As title, the latest edition of "Car Mechanics" magazine (July 2009) is doing a running feature, its bought a 115bhp Mk4 Golf TDI as a project car. 1st month is all about the car and just lists its faults, etc doesn't go into any repairs etc. Should be an interesting one to watch huh?
Also in this month's edition is an article on Electronic Diagnostics for the 3 cylinder Polo. Might be useful to someone?
that should be good. my brothers has an intermitent misfire on cyls 1+2 which was cured temporarily with new plugs and comes back some times... but hes too tight to put new coil packs in. there are only 3 to change ffs!
Nope, not a fault, its definitely a GOLF TDI - that's what the badge says on the back of the car! Have you looked at the magazine article?
Oh, right. If I were to have a Mk4 I'd probably choose the diesel over the petrol anyway. So not really a fault of the car?
was prob tongue in cheek. I loved driving a 150 GT-TDI, thought it was great fun. only mk4 i would buy is the anniv or the R32 though, others are all too bland looking
Most certainly was LOL ! Only jesting - my daily is a Leon TDi, I just know there can be a bit of prejudice against the dirty derv in some of the more 'scene' mags - but that's another argument for another thread.
Fixing common issues, attending to any scrapes etc on the bodywork, and then they sell them on. It depends what goes wrong on them!
I thought that mag had dropped off the market, never see it round here at all. Was a great mag when I used to buy it, though their "Reader's problems" page was always a bit ropey. I remember one where the guy asked for help setting the timing on a 1992 8v Mk2, and "Our resident VW Guru, Jon" proceeded to give the instructions for setting a Mk2 16v, copied straight from the Haynes! The (former?) editor used to have a cracking 'tache on the inside cover picture, too - "Smoke me a kipper, chaps!"
Seriously, who uses "readers problems" pages in a magazine these days? I think they only have it just to cover some faults for the sake of it, everyone uses Autodata, their brains, or the internet these days. It was never a great seller and I guess many newsagents have dropped it, in favour of more popular mags (need the shelf space). I found it in my local newsagent, but they stopped stocking it and I went to WHSmiths for a few months, then subscribed.
There used to be a great newsagents down the road from me, famous for the fact that they a) Opened every day, including Christmas, 7am-10pm b) Had the best selection of dirty mags ever, including past issues in case you missed one. c) As above but with car mags. All the ones you never found anywhere else. And they also had a Parrot thet would sit in it's cage and talk. Had the original lino, worn down to polished concrete along the magazine racks and the path to the till. Pollocks, it was called. Old Dessie Pollock would have the wife cover for him on a long lunch at the British Legion, come back blocked, and make the parrot scare dogs by squawking obscenities from the corner of the shop. Mrs. Pollock had a silver SD1 Vitesse with the most rust I've ever seen on a road legal car. She was half Red Indian. Or whatever the politically correct term is these days. Think he picked both the wife and parrot up on his travels in the Navy. Gray's Hill, Bangor - I think they actually owned most of the block, the old boy must have been worth a fortune...
I buy Car Mechanics every month. I find it an interesting read. It covers a lot of the inherit faults and issues that all manner of cars suffer from that you normally would never know. The readers problems pages are a bit daft, folk with Austin Montegos etc. I have never had a problem buying it. WH Smiths and Morrisons always have it.
We don't have either in N. Ireland. I'll try and find an issue somewhere and have a read, though - I never buy car mags, but was given a copy of "Practical Classics" the other day and it was miles better than it used to be when I used to buy it monthly - more project cars and more tech stuff. Car Craft is an ace read if you like old yank muscle cars - 22 for a year sent from the states, and full of junkyard tuning. Not a thick magazine, but nice reading.
