2012 VW Passat CC - the unloved one
Discussion
Cambs_Stuart said:
Apologies if I missed it, but how did you get on with the lowering springs?
You hadn't missed as I hadn't fitted them until today...Since the last update there has been trouble free driving, although at the back of my mind there has been a very slight knock from the front end.
Saturday afternoon was a free day so I thought i'd pull the front suspension to bits to see what fell off.
In short, top mounts, drop links and the dampers had clearly seen better days being the ones the car left the factory with according to the date stamp....
As the poor thing has the electronic magnetic dampers they of course had to be eye wateringly expensive compared to non electronic ones....
Only Monroe make them (they were OE supplier too)… Dampers arrived today and all buttoned up... whilst in there the PI lowering springs have been fitted front and rear... once back down on the ground she certainly sits better than when on stock springs...
Pics tomorrow as it was too dark
Lord Marylebone said:
Only just read this thread now. Interesting read.
The only thing I want to say is, £4K in paintwork? Really?
I would have charged:
Roof £350
Bonnet £300
Front bumper £180
Wings £160 each
Rear bumper £170
I’m not sure what else you had done? Did they do the full car for colour match?
To be fair I have no idea on the quality of your work, and i'm sure it is exemplary...!!! The only thing I want to say is, £4K in paintwork? Really?
I would have charged:
Roof £350
Bonnet £300
Front bumper £180
Wings £160 each
Rear bumper £170
I’m not sure what else you had done? Did they do the full car for colour match?
There's always someone who can do something cheaper, better etc....
however the level of work my guy did, the car was fully stripped so there was no masking lines.... all panels removed etc comes at a price. His quality of work is something i'll happily pay for again and again and again....
I had no issues with what he charged me.
Davie said:
These are lovely looking cars and a great place to rack up miles, but given that's its role in life now... I'm not sure the lovely fresh front end will remain so for very long. I'm also astounded at the cost of paint. I'm in the wrong job!
when the stone chips get too bad, it can always be done again....i'll need to do paint soon anyway as some a
hole ran a key or something down the front passenger door, went through to the primer.... I wasn't impressed.That's the beauty of posting... It allows people to comment.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, some get it, some don't.... It's not negative.
At the end of the day, I'll do what i want....
Been hunting for what's around for short shifters.... There's the normal expensive American homegrown st, which by the time it's got over here is even more expensive. I did discover one blog post buried within the internet which said they used a shift bracket off an 8J chassis S3, which reduced the throw.... Quite cheap too...!!!
Ones on order..... Will report back if it's any good
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, some get it, some don't.... It's not negative.
At the end of the day, I'll do what i want....
Been hunting for what's around for short shifters.... There's the normal expensive American homegrown s
t, which by the time it's got over here is even more expensive. I did discover one blog post buried within the internet which said they used a shift bracket off an 8J chassis S3, which reduced the throw.... Quite cheap too...!!!Ones on order..... Will report back if it's any good
So, annual holiday out of the way and whilst away the Audi S3 shift linkage arrived. Picked it up and fitted it today.
Starting with a box like this
inside it is one of these
open the lid and dive in
locate the original sloppy lever
and replace
refit is a reverse of removal as they say....
Shift is now more direct and definitely shorter in throw front to back, side to side is unchanged but then I knew that before buying. Not bad for £45 all in and 20 minutes to fit.
Starting with a box like this
inside it is one of these
open the lid and dive in
locate the original sloppy lever
and replace
refit is a reverse of removal as they say....
Shift is now more direct and definitely shorter in throw front to back, side to side is unchanged but then I knew that before buying. Not bad for £45 all in and 20 minutes to fit.
Edited by 89forever on Sunday 28th April 15:32
Edited by 89forever on Sunday 20th October 02:58
well Monday the MOT is due, so stuck it in on Friday.... Failed on.....
front rear drivers side console bush...
the other side was an advisory...
rear headlight level sensor defective (I knew the arm was snapped)
rear fog light out (never use them, only in extremes) and side marker light in the same lamp was out also...
So, a pair of bushes ordered... offending crud removed...
These are a breeze to fit, get the wheel off, wheel arch liner removed, 3 bolts and knock it off the wishbone.... Refit is a reverse of removal... 20 minutes a side.
Then onto the level sensor.... new one not arriving until Wednesday, so a repair needed to be effective... thankfully the arm had snapped at the ball joint, so with a tiny self tapping screw applied, it should hold until after the test.... it's going to need to be cut off when I get the replacement as all fixings are rusted to nothing....
I left what I thought the simplest job to last, I put all new bulbs in the back and expected all's good.... fog light still inop… hmmmmm buggerit!!!
then I saw the light flicker on and back off..... buggerit again as it means the wiring has a break in it somewhere, obviously the wiring kinks as the boot opens and closes and over time it fatigues....
So, the left hand side boot trim was stripped out to get to the multitude of connecters for the boot lid loom... stripped back the loom tape and all bar 2 wires had breaks in them, held together just by the loom tape.... a quick attack with the soldering iron and all's good again.... (well until it fatigues more and breaks again)
front rear drivers side console bush...
the other side was an advisory...
rear headlight level sensor defective (I knew the arm was snapped)
rear fog light out (never use them, only in extremes) and side marker light in the same lamp was out also...
So, a pair of bushes ordered... offending crud removed...
These are a breeze to fit, get the wheel off, wheel arch liner removed, 3 bolts and knock it off the wishbone.... Refit is a reverse of removal... 20 minutes a side.
Then onto the level sensor.... new one not arriving until Wednesday, so a repair needed to be effective... thankfully the arm had snapped at the ball joint, so with a tiny self tapping screw applied, it should hold until after the test.... it's going to need to be cut off when I get the replacement as all fixings are rusted to nothing....
I left what I thought the simplest job to last, I put all new bulbs in the back and expected all's good.... fog light still inop… hmmmmm buggerit!!!
then I saw the light flicker on and back off..... buggerit again as it means the wiring has a break in it somewhere, obviously the wiring kinks as the boot opens and closes and over time it fatigues....
So, the left hand side boot trim was stripped out to get to the multitude of connecters for the boot lid loom... stripped back the loom tape and all bar 2 wires had breaks in them, held together just by the loom tape.... a quick attack with the soldering iron and all's good again.... (well until it fatigues more and breaks again)
Edited by 89forever on Sunday 20th October 03:01
cheddar said:
Great thread, love the op's passion and what he's done.
Wheel design is fantastic but black hides it.
Any thoughts on changing it?
Thank you.... The wheel colour isn't set in stone, It's very easy for me to change it, however one reason I like the dark grey (not black lol) is it hides the brake dust.... I don't always get time each week to wash the wheels and it'd bug the hell out of me if they we're a nice silver and dirty....Wheel design is fantastic but black hides it.
Any thoughts on changing it?
Blanco92 said:
Was just going to say, that’ll be your boot loom! I had the pleasure of replacing the loom (FYI, about £45 from TPS) on my mother’s Passat CC a couple of weeks ago. Her failure was different, the boot itself would not open from the key, the button on the inside nor the handle on the outside.
I can confirm getting the new loom in is a bh. However, what works well is dropping some string (with a perfectly weighted USB flash drive on the end) through the boot rams, then once it’s all the way through, tape your loom to it and pull the string through. This is all great fun, except for when your back is aching having spent the previous hour crawling around in the boot and just a few hours before crawling around underneath doing an oil change!
I will strip the old loom, find the broken wires and repair so I have a spare for the next time...
I think a new loom will be required, considering the original lasted 7 years the cost of replacement won't be hard to swallow.... I felt your pain, the connections in the boot are just that distance away to put strain on the back and knees and I definitely don't fit in the boot lol.... I can confirm getting the new loom in is a b
h. However, what works well is dropping some string (with a perfectly weighted USB flash drive on the end) through the boot rams, then once it’s all the way through, tape your loom to it and pull the string through. This is all great fun, except for when your back is aching having spent the previous hour crawling around in the boot and just a few hours before crawling around underneath doing an oil change!I will strip the old loom, find the broken wires and repair so I have a spare for the next time...
The easiest way to fit the new loom is to have a piece of cord on the old loom as you remove it, then connect to the new loom and pull it through....
Well in other news, the lash up of the level sensor and the loom did the trick long enough to get a fresh MOT.
The level sensor is already on order and will arrive Wednesday. The loom bugged me too much, so that was ordered today also.... That'll arrive in the next couple of days...
The level sensor is already on order and will arrive Wednesday. The loom bugged me too much, so that was ordered today also.... That'll arrive in the next couple of days...
Edited by 89forever on Monday 21st October 20:58
The old girl keeps going on.... just hit the 140k mark.... and to celebrate she decided she needed a new alternator right on Friday lunchtime.... so, one was duly ordered and arrived later that afternoon.
Saturday was fitting day..... What a pig of a job for something so simple....
Total strip down of the front end to get the radiators into the service position.
Too 10 minutes to swap the alternator out but 4 hours getting to it and putting it all back.
In other news another 10k service was done last week, with new discs and pads front and rear and 4 new tyres. Pirelli PZeros were my choice rather than the awful st Chinese ditchfinders I’ve been suffering with....
Saturday was fitting day..... What a pig of a job for something so simple....
Total strip down of the front end to get the radiators into the service position.
Too 10 minutes to swap the alternator out but 4 hours getting to it and putting it all back.
In other news another 10k service was done last week, with new discs and pads front and rear and 4 new tyres. Pirelli PZeros were my choice rather than the awful s
t Chinese ditchfinders I’ve been suffering with....CallMeLegend said:
I'm thinking of one of these as a mile muncher now SWMBO has a Boxster & the i3s lease is up soon. How are things going with it?
It was great as a mile muncher.... did everything I wanted it to. I changed jobs last July so this went and as I moved location I brought my S5 back into daily use for a short time and now that’s been retired from daily use and I have a much more economical Audi A8 4.2tdiGassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff