Right just registered i will post up pics later, basically my mate has the aforementioned car and keeps pestering me to help fix it which i don't mind but it has got me baffled too! i have been a vw fanatic for a few years i currently have a mark 2 golf gti 8 valve which i refuse to sell even though i am off to NZ in a month, anyway, basically he has replaced new vw leads dizzy cap and rotor are fine although the lead with the knock sensor one was knackered so he bought some vw ones for 100 quid! no difference, The car has had a new fuel pump in the past too and filter the other dayhe told me he unplugged the isv today and it ran great till he took it for a drive well it wa sfine for a few miles then started missing and lacking power on the throttle, so can't be isv related which i doubted anyway. Any other ideas to check? coil? fuel metering head? where are the relays for the ecu i mean what number? and the hall sender relay the haynes mags cost 100 quid and he cant afford that right now., any help would defo deserve a beer! thanks :D