Captain Bodge Car Lowering Techniques

[Sonicriot13 0]

Out of interest, has this car got a recent MOT? I'd seriously consider contacting the DfT if it has a recent ticket and you suspect the springs were on it at the time

 

That's a good point mate. I have no idea about the MOT actually. Been too worried about getting it sorted. I wonder if my mate was even given a cert.... Let's face it, he wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't there.

 

I've got the shock on now at least. Just finished it. Thank goodness for that. I removed just about everything including the wish bone to give myself as much room as possible. Probably overkill but it's on. :D My torque wrench has seen a lot of use these last few weeks!

 

I phoned my mate up to tell him the good news, as he has given up on coming round to "help" me, and he didn't seem to care all that much. For goodness sake, there are people with worse problems!

 

Also for your amusement gentlemen. Two samples of oil. Your job is to decide which is a sample of the oil that came out of the car, and which is a sample of the oil I put back in the car? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Rob Heath 0]

Mmmm, nice glass of dandelion + Burdock :lol:

[boost monkey 0]

Mmmm, nice glass of dandelion + Burdock :lol:

 

LOL, I was sooooo gonna say that!! Ha ha :D

 

@ Sonicriot, yeah struts can be a PITA, you need to put the compressors on in a certain way so that the spring will fit properly without the compressors digging themselves into the inner wing. Saying that, I have never done a mk4 anyways, I leave those jobs to the navy engineers :lol:

 

oh, and PMSL@ your new location....quality!!

[Yandards 0]

Mmmn

 

Fresh 5W40, lurvly.

[Sonicriot13 0]

oh, and PMSL@ your new location....quality!!

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Check out this low rider....

 

Shot with W800i at 2007-08-08

 

Compare the ride height at the back to that at the front. :lol:

 

Took it out for a little spin as well (yes I have insurance) and it frightened the life out of me. It's a million times worse than even I thought. The brakes are terrible. If you can imagine taking all of the fluid out of the brake lines and replacing it with cigarette smoke, that is what it feels like has happened when you press the pedal. Dear God they need bleeding fast! The starter motor sounds like someone grinding ball bearings to dust in their teeth! There's no way even Yee Ha McBodge MOT Services would pass this car on an emissions test. It's just spewing out some killer fog. No smoke but really nasty fumes.

 

Basically if I picked up a mk2 GTI 16v in this sort of condition for a reasonable sum as a project I'd be happy, but as a mk4 it's a disgrace. It is in the same sort of nick you'd expect a not very well looked after mk2 to be in. Heartbreaking.

 

He wants me to do the back ones now.... Should I say I'm busy/leaving the country?

 

And I don't know why imageshack see fit to put the name of my phone on the bottom of the picture but free image hosting isn't working any more.

[vwdeviant 0]

Great example of the fact you can polish a turd? :lol:

 

Say you have booked a 6mth lastminute.com holiday to the Maldives! Or just simply point out that it's a PITA and the fact that he didn't hang about to help means he'll be doing the rest with your supervision! (IE deck chair, fags, and beer!)

[Sonicriot13 0]

Great example of the fact you can polish a turd? :lol:

 

Say you have booked a 6mth lastminute.com holiday to the Maldives! Or just simply point out that it's a PITA and the fact that he didn't hang about to help means he'll be doing the rest with your supervision! (IE deck chair, fags, and beer!)

 

:lol: Like it!

 

And he's not allowed to leave until he's finished the whole fooking lot....

[Sonicriot13 0]

Well, as much as I hate to leave a mate in the lurch I've washed my hands of this one. I've got to get this valver at least in a condition where I can move it under its own power. Plus I'm getting grief off a certain person for the amount of time I'm spending doing car related activities. Which I can understand really. He's gonna take it to a garage.... Cue one very large bill! :shock:

 

To summarise:

 

My mate comes to me saying he wants a new car and decides he wants to go for a golf GTI. "Great! let me know when you see one you like and I'll go out and have a look to see if it's a shonky old tub or not." My mate finds one he likes and proceeds to buy it there and then all by himself without getting any second opinions, even though he's using a bank loan to pay for it. He pays three thousand pounds for what on the surface seems to be a reasonable car. When I get my hands on it I discover all four shocks and springs will need replacing (see illustrations), locking wheel nuts missing (five stud wheels with only four bolts in), spare wheel kit missing, ancient oil, ancient air filter, ancient oil filter, running like a pig, exhaust not functioning properly (although think engine running really rich), it's doing 16mpg (that's on the trip computer so god knows what it's actually doing), Tyres are running at about 4psi, gear box shot (the notchiest, crunchiest lump of metal ever), brakes shot, oh, and there's a small dent on passenger side wing.... :lol:

[dr_mat 0]

Looks like the passenger door is out of line too ...

[Sonicriot13 0]

I'm sure the garage he takes it to will find even more stuff wrong with it. I feel really bad for him but when he came to collect it off me I told him to take it easy cos of the brakes and suspension and he just caned it down my road. And just by chance we were following him yesterday through town and he was tail gating and just generally ragging it. We were a few cars behind and we could still smell his exhaust. So he's driving it around despite my advice to not drive it until it had been sorted. He's just gonna make it worse.

[Jim 2]

Sounds like its gone to someone who's going to give it the same respect its already had in its life of abuse then. Wash your hands of it and let him get on with it.. when he comes crying to to you when its at the side of the road leaking its vital fluids you can just say "Told you so.." !

[Yandards 0]

Sounds like its gone to someone who's going to give it the same respect its already had in its life of abuse then. Wash your hands of it and let him get on with it.. when he comes crying to to you when its at the side of the road leaking its vital fluids you can just say "Told you so.." !

 

I hope it's only his cars vital fluids from the desciption of the way he is driving it.

[Sonicriot13 0]

Sounds like its gone to someone who's going to give it the same respect its already had in its life of abuse then. Wash your hands of it and let him get on with it.. when he comes crying to to you when its at the side of the road leaking its vital fluids you can just say "Told you so.." !

 

I hope it's only his cars vital fluids from the desciption of the way he is driving it.

 

Well, I doubt I'll ever lay a spanner on that car again. I'm not fixing it if he's gonna drive it like that. Scarcely seems much point. Aside from the fact I'm in the process of moving house and fixing up two corrados and I really don't have the time. At least he's now showing a bit more gratitiude again for all the hours I put into it, despite my own cars, my day job, and pressure from the missus. I'm always getting in trouble for taking on too much at once and she's usually proven to be right.

 

I just feel sorry for the car and more so the person he hits. Cos it's gonna end in tears. If any one of you guys on here had felt those brakes you'd feel the same way. :(

[Sonicriot13 0]

God, just been on Edition 38 and there's a thread on chopping springs. :( Some people actually think it's a good idea. :shock: Do you think I should put some pics up?

[Toad 0]

I saw that. I can't believe there are people advocating it on there, and taking the p!ss out of people who say it's wrong.... Tried to argue the case that it's not safe, but it's falling on deaf ears.

[Sonicriot13 0]

That's what I'm afraid of. Plus never posted on there before so would be my first post. Judging by some of the responses already on there I'd just get torn to shreds.