I've been thinking about replacing my handles but I've never taken them off or changed the locks so i dont know how hard it will be, i was looking at getting these ebay ones: right and left

and looks like your going to be in pvw a bit then, i thought it was a one off at first

Edited 11 February, 201214 yr by JordonVW

happend on my mk2, for a quick fix i drilled a small hole through the plastic and the metal part, tapped the metal bit and then used a small screw to hold it back together. still going strong nearly a year later!

D'oh I was hoping the genuine ones would be better

I've been thinking about replacing my handles but I've never taken them off or changed the locks so i dont know how hard it will be, i was looking at getting these ebay ones: right and left

and looks like your going to be in pvw a bit then, i thought it was a one off at first

They're pretty easy to take apart. But don't forget you'll need to swap the flipper over if you fit Golf handles. Easy job but fiddly!

didnt know they were any different, whats the flipper? haha

It's the bit that presses the paddle down that operated the lock.

Golf handles bolt straight on but don't reach the paddle in the Polo.

If you look on my pic of the broken handle the flipper is the bit poking out that's visibly more corroded than the rest of the handle. It pivots on a metal pin which you tap out, then you swap it with the Golf one.

Not sure if paddles and flippers are the right terminology!

But yeah I use delocked handles which are rear handles from a Mk2 Golf/Jetta with a Polo flipper.

There are Chinese spec handles which are quite a neat upgrade. They pull out to open like the handles on new VWs. I've heard you can't get the Polo flipper to work with them though.

I had those chinese style handles on my mk3 many years ago, can't remember how I got them working but wasn't too hard. Fairly obvious when fitting them iirc.

I had those chinese style handles on my mk3 many years ago, can't remember how I got them working but wasn't too hard. Fairly obvious when fitting them iirc.

Must be the same as fitting any other Golf handles then. Interesting!

Small update - new centre caps have arrived, and they fit. Boo-yah!

Crappy wheel nuts got one day of exposure to salty roads and look at them!

I have the Chinese style ones on my coupe.

I used a piece of metal and bent it a bit to make them work on the polo

I should have taken pictures when i did them really, amount of people that have asked me about them...

Luckily, they need painting as the are cheap and going grey already. So will be coming off sometime in the near future.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-ALLOY-WHEEL-N...be#ht_500wt_886

Hmm...

They are smart.

cool that theres some for locking caps too

My Passat had them. Should've kept em!

I bought them. There's every chance they won't look right but they cost 30p each so for £4.80 I figured they're worth a try.

That's actually cheaper than eBay...

Door handle is sorted too. Decided against scrap stuff, bough mine from GSF. £5.52 with my discount card.

OE rear door handles are £38.99 each. Forget that!

I bought MK2 golf rears from GSF, couldn't get them to work, even with swapping the pusher thingys :(

Must be possible though as loads of people run them.

Really? I've done a few now, never had any issues.

But not tried this one yet. Gulp.

I managed to make genuine ones work. But not the GSF ones.

I've never had genuine ones on mine

Handed the Watanabes over to their new owner earlier. They're going on a Steel Blue (???) Mk3 Coupe, which I reckon they'll suit far better than mine because it's a lighter colour. Also means I can plug some of the gap in my tax money left after buying the Revolutions. Sorry to see them go though, cool wheels. Would've been interested to see how they'd looked with silver centres and polished lips.

Hopefully I'll be collecting the car next weekend ready for UD the weekend after that. Got Geneva to get out of the way in the meantime, but I'm flying out (not driving like I did with Frankfurt) so it should be a bit less punishing.

Incidentally, UD marks 12 years and one day since I bought the car.

Edited 26 February, 201214 yr by Alex

What a day!

8.30am start (don't do that often on a Saturday) and a drive over to Solihull in my press Astra. Collect Royal Mail slip, drive into Solihull to the collection office.

Nothing matched up. Box addressed to Alex Grunt at Eastcote Customs, slip said Alex Grunt at US Customs (!) and my ID said Alex Grant from Cardiff. Luckily it was enough to get me my charger back.

Phew.

Cue careful refitting:

All went in fine, started up and ran with no worrying noises. Got back in the Astra, took it home to Kettering (55mins)

Now the fun bit. Train journey back - £27, and two and a half hours of being too hot, uncomfortable and wedged into the eorld's tiniest seat. I'm 5'9" - who are these meant to fit?!?

Just to add the cherry on top, someone stumbled into my carriage and threw up all over the place. Hate trains. Hate trains. Hate trains.

Rest of the evening has gone well though. Relaxed off boost drive most of the way to Telford, now holed up in a hotel about 20mins away conscious that I've not cleaned the car at all!

Looks great on its new wheels though. Better pics to come.

fucking beauty bro!

Saw this at ud today looked stunning mate wheels suit it so much!

Good work

Thanks mate!

First time I've seen it complete and clean, got a few niggles to sort and the interior needs a proper clean up but I'm really happy with how it looks.

Stopped off and got a few pics of it on the way home. Rushed a bit because the battery light on my camera was flashing red, but they give you some idea. :)

These look brilliant, I think. Really glad I bought them, despite the arseache involved!

Not sure about the black Volkswagen bolt covers, so left them off. The bolts stick out a long way so they look massive, they need to be fitted to wheels with recessed bolts like my old Adikt 15s. They'd have looked awesome on those!

Anyway, hope you like! Today is my 12th anniversary with the car. I remember being the excited 16 year old taking this pic on my non-digital point and shoot camera. Time flies!

Edited 11 March, 201214 yr by Alex

Agree with wheels mate :) and I didn't see no club polo sticker on club g40 tut tut

Agree with wheels mate :) and I didn't see no club polo sticker on club g40 tut tut

Well spotted! I'm not a member any more - but it used to have a Club Polo sticker where the Club G40 one is now.

Loved it with the wheels dude, seriously <3

Saw you a few times today, but you were always mid conversation so i didn't jump in and say hi lol!

Loved it with the wheels dude, seriously <3

Saw you a few times today, but you were always mid conversation so i didn't jump in and say hi lol!

Haha! Stealthy! Shows like this are heavy on the conversation because I bump into a mixture of people I know from Max and people from the clubs, so don't be worried about chipping in and saying hi. Most of the day I was hanging out with the same people anyway, so I wouldn't have minded.

But yes, the wheels have transformed it. Best it's looked since i took the Adikts off back in 2008, by a LONG way. It's parked up on the pavement outside my house and I keep peering out of the window to have a peek. I love it.

And the wheels aren't going to be spaced. I've decided it goes against everything I've done to the car, and that I'm too much of a lazy bastard to keep taking them off.

Can't wait for the charger to be run in so I can give it full beans again. But it is VERY relaxing to drive at low revs, it's like a really quiet diesel car. Loads of torque, you can crawl around at just over idle and it doesn't labour at all.

But also quite bad I've never really appreciated the bottom of the rev range before, because I'm usually above 3,000rpm when I drive it.

Beavis did a good job of mapping it.