New (to me) Golf, complete with issues

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Ah, that explains it. Also why the remote doesn't work when that fuse fails.

This is the kind of thing that would give an owner fits, or cause someone to throw parts at the car to no avail. Chill went straight to the wires first. I feel fortunate.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Chill (and I) have seen that type of thing before.

When you know where to look and what to look for, it makes the fix much less of a headache.

That is the great thing about these "older" cars, is that they really have no secrets left. We know them so well that keeping them going is a pretty straightforward affair.

The number of ALH cars that have crossed the 300k mile threshold recently at our shop has been amazing. And the BEW cars as well as quite a few BRM cars are certainly not far behind. In fact the turbo we just ordered from you is going on a BEW ready to cross 300k. :D
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Thanks for the order!

It's funny, that after a while one gets used to having cars around with mileage on them that's beyond what most people would consider a realistic service life. When I had the windshield replaced on the Golf that installer laughed at the mileage, as if to say "why are you bothering?" But I don't give 245K a second thought. Or the 340K on my wagon, for that matter.
 

aja8888

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Location
Texas..RETIRED 12/31/17
TDI
Out of TDI's
When I was having my 2003 Jetta inspected last week for the new registration, I asked the tech if he saw many cars with 300 K on them like mine getting inspected and registered. He said not many, but a few old Saturns he has inspected recently were nearing that mark and were in nice shape.

One of my daughters had a 1995 Saturn twin cam while in college and that had had a ton of miles on it when we sold it. It ate oil though. Pretty economical from what I remember.
 
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Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Just bought my 2004 Excursion 6.0 diesel with 342,000 miles. Every time I tell someone about it they say "What were you thinking?". Then they see it and ride in it and remark about how new it seems and is better than their own car.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Mr. Chill and I continue to chip away at issues on the car. He balanced and mounted my old Conti snows last week. They're pretty worn but will be good for commuting.

He replaced the coolant glow plugs to see if it helps warm-up. I notice this car warms up more slowly than my more aggressively tuned wagon. But with the glow plugs and winter front I hope hope it's better. It now has an EGR valve, so anti-shudder works.



Chill also aligned the car. It has equal, slightly positive camber in front, rear camber is out on one side. So I'm going to have to shim it or replace the axle, probably in the Spring. I may swap or replace control arms then, too. I prefer to run about 1 degree of negative camber to help turn in and handling.

It continues to run better and make more power as the miles accumulate. Almost at 5K miles since I got it back. I'm enjoying it.
 

MikeS_18

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 18, 2005
Location
Bow, NH
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon, '13 Passat SE, '64 Ford Econoline
Get that nice one out of the snow and ice...run IBW til spring...

Signed, a golf lover
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I know some think I should keep this under cover in winter, but it is my daily driver, along with IBW. So it's going to get salty.


IBW is just as white.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
No. I have them, but haven't put them on. Not sure what I'll do. The car is now old enough that people don't know what it is.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
New clutch, ABS pump, good to go!

Picked up the Golf yesterday after a clutch replacement. We're trying out a new clutch to see how it works, feels and works fine so far. Chill also replaced the ABS pump and fuses on the battery top to get the ABS fault to go away, and he found an array of small oil and coolant leaks he corrected.

Car runs great, saw this a little while ago:


On to the next 250K!
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
December 2018 update


Since my last post here the Golf has received a fair amount of attention:
  • Blend door repair
  • Finally discovering the last ABS fault and fixing that (broken wire in the harness to one wheel),
  • Replacement turbo because the first new had foreign object damage
  • New OE Sachs dampers because I wanted a smoother ride than the Koni Yellows offered
  • Replacement stereo and repairs to stereo harness
  • New to me console and vents to correct dash rattles
  • New bushing in clutch pedal to eliminate the annoying creak
The outcome of all this is a car that is smooth, more powerful (good turbo helps), quiet (compared to IBW), and efficient. First tank since getting it back looks like it'll be a 700 mile one, despite winter fuel.
Jeez, it's hard for me to believe I've owned this car for nearly 4 years. When I discovered TDIs back in 2000 I wanted a Golf. None to be had where I lived. I enjoyed my 2-door, but used it more for the track than as a daily. So now, nearly 20 years later, I have the TDI I originally wanted. And it's pretty much as it would have come from the dealer, except for the EGR delete and Rocketchip stage 3. Still a great car.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Wow that looks great. Is that original paint?
Hell no. It had a badly painted fender and some hood chips when I got it. I was going to have the front clip painted but the body shop warned me that the red would look two-tone after 18+ years. So i bit the bullet and had it all painted. Glass out, doors off...not for the faint of heart. But worth it.
 

Tdijarhead

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 10, 2013
Location
Lawrenceville PA
TDI
2003 TDI Jetta Daughters Car, 2001 TDI Beetle, Wife’s car, 2005 Golf TDI Mine, all 5 spds
That car looks new. That is one nice looking Golf.
 

KITEWAGON

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Location
Seacoast, NH
TDI
2014 Touareg Exec, 2014 JSW
That car looks new. That is one nice looking Golf.

I thought the same thing. Then I scrolled up to see the full paint job. Its nice to see an old car appreciated and invested in so that it can last many more years and miles instead of being used up and thrown away.
 

MikeS_18

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 18, 2005
Location
Bow, NH
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon, '13 Passat SE, '64 Ford Econoline
I'd head into the attic and get another set of wheels. The AVUS' dumb this beauty down.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I've got some black Motegi Traklites that I've never used on the street. And black VW logo covers. Might put those into service in the Spring.

However, I like Avus 1s. And they're correct for this car.
 
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