GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk2 => Topic started by: philstar on 16 May 2015, 13:29
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I know this has been asked a million times but I keep finding contradicting evidence and I'm not sure how to tell.
My car is registration F748FGT and is a 1988 16V. It has big bumpers currently.
In the options codes on the rear boot sticker there is "2JD" which is "Sports bumpers" but I don't know if this means large or small.
The car has hazard switch on the dash, sunroof, electric windows, central locking.
Serial no: wvwzzz1gzkw409100
The side strips on the doors and rear quarter panels are wide, and plain with no GTI or 16v badges.
Any help would be appreciated.
Link to car photos here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/114746994541856658936/albums/5949830986036199297 (https://plus.google.com/photos/114746994541856658936/albums/5949830986036199297)
In some of the photos trim is missing, it fell off the drivers' door and I took the nearside rear wheelarch off today, thought it may help to see the fitment holes in the body that may give some clues.
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What I can tell you...
Golf Gti Mk2 for sale on Wed 13th of November 2013 for £1,350 in Somerset. The vehicle reportedly had 149000 miles on the clock. F748FGT is a Grey 1989 Used Volkswagen Golf Gti 16v, first registered in London SW in 1988.
As far as big bumpers go I'll get bk to you!!
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I've had three and they all had small bumpers, think it came in on G
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Yeah I bought it from Yeovil, used it for a few years without having to do any maintenance on it at all but now is the time for a complete overhaul back to standard.
I guess I'm just looking for an actual fact saying "big bumpers came in as standard from this serial number onwards"
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Hazard switch on the steering column shroud = big bumpers and narrow side moldings. It's as simple as that.
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no f reg mk2 golf was made with big bumpers as the early g reg had small then later g reg had big.
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no f reg mk2 golf was made with big bumpers as the early g reg had small then later g reg had big.
Errr, not quite!
My car, Registered late Dec 1989 1.8 16v unmolested 2 owner OE car, apart from G60 wheels in this shot, and aftermarket Jetex exhaust
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/thom62/golfpetrolstation100.jpg) (http://s45.photobucket.com/user/thom62/media/golfpetrolstation100.jpg.html)
My opinion is that OP's car should have small "Sports" bumpers i.e., with a red insert as opposed to the GL chrome trimmed items, big bumpers were nothing more than VW facelifting the ageing Golf to bring it more up to date, just look at what Ford and Vauxhall were doing at the time! full depth bumpers were all the rage!
Thom
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yeah they changed the bumpers mid way through the g-reg so like I said no f-reg mk2s came with big bumpers.
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yeah they changed the bumpers mid way through the g-reg so like I said no f-reg mk2s came with big bumpers.
Not quite true.
My '89 Golf (registered March 89) came with Big Bumpers from factory. It's also Bright Blue Metallic!
:smiley:
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ROFL. Some of the remarks about pre and post 90 and big and small bumpers !!
Some of us where actually around at the time that VW made these changes, you know !
:wink:
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no f reg mk2 golf was made with big bumpers as the early g reg had small then later g reg had big.
Errr, not quite!
My car, Registered late Dec 1989 1.8 16v unmolested 2 owner OE car, apart from G60 wheels in this shot, and aftermarket Jetex exhaust
Thom, my car was registered on 2nd Jan 1990, so quite possibly only a few days after yours, and has big bumpers. I have seen cars as early as August 1989 with big bumpers too. I suspect that your car was one of the last small bumper cars left hanging around the dealers until someone bought it at a heavily discounted price. A bit like the odd K reg cars (mostly from Scotland) that were registered a while after the Mk3 was introduced on a J plate.
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Make sure you fit the brake ducts when you revert.
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no f reg mk2 golf was made with big bumpers as the early g reg had small then later g reg had big.
Errr, not quite!
My car, Registered late Dec 1989 1.8 16v unmolested 2 owner OE car, apart from G60 wheels in this shot, and aftermarket Jetex exhaust
Thom, my car was registered on 2nd Jan 1990, so quite possibly only a few days after yours, and has big bumpers. I have seen cars as early as August 1989 with big bumpers too. I suspect that your car was one of the last small bumper cars left hanging around the dealers until someone bought it at a heavily discounted price. A bit like the odd K reg cars (mostly from Scotland) that were registered a while after the Mk3 was introduced on a J plate.
but august 89 would be on a g-plate would it not?
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but august 89 would be on a g-plate would it not?
Yes it would, but the build date and registration dates could be months apart. It's quite possible that Thoms' car could have been built in say June 1989. If it was registered straight away, it would have been an F reg, but as it didn't get sold until December 1989 it went on a G plate, along with all the new big bumper cars being sold at the same time.
If you were picking up on my point about K reg Mk2's, that was an example of old stock of the Mk2 still being registered after the Mk3 had been launched, much like small bumpers still sold following the big bumper facelift.
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but august 89 would be on a g-plate would it not?
Yes it would, but the build date and registration dates could be months apart. It's quite possible that Thoms' car could have been built in say June 1989. If it was registered straight away, it would have been an F reg, but as it didn't get sold until December 1989 it went on a G plate, along with all the new big bumper cars being sold at the same time.
If you were picking up on my point about K reg Mk2's, that was an example of old stock of the Mk2 still being registered after the Mk3 had been launched, much like small bumpers still sold following the big bumper facelift.
I have the build sheet for my car, I'll try and work out when it was built.
I have a theory! based on observations, memory, and nothing more, so correct me if anyone knows any different.
Here goes...
You could buy a 16v GTI in 89 but VW would only have a small bumper car available.
If you wanted a big bumper car in 89, then it would be 8v only!
Were big bumper 16V's only available after January 1990?
So, did VW use the 16v engine as a marketing ploy, to get shot of the small bumper cars before they made the BB 16v car available? again, just guessing folks
I also have a feeling that some colours were dropped when the BB cars were introduced, anyone seen a genuine BB GTI 16v in Jade Green? i.e. built after January 1990? It seems a few new colours were introduced with the BB cars that carried over to the Mk3 (washes mouth out) :sick:
Thom
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A good theory there.
I'd never thought of 8V vs 16V.
My March '89 car with Big Bumpers is 8V.
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I have the original August 1989 GTI brochure. Both 8 and 16V's feature facelift bumpers. The colours available for both models are,
Solid paint-
Black
Tornado Red
Alpine White
Mettalic paint-
Silver Grey
Atlas Grey
Calypso
Medium Blue
Royal Blue
Brilliant Black
Black/Blue
Oak Green
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The colour changes coincided with the changes in bumpers iirc.
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Mettalic paint-
Silver Grey
Atlas Grey
Calypso
Medium Blue
Royal Blue
Brilliant Black
Black/Blue
Oak Green
Out of interest, and a bit off topic, which of these were carried forward to the mk3? (picking up on Thom's point)
This has become quite an interesting thread. I wasn't even born when my J-reg was built. It's like a history lesson.
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The colour changes coincided with the changes in bumpers iirc.
Along with the change in position of the hazard switch. It's unlikely that small bumper 16V's would have been built alongside big bumper 8V's with completely different electrics.
As I've already said, small bumper GTI's on a G plate will have been unsold units built prior to June/July 1989, but sold and registered after 1st August 1989.
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The colour changes coincided with the changes in bumpers iirc.
Along with the change in position of the hazard switch.
Nope, I have seen the '90 spec' wiring on a small bumper car.
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Unmodified '87:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1987-VW-GOLF-GTI-8V-SILVER-3-DOOR-LADY-OWNER-ORIGINAL-UNMODIFIED-/261904713152
Uh-huh.
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I'm not even sure VW know.
Looks like they were just throwing cars together with whatever they have in the 89/90 period...
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the original question still remains unanswered. should an f-plate mk2 have big bumpers from the factory?
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the original question still remains unanswered. should an f-plate mk2 have big bumpers from the factory?
For me, no, It should have small bumpers if it's a genuine UK spec car and not an import!
BB cars would have undoubtably been available in Europe before they made it to the UK, but at what point in time, I do not know.
Many GTI's found their way over to the UK via the British Forces during the 80's and could easily be spotted over here because they still ran the German registration plates, which was soon sorted after fear of the likes of the IRA targeting cars!
So for a definite answer, the OP would have to contact VW, and pay for a Heritage Certificate, or do some homework on decoding the build sheet if he has it!
Thom
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Unmodified '87:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1987-VW-GOLF-GTI-8V-SILVER-3-DOOR-LADY-OWNER-ORIGINAL-UNMODIFIED-/261904713152
Uh-huh.
Unmodified except for the bumpers. It's got wide side moldings and the hazard switch on the dash.
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The colour changes coincided with the changes in bumpers iirc.
Along with the change in position of the hazard switch.
Nope, I have seen the '90 spec' wiring on a small bumper car.
Only GTI's and GL's got big bumpers, so all 'lesser' spec models retained small bumpers right to the end.
I have seen original 90 spec big bumper cars converted back to small bumper as some people prefer that look.
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the original question still remains unanswered. should an f-plate mk2 have big bumpers from the factory?
I'd put money on 'NO'.
We can debate it until the cows come home, and find examples of cars with or without big bumpers, but 1990 was 25 years ago. The cars may have changed hands several times with owners changing the spec of them along the way.
25 years ago doesn't seem that long ago to me, so my conclusions to this debate are based on memory, old brochures and magazines from that period.
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Unmodified '87:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1987-VW-GOLF-GTI-8V-SILVER-3-DOOR-LADY-OWNER-ORIGINAL-UNMODIFIED-/261904713152
Uh-huh.
Unmodified except for the bumpers. It's got wide side moldings and the hazard switch on the dash.
Exactly what I meant. Sarcasm filter fault.