Well I'm hoping it'll help at least. The crunch sounds horrendous.

I'll have a look at the clutch too. I wouldn't be surprised if it was clutch related, as the clutch doesn't feel fantastic sometimes.

ECP weren't coming up with any 10w40 suitable so I'm going to try and get a refund and try the local Opie branch.

Are Fuchs an okay brand?

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/pv-98459-fuchs-titan-syn-mc-10w-40-high-performance-semi-synthetic-engine-oil-formerly-fuchs-titan-xtr-10w-40-service-pack-4-litres.aspx?vehicleid=15713&FitmentNotes=

Any 10w40 will do really just so long as it isn't Asda Smart Price or Tesco Value.

This is the oil I use http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Volkswagen_Polo+Coupe_1.3_1991/p/car-parts/car-lubricants-and-car-fluids/lubricant-and-fluids/engineoil/?521771871&1&965115e82e44e0a7ffb6826e6c683806ea4eaf15&000398

I went into ECP to get my refund and they had an in-store special on Shell Helix 10w40 for £17.99. Seemed like a good deal so I went for it. And got a tenner back cos the Valvoline cost me £27.99!

(Checked it was VW 502.00 compatible first though.)

Edited 2 February, 201511 yr by mbusby993

Going to do my oil change this week I think. Doing a 500 mile round motorway trip on the 18th-24th and I'm guessing it would be best to do the oil change beforehand. Is Wynns engine flush dangerous, or would it be a good idea? The car wasn't serviced for a long time. It had NO oil when I got it.

some people like the flushes and others dont

on one hand it might clean things out , or it might dislodge so much rubbish that it will block something or cause more damage

shouldve walked away from it if it had no oil in it

It was at the bottom of the dipstick and I was naive about car viewing. If I viewed a car now I would be 100x more clued up than I am Now.

It still ran okay and I topped it up within days.

Anybody on here for any first hand experience with the Wynns stuff?

I put some wynns tappet stuff in @ last oil change, made absolutely No difference!!

Might skip the Wynns then and just proceed with the oil change. that's easier to be honest, as I don't have to wait for the Wynns to turn up

I think that if you can catch them early then it might work? but if they have been neglected for some time, then only a strip/rebuild or replacement is the only answer :(

sump off for an inspection and clean if you really think its been neglected

otherwise frequent oil changes should keep it going

Try doing a few oil changes in a year with the filter change. Look on ebay for a multi buy of filters.

I've got some service parts ready. I'll do more frequent oil changes for the the next couple and see what happens :)

I'm not a fan of flushes. Apparently some garages use them so folk are like "it must be the best thing to do" but I disagree.

If you want to do a 'flush' I'd do an oil change with a cheaper oil and then after 100-200 miles change it again.

If it comes out pure black after that time then I'd do it again.

As for up keep after this I'd do an oil and filter change every 5000miles at most.

I put cheap oil in about 2000 miles ago and I'm only now geting round to changing it again. Got some Shell Helix this time.

Quick unrelated question; this morning at traffic lights 200M up the road from my house I failed to pull away three time because it kept stalling, I was revving pretty high and had the bite but it wouldn't go anywhere. When trying to restart it would turn over but not fire unless I revved it, it was only turning over at about 300rpm... Is this just a cold start problem? It's never happened before...

My harlequin had starting problems and ran funny (would rev high but no power basically missfiring) spraying WD40 around the ht leads would cure it for a bit. Changed the ht leads and coil pack and it's been fine since.

It had fresh ht leads about two months ago. Not changed the coil pack and this is the I my time it had done it. Its been fine since then, but it was quite embarrassing being stuck at the front of a queue at traffic lights for 3 whole changes of the lights

When doing the oil change, what size bolt is the sump plug, and what's the correct torque/how tight do I need to do it back up? I've never done an oil change and I don't want to overtighten it and ruin the sump...

17mm seems to recall? check the condition of the copper washer on the drain plug and if your following good practices you should replace it anyway;) The book figure for the drain plug is 30Nm but that seems high? I just spin it in by fingers and then nip it with the spanner/socket & never had one leak :)

I'm pretty sure the plug I bought has a new copper washer with it anywayso that's fine! 17mm might be a pain in the arse, I'm pretty sure that's the one socket I couldn't find when I was looking for one when doing the aux belt. Might just buy a socket set this afternoon and be done with it. What's best 1/4 or 1/2? I don't know the difference so I don't know which I'd need more. Still building up a tool kit!

So I'll just go for hand tight and a tweak, should be okay then...

1/4" drive is OK for upto 10mm bolt heads anything above that 3/8" or better 1/2" as your going to be doing your suspension I'd def go for the 1/2" drive

17mm or 19mm for the sump plug. I've never torqued mine either just nip it up. Means it comes off easier next time too.

You'll begin to notice that 10mm, 13mm, 17mm and 19mm are the 4 most common sizes on the Polo. With 16mm and 18mm coming in handy when you go onto things like suspension.

I bought this set years ago. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bahco-Socket-106-Piece-2-Inch-Drive/dp/B000Y8OFI6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1423585976&sr=8-4&keywords=Bahco+socket+set

It's a lot of money especially if you're just going to use the 17mm for the sump plug but it is the most complete set I've ever bought. Add a 7mm Allen bit, an M8 and M12 multi spline bit and a castle nut tool and you can dismantle any mk1-5 Polo you come across.

Yeah, I've noticed those are the most common four. Don't think I've come across any other sizes yet.

That's a bit more than I can afford at the moment, but I'll get a 1/2" that covers the basics for now. Completely forgot this afternoon so I'll have to do it tomorrow morning.

Will 3/8" be okay if I can't find a decent 1/2" or will I definitely need the latter to do the coilovers?

Edited 10 February, 201511 yr by mbusby993

1/2" is more suited to suspension work

try and get only 6 sided sockets , much better for not rounding off old rusty fasteners

I prefer 1/2" because if you come across a stubborn bolt you can just swap the socket over to a breaker bar and crack it off. But I also do a lot of work on bigger cars like BMWs. 1/2" can sometimes be a bit big for a little Polo.

Either will do but buy the best quality you can afford. Get your hands on a trade card and have a look at the Halfords Advanced stuff. Lifetime warranty on all that stuff and they don't just say that, I've walked in and had a few things replaced.