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General => General discussion => Topic started by: jv on 12 November 2004, 09:56
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I am having a 'time to buy a nice new car' moment. One that you just give to the dealer when it doesn't work!
The last few weeks the bad weather seems to have finally got to my car electrics. If you leave it for more that a day it won't start so I have got used to jump starting it. I ordered a new alternator the other day and it should arrive today.
Last night I go out to the car after work and the remote doesn't do anything. Get in with the key and the alarm goes off. Silence the siren with the key, connect up jump leads and no joy as the alarm/immob cuts in each time you try and start it. Headlights work, stereo works so the battery is not dead. Go all the way home and return with other remote just in case that will clear it, no joy.
Leave it at work, come in this morning and try and jump it again. Still can't stop the immobiliser getting in the way. Then this is the good bit, I had been getting in the passenger side with the key, sat in the drivers seat I open the drivers door - it opens. Eh? I never opened it, press the door pull and it disappears into the door. Shut the door and now it doesn't open from the inside or the outside and the key doesn't do anything. Beautiful.
Just called out some auto elec company. Feckin car. >:(
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you get moments like that with new cars too ! stick it out mate .. every now and again there's always a moment when you think to yourself "bloody hell i love this car !!" with a big silly grin on your face and it makes it all worth it. ;D
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It's just such a money pit at the moment! The amount it costs me I could have something shiny and new on finance!
Hopefully by the end of the weekend it will have a new alternator and the new boost hoses fitted. Ideally I would be able to open the drivers door as well :'(
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Ideally I would be able to open the drivers door as well? :'(
now you're just being picky ! :P
i'll shutup now though since i'm going forecourt window shopping tomorrow :-X
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Oh Dear
Not had that with this car yet, but certainly had it with my Mi 16.
So i know how ya feel mate.
Ya wanna do that John Cleese thing and hit the car with the nearest thing, a stick, yer boot etc.!
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this on the rallye JV ?
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jv, I had exactly the same feeling a couple of weeks ago and I started looking through the classifieds at mk2 16Vs and Rallyes etc, this was due to a couple of niggly bits that were getting on my nerves, I've since had them sorted and I love it again now, hang in there, get the niggles sorted and you will wonder why you ever had those "getting something newer" thoughts. ?:)
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I have resisted kicking it so far Len :)
Yeah the Rallye blue
I don't mind that much paying to keep the beast going, so things like the comedy expensive boost hoses are ok-ish, it's when it gets unreliable that it gets on my nerves. It was why I traded in my first mk2 years ago. If I had another car and the Rallye was for sunny Sunday's it would be ok but it's my only car and I need to use it every day :-\
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As everybody has said stick in there, every old dub has a bad day once in a while. When it's sat at inters gleaming away next year it will all seem like a distant memory. The door problem sounds like the straw that broke the camels back but will probably turn out to be something really simple that has come undone.
My last valver had a bad run with a rattly camchain, got that fixed then a week later a big-end shell broke, it ended up costing me loads. But once it was run in the grin soon returned..........until I wrote if off of course ?:-\
Hope you get it sorted soon John.
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ill give u a tenner for it right now :D
messin.
Im thinking fo buying a newer car myself. Something practical.
but its all apart of owning an older car. if things didnt go wrong then i would have sold the bugger :o faults/fault finding just keeps me interested.
dont u think?
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If I had another car and the Rallye was for sunny Sunday's it would be ok but it's my only car and I need to use it every day? :-\
?120 on ebay got me a decent mk2 winter runabout, ok so it hasn't got the streetcred of the gti but hey it's nearly always dark when I'm in it anyway. Might be worth considering then you could tuck the rallye away and get it sorted gradually and save it from all that nasty road salt in the meantime.
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Some faults are ok but it not starting is a bit of an ar$e :P
Can you take the door panels off ok from inside the car?
Hope the auto elec dude turns up soon! At least it is nearly the weekend, dark evenings are no fun for car repairs
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Hey mate,
Heres something you may not have thought about. How about
leasing a car. The idea was put to me by my Bro in law. As he
has his own company he gives his staff car allowence. They have excellent deals on new cars and have 1-5 years contracts.
You can get it all inclusive or get it serviced yourself. You can get a Punto for around ?100 per month or spend a little more and get a A4 for around ?300 per month.
If your intrested, I can guide you in the right direction.
Good luck mate.
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Cheers Martz, that's one I idea I guess :)
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No worries mate. Keep the Rallye for summer mate!
You know it make sense! 8)
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Buying a second car to keep your chersihed motor off the road, is a great idea - just dont do what I did, and buy another "rare" VW, as your second car, or you just double your woes!
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The auto elec dude is here. First thing he did was connect the big booster thing he had with him to the wrong terminals, there was a big 'crack' and now the indicators are on permanently. Genius.
Ho hum, have left him to it now. He can't open the fecked drivers door and he is trying to find the alarm control box....
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The auto elec dude is here. First thing he did was connect the big booster thing he had with him to the wrong terminals, there was a big 'crack' and now the indicators are on permanently. Genius.
You sure the right guy is working on your car? sounds like Forrest Gump is in Cmabridge right now.
Momma says life is like a box of choc-o-lits.....
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nightmare, lucky enough i've never had any probs with electrics on my car. mainly because each time ive got them the alarms have been disconnected
i just use a big f**k off chain and lock to steer of any would be thieves
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Blokey does actually seem to know what he is doing. There is a VW badged cat 1 system in the car plus some other plug in immob that I have never had a key for and assumed it had been replaced by the cat1 system. Anyway, he says someone has done an awesome bodge on it, mashed the 2 systems together and that is my problem. That and the battery being crap. So, he is ripping out all the 2 immob systems, replacing the battery and hopefully opening the door!
Should get it back later today :)
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Hope that solves it for ya! Good Luck!
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I would go ovewr all the electrics, and test all the switches once he has finished, if his initial balls-up is anything to go by.
They teach you which terminal is positive and which one is negative on "day one/week one" of auto electrics!!
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maybe its a special technique, connect it arse about face and fry any immobilisers ;D
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When you get in your car and blast it along the motorway with a big grin on your face u'll say its worth it.....
Hang in there it is worth it!!
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JV
My mk2 cost ?400. in the 2 1/2 years ive owned it, its cost me easily five or six times that :-\ but........i love it ;D
and the corrado.......erm.....lets not even go there :D
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Speedy, I've obvioulsy missed the threads where you detail whats happened to the 'Rado.
Whats happened to it since you got it? why is it costing you lots of cash? Charger?
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Right. I knew the clutch was going when I got it. And sure enough, It went the day before it was due to go in the garage >:( so I had the AA come and get it.
It wouldnt start, so first thing was the starter motor. Then the guy replaced the clutch master cylinder, took it out for a test drive, and the slave cylinder went.
Then he replaced the front tyres as they were bald on the inside edge :-\ and the brake discs and pads on the front as they were knacked :-[
Oil leak and broken door handle sorted.
The bill? almost ?700 :o :o :o And most of that was parts :-\ :D
But Im persevering ;) Charger will get done after crimbo :D
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Remember, no matter how much your repairs cost (and trust me mine have cost a LOT) ... just be glad you dont have to pay a ferrari repair bill.
Ain't that right, sheps ? :P ;D ;D :P
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Yeah, cheers mate. :-*
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Is there a grand total yet Si ?
Or is the list still growing?
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Dont worry about it mate. I decided to keep my car and its given me 3 problems in a row. There not big problems just niggly ones. It pisses me of so much but now its back again, big grin time. Its worth it at the end of the day. I would seriously consider buying a 2nd run about car, standard one. Anything, i got a 16v astra gte, plenty of fun and when ones broke atleast the other ones ok.
Solo
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Some faults are ok but it not starting is a bit of an ar$e? :P
Can you take the door panels off ok from inside the car?
Hope the auto elec dude turns up soon! At least it is nearly the weekend, dark evenings are no fun for car repairs
I know the feeling John, Mine decided it wasn't going to start wednesday morning. took me all bloody day to get it going. I wanted to set the dam thing on fire and toast marshmellows over it. Hope you get it sorted mate. It is a beautiful car.
Brad
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got the car back this morning. 150 quid for call out/removing all the old alarm immob systems/new battery and an attempt to fix the door handle problem. don't think that is too bad for quite a few hours work.
went over to my other cambs rallye owner mate and he fitted 2 out of 3 of the new samco hoses. the last one (the one with the hole! grr) is a mission to get to, will be going to a mechanic for that one!
he just spent a couple of hundred on a new genuine vw rallye alternator and we were both laughing (or crying) at how much we spend running these damn cars!
got home and took the door panel off. the central locking fix was easy as the clip in the door that joins the door pin rod and the lock mech had fallen off. took the door handle out and the problem with that is the end cast metal section has snapped so there is not much holding it in place.
cars eat money. its official :P
gave it some stick on the way home. smile has returned ;D
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Hey guess what? I just got home from having the raddo towed to the garage. Again :D :D :D :D
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Oh poor Dubby, whats happened now mate? :-\
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it died, and wouldnt start. could be the ecu :-\
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no how u felt john, the amount of thing that f*cked up on my gti did my head it, heres just a small list of things in a year
2x gearboxers
valve seals
startermoter
battery
alternator
down pipe blowing (was off road 3 days cos couldent get 1 anywhere)
fount + rear bush's
all 4 cv joint went sum time during the year
drive shafts fell off!!! (both at diffrent times)
all electrics whent t1ts up, (turned out to b swich on key barrell, took alot to find out)
plus about 4 services (oil, fillter ect)
thats just a small bit n theres alot of money just in that small bit
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personally, and i have done it, i'd keep the golf as my weekend (or in 1906's case - monthly) car.
finance a new car for the day to day stuff, and get the rallye under cover. now more thever cause we are in winter. the salt on the roads do them no good, and they hate the cold temperatures.
or even as a few people here have done, get an old golf and use that daily. having seen some of the bargains on S2N - i'd say that was a pretty reasonable way to go. just try not to get attached to your chosen runaround wreck.