MK1 Tales of Woe

3 weeks ago I was considering selling my MK1 GTi but I dont think I am going to now.

I have come to this conclusion after putting over 600 pounds into repairs for my little gem and now i have spent so much that if i sell it i will be seriously out of pocket.

I love my car but why does a new problem have to occor in the 3rd week of every pay cycle?

1st - The rear section of the exhaust rusted through
2nd - 2 of the tyres the came came with had slow punctures so replaced those and rear wiper
3rd - New HT leads and Battery to solve my starting problem
4th - engine section of exhaust falls off in street

But i do know that the car is sound and now it has lots of nice new parts and this brings me to the point of this thred:

Can i expect any other 'minor' problems to occor or have i had the lot in the 3 months i have owned the car?  I mean i do not expect the engine to fail as its just done 100k but is there anything i should start saving for?

a wise man (Crazyquiff) told me when I started driving my Mk1 'welcome to continually working on your car' or words to that effect

the trouble is the Mk1 is over 20 years old and at the age things tend to fall apart, but it's worth it for the grin factor of driving it!

don't give up it.. I spent a year welding and spraying mine.. it's been on the road about 3-4 months now and covered 4000 miles… and something breaks every week

This is my problem though. You could write my technical knowledge about cars on the tip of a finger which puts me in a place i really dont want to be in!

MONEY BIN!

I love it but if this thing is going to need continuious work then i may have to do the thing i dont want to and sell it. boo hoo hoo

what are the main niggles that go wrong with an untouched 22yr old GTi?

welcome to continually working on your car

With wise words like that and he's still called crazy?!?. :wink:

In the first year or so with my car i had loads of things wrong which i replaced:

distributer,
waterpump,
most of the hoses/pipes,
brake drums and wheel cylinders,
fro9nt discs and pads,
new tyres,
petrol tank filler neck.

And thats what i remember off the top of my head. But (while touching wood) the last year has been much better. No breakdowns and starts first time every time. Although my exhaust will need replacing sometime soon. As phil says, they're over 20 years old and things dont last forever.

I've been tempted to sell also, but only to buy another mk1. Personally i think better the devil you know.

What would you buy if you sold the mk1?

Be fair! Tyres, exhaust and battery are all wear and tear items that are replaced quite often on any old car.

Yep, even after what I thought was a nut and bolt restoration with new or refurbed parts and only light weekend use, mine still keeps me on my toes. There was a number of ?shake-down? issues after the re-build like trying to get the exhaust to hang properly and snapping off a manifold stud in the process.

Then there?s the quest for the last few parts like a wiper arm with spoiler, red grille trim etc.

Then the general maintenance and servicing like changing the oil etc.

Then the few bits that weren?t replaced like the rear brake pressure regulator decide to fail along with seized up connections, more fun laid on a cold concrete garage floor with  bits of MK1 falling into your face.   

As extra treats it fails MOTs. Broken springs, dim fog lights, things that need to be fixed at short notice to a deadline. It would really worry me if it was my sole means of transport.

Never a dull moment in MK1 even when its not being driven.

I believe there are two main reasons that someone will sell a Mk1 Gti:

Reason 1.
They have bought a car (Possibly restored it) and are hoping to sell for a profit.

Reason 2.
They are just fed up of having to continually replace broken parts etc so are trying to sell "The ultimate hot hatch" to some unsuspecting mug!

Mk1's needing constant attention is a 100% guarantee.
As you have said - It's a 22yr old car. Things like tyres, battery and exhaust are wear and tear items, like Dubboy said. Other things you should look out for on older cars is stuff like corroded brake lines, worn out CV joints, knackered axle bushes/bearings, worn steering racks etc. All this tends to be picked up at the MOT when you think the car will fly through cos it has been "running well of late"!
As long as you have a sound shell, none of the above is particularly expensive to repair, or difficult if you wish to have a go yourself. If you would rather let your trusted local greease monkey do it for you, then it could cost you a small fortune!

I hope you decide to keep it, as they are so much fun… when they aren't broken!  :wink:

AL.

PS - mine is still not idleing properly, so mine too is in need of attention, but I love it and I will never sell it!

Me standing proudly next to my rosette winner  :mrgreen:

best thing you can do mate is buy yourself a haynes manual and give it a go.. if it all goes wrong a qiuck post on here will almost always get an answer  :wink:

Phil is right! (My temp guage was a wire not in the sender unit!) :y:

Ive had mine a month, she needs some attention, its getting sorted tomorrow, buts its such a sweet ride! not many other cars for this price which look that good, and drive that well IMO!

Which is the Haynes manual to go for, the brown or blue one? or is there no difference?

 :dontknow:

Which is the Haynes manual to go for, the brown or blue one? or is there no difference?

Blue - small block ( 1.1 & 1.3 ) engines
Brown - big block ( 1.5, 1.6, 1.8 ) engines inc diesel

Hang on…  the newest edition for the big block engines is blue too!

thats what i meant, is the new 1 best or should i go for the old one? or are they the same?!

Shows how old my Haynes is  ops:

Its very oily too! Maybe I should get a new one for reading on the loo!

RESTORE THE THING.

you can't expect a 21 year old car to be free from problems - restore it keep it and keep your sanity in an ever more computerised injectified ecu'ified world.

mk1's are simple compared to whats under the bay of more modern machinery.

get stuck in you'll learn a lot and feel good about it - for a start get yourself a good shed or garage it you havn't got one then……


oh here i go

everyone: Thanks so much for the ideas.

I have decided to take the plunge into Motoring Maintainence. I shall, from this point on be working hard to keep my gorgeous MK1 on the road.

I will look out for your names when i have a problem.

One last thing: Below you will find a picture of my MK1. What wheels would you recommend getting to replace these.  Any decent web sites would be handy as i aint got an idea where to get them from.

Hoddo

I've said it twice but don't mind saying it again…"gerra used copy of "Poor Richards Rabbit Book" if you've not much of a mechanical bent.  Its written for the "compleat idiot"


 Chudd just got one and he's real chuffed.

…..see the thread:

The Mk1 Golf Owners Club

Cheers

thats what i meant, is the new 1 best or should i go for the old one? or are they the same?!

I think its best to go for the earlier, brown manual rather than the newer blue one.

Differences I've noticed:

The brown one has:

More on the gear box
Larger and more photos/diagrams

The blue one has:

difficulty ratings on each job instead of the above
(I dont tend to look at the spanner ratings)

The choice is yours….

you know it makes sense keeping it  :y:

Carbs speaks the truth.. at least when things go wrong on the Mk1 you don't need to spend ?75 an hour diagnostics to find a computerised problem (?75 to plug a laptop in with some software.. they like a laugh!).. and the engine is accessable! it's notjust an ugly block with a plastic cover!

Your Mk1 looks in great condition.. has it been resprayed?

as for wheels, TUNERSHOP should give you some ideas for a wheel style you might like  :wink:

The joys of running a Mk1 !!!!
Bite the bullet, hang in there, and one day you will get to the point where you are the master and not the car. Just take a look at my site below and go through the 'replaced bits' page……..makes me wince every time I look at it, but now I can truly say that it's been worth every bit of it. Now, after 4 years of ownership, both cars have had no real problems for quite a long time now, …….apart from a split in the header tank on the GTI found yesterday !!!!
Very cheap motoring really, with no depreciation to worry about, not that we would sell the cars anyway !!!!

http://www.vwgolfmk1.co.uk/Main/Roadrunner.htm

I think your original wheels suit a white Mk1 down to the ground! Put some lower profile tyres on them and drop it a bit and it will look ace!