Joined: Mon Oct 20 2003, 10:16PM Location: Weston Super Mare Posts: 4543
Right we need to compile a buyers guide to cover the whole range of VR6 engined dubs.
This guide will be in its own seperate section on the web site and we hope to make it a good guide for all to use.
Now to do this we need everybodies input
Please use this thread to give your input no matter how small we need to cover all topics such as; What to look for with the engine & bodywork Service history guide A guide to highlines (such as how to tell an geniune highline) Corrado guide Sharan guide etc etc ................................................
Think you all get what were after
Hopefully once this is compiled this will help lots of people looking to buy there 1st or maybe even there 2nd,3rd or even 4th VR6.
This is going to take some doing but without everybodies input we wont be able to do it so please how ever small a tip or guide then please let us know
Enginewise: check plugs on cylinders 1 & 6 front right (and back left???) If the plug is oily then there is wear on those cylinders (very common apartently) 274.7bhp 222Lb/ft Torque
highline has got various cosmetic changes im pretty sure its a group 17 insurance as apposed to 16 for normal vrs + it comes with most of the options as standerd ie aircon heated leather etc THEY ONLY MADE MULBERRY (PURPLE) AND BLACK if it says any other colour it aint a highline 13.6 1/4 @ 103 mph 320 bhp 275 lb ft gone but never forgotten
Joined: Tue Oct 21 2003, 07:20PM Location: essex Posts: 1300
best way to tell a highline is look at the log book it will say highline on it......... a lot of people will sell a vr with leather and air con as a highline...but its not, just a vr with optional extras! Signature Removed - Image exceeds 500 px by 150 px
Joined: Sun Mar 14 2004, 10:42PM Location: Bristol, Weston Super Mare Posts: 2393
Highline also has black pillar trim, different VW/VR6 badges and sill protectors (I think). Wooden gear knob also. Image: http://www.slashed.plus.com/images/UK-MKIVs/signature/uk-mkivs_sig.jpg
Joined: Sun Jan 04 2004, 03:41PM Location: High Wycombe, Bucks Posts: 2380
ALL COMMENTS APPLY TO MK3 GOLF VR6 (Standard).....
VR6 Highlines can fetch up to £500 more than "normal" VR6s of the same age and mileage. Fortunately, there are many identifying differences on the Highline:
- On the Highline, the plastic trim on the A, B & C Pillars is black. It's light grey on all other models - The Highline has a "wood-look" gearknob. - Highlines have "VR6 HIGHLINE" as the car's "Model" on the logbook. - All Highlines are either metallic purple ("Mulberry") or metallic black. The purple ones have dark purple leather seats. - The Highline has 6-spoke alloys as standard, as opposed to other VR6s which have the cross-spoke design.
Common places for rust (all models) are: - Bottom edge of the rear window - Where the front wings meet the sills (can be obscured by the plastic trim on earlier models) - Bottom edge of the door apertures, where the two ends of the rubber seal meet (especially on 3-door models) - Around the door handles, caused by break-in damage. VR6s were popular with joyriders in the 90s. Damage/rust here is quite often obscured by aftermarket "Armour door plates". - Leading edge of the bonnet, caused by unrepaired stone chips.
Other common problems to look out for are:
- Problems with the operation of electric windows. Usually caused by frayed wiring inside the rubber sleeves between the pillars and the doors (easy fix), although problems with the cable-operated winder mechanism are also common (£60 per door for new mechanism from VW)
- Fuel leaks from the underbonnet hoses, where they meet the main fuel lines from the tank (the junction is located right next to the brake servo). Caused by perishing of the the rubber hoses. Replacement hoses are £70 from VW, but it's usually possible to re-use the original hoses after cutting the perished ends off them.
- The crankcase breather pipe is weak and often cracks, resulting in slight oil spillage onto the exhaust manifold (causing burning oil smell inside the car). The crankcase breather pipe comes off of the plastic inlet tract between the airbox and throttle and goes into the cam cover. The breather pipe can only be bought along with a whole new inlet tract. These cost £75 from VW, but don't go there. Go to a Ford dealer and get a Galaxy V6 inlet tract instead. It's exactly the same part and almost half the price!!
- If the car has heated seats, check that they work. The seat base and the backrest should both heat up. Listen for the click from the under-seat relays as you turn on the heated seats. If the relays click, but the seats don't heat up, you're looking at a heater element failure. These are common and the elements are difficult to replace without damaging the seats.
- On cars with over 110,000 miles, check that the timing chains and tensioners have been replaced. A worn chain or tensioner will cause a tinny engine rattle, most noticable below 1500rpm. Replacing chains & tensioners is an expensive (£500-£600) job.
- VR6 Clutches lead a hard life with all that torque, so check its operation. Clutch slip, a sticking pedal or a high bite point mean that a £350 replacement is imminent.
- ABS faults are fairly common. The orange ABS light on the right-hand side of the dash should come on for about 3 seconds when you turn on the ignition, then go out. If it stays on, there's an ABS fault. If it doesn't come on at all, this is because the someone has removed the bulb to hide an ABS fault. MOT Fail if not sorted out. Repair costs depend on the nature of the fault, which can only be diagnosed using VAG-COM or a fault code reader.
- Look for coolant leaks at the black thermostat/sensor housing at the front of the engine near the coil pack. Repair is not expensive, but it is a common problem.
- Check for coolant leaks at the pulley end of the engine, where the water pump is located. There is a small hole at the bottom of the water pump and if coolant starts leaking out of this, the water pump needs replacing. This is a fairly tricky job to do, as it invloves undoing engine mounts and jacking up the engine to gain clearance.
- Look for oil leaks coming from between the head and block at the pulley end of the engine. The headgasket needs to be replaced to cure leaks here.
- Wiper motors can fail on higher-mileage examples, check for slow or noisy operation.
Joined: Thu Oct 30 2003, 12:39PM Location: Maidenhead Posts: 3091
can anyone guess what i'm gonna say?!
yep, timing chains. although they are supposed to never need changing, the runners can wear out (very common on obd1 engines at 100-120k). less likely on an obd2 as they only have single row top chains (obd1 has double row top chain). although you can check on the condition of the runners relatively easily, if they do need changing you have to remove the gearbox. budget £500-600 for getting it done professionally, or £100-200 for the parts (dependent on where you buy them from. ECP sell genuine parts at half the price of vw). if one of the runners has given up you will be able to hear the chains rattling around, but its a risk to let it get that far.
another place for rust is on 5 door cars behind the rubber boot on the front edge of the rear doors Image: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4227235155_44b9115b2f_o.jpg
