil to replace mine with bud. Easier that way!

[Hendry]

If its got rust, get that fixed if its a keeper. If not i would'nt bother with upgrading parts if its rusty.

 

Its had 2 new genuine VW wings under corrosion warranty last year and the sill rust sorted by a VW main dealer bodyshop, it needs a new tailgate because like all VWs of the era the design of the number plate lights causes rust round them which spreads, its not too far gone to have repainted but VW bodyshop says only way to guarantee getting rid is to replace the lid because theyve repainted rusty tailgates before and due to the inherent design fault it just comes back. 

 

It has rust on the driver and passenger side sill inners, i.e. the bits not visible when the doors are shut, caused by something rubbing, the rear door window rubbers rub the door shuts when opening and shutting the doors and over time have worn away the paint, theres a cracked bit of paint on the drivers side door shut which has gone rusty, the boot shut has a small rust spot which has been caused by some plastic trunking which routes the wiring for the boot electrics into the cars bodyshell itself has rubbed away paint too, and on the rear passenger side wheel arch stone damage has chipped the paint, water has got underneath and loosened off the grainy stone chip protection on the sill so its fell off through to bare metal which is gone a rusty brown water way.

 

Tbh this is all purely small bits of surface rust due to paint being chipped away or been rubbed away, its not like its hanging with rust and needing welding, patches, old metal cut out and new bits of metal welding in etc. Tbh I think simply having the car resprayed would do the trick as a couple of minutes with sandpaper has the rusty looking bits gone and clean metal. 

 

Things it actually needs to make it a useable daily driver i could depend on are not many: to somehow stop the DPF regens constantly and the resultant acrid burning smell (but it runs well, no fault codes, MIL lamps or other warning lights, and is as powerful and torquey and good on fuel as it was even when bought 3years old on 38,000 miles), a new battery as the one thats on it is the factory one which has survived 150,000 miles and 8 and a half years. I think it has a loose exhaust heatshield as it sounds like its rattling over bumpy surfaces and a constant squeak from the drivers side wheel when driving as the wheel rotates. So yeah 3 easy and cheap fixes and one i could just live with but does bug me. Everything else could be just left as is, its not affecting the cars driveability, reliability or even making it look untidy. Its just i know its broken and damaged even though its not obvious. 

[SiC]

What do people do when you run out of places to stamp in a service book? I've never had this happen to me before! Either what I buy is too new (and shift it on before it's full), not owned it long enough (to need servicing) or its a heap and missed loads of services.

[sierraman]

I’d run the fucker into the ground. Given it’s been cabbed it’s about as desirable to sell on as a bout of syphylis. While it goes and stops and passes the test I’d not get into fiddling with stuff on diesels as it gets expensive and you won’t see your money back. Spend the absolute minimum.

[Guest Hooli]

A second service book was the answer with one car I once owned. I'll point out I never paid for a service, it was like that when I got it.

[loserone]

Or inside the back cover

[Hendry]

I’d run the fucker into the ground. Given it’s been cabbed it’s about as desirable to sell on as a bout of syphylis. While it goes and stops and passes the test I’d not get into fiddling with stuff on diesels as it gets expensive and you won’t see your money back. Spend the absolute minimum.

 

I thought that too but seemingly old leggy diesels with a VW badge which have at least been sympathetically driven and arent taxi spec, i.e. black door mirrors and handles, wheel trims and windy rear windows seem actually quite desirable and seem to hold money, similar mileage and age diesel Jettas seem to be fetching upwards of £2500, which utterly astounds me as youd be a mug to pay that but theres definitely a market for them. 

 

Being an owner driver car and not your typical taxi driver, its been well maintained by my old man and its also not utterly hanging inside and with mega scruffy body, its quite tidy outside, its had seat covers and fitted rubber mats at all times and the interior honestly looks like a car which has done 50,000 miles not 150,000. It had a new clutch and DMF about 30,000 miles ago, the intank fuel pump about 2 years ago, a full engine rebuild because the aux belt shredded and made the cambelt skip teeth but not snap, so the head was sorted by a machine shop, new belt kits, 7 new valves, 9 new rockers, has 4 good tyres, new discs and pads on the back and the fronts are good, new springs all round, a recent recon genuine VW caliper on the back, recent full service using VW parts and the correct oil, new genuine VW independent rear suspension lower arms and camber adjustment bolts, a load of wee odds and sods to tidy it up, a proper 4 wheel alignment set up, so mechanically it is very well sorted and constant DPF regen issue aside i think its going to not need anything bar consumables and routine maintenance for a good while, its probably in better mechanical shape than its been in since it was bought in 2012. 

 

As im too shitebag to go down the route of having the innards cut out the DPF and sealed back up and the DPF mapped out, its whether i can be annoyed with the constant regen and associated acrid burning smell for long before I decide it needs a new DPF to cure it or if its time to move it on. It doesnt affect the running, performance or fuel economy, and has no faults or warning lights so im not sure whats causing the pretty much constant regen mode.