Thinking of getting 106 GTi. Final Tips & Advice?

[BadBanshee]

Dave200 said:

Just baffled, and slightly frustrated (re: ignoring the advice).

I'm sure if you had put up a "Newbie here - Please help" post in your regional section of the forum, you would have got an offer from someone who had actually lifted a bonnet before...

Have you thought about taking your car to a reliable local mechanic at all (again, ask for a recommendation in your regional section of the forum)? An hour of them prodding and poking, and a bit of unbiased advice, will probably be the best £30 you could spend on this car now. You are clearly quite mechanically naive, and I would rather you didn't get screwed over by some unscrupulous sod.

I didn't ignore the advice I was unable to follow it, and I didn't think of asking on here for someone to come along...

The mechanic at halfords has already given it a once over (are you laughing now because he was from halfords?) but he seriously was a good 'un and he must have spent an hour with me in total inspecting the bodywork, suspension, under the bonnet, testing & replacing the battery. I only paid for the battery and £6.99 to fit it.

It annoys me when people complain that I don't follow every word of their advice, like it's gospel. I take everybody's advice on board and I appreciate your willingness to help but I have to say that although I am mechanically naiive, I'm not stupid, and therefore I can think for myself somewhat at least! £30 seems steep for something I reckon I've already had done.

[BadBanshee]

Dave^ said:

You could try WD40 to clean up the oil, liberal amounts, don't be shy...

Or find/buy a bottle of Autoglym Engine & Machine Cleaner, Halfords should have it, but it'll be cheaper online...

Or if you have a local EuroCarParts...

http://www.eurocarparts.com/cleaner-and-degreaser/...

PARTS25 discount code gets you 25% off too...

Do eurocarparts deliver by royal mail? I start a week of work tomorrow so if I'm not in when they deliver, royal mail usually drop it off at their depot so I can pick up.

Cheers for the code!

Edited by BadBanshee on Tuesday 11th December 14:52

[Dave^]

I think they use their own vans. I've had something delivered at 7-8pm before, infact, come to think of it, I think they use Yodel! *shivers*

Never had a problem though, other than leaving stuff in the garden with no note!

You can order stuff for collection from your nearest branch.

Discount codes don't work in store (for whatever dumbass reason), so order online with the code, then go collect...

[pthelazyjourno]

Pretty sure quite a few of them leak from the rocker cover gasket, it's messy but not really a big thing, and easy to fix.

Doesn't really matter that you didn't get a full inspection carried out by a mechanical god, it's a cheap car, a mini adventure! If it breaks, you can learn how to fix it.

They just seem like niggles to me.

I've always gone against general advice (although not specific, when offered), and did when buying my Elise too. Most people get a full inspection carried out by specialists, lots of dos and don'ts, *never* buy the first car you see etc etc.

I bought the first car I saw, didn't get it inspected, and still love it to bits. It also drives better the all the ones I've subsequently driven. Sometimes you get lucky!!

Hope you're having fun with it. If you message me your address, I'll send on my Haynes manual, doubt I'll be needing it.

[BadBanshee]

PM'd you Philip!

Ponk said:

With regards to rust put up some pictures of under the boot floor, and the join between the boot floor and inner arch in the boot.

The brake servo looks worse than it is, bit of sandpaper and hammerite will sort that.

I got some pics of the underside:

Big rusty ridden patch there, not sure what it is


This is the front side of the exhaust box, you can see rear axle:


This is what I was talking about earlier. The bit I'm pulling back with my finger is the breather valve so I think I need to get a filter on the end of that right? And below it you can see that pipe that bends 90 degrees before it goes back into the engine. That can be pulled right out. Nothing comes out though:


Missing right headlamp back cover:


Check this, previous owner installed his sat nav into the sun visor lol! Stuck fake carbon-fibre tape around the rest of it. The crazy things the youth do. Gonna refurb that but I need an original mirror from somewhere to stick in:

[Dave200]

BadBanshee said:

Dave200 said:

Just baffled, and slightly frustrated (re: ignoring the advice).

I'm sure if you had put up a "Newbie here - Please help" post in your regional section of the forum, you would have got an offer from someone who had actually lifted a bonnet before...

Have you thought about taking your car to a reliable local mechanic at all (again, ask for a recommendation in your regional section of the forum)? An hour of them prodding and poking, and a bit of unbiased advice, will probably be the best £30 you could spend on this car now. You are clearly quite mechanically naive, and I would rather you didn't get screwed over by some unscrupulous sod.

I didn't ignore the advice I was unable to follow it, and I didn't think of asking on here for someone to come along...

The mechanic at halfords has already given it a once over (are you laughing now because he was from halfords?) but he seriously was a good 'un and he must have spent an hour with me in total inspecting the bodywork, suspension, under the bonnet, testing & replacing the battery. I only paid for the battery and £6.99 to fit it.

It annoys me when people complain that I don't follow every word of their advice, like it's gospel. I take everybody's advice on board and I appreciate your willingness to help but I have to say that although I am mechanically naiive, I'm not stupid, and therefore I can think for myself somewhat at least! £30 seems steep for something I reckon I've already had done.

And what was Mr Halfords' diagnosis of your gearbox fault? (You know, the one which you said yesterday might result in you having to rebuild the engine?)
What did he say about your "massive rusty patch"? (The one which, although the photo may be deceiving me a little, looks suspiciously like your petrol tank)

There's being independent, and then there's being pig-headed. Sticking a load of blurry, out-of-context photos up on the internet is never going to get you the same results as getting someone experienced to give it a once-over. Going on the word of someone who gets paid the minimum wage to work in retail is probably not a smart move.

Jesus. If £30 is steep, perhaps you should have considered something a bit cheaper?

ETA - At least now you know why it seemed cheap compared to their other GTIs on the market.

Edited by Dave200 on Tuesday 11th December 18:08

[martin mrt]

Or alternatively just replace the whole visor off one from the scrap yard

I have just read the thread OP, i seriously hope that the car does turn out to be a good one for you.

[BadBanshee]

Dave200 said:

And what was Mr Halfords' diagnosis of your gearbox fault? (You know, the one which you said yesterday might result in you having to rebuild the engine?)
What did he say about your "massive rusty patch"? (The one which, although the photo may be deceiving me a little, looks suspiciously like your petrol tank)

There's being independent, and then there's being pig-headed. Sticking a load of blurry, out-of-context photos up on the internet is never going to get you the same results as getting someone experienced to give it a once-over. Going on the word of someone who gets paid the minimum wage to work in retail is probably not a smart move.

Jesus. If £30 is steep, perhaps you should have considered something a bit cheaper?

ETA - At least now you know why it seemed cheap compared to their other GTIs on the market.

Edited by Dave200 on Tuesday 11th December 18:08

Well, 3rd gear crunched twice on the way home from the purchase, but it might have just been me getting used to the clutch pedal (?) because I haven't heard it since.

Nearly went into a tree today lol. Well slight exaggeration but it did surprise me. Still getting used to the heavier steering and greater power. I can see why young people going from a tiny engine to a hot hatch can represent a substantial risk for insurance companies.

Absolutely loving it so far though! Not to worry any fellow road users in the Berkshire area but it does feel like I'm lucid dreaming inside one of the Gran Turismo games :P

[BadBanshee]

martin mrt said:

Or alternatively just replace the whole visor off one from the scrap yard

I have just read the thread OP, i seriously hope that the car does turn out to be a good one for you.

Thanks, I've got a few things to ask for at the scrapyard now so I'll do it all in one go.

Thanks for the thought I hope it turns out well too lol.

[miniman]

BadBanshee said:

Big rusty ridden patch there, not sure what it is

Looks like the exhaust heat shield, in which case leave it until it drops off

Have I missed the pics of the exterior?

I would definitely invest in a Haynes manual for it, but really I don't understand why people on here are being so negative about it - a new battery is not a "serious problem"!

[pthelazyjourno]

Dave200 said:

And what was Mr Halfords' diagnosis of your gearbox fault? (You know, the one which you said yesterday might result in you having to rebuild the engine?)
What did he say about your "massive rusty patch"? (The one which, although the photo may be deceiving me a little, looks suspiciously like your petrol tank)

There's being independent, and then there's being pig-headed. Sticking a load of blurry, out-of-context photos up on the internet is never going to get you the same results as getting someone experienced to give it a once-over. Going on the word of someone who gets paid the minimum wage to work in retail is probably not a smart move.

Jesus. If £30 is steep, perhaps you should have considered something a bit cheaper?

ETA - At least now you know why it seemed cheap compared to their other GTIs on the market.

Edited by Dave200 on Tuesday 11th December 18:08

Seriously, do you have to be quite so negative just because somebody got a bit enthusiastic, got carried away and didn't follow advice to the letter?

Chap has got a new car and he's clearly chuffed with it, so there's no point in being an arse about who he uses to get it checked out, what he does or what's wrong with the car. It's easy to be cynical about Halfords, and lots of idiots do work there, but lots of knowledgeable people do too.

My flatmate did throughout uni, and he's certainly taken more engines apart than anybody else I know - people who work in garages included.

Photo is deceiving you; joining a petrol tank to an exhaust pipe / silencer wouldn't be the smartest move.

End of the day, it's a £900 GTI. It'll be a laugh, whatever is wrong with it. Cheer up!

[ben_h100]

Good for you OP, great little first car, now make sure you don't get caught out with any lift off oversteer - these 106s are good for it..!

Also give it a clean and get some exterior pics up..!

[Ponk]

Doesn't look too bad under there. Get a picture of where the boot floor joins the inner arch inside the boot. That's the biggest trouble spot for rust.

[lunchbox]

It's french! Weepy rocker cover and a slightly rusty exhaust? They are honestly just niggling faults. Enjoy it.

[BadBanshee]

The support is reassuring guys, thanks. Yeah I realized I hadn't provided any exterior pics when my mate asked me to send him an mms and all I had were some rusty bits XD. I'll make sure to get some polish first.

Ponk said:

Doesn't look too bad under there. Get a picture of where the boot floor joins the inner arch inside the boot. That's the biggest trouble spot for rust.

Not sure what you mean by inner arch is that nearside wheelarch? So I open the boot, take the "floorboards" out and snap away?

[Ponk]

BadBanshee said:

The support is reassuring guys, thanks. Yeah I realized I hadn't provided any exterior pics when my mate asked me to send him an mms and all I had were some rusty bits XD. I'll make sure to get some polish first.

Ponk said:

Doesn't look too bad under there. Get a picture of where the boot floor joins the inner arch inside the boot. That's the biggest trouble spot for rust.

Not sure what you mean by inner arch is that nearside wheelarch? So I open the boot, take the "floorboards" out and snap away?

This join here is where they tend to go.

[dabofoppo]

Hope this turns out to be a good one OP. Dunno if its been mentioned but if these are the same as saxos you should check under the ECU for rust as well.

[BadBanshee]

I'll have a gander, Ponk.

dabofoppo, where can I find the ECU?

I've been reading up on engine oils for the best part of this evening. My dipsticks saying oil level is dead in between min and max, so I really want to top it up a bit. I've gathered that the best oil to use would be 5w40. This would ensure the best performance and fuel economy as soon as I start the engine cold. However, because of the weeping around the rocker cover gasket, there's the consideration of greater weeping with the thinner 5w40. So it's a trade off between quicker engine warm up and possibly more oil leakage - or - a slower engine warm up and less leakage? Or maybe I should try and get the leaking sorted altogether with some sealant and then not have to worry about that anymore, then get the 5w40?

[billy939]

The rocker cover isn't quite made of concrete

This is under the bonnet of mine with standard rocker just cleaned up a little with some autosol.

But the JP4 rockers from the 206, 307 etc do tend to be better

[billy939]

Also the ECU is under the black plastic cover on the left of the engine looking down on it. They aren't very prone to rust but in this area they can be.

Also to all the negative people I got mine for £940 FPSH, 12 months MOT and tax and 85k, 8k and 6 months later it has not missed a beat and with a few breathing mods it has been dyno'd at 132bhp at the fly and is a lot of fun on a B road blast

Enjoy the car and get some exterior pics up!



Shameless show off of my own baby...