12 months into ownership....

[Chilliman 0]

Hi all,

 

I bought my VR6 just over 12 months ago, with 108k on the clock, and have done about 1200 miles in her since then! This is due to a combination of working away and having a convertible motor that I use more than the Golf in the summer....  I actually do about 5k miles in the other car, so the Golf is, I suppose, my second car!

 

So, she was MOT'd recently, and had some advisories, notably loose suspension top mounts, corrosion on front discs, and nast little rust holes, one each side, on the underside just to the rear of the front wheel arches. She still pulls to the left slightly (posted on this beginning of this year), despite a full geo, which showed up that the camber was out (had been lowered but not had geo adjusted). I'll get all these things sorted soon, however, just thought I'd share my thoughts on the car, and a few minor niggles.... but mostly ask what to do next with her!

 

So, despite not doing many miles, she drives very well (leaving out the minor but annoying left pull), and the engine is sweet and pulls smoothly right through the rev range. I had a major service done just after I bought her, by a well known and recommended Indie, and he gave the car a big thumbs up, it was straight, no rot (the two holes have appeared since the service in November last year), and a number of parts were replaced (rear discs and pads, various bushes, and lots more) The interior is cloth, and whilst it doesn't look brand new, it's clean and not damaged. All the electrical bits work, except the rear wiper, which to be fair does work, but won't stop. Unless you turn the ignition off, leave it for a few minutes, then turn it on again....

 

Anyway, to the main point..... Rust is appearing in a number of places, not badly. The worst is the nearside front wing, bubbling around the arch, where the other arches show little or no sign of rust. This may have been a replacement wing at some time.... The bottom of the front and rear arches, each end of the sills are not looking  too good. Couple of areas next to the windows up against the rubbers. The bonnet is deeply scratched in one place, and a bonnet bra (which I have removed) has left a nasty mark right across the bonnet. I've done my best to polish this out but to no avail so far.

 

So, where do I go from here? I'll get the holes in the underside addressed (cut out rod and weld in plate, will use a professional service for this), fit new discs and pads on the front, get the steering sorted (hopefully), and all the other niggles. I can take the sill covers off and see what's underneath.... I did this on an MGB a few years ago that had SS sill covers fitted, and what was underneath cost me over 3k to put right!

 

Should I then DIY all the little rust areas, although they might not be so little when I start digging! or go for the full bifta, get a professional outfit to strip the car, including the underside, de-rot it completely, and then a high quality re-spray?

 

If I DIY it it'll delay the inevitable.... for a while.... If I go for a full body resto, it'll probably cost about three times what I paid for the car, and double what it'll be worth when finished..... (I'm assuming)

 

Sorry to have rambled on, and I know that only I can decide which course of action is best....

 

Just thought I'd share my thoughts (problem shared is a problem halved)

 

Thanks for listening..

 

Chilli

[Reaperx 181]

If its pulling to one side could be a brake imbalance as your replacing them anyway just make sure the piston isn't seized in caliper and everything is clean and moving free. As for the suspension apparently it's a common thin on the golfs for the top mount to sit higher. From a mot point of view it looks like a fail but is actually built that way. As for the rust no real to tell without just diggin in and see what you find.

[Big J 283]

Depends what your long term plans are really, most people who do full body restos don't do all that work and spend so much to then worry about the resale value. If your planning to keep it long term, then go for it. Only you know your budget and financial situation. If however the golf is little more than a second car then I would advise against going too far in case you pass the point of no return. Hope I've been of some help....

[Earwig 89]

Depends on how much you like the MK3 I guess ?

 

Rot is always a problem on the underside. I guess the first thing to do would be to get it up in the air and see how bad it is. I just scrapped one due to the underside on both sides rotting away and it started out as small holes, just like yours.

 

If you have the money for a full body resto then go for that if you plan on keeping the car. I just went for a full colour change on mine and to me it's worth it a I love the car and don't plan on getting rid of it any time soon.

[rodney 17]

if the mechanics are sound... do you have access to a good mk 2 shell?...MMMM Mk2 VR6???  Just a thought!