Opinion poll: Sell or fix?

The more I consider swapping bodies, the less I want to. At that point I could probably go buy a TDI wagon with the motor work and trans swapped. Other than replacing the front end panels and trunk lid, I think the crease and rear fender dent will work out fine.

In other news, there is very little in the way of body kits. But the RS looks like it may be better than stock.

Honestly...the only way id swap bodies is if i found and absolute beauty of a wagon (imagine a mint b5) for less than 500.

Then again i also have extra motors and the dvz/5speed install components laying around.

After seeing that the audi all road is a near bolt in swap candidate for a BHW swap id also keep my eye out for one of them. I think they look nicer and from pics appear roomier. I've not seen one in person and if i have i didn't pay it any attention.

But i think diesel swap when it comes to almost anything. If i find a 500 dollar Mazda miata with a nice body you can bet I'd have a BHW dropped down inside it.

PickleRick said:

But i think diesel swap when it comes to almost anything. If i find a 500 dollar Mazda miata with a nice body you can bet I'd have a BHW dropped down inside it.

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[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23] That's just ridiclous.

But I can understand. The BHW is arguable the best light diesel engine after removing the flaws. It's the reason I'm so reluctant to do anything short of fixing this one up. In the least I'll get a 5 speed into it and get it looking close to new. I've considered going deep into the swap forums and putting it into a body I prefer. I hear that Ford Ranger swaps are popular, and I could use a light pickup.

Nah. Less trouble keeping it where it's designed to go.

Just comes down to budget and needs. Rangers would9work as well as s10s

From an investment standpoint a VW engine swap in a Toyota (land cruiser, 4 runner, pick up) or a jeep (cj,yj,tj) or scout/early bronco would likely add to the value of the vehicle if done properly. I never outright sold my diesel land cruisers but i did trade them for vehicles worth over twice the value of what i originally purchased the vehicles for. The BHW in a lighter suv or truck would be a superior engine to that of a 4bd1/2t any day of the week.

It was time to dry the carpet! I'm gonna put most of the plastic parts in the dishwasher with no heat dry because a lot of them are greasy. Any reason not to? Any of the cleaners too harsh?

And what are the recommend solutions for this?

Well, I really need to get this carpet cleaned, but my carpet is dry! After what is likely years the carpet is fully dry and the mildew smell is gone.

Everything else is cleaning up great. The dishwasher did a great job on all my bits. It caused the paint to peel off most of the plastic parts, which I've been wanting to get off as it mostly just looks like trash. Oddly, one of the plastic parts is obviously a much different color than the rest.

The seat frames look much better after a wire brush and some rust reformer.

But damn me if I didn't break half of the clips on the fuzzy part of the top of the rear arm rest. That's the worst thing about 10+ year old plastic: it's brittle as hell. Especially in cars where it endures temperature extremes. Is new plastic a thing? And what are the materials? ABS is the hard stuff that gets brittle. What's the softer material that generally holds up better? Not that it's important. I'm just curious.

If you're talking about the little black snap in clips...those always break on me. I have enough parts passats where when i pull a panel i pull the good ones out for spares. I assembled mine with one or two missing, the vibration at idle drobe me nuts. BS delete plus 5 speed conversion = idling like a diesel. Even my windows will rattle if they are partially down in certian positions. Rolling them up or down a fraction of an inch will make it stop so it's not an issue.

I'm not so sure why im suddenly so particular about creature comforts, my last diesel daily driver vibrated 10x more, usually didn't have doors and zero sound damping anywhere... Also had suspension that felt like that of a shopping cart. Did i mention it sounded about the same as if someone had installed a diesel in a dumpster? Also had the aerodynamics of a dumpster.....i loved that FJ.

The Passat will spoil you. It even makes my powerstroke excursion look bad when it comes to interior quality and creature comforts.

If any 1500 dollar car is worth dumping 3k into...its a tdi Passat. With the diesel engines facing being placed on an endangered species list eventually their value will sky rocket.

From the word go the oil companies hated the fuel efficient diesel engines that people could make their own fuel for. Now that everyone is worried about polar bears and gay frogs the going green racquet will probably put the nail in the coffin of diesels sooner than later.

Who has the most to gain from doing away with engines that can last a million miles and will get double the mpg over an equal gasser motor?

No, this stupid panel for the rear armrest. I pulled it apart because it has some mold/mildew from the water issue. Now I'm probably gonna 3M spray it back together. I'm an interior pro; I rarely break panel clips. (I lose them) [emoji41]

I was having this convo with my boss the other day. It's telling that the primary complaint against diesel is pollution. It seems that focusing primarily on emissions and not the reduced fuel demand, reduced maintenance, and longevity of the product, the true environmental impact is obfuscated. And while I can argue electric motors are the future, they are currently not within the grasp of the average motorist. More telling is how diesel motors are apparently the primary choice outside of the U.S. Maybe because less developed nations need equipment they can get the most longevity and efficiency out of. [emoji848]

I love these little diesels. If I had more money or economic access, I'd hunt them down and fix them all. Start a business around VW, primarily diesels. I've found I think 2 or 3 that need help. But I can't save them. [emoji22][emoji24]

Now after taking out the seats and running it, I kicked the airbag fault. Just another use for that VAG-COM. Although the brakes didn't need the master bled. But that will probably be part of the process of replacing my broken brake fluid reservoir. Just more things to replace. [emoji52]

Is it normal for my ESP light to throw with the airbags? Or is that related to a loss in the brake pressure balance? Is there any sort of epoxy or other patch that I can use while I'm sourcing my donor?

JonnyObnoxious said:

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This reminds me that I always wanted to pull my carpets and press down some dynamat under there and inside the doors. I feel I could use a little less road noises.


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DeliveryValve said:

This reminds me that I always wanted to pull my carpets and press down some dynamat under there and inside the doors. I feel I could use a little less road noises.


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I'm leaning towards that. I had read about a better dampening material for this application on a thread in one of the boards I'm on.

JonnyObnoxious said:

I'm leaning towards that. I had read about a better dampening material for this application on a thread in one of the boards I'm on.

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I am kind of partial to dynamat as I had good success with it in the past. But I'd be interested to hear the results if you do something else.


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Finally installed my aux port.