Practically Classics Forum

As some may know, my Golf has blown its engine. It's still in the garage (they have a lot of stuff to swap over and many new parts to fit). I haven't been able to get to town for about three weeks - and the last time I went was a week before the engine blew.

I had just made the tractor shed weatherproof enough to put the little tractor in there. This meant I could start on making my new kitchen (ie loads of wood to cut and (mis)shape) and, after the car went to the garage, I had enough space for the tools etc. It's surprising how much space there is, but I didn't sort the Land Rover as I didn''t need it at the time because the car was going well!

So I now have various bits of kitchen ready to fit, but need odds and ends - like paint, pipe connectors (and some pipe) and wall tiles. So, with the long delay with the engine (they only collected the clutch, flywheel and cam belt kit on Thursday), I thought I might make room for the Landy in the garage and, if nothing else, sort the shock absorber mount and fit a legal seat belt, which would make it safe to drive to the smaller town (Wigton) about nine miles away.

Apparently the only thing in our garden that has suffered in the gales has been the driver's side windscreen on the Landy! Nicely shattered with no signs of whatever shattered it. The glass is still in place, so I am wondering if it was fitted properly. Time will tell - a new screen is on order.

Also, running in threes: after the Golf's engine blew, the next door but one neighbour's two litre Golf diesel's turbo blew. As it had been losing water (the neighbour is in the trade and says it is not uncommon on these engines) they were looking for another car rather than go to the expense of sorting the engine. The Golf went a couple of days ago - a Peugeot 307 is now on the drive; it's a 2001 with 160K on the clock and looks just as good as their old Mk5 Golf - even the colour is the same!

I was talking to the garage owner last Sunday (he's another neighbour) and he has a friend with an Octavia diesel with the same two litre engine and that car has been at the main agents for three weeks with engine problems. It has 60K miles and has always been serviced by the main dealer!

Anybody remember this:

"If only everything in life was as reliable as a VW"

Pish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKQIUJOr1GA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgHlAdSpn7Y

tractorman wrote: I was talking to the garage owner last Sunday (he's another neighbour) and he has a friend with an Octavia diesel with the same two litre engine and that car has been at the main agents for three weeks with engine problems. It has 60K miles and has always been serviced by the main dealer!

The only time a dealer warranty comes in handy, however, I'm not convinced about the quality of dealer servicing, as I've seen some howlers in my time

I think VWs were more reliable than others about thirty years ago. Not so much when they were new but as they "matured"! After all, we only ever had one problem with the 1976 Marina in its first four or five years and that was a stone between the disc and backplate! My first Golf (1985 Mk2 1.6D) had few problems mechanically - though I took it from 97K to 180+K in eight years. It blew a head gasket, but that was soon after the 1993(?) MOT, when they brought in a diesel emissions test that meant revving the engines until the cam belt snapped! The heater started leaking a year later, but I got a new one as part of a VW recall. Mind you I was surprised to get a recall for a nine year old car - especially after the Montego: I'd had some problems with a 5-year old Montego and was told by the main agents that it was an old car!!

Gradually, they became less reliable - the last (Mk4) Golf had all sorts of silly things (including the first clutch I've changed in thirty odd years). However, I have only had a sensor failure (on the exhaust) in the nearly two years I've had the current Golf - until the engine packed up! There again, I've hardly used the thing (compared to previous VWs).

I fear the "one make" forums tend to be used by people who love that make, so they don't tend to say too much about the faults. At least users on something like Pistonheads and this forum will admit that there are problems and, from what I can see, reliability is a long forgotten word with a certain manufacturer!!

One thing I must check when it comes back is the sealing/soundproofing behind the front wheel arch. Apparently they rust there as the foam is too low and catches the crud and water that is forced through the arch liners! VW only pay 50% of the repair costs (done through a VW agent) and I don't think I want to pay £200 or more on this car at the moment, so would have to sort it myself! I may be lucky as I gather they modified them in later cars (like mine).

I gather that the local Skoda people are good - some friends have dealt with them for many years (they are Citroen agents too) and rate them highly. Not so sure about VW agents hereabouts - I lost faith when I had the Passat, but they have changed hands (twice) since then and are a lot more customer-orientated than the firm I dealt with. The ones that looked after the current Golf (before I bought it) seemed to be pretty good - that's where the first Golf came from and it seemed to have been cherished for its first few services! Again, they have changed hands recently - the large firm that has the local agency have taken it over too!

Thanks Rich - I used to fancy Paula Hamilton and was jealous of Take That!!

I got a phone call this morning to say they had got the engine in and the car was ready. The next sentence was "Did you know the nearside back spring was broken?". The car is still at the garage, waiting for a new spring!

Which is a good thing as the main kitchen worktop is in the garage while some Cascamite dries (it seals the edges). I tried to put the sink base (stand?) in place and have discovered that a stop tap for an outside sink (ie in the garage) is in the way. I'm glad I bought fittings from Screwfix the other day, but need to drain the hot water off (the stop tap for that won't close properly) and may as well sort out the bodged up cold water pipes while I sort the hot one!

Life is never simple. if something can go wrong, it will and it will do it at the most irritating possible time.
At least you will be ready for repairing brake, fuel and coolant lines

Getting nearer - I got the plumbing sorted yesterday and the lad gave me a lift to collect the car this morning!

I found one drip on a compression fitting this morning (lucky it's a tiled floor!) and that was a simple job - a turn with a spanner and all is well! I much prefer electrical stuff - it's a lot easier to keep electricity in the wires!

The car goes well and, though it may be imagination, is a lot quieter (and keener to go into higher gears!). The big but is that I now have a noise from the NSR wheel area when I reverse! I rang the garage and will take it over this afternoon - it would be my luck for it to just be a stone, but I would rather they found it - especially after they worked on that wheel when they changed the spring.