Hi all,

Some of you may remember me from years back, I used to own a black GTI which pretty much started my hobby/obsession with cars:

Anyway to cut a long story short I have changed jobs and need something economical & cheap to get me to work and back - a perfect excuse to get myself another 6n2 :)

Here she is, an unmolested high miler with 140k on the clock!

2 previous owners, with nice full (and regular) service history. Cambelt, waterpump, brake discs and tyres on all four corners replaced within the last 12 months!.

Planned on polishing/waxing but the weather has stopped me in my tracks :(

Already a couple of issues to attend to:
-The central locking was seen to (with receipts) just before purchase and worked upon inspection, unfortunately once I got her home the doors fail to open on key turn! I had to climb through the boot to get out!!
- Dent on Bonnet
- Front pads look very low
- Rust on boot lid
- One of the alloys appears to have excess levels of brake dust stuck to it - i'm thinking it could be a sticky caliper so will be keeping an eye on it.

Weather held out long enough to give the car a good polish/wax:

Paintwork is definitely in 'used' condition! Lots of scuffs here and there so she needs a bit of TLC. This might be the push I need to learn how to machine polish (watch this space)

Also checked the front pads again and it appears the Caliper design is one i'm not familiar with, the outer frame sits dangerously close to the disc which gave me the impression the pads were extremely low, wheel off and a good poke about showed otherwise. Looks like the previous owner has fully swapped out discs & pads

Touch up paint and door lock fix kits on order waiting to arrive :)

Passenger door lock parts arrived today. At the moment I'm going through the boot as both doors rarely open.

Disassembled the lock and found the usual broken parts and a sticky lock barrel. Gave it all a good cleaning/re-greasing and replaced broken bits

Glad to say this has 100% fixed the passenger door and the central locking itself appears fully functional. Re-ordered the same kit for the drivers side

Little update, a member was breaking his GTI so I thought it was a good opportunity to upgrade the tailgate.

De-badged immediately!

Two birds with one stone since the old one was rusting under the handle

I have properly swapped over the door lock etc.. which was incredibly fiddly!

Lovely car, the tdi se spec has to be one of the best buys out there for polo fans

Definitely teach yourself to machine polish on it, doing it on my 6n2 makes such a difference and isn't hard! Especially if you go wrong you have an excuse for a respray

Looks nice though!

Thanks guys, vdoubleu do you recommend a particular polisher & mop to start me off?

I got a sealey polisher. Only a cheap one but gets the job done! Dodo juice fin cut pads are really good, the black one is the lightest and easiest to use so its good to get used to the polisher. But it won't remove as many scratches and swirls as the orange and green pads. Meguiars 105 & 205 are a good combination for polishing gets out 99% of swirl marks and most scratches.

Here's a detailed guide on rotary polishing, many people recommend DA polishers for starting but I've been fine with rotary.
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=66024

Edited 30 November, 201312 yr by vdoubleu

what do you use to clean the glue after removing tha badges?

I used my nails with rubber gloves on, works a treat but is time consuming!

vdoubleu - thanks for the info, will stick one on the wish list!

Next on the list is a GTI upper grill with TDI badge added:

And another tick on the list, plenty to get fitted!

Spent most of the day getting the front bumper off, cutting away and fitting/testing the GTI headlights:

Also midway through fitting the washer bottle in the wing although I am missing wiring from the pump, anyone know where this should go to? I'm aware a relay is required (working on that!)

Finally once I offered the front bumper back up the washer caps don't fit on! infact both sides seem to be in wildy different positions!! any help on this? are they adjustable because they don't seem it!

Edited 30 November, 201312 yr by shantybeater

Looking good man :)

Cheers zipsp :)

Bit more progress, I'm trying out a transparent film for the headlights since the previous owner had VW protectors fitted and the lenses are in great shape, it's gone ok but not perfect, will see they hold up to some mile munching:

Also adjusted the washer jets into a good position. Along with the washers I also bought a matching GTI bumper (with washer inserts) and all the GTI grills & splitter. It was time to get the front end back together:

Edited 13 December, 201312 yr by shantybeater

Looks amazing :)

Ok so I have successfully wired up the washer jets to the windscreen washer motor, originally the plan was for this to be a temporary fix but they only activate once the washer button is held for several seconds so I can pick and choose when to use them.

I do have a problem though, both washers come out but only the far side sprays any water? I checked the piping and its not trapped anywhere behind the bumper, I then removed the hose directly below the washer jet and water was streaming out. It appears I have a blockage of some kind in the jet itself, has anyone come across this?

http://s141.photobucket.com/user/shantybeater/media/Polo%20Tdi%20-%20Daily%20hack/Front%20Bumper/MyMovie_zps431f48e2.mp4.html

Edited 8 December, 201312 yr by shantybeater

Yeah I had same problem with mine so I took the jet back out and sprayed a high pressure of air into the two nozzles and the shit cleared out

Looks great black is a great colour if polished well the gti spoiler is a great touch :)

Matt - Thanks i'll give it a try

Wolfpolo6n2 - Cheers mate, it needs a good polish that's for sure!

My latest xmas present for the polo has arrived:

It was a toss up between JOM and FK, JOM pipped it due to a longer warranty period plus a fair few owners seem to prefer them

Edited 13 December, 201312 yr by shantybeater

Looking good man! but trust me, 140k is not high miles for these! mine touched 190k the other day!

Good to know! Have you had to replace the turbo in your ownership? I'm convinced mine's starting to make some subtle turbo cries

Ok so a productive few days on the run up to xmas, suspension is now on:

Front strut comparison with new mounts/bearings in place:

Rear strut comparison with lower/upper mounts:

Strut in place:

All done, will see how it settles but I think the front needs to come up a bit, the car needs to be a bit more 'sociable' as its my daily grind:

Looks really nice, glad you've kept the standard rims they suit the car.

Cheers mate but the standard rims aren't staying, will be sticking with an OEM+ vibe though so the ride height at the front is definitely being a raised a bit, quite happy with the back, a pic now its settled:

Edited 29 December, 201312 yr by shantybeater

Adjusted the ride height to around where I want and gave the car a good clean, its starting to get there now:

Have to say I'm really liking the look of the standard wheels, collection of their replacements was completed today