andy

From memory its just held on with a single bolt from above.

It all depends on whether the engine is actually turning over. If it is then don't worry about the starter motor. Dampness can affect any ignition parts though, make sure they are in good nick, clean and dry. You could also run the car up at night and look for arcing under the bonnet, that would pinpoint any weak points.

I've bought GSF parts for years without problems, mainly on my 205GTi but more recently for VWs (various). I've recommended them to loads of people too, they've saved me loads of money. However.....in the last year as I said earlier, several wheel bearings (fitted by me...correctly!) and now a CV Joint kaputt. When I was swearing and cursing trying to remove my driveshaft it dawned on me how much time and effort I have gone to replacing sh1te parts lately. I'm only speaking from 1st hand experience, for me, now I won't bother with pattern parts. GSF sell plenty of Bosch parts etc (which I'd happily buy) much cheaper than the dealer and they'll still get my business for them. I spoke to VW today about a replacement joint, only £20 more than GSF....but they don't have any stock of them in the country. At least 4 or 5 weeks they reckon. So I'm going to fit the GKN one I got the other day, I was reluctant to fit it after the premature failing of the last one but if you guys reckon GKN are OK then I guess I got a bad one last time 8) The joint was off side Kev, so nearest the exhaust, maybe the grease was duff.... Cheers all.

Nope! The Scooby is cool, not into Puntos though. It looks in very good nick but just not a fan. 8)

Good stuff, a few of us have had that, the foam comes from the ISV sound deadner. It brakes up with time and heat and deposits itself in various places, wreaking havoc with idle control. Mine did it and it was like someone was in the car revving it up and down, spooky! The new sound deadners have a metal back plate to keep the heat away.

For what they cost, yes. Unless your old ones are in vgc. Ref the top mounts and bearings, the bearings are only on the front struts but top mounts all round are a good idea.

Its just pushed on over the centre of the disc. Its probably rusted on a bit if its been there a while, you need to very carefully lever it off. Get a screwdriver under the inner lip of the abs cage and work round gradually, levering against the disc, it should come eventually. This is the procedure for VR6s, I don't know if all models are the same. Hope this helps.

It could be, though why it would work ok after 30 secs is a bit of a mystery. For how long it would take its well worth checking and cleaning it, it is the root of lots of idling problems.

I didn't no, there is a pictorial guide on this very site somewhere (not in the Wiki). I'll take some photos of the reassembly stages when I get hold of a new VW Joint.

Top mounts and bearings.

Its really annoying when I think back the number of hours I've spent diagnosing and fixing faults that have all been caused by inferior parts. I don't expect GSF parts in general to last as long as a genuine part but a year for a cv joint and 6 to 9 months for a wheel bearing is ridiculous. They will be hearing from me!

Thats amazing. I had no idea leather could be rejuvenated in that way.

Pulled it all out today (what a job!) The inboard CV joint is in a wierd state. The grease is all quite hard, more like blu-tak than grease. There is unacceptable play in the joint, fairly sure thats where the metallic noise was coming from. Its only a year or so old. Its was GKN joint from GSF, needless to say I won't be fitting another one of those. In the past few years I've had to replace about 4 wheel bearings from GSF (the races were pitted and causing droning). Now a duff CV joint, needless to say I won't buy any more bearings or joints from there anymore. The dealer bits are miles more expensive but worth it, it would seem.

Yep looks like I'll be replacing it.

Looks like a nice project that. Its a lot of car for £360.

Jacked her up again tonight and the bolts are all tight still. The plot thickens. I'm still suspicious of said joint. I was checking for play (in a rotational sense) by rotating the driveshaft back and forth. There is a small amount of play, is this acceptable? The strange thing is that I drove the car this morning (a a short distance) and it was silent again, and again this afternoon. It only seems to happen when the car is really warmed up. What does this indicate? Perfectly quiet for 15 mins then all hell breaks loose. Wondering about a lack of grease possibly in the driveshaft boot, perhaps its spinning out of the joint after a good spanking. Any thoughts?

I was wondering if threadlock would make much of a difference. I haven't found anything in the manual about using it though.

I did 20k miles on the Beru ones from GSF and they were perfect, never missed a beat. Best bit, about £2 each. I've got some of the £7 iridiums now and they dont perform noticeably different. The Berus where hardly worn at all either, only replaced them because no 1 and 6 were a bit oily.

Update for you, today I Jacked the beast up and retorqued the bolts to 33lbft as per Mr Bentley's manual. Took her out for about 20 miles, all seemed well ........then it started again. Clack clack clack etc. I can only imagine they've come undone again. My old man reckons I might have ovalised the holes in the joint (by driving it yesterday when things were loose) which may have caused it to work loose again. Could be time for a new joint me thinks. Most bizzare.

I had a sudden metallic sound develop yesterday. It was roadspeed (ie drivetrain) related, which was a big relief as I thought it might have been big ends for a while! After jacking the car tonight I found all 6 bolts holding the inner driveshaft to the differential flange loose. Tightened them and it seems fine again. I've got one wheel very slightly out of balance, do you think that might be the cause......anyone else experience this? Its a bit strange.

Trouble is that it was a year ago, I think its probably our friends at the delivery company who have damaged them. I should have had a proper check on arrival....

I got some used 288mm calipers/carriers last year, however I've only just looked at them. Whilst they're generally quite tidy I have 2 problems. Firstly there is a split in one of the piston rubbers, can I get/fit another one, if so where from etc. Secondly one of the slider pins is missing, I see these only screw in, are they available seperately? Has anyone got one by any chance. Needless to say the seller will be getting a PM....(not this forum)! Thanks in advance.

Stick some water/coolant in it....quick!

That would depend on how the head gasket failed. Sounds to me like you've burst a hose. Although you have to wonder what might could have caused that. Could again be H/G failure leading to a highly pressurised cooling system.

Did you drive it on the road during that time? The correct answer BTW is "No officer" It doesn't matter whether it was driven on the road or not, if it is not taxed then it must be declared SORN.