1992 VW Golf 1.8 CL
Discussion
320touring said:
Glad to see this old thing still soldiering on
And thanks. Despite massive lack of general interest in this thread I'll also keep soldiering on with updates. Not in love with the car at all but it serves a purpose pretty well and overall doesn't cost much to keep going. I just hate APK/MOT time and having to entrust it to garages.Tyre re-fitted. Man he tell me "new" valve not good, now replaced with actual new one.
Front wheel bearings were done, not rears hence high price.
So for now we seem to be rocking and rolling again. It'll need the alignment done soon as it hasn't been quite right since I replaced the front springs and shocks last year. It doesn't pull left or right but the steering wheel is not centred anymore and on full right lock it won't try to self centre but instead keeps pulling to the right. Full left lock gets you an extra strong tug to self centre. Maybe not alignment but camber? Considering I've new tyres on there, I'd like to get it sorted so they don't wear weirdly.
Front wheel bearings were done, not rears hence high price.
So for now we seem to be rocking and rolling again. It'll need the alignment done soon as it hasn't been quite right since I replaced the front springs and shocks last year. It doesn't pull left or right but the steering wheel is not centred anymore and on full right lock it won't try to self centre but instead keeps pulling to the right. Full left lock gets you an extra strong tug to self centre. Maybe not alignment but camber? Considering I've new tyres on there, I'd like to get it sorted so they don't wear weirdly.
Booked in for alignment check tomorrow morning.
Fitted new starter today, got it back in summer for €70. It has been playing up for ages; it'd spin but not always engage when the engine was warm/hot. It'd always start eventually but was clearly getting worse.
New one is fine and weirdly sounds very very different!?
Gave it a vacuum and found a French supermarkt receipt from 1997 for strawberries costing 10.70 francs...
Fitted new starter today, got it back in summer for €70. It has been playing up for ages; it'd spin but not always engage when the engine was warm/hot. It'd always start eventually but was clearly getting worse.
New one is fine and weirdly sounds very very different!?
Gave it a vacuum and found a French supermarkt receipt from 1997 for strawberries costing 10.70 francs...
You'd think so wouldn't you. The new one works perfectly though so it seems that extra shaft length (fnar) makes no difference at all.
Had the alignment done this morning, it was WELL out. All sorted now though, €70 at Kwik Fit. Despite their terrible rep in the UK, the local one here in NL seems to have a good rep and my experience with them was good.
Took it for a blat along the motorway and some urban driving, it feels more like a normal car again now. Might even treat it to a wash soon (it'll be the first one in my possession) as there's a cheapish and very good carwash quite near here.
Thanks to the few of you who have left comments, I know it is not an exciting car at all and much more worthy of more s
tey forums... but I think it's a perhaps refreshing angle on car ownership when compared to a lot of stuff on here. Also give you UK folks a small insight into owning a car in another country (if anyone is remotely interested, I can go into detail on that) 
Had the alignment done this morning, it was WELL out. All sorted now though, €70 at Kwik Fit. Despite their terrible rep in the UK, the local one here in NL seems to have a good rep and my experience with them was good.
Took it for a blat along the motorway and some urban driving, it feels more like a normal car again now. Might even treat it to a wash soon (it'll be the first one in my possession) as there's a cheapish and very good carwash quite near here.
Thanks to the few of you who have left comments, I know it is not an exciting car at all and much more worthy of more s
tey forums... but I think it's a perhaps refreshing angle on car ownership when compared to a lot of stuff on here. Also give you UK folks a small insight into owning a car in another country (if anyone is remotely interested, I can go into detail on that) LeoZwalf said:
You'd think so wouldn't you. The new one works perfectly though so it seems that extra shaft length (fnar) makes no difference at all.
Had the alignment done this morning, it was WELL out. All sorted now though, €70 at Kwik Fit. Despite their terrible rep in the UK, the local one here in NL seems to have a good rep and my experience with them was good.
Took it for a blat along the motorway and some urban driving, it feels more like a normal car again now. Might even treat it to a wash soon (it'll be the first one in my possession) as there's a cheapish and very good carwash quite near here.
Thanks to the few of you who have left comments, I know it is not an exciting car at all and much more worthy of more stey forums... but I think it's a perhaps refreshing angle on car ownership when compared to a lot of stuff on here. Also give you UK folks a small insight into owning a car in another country (if anyone is remotely interested, I can go into detail on that)
Glad the alignment made a difference!Had the alignment done this morning, it was WELL out. All sorted now though, €70 at Kwik Fit. Despite their terrible rep in the UK, the local one here in NL seems to have a good rep and my experience with them was good.
Took it for a blat along the motorway and some urban driving, it feels more like a normal car again now. Might even treat it to a wash soon (it'll be the first one in my possession) as there's a cheapish and very good carwash quite near here.
Thanks to the few of you who have left comments, I know it is not an exciting car at all and much more worthy of more s
tey forums... but I think it's a perhaps refreshing angle on car ownership when compared to a lot of stuff on here. Also give you UK folks a small insight into owning a car in another country (if anyone is remotely interested, I can go into detail on that) Always interesting to hear the tribulations of owning a car in another country-some elements can seem simpler, others more draconian!
A wash it not a bad plan-i know pretty much my whole fleet needs doing just now..
320touring said:
some elements can seem simpler, others more draconian!
Ohhh, yes! Germany felt like a nightmware. Easy to see why folk hang on to their cars for so long - the procedure and bureaucracy to change is not pleasant! NL isn't too bad; quick trip to post office and about €9 to change ownership. As a foreigner you have to have a certain updated document which costs about the same and is valid for 3 months. If it's expired or you don't have it, you can't get the vehicle registered to your name.Other costs in brief:
- road tax... EXPENSIVE (depends on weight of vehicle and fuel type. Diesel = approx double petrol) Golf is approx €360/year
- insurance... CHEAP (I pay €11/month 3rd party)
320touring said:
A wash it not a bad plan-i know pretty much my whole fleet needs doing just now..
It is worth doing At the least it makes you realise the car isn't as st as you got used to it looking! Next bit isn't really an update but since there are a couple of folk interested in how this old hack is doing... the other day we bought some new furniture. It cost more than double what I paid for the car and thanks to the roof bars, no problem getting it all in/on and home:
The last tankful calculated to a smidge over 30 mpg which is one of the best I've had out of it
I'm looking at replacing it but not yet - it still has loads of life yet and we* want to change the kitchen, so no car change wonga until perhaps next year.
Bit of a shame, yes. The car is far from perfect and at this value/age there will always eventually be something which kills it. Maybe if it was a better/rarer model (it is the base level CL, you can't get any lower!) it would be more tempting to fix it up and keep going.
I've never been in love with it. I only bought it because I needed a car, it was very very close by (same street) and cheap. It has felt a bit like a sort of experiment in bangernomics although many would argue I'm "doing it wrong!" and to an extent, I'd agree.
Glad you found the thread interesting. There haven't been a huge number of replies but I've always kept updating it anyway, even just so I have something to look back on later. Nice to know some people like to read about such an old, valueless shed!
I've never been in love with it. I only bought it because I needed a car, it was very very close by (same street) and cheap. It has felt a bit like a sort of experiment in bangernomics although many would argue I'm "doing it wrong!" and to an extent, I'd agree.
Glad you found the thread interesting. There haven't been a huge number of replies but I've always kept updating it anyway, even just so I have something to look back on later. Nice to know some people like to read about such an old, valueless shed!
MJK 24 said:
Great thread!!
Thanks MJK 24 said:
Are you going to get it welded?
Highly unlikely. I've pretty much decided what car I want to get next so the Golf will hopefully be used in part-ex* against the next car.MJK 24 said:
The sill to floor area can be quite suspect on these.
Is that the sound of yet another nail in its coffin? Haha! You'll have to be more persuasive than that though, sorry. Unless you're offering to come over here with your own sparky stick
They do say a car should be good in (at least) two of the three areas:
Bodywork is good overall except the bit of rust on the hatch and the newly found crusty sills. With some polishing, it'd look pretty good.
Inside is not great. Not long after I got it, the glovebox handle broke off (till the handle breaks off and you have to get a doctor to pull it out again), the headlining started sagging so bad the only solution was to remove it, drivers seat has a VERY annoying problem where the back of it kinda sags to the right so you're doing an involuntary gangsta lean. I can straighten it out by pulling it forward but it doesn't last long. It's getting worse and getting more and more irritating and uncomfortable.
So it certainly doesn't meet the 2/3 rule and must go. Apart from that, it's all good.
They do say a car should be good in (at least) two of the three areas:
- Mechanicals
- Bodywork
- Interior
Bodywork is good overall except the bit of rust on the hatch and the newly found crusty sills. With some polishing, it'd look pretty good.
Inside is not great. Not long after I got it, the glovebox handle broke off (till the handle breaks off and you have to get a doctor to pull it out again), the headlining started sagging so bad the only solution was to remove it, drivers seat has a VERY annoying problem where the back of it kinda sags to the right so you're doing an involuntary gangsta lean. I can straighten it out by pulling it forward but it doesn't last long. It's getting worse and getting more and more irritating and uncomfortable.
So it certainly doesn't meet the 2/3 rule and must go. Apart from that, it's all good.
haha nice little thread, good to see you keeping the golf going as best you can. reminds me of my old mk3 8v gti. always needed something doing, but easy enough to fix with a hammer and gaffertape most of the time. lol.
would you get much for it scrap value over there?
bangernomics is always a gamble between, will it last another year or; sell it working or run it till its uneconomical to fix and scrap it.
keep it up. always better the devil you know.
p.s. when you do replace it I vote go Japanese, my Honda is forcing me to love it for its reliability.
would you get much for it scrap value over there?
bangernomics is always a gamble between, will it last another year or; sell it working or run it till its uneconomical to fix and scrap it.
keep it up. always better the devil you know.
p.s. when you do replace it I vote go Japanese, my Honda is forcing me to love it for its reliability.
browna said:
would you get much for it scrap value over there?
Unfortunately I had to scrap my Mondeo when I first moved here from Germany, got €75 for it 
I'd guess the Golf would fetch a similar amount, but hope it doesn't come to that.browna said:
bangernomics is always a gamble between, will it last another year or; sell it working or run it till its uneconomical to fix and scrap it.
keep it up. always better the devil you know.
To an extent. There comes a point where the devil you know is just a constant pain in the backside and when you have no love for him, you just want him gone... in exchange for a devil you don't know keep it up. always better the devil you know.
dbdb said:
What are you thinking of getting as a replacement?
I'm fairly sure I know what I want next but don't want to commit to it in writing in case [insert reasons]!! The car I'm looking at is still a small German, but with more cylinders and opposite-wheel-drive to the Golf Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff