Mark 1 cabriolet help needed please

[skitzasista]

Hiya


I could really do with some help, I've been offered a mark 1 golf clipper convertible to buy.  It had no mot so went in today and failed on a couple of things. The main one being emmissions. Its a 92 on a k plate registered Aug 92.

The MOT station has stated it has failed with the cat and lambda sensor. I have since tried unsucessfully to find a cat to fit but all records at garages are coming up saying it doesn't have one and manufacturers have stopped making them,  what do I do.
Apparently if it was resistered 1 day earlier it wouldn't need one so where do I get one from. Hope you can help I love the car but it seems to be slipping away from me.

Thanx in advance.

[rubjonny]

Damn that is very unlucky! On or after Aug 92 is indeed the cutoff point for cars with cats so you're scuppered on that front, only hope is finding an mot station that will test it as an earlier car, but with all the computerised stuff i dont know how easy that would be.  The other thing you could do if you wanted it to pass legitamently, you could swap in an engine from an older car.  The test is on the car or engine, whichever is older. but you have to prove the engine is older to the mot station:

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_730.htm

What you might possibly be able to do, is get on the phone to VW, with your engine number. Get them to send you documents that show exactly when your engine was made.  If it is before aug 92 (which it must be, cant have built the car on the day it was registered ) then this i think would be enough to get you through the test.  Try your dealer 1st but generally they're a bit useless, there are some exceptions but the main UK HQ would be a better place to start calling
although it does say cars fitted with a different engine, so technically this shouldn't work. Worth a look into anyway!

[skitzasista]

Quick update just been on the phone to VW they no longer do the downpipe or cat. The lad on the phone said as its just on the line and coming up on their records as no ca needed it may be a possiblity if a new full exhaust was put on it may go through!! Big risk though if it doesn't.
He said as they were obsolete entirely they wuld have to pass it. Sounds suss to me wouldn't like to chance that. Could it be as its sat for over a year that, that could affect the emmissions and not the cat etc? It drove lovely no hicks or anything.

[rubjonny]

do you know what the emmissions were like? does it definitly have a cat on there right now, someone may have binned it.
depending how far the emmissions were out you may be able to tweak it to get them down a bit

[skitzasista]

Hi

Apparently there is no cat on at the mo just found out.

[rubjonny]

ah you'll struggle to get that to pass cat emmissions then! you could try the vw letter to show the engine is older than 92, or put an older engine in 
Im sure a decent exhaust place should be able to put something together for you, or you may be able to get another one to fit. any idea of the engine code or what kinda zaust system it is, hard really to say how hard its going to be wityout being able to see what we are workin with

[Wayne]

Putting an older engine in will not help, mot standards are based on the date of first registration so if it should have a cat it will need one.

[Dr Gonzo]

My clipper is also a k plate, i was looking into getting a new cat for it, i didn't get one in the end but saw lots of the european and american websites sell cats that look exactly the same as the one fitted to mine, which are fitted on the mk1 Rabbit cab.  I think techtonicstuning have them, if not, try searching on google for vw rabbit mk1 cat.  There's defo some out there if you're desperate

[rubjonny]

Putting an older engine in will not help, mot standards are based on the date of first registration so if it should have a cat it will need one.

Nope, it is either tested on the car, or the engine, whichever is older:
http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_730.htm

[Wayne]

Putting an older engine in will not help, mot standards are based on the date of first registration so if it should have a cat it will need one.

Nope, it is either tested on the car, or the engine, whichever is older:
http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_730.htm

1st I have ever heard of that.