My 1991 Mk2 Golf GTi Diary
Discussion
Hello everyone 
This is a fifteen year diary (and counting!) of everything required to keep a 1991 Golf GTi going.
My 968CS diary has been quite well received on here, so thought you might also be interested in the GTi.
It was a car that arrived purely by chance, but is now embedded in 15 years of my memories. Whilst many things in life have fluctuated in those 15 years; namely jobs, houses and women - one thing has remained constant throughout. If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen.
Whilst such a marketing slogan was true in 1991, there is no escaping the constant maintenance and repairs that any H reg car demands.
I'd like to document that here. Get a brew, because this is a biggie.
My Mk2 Golf GTi Story
I have always been into bangernomics - buy a cheap car, run until its death, scrap & repeat. Pre-2008 I had dailied a couple of Cavaliers, a Nova and a few Citroen AXs.
In 2008, my Citroen AX10E was nearing the end...
A change of circumstances meant I was slogging along the A14 most weekends. I needed something with a 5th gear, with a bit more poke and something more classy to impress a new lady I started dating at the time
By sheer chance, a guy at work said his next door neighbour might be selling their Golf GTi.
I received the below two images as an "MMS" (before WhatsApp kids) on my Nokia 6230...
I went round and haggled as hard as I could. Crazy to think that £1400 was well over my budget. Difficult to put into context now, but good Cavaliers with a years ticket were only £750.
A deal was eventually done and I became the current owner in March 2008.
A darn good clean revealed the following car underneath...
It's a 1991 registered H reg, three-door, "big bumper" 8v GTi, engine code 'PB'. Full service history with the original 'PDI' literature from Crowsons VW in Spalding (Winsover Road). 'EG' is a Peterborough registration so it hasn't gone far in its life as i'm in Huntingdon.
A lot of people confuse her for Atlas Grey - but that colour was discontinued in 1990. She is actually "Pearl Grey" LA7U.
Of course, I didn't pay any attention to this at the time.
Without any sense of preservation back in 2008, I ran the car into the ground. All weathers, all seasons. Runs to the council tip, the weekly commute. Sitting behind gritters on that A14 slog. She even towed a trailer now and again with that unsightly towbar.
40,000 miles took its toll as a daily runner. Ongoing repairs in that 40k included :
• New Radiator.
• Oil breather on top of the cam cover split, giving a lumpy idle.
• Park brake cables corroded, became full of water and partially seized. Park brake would freeze on frosty mornings.
• A battery.
• Two centre silencers and a rear silencer.
• Driver's door handle snapped.
I only had two breakdowns in 40,000 miles :
• The plastic coolant housing (for the top hose and coolant temperature sensors) cracked and dumped its coolant...
• The ignition switch failed creating a non-start. This required a column tear down...
Excuse the period Nokia 6230 photos of about 20 pixels!
February 2012
Sat on my drive looking very sorry for itself and after four years, still in daily use. The wheels were black with crusted brake dust and it had a list of faults as long as your arm.
The MoT was looming and I got very close to listing her on eBay for £850.
A clear decision had to be made. Sell and move on with another daily, or retire her as a classic?
What to do.....?
This is a fifteen year diary (and counting!) of everything required to keep a 1991 Golf GTi going.
My 968CS diary has been quite well received on here, so thought you might also be interested in the GTi.
It was a car that arrived purely by chance, but is now embedded in 15 years of my memories. Whilst many things in life have fluctuated in those 15 years; namely jobs, houses and women - one thing has remained constant throughout. If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen.
Whilst such a marketing slogan was true in 1991, there is no escaping the constant maintenance and repairs that any H reg car demands.
I'd like to document that here. Get a brew, because this is a biggie.
My Mk2 Golf GTi Story
I have always been into bangernomics - buy a cheap car, run until its death, scrap & repeat. Pre-2008 I had dailied a couple of Cavaliers, a Nova and a few Citroen AXs.
In 2008, my Citroen AX10E was nearing the end...
A change of circumstances meant I was slogging along the A14 most weekends. I needed something with a 5th gear, with a bit more poke and something more classy to impress a new lady I started dating at the time
By sheer chance, a guy at work said his next door neighbour might be selling their Golf GTi.
I received the below two images as an "MMS" (before WhatsApp kids) on my Nokia 6230...
I went round and haggled as hard as I could. Crazy to think that £1400 was well over my budget. Difficult to put into context now, but good Cavaliers with a years ticket were only £750.
A deal was eventually done and I became the current owner in March 2008.
A darn good clean revealed the following car underneath...
It's a 1991 registered H reg, three-door, "big bumper" 8v GTi, engine code 'PB'. Full service history with the original 'PDI' literature from Crowsons VW in Spalding (Winsover Road). 'EG' is a Peterborough registration so it hasn't gone far in its life as i'm in Huntingdon.
A lot of people confuse her for Atlas Grey - but that colour was discontinued in 1990. She is actually "Pearl Grey" LA7U.
Of course, I didn't pay any attention to this at the time.
Without any sense of preservation back in 2008, I ran the car into the ground. All weathers, all seasons. Runs to the council tip, the weekly commute. Sitting behind gritters on that A14 slog. She even towed a trailer now and again with that unsightly towbar.
40,000 miles took its toll as a daily runner. Ongoing repairs in that 40k included :
• New Radiator.
• Oil breather on top of the cam cover split, giving a lumpy idle.
• Park brake cables corroded, became full of water and partially seized. Park brake would freeze on frosty mornings.
• A battery.
• Two centre silencers and a rear silencer.
• Driver's door handle snapped.
I only had two breakdowns in 40,000 miles :
• The plastic coolant housing (for the top hose and coolant temperature sensors) cracked and dumped its coolant...
• The ignition switch failed creating a non-start. This required a column tear down...
Excuse the period Nokia 6230 photos of about 20 pixels!
February 2012
Sat on my drive looking very sorry for itself and after four years, still in daily use. The wheels were black with crusted brake dust and it had a list of faults as long as your arm.
The MoT was looming and I got very close to listing her on eBay for £850.
A clear decision had to be made. Sell and move on with another daily, or retire her as a classic?
What to do.....?
Winter 2012
Conclusion; I bought a beat up Corsa-B and the bangernomics strategy continues to this day.
The first fatal mistake was a nickname "EEG". Once they're named, there's no turning back
Now on axle stands and the start of a more relaxed retired lifestyle. For once, avoiding the gritters...
Whilst certainly never a restoration, it was the start of a preservation mindset that continues to this day. This is how it started...
Front Suspension
Broken anti-roll bar drop links...
Brake disc backing shields disintegrated...
Front wheel bearings...
Rear Suspension
Missing brake disc backing plates requiring stub axle removal...
Corroded rear upper spring cups...
Corroded brake hose ferrules...
New calipers...
New brake pipes...
Fuel Lines and Pump
The metal crimp joints that secure the rubber hoses to the nylon hoses looked really bad. Luckily the nylon pipes have brass inserts, which means you can just cut the crimps off and re-crimp. Fuel tank dropped and all the fuel pipes sorted...
Corrosion
Dropping the fuel tank revealed all sorts of horrors. The amount of crud built up around the filler neck was unbelievable...
The filler neck mounting bracket to the body was shot...
I then took my first paintshop hit to sort this out around the fuel filler...
Starter Motor
Corroded terminals...
New brushes...
Harness repairs...
New Engine Mounts
Gear Change
New gear shift linkages...
...to replace non-existent bushes...
Gearchange dramatically improved!
Towbar
With the acceptance that she was no longer a utility vehicle, the towbar had to go...
The bodyshop sorted the hole...
...much better...
Front Grill
The spot lamps were cracked, the headlamps were not genuine Hella and my grille stripe was faded. Four genuine Hellas sourced and grill stripe re-painted...
BBS Wheels
I wouldn't swap these wheels for anything in the world. They were however in a poor state. Outer tyre beads were popped, and the wheels dressed with 1200 grit. Painted silver and lacquered...
The Jetex
This was a tough one for me. I am an originality geek and did all the modifying worth a lifetime in my twenties. Been there, done that. However, I was repeatedly buying steel silencers. Modern day TIMAX and WALKER pattern parts are made of monkey metal designed for 18 months tops. I went to my VAG dealer (in 2012 - when parts were still available) and got a price for the original galvanised system and nearly had a heart attack.
Essentially, the Jetex full stainless system was cheaper than the factory steel counterpart. It was a no-brainer really and I really like the Jetex brand and tail pipe design.
To this day I still keep the original back box for when its needed. This will be the only 'modification' !
2013 and Beyond...
Original selling dealer plates re-made in the pre-2001 font...
... as was the dealership window sticker...
For the first time, I was starting to get comments at petrol stations like "nice car mate". Scrappage rates started to climb and the UK Government scrappage scheme helped that.
Prices started to rise.
Only then did it dawn on me that I had stumbled onto something worth keeping. What used to be my "daily hack" had now become a classic car...
Conclusion; I bought a beat up Corsa-B and the bangernomics strategy continues to this day.
The first fatal mistake was a nickname "EEG". Once they're named, there's no turning back
Now on axle stands and the start of a more relaxed retired lifestyle. For once, avoiding the gritters...
Whilst certainly never a restoration, it was the start of a preservation mindset that continues to this day. This is how it started...
Front Suspension
Broken anti-roll bar drop links...
Brake disc backing shields disintegrated...
Front wheel bearings...
Rear Suspension
Missing brake disc backing plates requiring stub axle removal...
Corroded rear upper spring cups...
Corroded brake hose ferrules...
New calipers...
New brake pipes...
Fuel Lines and Pump
The metal crimp joints that secure the rubber hoses to the nylon hoses looked really bad. Luckily the nylon pipes have brass inserts, which means you can just cut the crimps off and re-crimp. Fuel tank dropped and all the fuel pipes sorted...
Corrosion
Dropping the fuel tank revealed all sorts of horrors. The amount of crud built up around the filler neck was unbelievable...
The filler neck mounting bracket to the body was shot...
I then took my first paintshop hit to sort this out around the fuel filler...
Starter Motor
Corroded terminals...
New brushes...
Harness repairs...
New Engine Mounts
Gear Change
New gear shift linkages...
...to replace non-existent bushes...
Gearchange dramatically improved!
Towbar
With the acceptance that she was no longer a utility vehicle, the towbar had to go...
The bodyshop sorted the hole...
...much better...
Front Grill
The spot lamps were cracked, the headlamps were not genuine Hella and my grille stripe was faded. Four genuine Hellas sourced and grill stripe re-painted...
BBS Wheels
I wouldn't swap these wheels for anything in the world. They were however in a poor state. Outer tyre beads were popped, and the wheels dressed with 1200 grit. Painted silver and lacquered...
The Jetex
This was a tough one for me. I am an originality geek and did all the modifying worth a lifetime in my twenties. Been there, done that. However, I was repeatedly buying steel silencers. Modern day TIMAX and WALKER pattern parts are made of monkey metal designed for 18 months tops. I went to my VAG dealer (in 2012 - when parts were still available) and got a price for the original galvanised system and nearly had a heart attack.
Essentially, the Jetex full stainless system was cheaper than the factory steel counterpart. It was a no-brainer really and I really like the Jetex brand and tail pipe design.
To this day I still keep the original back box for when its needed. This will be the only 'modification' !
2013 and Beyond...
Original selling dealer plates re-made in the pre-2001 font...
... as was the dealership window sticker...
For the first time, I was starting to get comments at petrol stations like "nice car mate". Scrappage rates started to climb and the UK Government scrappage scheme helped that.
Prices started to rise.
Only then did it dawn on me that I had stumbled onto something worth keeping. What used to be my "daily hack" had now become a classic car...
2014
2014 clocked up 170,000 miles...
Heater Matrix
This all started with a few drips on the floor mat...
Removal of the foam shield that wraps itself around the blower motor revealed a puddle of water and a wet heater box...
Dash virtually out really, took the seats out so working upside down was bearable. Bit of a cow all in all. It was the original matrix dated 1990 so it didn't do too bad I guess...
Speedo Cable
With the dashboard removed, it was easy to do the speedo cable that had an annoying "click" for every rotation.
Swapping the drive cog over old to new...
Main-Beam Tell-Tale
My main-beam tell-tale has always been dim. Made sense to do this too so stripped the cluster down...
All the red and green warning lamps are LED, but for some reason, blue is a traditional filament bulb with a blue cap to look like an LED...
Brake Pipes
In places obscured for the MoT, they were bad...
There is something quite satisfying making a brake pipe look as OE as possible. I changed all pipes to all four corners, from master cylinder to wheels including all hoses...
Auxiliary Shaft Seal
An oil leak from the auxiliary shaft seal meant cambelt off again...
All sorted for another year and hopefully reliable enough for a road trip I was planning...
2014 clocked up 170,000 miles...
Heater Matrix
This all started with a few drips on the floor mat...
Removal of the foam shield that wraps itself around the blower motor revealed a puddle of water and a wet heater box...
Dash virtually out really, took the seats out so working upside down was bearable. Bit of a cow all in all. It was the original matrix dated 1990 so it didn't do too bad I guess...
Speedo Cable
With the dashboard removed, it was easy to do the speedo cable that had an annoying "click" for every rotation.
Swapping the drive cog over old to new...
Main-Beam Tell-Tale
My main-beam tell-tale has always been dim. Made sense to do this too so stripped the cluster down...
All the red and green warning lamps are LED, but for some reason, blue is a traditional filament bulb with a blue cap to look like an LED...
Brake Pipes
In places obscured for the MoT, they were bad...
There is something quite satisfying making a brake pipe look as OE as possible. I changed all pipes to all four corners, from master cylinder to wheels including all hoses...
Auxiliary Shaft Seal
An oil leak from the auxiliary shaft seal meant cambelt off again...
All sorted for another year and hopefully reliable enough for a road trip I was planning...
2014 Wolfsburg Road Trip
Wolfsburg is an amazing place and is like Graceland for VW. The story behind VW World Headquarters still blows my mind.
A car designed by Porsche. Hitler laid the factory foundation stone. They never "sold" a single Beetle. British start making the car on the heavily bombed site which went on to sell 15 million units. 45 years later my Golf was made in the same production halls.
Crazy.
Then, in 2000, Volkswagen created "The Autostadt". A literal VW Mecca. It's a cross between a theme park, a museum, a VW dealer, a city and a modern architecture exhibition.
I wanted to take the Golf back to where she rolled out the factory as a new car.
A road trip was born. I researched the complex and one hotel stood out; The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg...
This is on the Autostadt Complex and looks over the famous four chimneys. Couldn't wait to go.
On the ferry...
Arriving in Wolfsburg and the first photo overlooking the factory...
Arriving at the Ritz with Valet parking. Seeing the suited valet getting into a H-reg Golf was comical. In the morning was worse. All these W12 Phaetons picking up important VAG group members. Then what rolls round the corner with a sticky hydraulic tappet? The valet in my old Golf
That evening we swam in the "floating" pool. It sits in the waters of the factory docks, so you swim at dock water level with the dominating adjacent chimneys. Just incredible.
Next morning we explored the complex...
... and I sneaked EEG onto the site for some photos...
This included parking by the "new car silos". Huge towers with an automated robot arm plucking new cars for customer collection...
Instead of a car, sometimes the robot picks a cabin of seats and you can ride the robot picker. This shoots you to the top onboard a glass cabinet...
I did some amazing night time photography (for my standards) of a place that is truly surreal...
It was scattered with classic VW's in illuminated cabinets....
This included the Autostadt museum...
The museum is an incredible, ever changing collection...
It's just full of your hero cars...
I genuinely went weak at the knees when I saw the W12 Nardo. A car I have idolised since launched, and dreamed about on Gran Tursimo 4....
I walked round with my bottom jaw open most of the time.
Naturally, the exhibits have a strong VAG connection...
... including some really geeky VW exhibits like the G-lader snail...
There's also a second museum across town called "AutoMuseum Volkswagen". This is more spit and sawdust but arguably has just as interesting exhibits...
Including many prototypes that didn't quite make it...
Wrapping things up, visiting Hamelin on the way home...
Evening thrash for the ferry...
Clocking up 1000 miles on the trip computer...
An amazing trip which I don't think I will ever beat. Part of that was the "sense of purpose" taking EEG home.
Wolfsburg is an amazing place and is like Graceland for VW. The story behind VW World Headquarters still blows my mind.
A car designed by Porsche. Hitler laid the factory foundation stone. They never "sold" a single Beetle. British start making the car on the heavily bombed site which went on to sell 15 million units. 45 years later my Golf was made in the same production halls.
Crazy.
Then, in 2000, Volkswagen created "The Autostadt". A literal VW Mecca. It's a cross between a theme park, a museum, a VW dealer, a city and a modern architecture exhibition.
I wanted to take the Golf back to where she rolled out the factory as a new car.
A road trip was born. I researched the complex and one hotel stood out; The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg...
This is on the Autostadt Complex and looks over the famous four chimneys. Couldn't wait to go.
On the ferry...
Arriving in Wolfsburg and the first photo overlooking the factory...
Arriving at the Ritz with Valet parking. Seeing the suited valet getting into a H-reg Golf was comical. In the morning was worse. All these W12 Phaetons picking up important VAG group members. Then what rolls round the corner with a sticky hydraulic tappet? The valet in my old Golf
That evening we swam in the "floating" pool. It sits in the waters of the factory docks, so you swim at dock water level with the dominating adjacent chimneys. Just incredible.
Next morning we explored the complex...
... and I sneaked EEG onto the site for some photos...
This included parking by the "new car silos". Huge towers with an automated robot arm plucking new cars for customer collection...
Instead of a car, sometimes the robot picks a cabin of seats and you can ride the robot picker. This shoots you to the top onboard a glass cabinet...
I did some amazing night time photography (for my standards) of a place that is truly surreal...
It was scattered with classic VW's in illuminated cabinets....
This included the Autostadt museum...
The museum is an incredible, ever changing collection...
It's just full of your hero cars...
I genuinely went weak at the knees when I saw the W12 Nardo. A car I have idolised since launched, and dreamed about on Gran Tursimo 4....
I walked round with my bottom jaw open most of the time.
Naturally, the exhibits have a strong VAG connection...
... including some really geeky VW exhibits like the G-lader snail...
There's also a second museum across town called "AutoMuseum Volkswagen". This is more spit and sawdust but arguably has just as interesting exhibits...
Including many prototypes that didn't quite make it...
Wrapping things up, visiting Hamelin on the way home...
Evening thrash for the ferry...
Clocking up 1000 miles on the trip computer...
An amazing trip which I don't think I will ever beat. Part of that was the "sense of purpose" taking EEG home.
2015 -2016
It all started with a header tank full of an oily creamy sludge. It has what I believe to be the original head gasket, so I thought that time had come. Kept running it for a bit expecting serious things, but the temperature gauge was always steady as a rock. That, and the coolant level in the reservoir was actually increasing in height - not loosing coolant.
Oil cooler it was... the original oil cooler dated 1990...!
Rear wheel bearings happened in mid-2015 as they were becoming quite noisy. I had already re-packed them and nipped them up for the last MoT. Discs looked a bit scabby, so I thought what's the point putting new bearings in old discs?
Races had worn through their shiny coating... no wonder they hummed!
Heating the discs to drop in the frozen races...
Autumn 2015 and SORN came, and I decided to tackle some gremlins. Clutch and power steering lines were key objectives.
Powertrain Removal
I made a powertrain dolly as it would make power steering lines and clutch a bit easier.
Basically a metal plate, on two trolley jacks, on an old TV stand I got out of the skip at work... it did the job as I didn't have an engine crane back then...
However, upon powertrain removal, all it did was reveal some nasty subframe gremlins...
No other choice but to drop the subframe and get it all sorted out...
Lower control arm bushes past their best...!
Subframe Overhaul
I went to town on the subframe, cut out all the bad stuff, welded in new. All cleaned and preservative treated & painted.
Engine mount issues with the bolts snapping...
Time to rebuild, with new Lemforder lower control arms and Lemforder anti-roll bar bushes. Lower control arm threads re-cut and new high tensile black bolts sourced...
New steering rack bolts, with a serrated top, still available from my VW Stealer Vindis...
Clutch Replacement
Clutch next. No dramas here, apart from I didn't have a double hex-socket for the clutch bolts. All my sockets are single hex by choice to stop stuff rounding-off. Had to borrow one. Clutch sourced from ECP which was a SACHS. Never seen so much clutch dust. It was about as close to the rivets as you'd want. Again, date stamped 1990 with 178,000 miles to its name... quite incredible!
Gearbox Input Seal
Gearbox bell-housing looked damp and so did the input seal too...
One of the main objectives was the PAS lines as they looked real bad. A local hydraulics shop cut them about and did what they had to...
Before :
After:
With the subframe dropped, my magic corrosion finding screwdriver disappeared through the body in a few places, especially the jacking points...
I salvaged the actual jacking cups...
... cleaned them up ...
... made the plates on the bench first...
... then cut out even more rotten floor!
All welded and quite a bit of new sheet steel used. The sense of "triggers broom" was becoming strong!
Clutch Cable
Corrosion and Preservation
Chassis cleaned up to hopefully extend life a bit more. I feel like King Canute here, holding back the inevitable rust; you can only do your best...
Below is when the subframe was dropped. All wire-brushed and KURUST preservative on the main rails.
Just managed to squeeze in VW Action at Santa Pod late 2016. Entered Saturdays 'Everyday Concours' and Sundays 'Originality Concours'. Won absolutely sweet FA for both events. What a reward for all that work!
Pictured in 2016 nose-to-nose with my mate's brand new 'GTE' of the time. No, not the Astra we all grew up with, but the first hybrid electric Golf GTI...
Made me wonder; who will be fixing that on their driveway in 30 years time I wonder....?
It all started with a header tank full of an oily creamy sludge. It has what I believe to be the original head gasket, so I thought that time had come. Kept running it for a bit expecting serious things, but the temperature gauge was always steady as a rock. That, and the coolant level in the reservoir was actually increasing in height - not loosing coolant.
Oil cooler it was... the original oil cooler dated 1990...!
Rear wheel bearings happened in mid-2015 as they were becoming quite noisy. I had already re-packed them and nipped them up for the last MoT. Discs looked a bit scabby, so I thought what's the point putting new bearings in old discs?
Races had worn through their shiny coating... no wonder they hummed!
Heating the discs to drop in the frozen races...
Autumn 2015 and SORN came, and I decided to tackle some gremlins. Clutch and power steering lines were key objectives.
Powertrain Removal
I made a powertrain dolly as it would make power steering lines and clutch a bit easier.
Basically a metal plate, on two trolley jacks, on an old TV stand I got out of the skip at work... it did the job as I didn't have an engine crane back then...
However, upon powertrain removal, all it did was reveal some nasty subframe gremlins...
No other choice but to drop the subframe and get it all sorted out...
Lower control arm bushes past their best...!
Subframe Overhaul
I went to town on the subframe, cut out all the bad stuff, welded in new. All cleaned and preservative treated & painted.
Engine mount issues with the bolts snapping...
Time to rebuild, with new Lemforder lower control arms and Lemforder anti-roll bar bushes. Lower control arm threads re-cut and new high tensile black bolts sourced...
New steering rack bolts, with a serrated top, still available from my VW Stealer Vindis...
Clutch Replacement
Clutch next. No dramas here, apart from I didn't have a double hex-socket for the clutch bolts. All my sockets are single hex by choice to stop stuff rounding-off. Had to borrow one. Clutch sourced from ECP which was a SACHS. Never seen so much clutch dust. It was about as close to the rivets as you'd want. Again, date stamped 1990 with 178,000 miles to its name... quite incredible!
Gearbox Input Seal
Gearbox bell-housing looked damp and so did the input seal too...
One of the main objectives was the PAS lines as they looked real bad. A local hydraulics shop cut them about and did what they had to...
Before :
After:
With the subframe dropped, my magic corrosion finding screwdriver disappeared through the body in a few places, especially the jacking points...
I salvaged the actual jacking cups...
... cleaned them up ...
... made the plates on the bench first...
... then cut out even more rotten floor!
All welded and quite a bit of new sheet steel used. The sense of "triggers broom" was becoming strong!
Clutch Cable
Corrosion and Preservation
Chassis cleaned up to hopefully extend life a bit more. I feel like King Canute here, holding back the inevitable rust; you can only do your best...
Below is when the subframe was dropped. All wire-brushed and KURUST preservative on the main rails.
Just managed to squeeze in VW Action at Santa Pod late 2016. Entered Saturdays 'Everyday Concours' and Sundays 'Originality Concours'. Won absolutely sweet FA for both events. What a reward for all that work!
Pictured in 2016 nose-to-nose with my mate's brand new 'GTE' of the time. No, not the Astra we all grew up with, but the first hybrid electric Golf GTI...
Made me wonder; who will be fixing that on their driveway in 30 years time I wonder....?
2018
10th Anniversary!
Due to matters out of my control, in 2017 I lost my house, garage and car storage. I kept the cars though.
'EEG' sat outside my mates house for six months. Bumpers grey, inevitable condensation inside. Sad times.
The roof had gone beyond polishing (it had been mopped twice before, anymore risked primer poking through)...
The sunroof seal was green with moss...
Lacquer issues had got worse...
Sunroof wind deflector looking a bit sad...
Whilst it was parked up, I did manage to fix the boot hinge wiring with 'new old stock' corrugated boots...
At the end of my mates hospitality, I made a paintshop appointment for the roof.
I removed the sunroof...
and gave the sunroof seal a soaking...
In the meantime I dropped the car off. Got the roof, sunroof panel, bonnet, b-pillar and door tops painted....
[/CENTER]
Got the car back, trimmed the sunroof...
Fitted the powder coated wind deflector...
So, car was looking smart again..
Then, a week later, my worst nightmare caught my eye in the rear view mirror...
I don't know if it was the heat from the paintshop oven, or my recent disturbance with the tailgate hinge wiring. Whatever it was, the glue had given up after 27 years
Ah, 'no problem' I thought, i'll whip that out and re-glue it. What happened next was utter carnage...
I can only describe the headlining as a 6ft long poppadum, with similar strength and brittleness. It came out in three pieces, the fabric detaching entirely.
The Headlining Saga!
Welcome to what is, without doubt, the most drawn out, frustrating and joyless task I can recall.
So here we go...
1) Try and restore the backing board into one piece. I had two cracks which resulted in a fractured section from the sunroof corners; circled.
2) Get a load of pegs, newspaper and a tub of PVA. Join the broken section with the newspaper & PVA, using pegs to clamp.
3) Do the whole backside, to give it some rigidity.
4) Now use plasterers mesh tape for extra strength.
5) Repeat the process, time and time again, allowing each layer to dry, evening after evening until you lose the will to live.
6) Paint edges black, just incase anything is visible through the windscreen or side glass.
7) Flip it over and attempt to remove the horrible foam. Use many cans of brake cleaner. A hateful task.
8) Try your very best and remove the foam residue from the back of the fabric.
9) Wash the fabric in preperation for spray glue.
10) Position the fabric in place, peg at critical locations so it doesn't shift. Feel quite smug that you have managed to save it.
11) Start in the middle, a section at a time, spraying liberally with the best 3M spray glue.
12) Stand back and admire... looking good eh?
13) Admit to yourself you have completely screwed it up. Mess around with hot air guns. Accidentally burn it. Visit VW Heritage website and check the stupid price of new material. Cry.
14) In desperation, try to peel it off...
15) Discover the glue is so strong, it actually delaminates the headlining backing board, taking away a plastic base layer with the material. Cry some more.
16) End up with an almighty mess. Fabric destroyed. Headlining damaged. Chuck the fabric you salvaged in the bin. Ring Samaritans.
17) Commence headlining backing board repairs all over again, this time on the fabric side. Remove the green plastic base layer.
18) Fill all the cracks and get a uniform surface.
19) Prime...
20) Brush paint black
21) Spend a few weeks thinking what on earth you're going to do. You want an original look headlining. All the ones on ebay are just as broken and it's too fragile to ship. You could spend a fortune on new material, but could have another gluing nightmare. What to do?
22) Realise painting gives the most durable long term fix (will never sag) - but how to maintain that original look?
23) Discover the world of textured paints - namely Rust-Oleum Textured "Aged Iron". Mess about with some test pieces. Not too much messing about because the tins are expensive!
24) Buy 7 cans (at £10 a can) and just go for it...
Refitted...
Personally, I think its the best of a bad situation. No wrinkles or creases. It looks 95% original. It will NEVER sag again.
If you attempt your headlining, then Godspeed my friend.
10th Anniversary!
Due to matters out of my control, in 2017 I lost my house, garage and car storage. I kept the cars though.
'EEG' sat outside my mates house for six months. Bumpers grey, inevitable condensation inside. Sad times.
The roof had gone beyond polishing (it had been mopped twice before, anymore risked primer poking through)...
The sunroof seal was green with moss...
Lacquer issues had got worse...
Sunroof wind deflector looking a bit sad...
Whilst it was parked up, I did manage to fix the boot hinge wiring with 'new old stock' corrugated boots...
At the end of my mates hospitality, I made a paintshop appointment for the roof.
I removed the sunroof...
and gave the sunroof seal a soaking...
In the meantime I dropped the car off. Got the roof, sunroof panel, bonnet, b-pillar and door tops painted....
[/CENTER]Got the car back, trimmed the sunroof...
Fitted the powder coated wind deflector...
So, car was looking smart again..
Then, a week later, my worst nightmare caught my eye in the rear view mirror...
I don't know if it was the heat from the paintshop oven, or my recent disturbance with the tailgate hinge wiring. Whatever it was, the glue had given up after 27 years
Ah, 'no problem' I thought, i'll whip that out and re-glue it. What happened next was utter carnage...
I can only describe the headlining as a 6ft long poppadum, with similar strength and brittleness. It came out in three pieces, the fabric detaching entirely.
The Headlining Saga!
Welcome to what is, without doubt, the most drawn out, frustrating and joyless task I can recall.
So here we go...
1) Try and restore the backing board into one piece. I had two cracks which resulted in a fractured section from the sunroof corners; circled.
2) Get a load of pegs, newspaper and a tub of PVA. Join the broken section with the newspaper & PVA, using pegs to clamp.
3) Do the whole backside, to give it some rigidity.
4) Now use plasterers mesh tape for extra strength.
5) Repeat the process, time and time again, allowing each layer to dry, evening after evening until you lose the will to live.
6) Paint edges black, just incase anything is visible through the windscreen or side glass.
7) Flip it over and attempt to remove the horrible foam. Use many cans of brake cleaner. A hateful task.
8) Try your very best and remove the foam residue from the back of the fabric.
9) Wash the fabric in preperation for spray glue.
10) Position the fabric in place, peg at critical locations so it doesn't shift. Feel quite smug that you have managed to save it.
11) Start in the middle, a section at a time, spraying liberally with the best 3M spray glue.
12) Stand back and admire... looking good eh?
13) Admit to yourself you have completely screwed it up. Mess around with hot air guns. Accidentally burn it. Visit VW Heritage website and check the stupid price of new material. Cry.
14) In desperation, try to peel it off...
15) Discover the glue is so strong, it actually delaminates the headlining backing board, taking away a plastic base layer with the material. Cry some more.
16) End up with an almighty mess. Fabric destroyed. Headlining damaged. Chuck the fabric you salvaged in the bin. Ring Samaritans.
17) Commence headlining backing board repairs all over again, this time on the fabric side. Remove the green plastic base layer.
18) Fill all the cracks and get a uniform surface.
19) Prime...
20) Brush paint black
21) Spend a few weeks thinking what on earth you're going to do. You want an original look headlining. All the ones on ebay are just as broken and it's too fragile to ship. You could spend a fortune on new material, but could have another gluing nightmare. What to do?
22) Realise painting gives the most durable long term fix (will never sag) - but how to maintain that original look?
23) Discover the world of textured paints - namely Rust-Oleum Textured "Aged Iron". Mess about with some test pieces. Not too much messing about because the tins are expensive!
24) Buy 7 cans (at £10 a can) and just go for it...
Refitted...
Personally, I think its the best of a bad situation. No wrinkles or creases. It looks 95% original. It will NEVER sag again.
If you attempt your headlining, then Godspeed my friend.
Edited by jay-kay-em on Wednesday 27th December 22:27
2020
2020 kicked off with a distinct oil slick rainbow on the drive...
Back into the workshop she went, proving more unreliable than the TVR at the time - which is quite an achievement trust me...
Oil leak traced to the steering rack column input seal...
So, rack to come out, might aswell drop the subframe as its just easier to remove PAS pipes. Again...
Rack sent away to be refurbished. Successfully received back and reinstalled. System bled with new fluid and flush.
Driveshafts
Driveshaft output seals in the gearbox have always been weeping. Never bad enough to be concerning but the time had come.
Driveshafts removed and doubts cast over boots. They were in quite a state really.
All cleaned...
New cork gaskets and repacked...
Shafts cleaned, painted and rebuilt...
Now to get the drive flanges out. Used a three-legged puller and MAN they were tight. Scary tight as I though something was going to break. Anyway, they came out eventually...
Levered the old seals out...
New seals fitted, now time to press the drive flanges back in. Press tool self-made from threaded rod and plate, knowing how tight they'll be...
Exhaust Heatshield
How's this for new-old stock? Exhaust downpipe heatshield. Again, not paying VW Heritage prices. Had an eBay saved search for the part number and low and behold one turned up with the original sales receipt from 1996!
"Hen's Teeth" as they say.
All fitted....
Oil Pan
Next was sump gasket, nothing complicated here (he says)...
It's really awkward to get out without taking the PAS pump off. There is a particular 'route' in and out with the pan.
Anyway, got it out, cleaned...
Just inspecting and noticed a broken section of the baffle plate. It was soooo brittle...
Again, thanks to a SEAT, this is still an available VW item...
SEAT back then had a strategy of using older VW technology, which has helped me out a few times.
New gasket ready to go back together...
Front Discs & Calipers
New discs and calipers as the old ones worked, but just in poor visual condition...
Rear Calipers
For some time I had one rear brake disc getting slightly hotter than the other, in conjunction with a very slight bind. A full refurb by BCS Calipology...
Tailgate
Boot central locking issues...
Everything either seized or the breakage of brittle plastic...
With the tailgate handle removed, some rust observed. Not a cure, but merely delaying the inevitable as best you can.
Wheels & Tyres
Breaks my heart to put tyres with 8mm tread in the bin, but my Toyos had cracked real bad...
New Toyo Proxes fitted, wheels all cleaned up and balanced...
Wheel nuts sharpened up...
Not going to stay like this nice for long...
Cambelt
The miles covered are nothing, but five years since I did all belts including timing belt. Time for another set...
You buy Continental to maintain its German heritage... made in India!
Vacuum Lines
These control a few things; fuel pressure and the hot air induction system on the airbox. Not looking great...
Oil Temperature Gauge
Another 2020 failure was the oil temperature gauge. This has always worked reliably. Now it just displayed (- - -) all the time...
Firstly, the wiring to the sensor (on top of the oil filter housing) didn't look too clever...
Sorted that out...
Then replaced the sensor... amazingly still available... the latest application is a 2010 Seat Alhambra.
All good! Oil temperature gauge operation restored.
Another year done!
2020 kicked off with a distinct oil slick rainbow on the drive...
Back into the workshop she went, proving more unreliable than the TVR at the time - which is quite an achievement trust me...
Oil leak traced to the steering rack column input seal...
So, rack to come out, might aswell drop the subframe as its just easier to remove PAS pipes. Again...
Rack sent away to be refurbished. Successfully received back and reinstalled. System bled with new fluid and flush.
Driveshafts
Driveshaft output seals in the gearbox have always been weeping. Never bad enough to be concerning but the time had come.
Driveshafts removed and doubts cast over boots. They were in quite a state really.
All cleaned...
New cork gaskets and repacked...
Shafts cleaned, painted and rebuilt...
Now to get the drive flanges out. Used a three-legged puller and MAN they were tight. Scary tight as I though something was going to break. Anyway, they came out eventually...
Levered the old seals out...
New seals fitted, now time to press the drive flanges back in. Press tool self-made from threaded rod and plate, knowing how tight they'll be...
Exhaust Heatshield
How's this for new-old stock? Exhaust downpipe heatshield. Again, not paying VW Heritage prices. Had an eBay saved search for the part number and low and behold one turned up with the original sales receipt from 1996!
"Hen's Teeth" as they say.
All fitted....
Oil Pan
Next was sump gasket, nothing complicated here (he says)...
It's really awkward to get out without taking the PAS pump off. There is a particular 'route' in and out with the pan.
Anyway, got it out, cleaned...
Just inspecting and noticed a broken section of the baffle plate. It was soooo brittle...
Again, thanks to a SEAT, this is still an available VW item...
SEAT back then had a strategy of using older VW technology, which has helped me out a few times.
New gasket ready to go back together...
Front Discs & Calipers
New discs and calipers as the old ones worked, but just in poor visual condition...
Rear Calipers
For some time I had one rear brake disc getting slightly hotter than the other, in conjunction with a very slight bind. A full refurb by BCS Calipology...
Tailgate
Boot central locking issues...
Everything either seized or the breakage of brittle plastic...
With the tailgate handle removed, some rust observed. Not a cure, but merely delaying the inevitable as best you can.
Wheels & Tyres
Breaks my heart to put tyres with 8mm tread in the bin, but my Toyos had cracked real bad...
New Toyo Proxes fitted, wheels all cleaned up and balanced...
Wheel nuts sharpened up...
Not going to stay like this nice for long...
Cambelt
The miles covered are nothing, but five years since I did all belts including timing belt. Time for another set...
You buy Continental to maintain its German heritage... made in India!
Vacuum Lines
These control a few things; fuel pressure and the hot air induction system on the airbox. Not looking great...
Oil Temperature Gauge
Another 2020 failure was the oil temperature gauge. This has always worked reliably. Now it just displayed (- - -) all the time...
Firstly, the wiring to the sensor (on top of the oil filter housing) didn't look too clever...
Sorted that out...
Then replaced the sensor... amazingly still available... the latest application is a 2010 Seat Alhambra.
All good! Oil temperature gauge operation restored.
Another year done!
2021
You know when you just keep looking at something, saying it's too expensive, but just keep on coming back to look at it?
I have done a very silly thing after a year of self conjecture...
Blaupunkt Bremen SQR46 Installation
Removing all the previous spaghetti...
Hands-free... this is modern for me...
Lookin' good....
Dashboard Illumination
Whilst I was there, I took action on something that has annoyed me for years - heater control illumination. Annoyingly, it uses a special bulb that is not serviceable. That was VW's intention anyway.
Strip down the unit trying not to break it...
Find in your spare parts drawer a pre-bladed bulb holder. This was pure fluke to be fair and I have no idea what it was originally from...
Cut the back off the bulb port, which just by sheer chance, my square bulb holder is now a snug push fit...
Dash Switches
Whilst I was on a dashboard illumination mission, I considered all the switches. I'm not keen on LED conversion as LED intensity is not congruous to age.
It was easier to actually buy the switches from Febi and they didn't cost the earth...
All sorted now. I have never known this headlamp switch to be illuminated in my ownership...
...or heater controls either...
Side Door Window Trims
The front door window scrapers are in two parts, a rusty metal trim, and a shrunken push fit seal/scraper....
As you can see, the metal trims were well past their best...
These go for silly money on eBay but what else can you do? New old stock item found...
All fitted with new rubber scrapers...
Wheels & Tyres
Every year I say I must get these professionally refurbished. Yet another year that hasn't happened; just a few cosmetic touch up's here and there...
Yet another cracked Toyo Proxes... but shock horror... The T1-R is discontinued! It is now the TR-1 with a totally different pattern.
Left, the old T1-R.... right; the new TR-1.
It is now asymmetric instead of rotational. I only wanted one tyre, but as a minimum had to buy an axle pair for symmetry. Annoyingly, I also noticed the huge price difference between 195/50 (cheap as chips) and my not so cheap but correct 185/55...
I paid the extra and maintained 185/55 which I will always. My front axle tread pattern no longer matches my rear axle but this will be rectified in time.
Accelerator Cable
I had noticed over a year ago that revs were 'hanging' ever so slightly between gear changes. Cause; a binding throttle cable. I had been checking VW Heritage and there was a myriad of cables. The one I wanted had been out of stock for months. Finally I sourced a cable...
Accelerator back to its snappy self.
Gearshift Gaitor
Another original item past its best...
New item sourced...
Grille Stripe
Another strong sense of job de-ja-vu here.... but the last paint was 9 years ago...
Rubbing Strips
These looked like they were slowly falling off. They are unobtanium on eBay, so detachment whilst driving would be a bad thing for many reasons.
A couple of the mounting points for the clips broken and/or missing...
Resolved with some Tiger Seal...
Driver's Window
I pulled up at work and tried to lower my window to scan my work pass at the barrier.
The window would only lower 3" and come to a thud of a halt.
Time to examine why...
A part of the winder mechanism had sheared, backed out and was stopping the window go down...
To be honest, failure was on the cards all round...
Still easily available and dirt cheap. These are like hen's teeth for some other classic cars I have owned... so refreshing to be able to buy stuff for something so old now!
Really easy to fit too and full window operation restored.
Nearside Front Jacking Point
This is also strong de-ja-vu as I did the offside a few years back...
Same again, cut out...
Salvage the cup...
and rebuild...
Chassis Rails
Corrosion on the forward chassis rails which is especially annoying as the fuel pipes run inside...
Fuel pipes all withdrawn and welded accordingly.
Although I cursed at the time, fuel hose removal was a blessing in disguise. Quite perished and these are only five years old...
Rear Corners
Whilst underneath, couldn't help noticing something that looked suspicious...
Foolishly I removed the bumper which revealed all sorts of issues...
Inspection after exhaust removal...
Not good, to say the least.
I cut out all the bad stuff...
Luckily, I was just able to keep the exhaust aperture...
I know full rear panels are available, but it just seemed a bit extreme to cut the whole tail off. I decided to fabricate what I need...
All fresh metal, inside and out...
Schutz and paint...
I'm not a professional bodyshop guy (obviously) - but that's good enough in my eyes for something hidden behind a bumper...
Exhaust
Nothing but good things to report with the old Jetex. That's nearly ten years old now and looks good as gold...
Good time to spruce up the heat shields (again!)...
Re-tapping my floor pan studs which are corroding real bad...
... and securing with nylocs and repair washers instead...
Rear Bumper
This was looking pretty sorry for itself...
The historically car park bruised bumper bar (not me) stripped and zinc powder coated...
Time to fix that broken bumper guide (arrowed) and I bought a new guide in preparation...
However, I felt nervous drilling out this melted attachment point, with it being millimetres from the outside skin...
I chickened out and decided to repair the old mount instead. First, file away all remains of the top guide...
Fabricate a new guide from stainless and pop-rivet and Tigerseal into place...
Side Skirt Disaster
I was just tidying things up and getting ready to remove the jack stands. I crawled out from underneath the car and the back of my jacket caught my side-skirt with an almighty crack. Disaster....
I had accidentally busted every securing clip...
...and every single clip bracket... the remains of which staying in the "holder"...
With spare parts being discontinued this is now difficult. The easy solution is a shed load of tiger seal, but it's a fairly safe bet that the sills will need welding one day, so I wanted a clean bolt-on, bolt-off, solution - no tiger seal involved thank you!
I made a selection of brackets out of stainless steel...
This enabled me to use my new toy; a riv-nut gun...
Fitted to the sill...
My sideskirt is now secured by stainless bolts...
Not "OE" I know - and that pains me - but my hands are tied.
I'll do the nearside some other day.
New MoT for 2021...
You know when you just keep looking at something, saying it's too expensive, but just keep on coming back to look at it?
I have done a very silly thing after a year of self conjecture...
Blaupunkt Bremen SQR46 Installation
Removing all the previous spaghetti...
Hands-free... this is modern for me...
Lookin' good....
Dashboard Illumination
Whilst I was there, I took action on something that has annoyed me for years - heater control illumination. Annoyingly, it uses a special bulb that is not serviceable. That was VW's intention anyway.
Strip down the unit trying not to break it...
Find in your spare parts drawer a pre-bladed bulb holder. This was pure fluke to be fair and I have no idea what it was originally from...
Cut the back off the bulb port, which just by sheer chance, my square bulb holder is now a snug push fit...
Dash Switches
Whilst I was on a dashboard illumination mission, I considered all the switches. I'm not keen on LED conversion as LED intensity is not congruous to age.
It was easier to actually buy the switches from Febi and they didn't cost the earth...
All sorted now. I have never known this headlamp switch to be illuminated in my ownership...
...or heater controls either...
Side Door Window Trims
The front door window scrapers are in two parts, a rusty metal trim, and a shrunken push fit seal/scraper....
As you can see, the metal trims were well past their best...
These go for silly money on eBay but what else can you do? New old stock item found...
All fitted with new rubber scrapers...
Wheels & Tyres
Every year I say I must get these professionally refurbished. Yet another year that hasn't happened; just a few cosmetic touch up's here and there...
Yet another cracked Toyo Proxes... but shock horror... The T1-R is discontinued! It is now the TR-1 with a totally different pattern.
Left, the old T1-R.... right; the new TR-1.
It is now asymmetric instead of rotational. I only wanted one tyre, but as a minimum had to buy an axle pair for symmetry. Annoyingly, I also noticed the huge price difference between 195/50 (cheap as chips) and my not so cheap but correct 185/55...
I paid the extra and maintained 185/55 which I will always. My front axle tread pattern no longer matches my rear axle but this will be rectified in time.
Accelerator Cable
I had noticed over a year ago that revs were 'hanging' ever so slightly between gear changes. Cause; a binding throttle cable. I had been checking VW Heritage and there was a myriad of cables. The one I wanted had been out of stock for months. Finally I sourced a cable...
Accelerator back to its snappy self.
Gearshift Gaitor
Another original item past its best...
New item sourced...
Grille Stripe
Another strong sense of job de-ja-vu here.... but the last paint was 9 years ago...
Rubbing Strips
These looked like they were slowly falling off. They are unobtanium on eBay, so detachment whilst driving would be a bad thing for many reasons.
A couple of the mounting points for the clips broken and/or missing...
Resolved with some Tiger Seal...
Driver's Window
I pulled up at work and tried to lower my window to scan my work pass at the barrier.
The window would only lower 3" and come to a thud of a halt.
Time to examine why...
A part of the winder mechanism had sheared, backed out and was stopping the window go down...
To be honest, failure was on the cards all round...
Still easily available and dirt cheap. These are like hen's teeth for some other classic cars I have owned... so refreshing to be able to buy stuff for something so old now!
Really easy to fit too and full window operation restored.
Nearside Front Jacking Point
This is also strong de-ja-vu as I did the offside a few years back...
Same again, cut out...
Salvage the cup...
and rebuild...
Chassis Rails
Corrosion on the forward chassis rails which is especially annoying as the fuel pipes run inside...
Fuel pipes all withdrawn and welded accordingly.
Although I cursed at the time, fuel hose removal was a blessing in disguise. Quite perished and these are only five years old...
Rear Corners
Whilst underneath, couldn't help noticing something that looked suspicious...
Foolishly I removed the bumper which revealed all sorts of issues...
Inspection after exhaust removal...
Not good, to say the least.
I cut out all the bad stuff...
Luckily, I was just able to keep the exhaust aperture...
I know full rear panels are available, but it just seemed a bit extreme to cut the whole tail off. I decided to fabricate what I need...
All fresh metal, inside and out...
Schutz and paint...
I'm not a professional bodyshop guy (obviously) - but that's good enough in my eyes for something hidden behind a bumper...
Exhaust
Nothing but good things to report with the old Jetex. That's nearly ten years old now and looks good as gold...
Good time to spruce up the heat shields (again!)...
Re-tapping my floor pan studs which are corroding real bad...
... and securing with nylocs and repair washers instead...
Rear Bumper
This was looking pretty sorry for itself...
The historically car park bruised bumper bar (not me) stripped and zinc powder coated...
Time to fix that broken bumper guide (arrowed) and I bought a new guide in preparation...
However, I felt nervous drilling out this melted attachment point, with it being millimetres from the outside skin...
I chickened out and decided to repair the old mount instead. First, file away all remains of the top guide...
Fabricate a new guide from stainless and pop-rivet and Tigerseal into place...
Side Skirt Disaster
I was just tidying things up and getting ready to remove the jack stands. I crawled out from underneath the car and the back of my jacket caught my side-skirt with an almighty crack. Disaster....
I had accidentally busted every securing clip...
...and every single clip bracket... the remains of which staying in the "holder"...
With spare parts being discontinued this is now difficult. The easy solution is a shed load of tiger seal, but it's a fairly safe bet that the sills will need welding one day, so I wanted a clean bolt-on, bolt-off, solution - no tiger seal involved thank you!
I made a selection of brackets out of stainless steel...
This enabled me to use my new toy; a riv-nut gun...
Fitted to the sill...
My sideskirt is now secured by stainless bolts...
Not "OE" I know - and that pains me - but my hands are tied.
I'll do the nearside some other day.
New MoT for 2021...
1991 to 2021 ~ 30 Years Young
In 2021, I did a little road trip to mark 30 years. As road trips go, it wasn't that far.
I have the PDI dated February 1991. The car was delivered new to an address in Peterborough, about 20 miles from my home today.
That sale was made by Crowsons, Winsover Road in Spalding, Lincolnshire.
Here's Mr. Crowson sat at the forecourt where my car was sold...
Here's some further pictures with Volkswagen Audi showroom branding circa 1984...
They moved from this address in 1994, so my car definitely rolled out of here in 1991.
You get so used to main dealers today having almost cathedral like showrooms - so it seems amazing that an Audi main dealer operated out of an old petrol station... but that's how it was.
Thanks to Google Maps, here's a shot of the premises. You can make out the double pitched roof, arrowed, although the old petrol station canopy has gone.
To mark 30 years young, I took a little road trip with my fresh 2021 MoT...
Oh dear... too late
Least the car has outlived the building!
2023
So here we are; present day!
I could say that owning this car is due to my great wisdom and classic car foresight. That is of course utter rubbish as it was never a car I originally hunted for.
2012 was the epiphany I guess.
It's now a greater part of me than anything else I can think of.
Here's a picture of me stood next to my dad's mk1...
I guess there's always been a bit of classic Golf in my blood.
I'm a bit of an originality geek but we are entering a new era now. Parts are drying up and sometimes you have to engineer your way out of things - like the side skirts. Makes me sad when I show things on here that aren't OE, but i'm boxed into a corner. Hopefully the fact that the car still exists trumps the fact that any repair method is no longer OE.
I don't like to talk about values - but some of these used prices of late!?! It's a crazy situation that I have arrived at this position by default. I'm still using it as a (summer) daily. To me it's still the £1400 car I went over budget for
As is the norm, she's currently broken with more age related issues (yet again) so another update to follow.
If you've made it this far in the thread, congratulations!
That was my GTi story to date.
Best Regards,
JKM.
In 2021, I did a little road trip to mark 30 years. As road trips go, it wasn't that far.
I have the PDI dated February 1991. The car was delivered new to an address in Peterborough, about 20 miles from my home today.
That sale was made by Crowsons, Winsover Road in Spalding, Lincolnshire.
Here's Mr. Crowson sat at the forecourt where my car was sold...
Here's some further pictures with Volkswagen Audi showroom branding circa 1984...
They moved from this address in 1994, so my car definitely rolled out of here in 1991.
You get so used to main dealers today having almost cathedral like showrooms - so it seems amazing that an Audi main dealer operated out of an old petrol station... but that's how it was.
Thanks to Google Maps, here's a shot of the premises. You can make out the double pitched roof, arrowed, although the old petrol station canopy has gone.
To mark 30 years young, I took a little road trip with my fresh 2021 MoT...
Oh dear... too late
Least the car has outlived the building!
2023
So here we are; present day!
I could say that owning this car is due to my great wisdom and classic car foresight. That is of course utter rubbish as it was never a car I originally hunted for.
2012 was the epiphany I guess.
It's now a greater part of me than anything else I can think of.
Here's a picture of me stood next to my dad's mk1...
I guess there's always been a bit of classic Golf in my blood.
I'm a bit of an originality geek but we are entering a new era now. Parts are drying up and sometimes you have to engineer your way out of things - like the side skirts. Makes me sad when I show things on here that aren't OE, but i'm boxed into a corner. Hopefully the fact that the car still exists trumps the fact that any repair method is no longer OE.
I don't like to talk about values - but some of these used prices of late!?! It's a crazy situation that I have arrived at this position by default. I'm still using it as a (summer) daily. To me it's still the £1400 car I went over budget for
As is the norm, she's currently broken with more age related issues (yet again) so another update to follow.
If you've made it this far in the thread, congratulations!
That was my GTi story to date.
Best Regards,
JKM.
Edited by jay-kay-em on Wednesday 27th December 22:30
Excellent thread! I really miss my MK2's, I had;
H reg 5 door in white with 8v engine, bought it for £550, sold it for £550 as couldn't get insurance on it, it had an idling issue as well, turns out it was a breather pipe causing it.
G reg 3 door in royal blue, it was a big bumper 8v car but had a MK3 1.9TDI engine fitted to it with MK4 1.9TDI turbo set up circa 170bhp, Eventually the ECU blew somehow and I sold it for a lot less than paid for it, a MK2 parts guy bought it for "his missus" but he then took all the best parts off it and flogged it, last I heard it was having a full makeover including refitting 8v engine.
H reg 5 door in white with 8v engine, bought it for £550, sold it for £550 as couldn't get insurance on it, it had an idling issue as well, turns out it was a breather pipe causing it.
G reg 3 door in royal blue, it was a big bumper 8v car but had a MK3 1.9TDI engine fitted to it with MK4 1.9TDI turbo set up circa 170bhp, Eventually the ECU blew somehow and I sold it for a lot less than paid for it, a MK2 parts guy bought it for "his missus" but he then took all the best parts off it and flogged it, last I heard it was having a full makeover including refitting 8v engine.
Brilliant thread and a lovely car, still miss mine and the Mk1 I had too. What I love about your thread though is the balance between originality, practicality and doing so much of the work yourself. The headlining fix was genius and I have often wondered if textured paint would be a solution... now we know. Car is an absolute credit to you and your skills/persistence... keep us updated.
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