SW VR6

Cheers for that fella - very useful. Looks like I need a few extra parts. If I can find a 'donor' car at the scrappy, is it difficult to get all the bits off the back seats without breaking anything? I can't quite figure out how the plastic bits with the release mechanism on them detach from the tubes. Or is it easier just to buy everything?! If so, any idea how much I'm looking at for parts? Thanks again for the tips.......

Hello all Unlike my VR, my Mk3 GTi doesn't have rear head rests. I've been given a spare set from a mate - has anyone ever done the 'conversion'? I thought I remembered reading somewhere that the column they slot in to is in present in all Mk3 rear seats - it's just the clip on the top that needs fitting? Cheers....

Thanks for the replies. Never heard that gurgling in all the 3 years I've had the car, so thought I'd ask around. Guess it was just a hot day/long trip thing! Cheers....

So I guess the gurgling noise was just due to an air lock or something??

Evening all Just got back from a 2 hour trip in the VR. Turned the engine off to hear what I can only describe as a bubbly gurgling noise behind the dash - almost like the kind of noise you hear when a radiator in your house needs bleeding. Also sounded like something else was running - maybe the aux water pump? Popped the bonnet and all seemed well - could hear the noise towards the back of the engine bay. No temp warning lights, leaks, spillages or anything. Footwells were dry. The only thing that was different about today was that I took her out for a long run on the motorway in the stron

Morning all Just a quick question... When refilling your coolant system, what sort of water should you use - straight out of the tap or distilled? Also, what % of the G12 additive is it best to use at this time of the year? Thought I read 40% somewhere. Any advice appreciated. Cheers

Water pump about to give up? Mine sounded like a washine machine with a load of ballbearings in it just before it went. And what a bang it made when it gave up all together en route to the garage - the impellar shattered and ended up in pieces in the coolant system!

Get ready for a misfire! Actually, mine looked like that for 6 months or so before it finally failed, but that was during the dry summer months. It was toast as soon as it started to get a bit damp. Complete lottery - it may go tomorrow or it might soldier on for months. I got stuck in a car park when mine went - 4 cylinders was not enought to get the poor old girl up the hill! Make sure you buy the replacement coil from GSF - much cheaper. On the upside, your VR will feel like a beast after you have replaced the coil!

Well, had the coil pack replaced - no more misfire, so problem sorted. And what a difference it makes to the performance - acceleration is MUCH better. Had to go for a burn to reacquaint myself with the old girl!!

Evening all.. Was driving home the other day and the trusty old girl started to misfire. Pulled over and managed to ascertain that cylinders 1 and 6 were not firing. Closer inspection revealed a nice crack in the coilpack. So I got a tow home, left her overnight and started her up in the morning - no problems. Just trying to figure out why there is no problem on a cold start. Could it be that as the coilpack warms up and expands, the crack get bigger and lets moisture in causing a misfire? Also, can anyone explain to a mechanical dumbass why a coilpack fault would lead to 2 cylinders not fi

Mine does this too - it sounds a bit like a ratchet? I can only hear it when the engine is off though. Hydraulic clutches can sometimes be a bit noisy. Mine's been like it since I got the car two years ago - no ill effects yet!

Polishing - nice!

Your last sentence is bang on - I read too much on here and then go looking for problems!! I guess I should just accept that VRs use oil and forget it. Other than high oil consumption, car runs like a dream. Just out of interest, how much (roughly) are you looking at for head work, including new stem seals etc?

Hmmm... mine uses a lot of oil but I don't see much smoke. I've got a fair bit of black deposit on the exhaust, but I am still on the original unit so I guess you might expect that anyway? At the risk of sounding like a complete muppet, what causes an engine to run rich and what's the cure?

I'm curious - what's does a PCV do? I know it stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation, but that's all I know! My VR burns a fair bit of oil and I sometimes get a burnt oil smell through the vents in the cabin. Somebody once said it might be a dodgy PCV valve, but I've never looked in to it. Sorry to threadjack....