I haven't been enjoying working on cars so much in the past few years, mainly because it's just been out of the necessity of keeping stuff going. 

 

I never have the time to dig into a resto, so I thought I'd try a bit of a turn around on something modern. I didn't fancy doing bodywork, so I bought a bit of a mystery bag car from auction (the cars got a history, so I can't put which auction or the reg just yet).

 

So here goes with a 3 door, 6r 1.6tdi....

Edited 5 April, 20224 yr by Yeti

 

 

I was bidding remotely, so there's only so much you can really tell about a car from a distance, but it looked clean and straight, so I thought I'd have a punt. 

 

Then after bidding, I thought I'd noticed the dreaded rust having a bite out of the nearside front wing, at the front of the wheel.

 

 

But I'd already put a bid in that turned out to be the winning one, so that niggled me for a few days, having seen all the nightmare stories of 6R rusty sills, wings, etc.

 

In the meantime, I got busy on ebay, looking for cars getting broken and found a few in this colour, so I decided a pair of wings wasn't the end of the world, and just kept worrying that the rest of the car was rotten. 

So, D-day landed and I had the car delivered (Shiply came back with some decent prices). It arrived in the pitch dark, 20 minutes before the gates got locked at the yard where my shed is. 

 

The driver remarked how good it looked when he picked it up, and that they'd had the battery disconnected, so it started straight up when they hooked it back up. 

 

I went for a quick blat around the yard before the gates got locked, and found the following faults:

 

"Error" indication on the dashboard when you turn it on.

Handbrake really high.

Bit rough under load.

Full beams didn't work, except on flash.

 

So I pulled it back in the shed, and realised I'd been driving about with the DRL's on, not the headlights, so of course the full beams weren't going to work.🤦‍♂️

 

I stuck the battery charger on, and went home to wind myself up more about all the things that could be wrong. Like the fact I never looked for rust, I forgot to write the VIN down to do the logbook application, I never checked the tyres.... 😳

Edited 2 February, 20224 yr by Yeti

A new day came, and I found out I'd parked the Polo in just the right place to get the bike in and out. 

 

 

The battery had charged fine, so I cleared the car out. Found all the usual, cheap sunglasses, broken armrest and a million cigarette filters. On the useful front, I also got 2p and a new phone charger, so I think that shows the auction yard clean the cars out before they sell them. 

 

I had a look around for rust, and didn't find any. Then I had another look at the picture showing the chunk out of rot that had fallen off the front wing, and identified it as a reflection of the bloke who was taking the pictures head.

Edited 2 February, 20224 yr by Yeti

 

I stood back and admired a pair of solid, grey 6R sills for a moment - no rust here - then plugged VCDS in and left it running. 

 

I've been doing quite a bit of engine-related stuff on the daily lately, as I'm doing this for fun, I thought I'd pick a different job to do first. The fault codes showed an intermittent implausible ABS signal from the back wheels, and the high handbrake was obvious, so I thought I'd see what the rear pads were doing. 

 

 

Well, I didn't expect to find drums on a 2010 car.  These will look familiar to anyone who's had a Mk2!

 

The drums looked like they'd been at the bottom of the sea, but the retaining screw came straight out with a screwdriver, so I'm assuming they've not been off since the car was built. It took a fair bit of persuasion to get the drums off. The shoes were about halfway worn, but the drums were terrible - rusty and with a big wear lip on the inside. I decided it didn't make sense to reuse them. 

 

I knocked the adjuster wedge out and gave everything a quick scrub with a wire brush (the picture is after a scrub, so you can imagine what the before looked like). Then put the car back on its wheels so we can move it while I waited for parts. 

 

So, I wrote the VIN down and headed home to have a look at the diagnostic data, order parts and apply for the logbook. 

Surely those are 200mm drums not 180mm of Mk2 ?

They are 200mm, but the moment I saw the pointless maze of springs, it brought back bad memories! 🙄

Edited 2 February, 20224 yr by Yeti

So, back from the shed, it's time for a few jobs at the desk.

 

£25 later, I'd sent the v62 in for the logbook, I'm expecting at least a 6 week wait on this one due to the car's history. I sent a copy of my receipt from the auction and a picture of the VIN plate in with it in the hope it helps things along.... not sure if it will, but we can hope.

 

https://www.partsinmotion.co.uk/ came back with some decent prices for the brake parts, especially considering Febi is pretty much going to be the same as a genuine part.. 

 

So I got those ordered. Then I had a proper look at what VCDS had turned up:

 

01-Engine -- Status: Malfunction 0010
03-ABS Brakes -- Status: Malfunction 0010
04-Steering Angle -- Status: OK 0000
08-Auto HVAC -- Status: Malfunction 0010
09-Cent. Elect. -- Status: OK 0000
10-Park/Steer Assist -- Status: OK 0000
15-Airbags -- Status: OK 0000
17-Instruments -- Status: Malfunction 0010
19-CAN Gateway -- Status: OK 0000
25-Immobilizer -- Status: OK 0000
44-Steering Assist -- Status: OK 0000
56-Radio -- Status: Malfunction 0010

 

Address 01: Engine (J623-CAYA)       Labels:. 03L-906-023-CAY.clb
1 Fault Found:
7346 - Particulate Filter; Differential Pressure Sensor 
          P2453 00 [237] - Implausible Signal
          MIL ON - Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
             Freeze Frame:
                    Fault Status: 00000001
                    Fault Priority: 2
                    Fault Frequency: 1
                    Date: 2000.00.00
                    Time: 00:00:00

                    Engine RPM: 0.00 /min
                    Normed load value: 0.0 %
                    Vehicle speed: 255 km/h
                    Coolant temperature: 99 °C
                    Intake air temperature: 31 °C
                    Ambient air pressure: 1000 mbar
                    Voltage terminal 30: 12.762 V
                    Unlearning counter according OBD: 40
                    Particle filter: difference pressure-DIP_PF: 0.00 hPa
                    DPF: offset for differential pressure-DIP_PF_AD[0]: 75.04 hPa
                    Outside temperature-Ambient temperature: 17.25 °C
                    Particle filter: soot mass measured-MASS_SOOT_PHY_PF: 0.00 g
                    Particle filter: soot mass measured-MASS_SOOT_PHY_PF: 0.00 g
                    Particle filter: soot mass calculated-MASS_SOOT_SIM_PF: 0.00 g
                    Air mass: actual value:: 10.17 g/s

Readiness: 1 1 0 0 1 

 

So a few strange results there, 255km/h @ 0rpm is a bit of an achievement. I cleared this DPF sensor code and it hasn't come back yet at idle. 

 

Address 03: ABS Brakes (J104)       
2 Faults Found:
00290 - ABS Wheel Speed Sensor; Rear Left (G46) 
            012 - Electrical Fault in Circuit - Intermittent

00290 - ABS Wheel Speed Sensor; Rear Left (G46) 
            008 - Implausible Signal - Intermittent

 

I inspected the cables while the wheels were off, and I couldn't see any damage, despite one being unclipped and hanging through the rear coil spring, so hopefully a blast of contact cleaner in the ABS sensor plugs will be the answer to this. 

 

Address 08: Auto HVAC (J301)      
1 Fault Found:
16372 - Control Module; Unspecified Internal Error 
            014 - Defective
             Freeze Frame:
                    Fault Status: 01101110
                    Fault Priority: 1
                    Fault Frequency: 1
                    Reset counter: 255
                    Mileage: 6997 km
                    Time Indication: 0
                    Date: 2011.04.23
                    Time: 07:31:23

 

Possibly one of the most cryptic fault codes ever? I gave it a google and it seems like they all do it, and it doesn't really stop anything working, so who knows? It came back after clearing the codes, so I'm going to leave it for now and see what it's effect is.

 

Address 17: Instruments (J285)      
1 Fault Found:
10485833 - Internal Control Module Memory Check Sum Error 
          B2000 49 [137] - Internal Electronic Failure
          [Steuergerät defekt (SiWaLa)]
          MIL ON - Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
             Freeze Frame:
                    Fault Status: 00000001
                    Fault Priority: 2
                    Fault Frequency: 1
                    Mileage: 0 km
                    Date: 2021.08.21
                    Time: 00:02:36

 

This one's a bit of a concern, and probably the reason the dashboard says "Error" when you first turn the car on. I've found two possible explanations. One is a key being coded badly, the other is a bad solder joint in the clocks. There are keys coded to the immobiliser that I don't have, so hopefully when I take these out, it will generate a new checksum. If that doesn't work, I've got a couple of mates who are electronics engineers, so I can always take the clocks to them for a look. 

Edited 2 February, 20224 yr by Yeti

Busy week at work, so all I've done is taken the shoes off, ready for an expletive filled rebuild session, and fitted a brand new second hand tyre, seeing as one of the rears was nearly on the bars. 

 

Edited 9 February, 20224 yr by Yeti

Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. 

 

 

Then I cleaned the back plate up a bit, chipped about a quarter of an inch of brake dust off the ABS sensors, and realised I'd got a seized cylinder on the driver's side. So back to ordering parts I should have ordered in the first place

 

 

Bit of an uneventful week really, but I've had a letter off the DVLA saying they're doing the V5 next week, which has increased the motivation a bit. 

Edited 17 February, 20224 yr by Yeti

 

Bit of a crap picture, but I changed the shoes, realised there was a cylinder seized, had the shoes back off and on again to change the cylinders, then realised there was a handbrake cable seized. So apart and together three times. Yes, the back end of a claw hammer is the perfect tool for flipping the shoes over the bottom plate with the springs all in place. 

 

 

All back together nicely, I haven't got a compressor at the shed, so I couldn't use my normal vacuum bleeder. I had a rummage through the few tools I keep there and found the "little bleeder" none-return valves that I use for bike brakes. I'd never tried them on a car before, but they worked really well.  Gave them a quick hand spin and found one side had locked back up. I dropped the drum back off and found the adjuster wedge had crept up, so with that sorted and the drum back, it spun freely and the pedal felt good. All that's left to do is tighten the handbrake cable back up, so I've left the broken armrest out for now while I sort that out. 

 

 

Scratched a toolkit together out of random stuff I'd got lying around, then I realised that 9n toolboxes don't fit 6R's, so I'm casually on the lookout for the correct foam insert. 

 

 

Wheels back on, and on the ground. I spun it round and backed it in the other room while I did some stuff on the daily. 

 

So, after 3 weeks on a simple job, I'll get onto the oily bits. 

Another day, time to start on the oily bits

 

 

Including the shed floor.

 

I gave it a quick test drive, it idled nicely, power was there, possibly a bit more than 75hp, but it was nice and smooth with it. There was some smoke the first time I boosted it, but that seemed to clear. 

 

 

Back in the shed, bonnet up, there's a bit of a tap from one of the injectors. 

 

 

Some evidence of broken clips and mild bodgery. But most things at the top look to be clean, diesel filter isn't old.

 

 

Lift the lid and take a look, I'd forgotten how busy these engine bays are compared to PD's. Still generally looking clean and tidy. 

 

 

 

A closer look showed the injectors to all have a pool of diesel on top with some evidence of spray, so I think I'm going have to lift those and put some new seals on.

 

 

Not an easy one to photo, but there's signs of a leak on the back of the PAS pump.

 

 

But at least I found the clip for the washer bottle neck 

Front end lifted and the wheels off, I gave it a very quick pre-MOT. Good pads, tiny lip on the discs, but not enough to bother with. Wheel bearings feel ok, no torn boots. I got lazy so didn't get the bar out and try bushes. 

 

 

No obviously broken springs, top mounts and steering arms feel alright, so I'm not going fishing more than I need to. 

 

 

Excuse the mud. Floors look ok, but the nearside undertray looks like it had an argument with the forklift. Easy enough to change if I come across one. It's got to be said, fair play to the lads at the auction, they're generally very good with the forks, this bit of plastic is probably the worst damage I've had from them. 

 

 

 

Then back onto the leaks. Think we can be fairly sure that's not rusting any time soon.

 

 

I hope that's not where the oil's filled up to as it leaked.

 

 

Tray down, now I've got to say, I love a tek screw as much as the next bodge artist,  but this is a bit much.

 

 

That's a lot of oil, looking like the gearbox end of the engine. 

 

 

As predicted, yeah, that's a lot of oil in there. I forgot to take a picture but it was oily from the breather onwards, rather than only after the turbo, so not massively concerned. I'll leave the hose off while it's sat for a bit to let it drip down.

 

 

Looking pretty bad around the bottom boost hose, which I'm not massively concerned about because it's a VAG TDI, it's what they do. 

 

 

Then onto the engine, I'm going with sump gasket, mostly at the back of the engine. 

So, next steps. It's a bit bad under there to be pin pointing leaks, so I've hit it pretty hard with the degreaser. I'll let that drip for a few days while I'm at work, let it become a nicer place to work, and maybe show the leaks a bit more.

 

I'm fairly sure I'm looking at a sump gasket, no ones favourite job, but at least it's a 1.6 not a bigger engine, and the bolts aren't bad to get to. I'll have to look again to see if I can get the sump out to clean it and do a wet gasket, or if I'm just going to have to wipe around it as best I can and use a cork gasket. 

 

My instinct on the PAS leak is it's near a fixing, so it's probably going to want a copper washer on a banjo fitting rather than major surgery.

 

Boost hoses will get washed out as far as I can. I'll have a read into what the crank case breather is like to get near with the sump off. 

Edited 26 February, 20224 yr by Yeti

Well, the comment about the sump bolts not being bad to get to seems to have tempted fate a bit. Back in the days of the MK2, VW used to machine two channels into the flywheel so you could get to the last two sump bolts..... Yeah, they seem to have gone off that idea. Hopefully should be able to get them out with a long, ball-ended hex bit that I've ordered. Not sure about getting them back in, but that's another days problem 🤣

I'd initially planned to check the injectors with VCDS, but the Measuring Blocks option for the Engine was greyed out 🤷‍♂️ so add that to the checksum error on the instrument cluster, I think it's had a bit of a questionable remap done. 

 

So I went old school and did a leak off instead. This was the result after a couple of minutes idling, so I'm happy enough with that. 

 

 

I'm not totally sure if I'm looking for a fault that's not there, and I'm making a mountain out of the diesel that was sat on top of the injectors. I've dropped the oil and it doesn't smell of diesel, so hopefully - happy thoughts.....

 

Next moves.... go with what's simple and change the O-rings on the return pipes. I wasn't totally happy with how one or two of them felt when fitted. Carry on with the sump bolts. 

 

It's the small things that make the difference.... the logbook arrived, so there's no doubt that the car's mine, so I can explain a bit about the history....

 

As you might guess from the first picture, it was bought from a salvage auction. Everyone and his dog seems to be buying insurance write-offs from Copart lately, but well, I never really seem to do what everyone else does, so this one's not been in an accident, it's been seized by the Police (no idea why, I'll probably never know), and not reclaimed by the owner. 

 

Much as they should have signed to say they're relinquishing their rights to the vehicle, I always get a little nervy that they're going to cause a problem if the DVLA writes to them to let them know that a V5's been applied for. I don't know if it helps, but when I apply for the logbook, I always put a copy of the invoice from the salvage yard in with the form.

 

 

Bit slow going on this as I've been busy gearing my business back up as we're finally getting laid off from the day job (can't complain, it was a 6 month temp job that I started in January 2021!). 

 

Today I had 15 minutes spare, so I exercised a vastly disproportional hex bit and dropped the sump off. The sealant looks original, and I'm fairly sure there's a dried out bit at the gearbox end. 

 

Next steps:

Still need to replace those O-rings on the fuel return hoses.

See what the breather's like to clean up. while the sump's off, and probably do the same for the turbo pickup. 

Clean the goop off the sump and the bottom end, and add some more goop. 

Edited 22 March, 20224 yr by Yeti

Bit behind on the uploads at the minute. The car's further on, I just haven't been posting. Sorry about the poor lighting, I used a Nokia Potato to take the pictures. 

 

Next job was one for a quiet night in - fix the broken armrest. I didn't mean this as a "How-to", but there's enough pictures for one.

 

Sitting in the back seat, open the cupholder, and undo the self-tapper that holds it in place (you could do all of this with the armrest in the car, but it's easier to be sat at the bench with a brew on). The cupholder should wiggle and pull out, revealing a chunky metal bracket with a nut on top. Undo this and you should be able to lift the armrest out.

 

 

 

Get somewhere warm and put the kettle on. The armrest tilt worked fine on mine, but the hinge for the lid was broken. So I spent a few quid on ebay and got China's finest impression of a genuine VW part. 

 

 

 

Using a genuine Club Polo armrest trim tool (listed in the shop as a bottle opener) I levered the pad off the top of my armrest.

 

 

Because the replacement part is cheap and nasty, it didn't come with the rubber feet that sit between the lid and the armrest, and the holes weren't formed properly. I corrected the holes by reaming them out with a drill bit, then softened the rubbers up in the old armrest with a hairdrier and moved them into the new armrest.

 

 

The CP trim tool worked well, and I only broke one clip. The pad clips back onto the new lid, it's easier if you work from the back to the front. All you really need to do is put it on a flat surface, pad side down, and lean on it. 

 

 

Hook the hinges back into the armrest. This is a bit of a leap of faith, you haven't got a choice really though, all you can do is hook one side in and use a bit of force to get the other side in.

 

 

The lid I bought came with a replacement release handle and spring. It was a decent fit, Again, all you can really do is put the spring in the right place and give the handle a firm push into place. 

 

 

 

Job pretty much done. Adjust your handbrake cables if you need to while it's out, then it just bolts back as it came out and the cupholder screws in place. 

 

 

Edited 31 March, 20224 yr by Yeti

 

10 minutes with a bit of petrol and a rag got the sump and pickup looking clean.

 

 

Then things got that serious I reached for the painting and decorating tools.

 

Removed the plastic baffle plate and cleaned the remaining gasket off the bottom end

 

 

Then I put some new silicone on (£15 for a little tube from VW, or £3 for a big one from Screwfix, it's pretty much all the same stuff), and refitted the sump and all the bolts.

 

I wish

 

I refitted all of the bolts except one.... then managed to fluff the last one, one of the ones up behind the flywheel, which I flicked up into the bellhousing tomorrow. So tomorrow, I get to do it all again 🤨

It's like deja vu all over again

 

 

 

But it's back on now. Give it a day to cure to be safe, then it's ready to have a service kit on. 

And the DVLA are trying to blag £100 off me. 

 

So, they can take 3 fucking months to not update my photocard, but they expect me to SORN a car on the exact day they issue a logbook?

 

Well, hopefully, this will go to court. I'm 2-nil up on them, with court appearances, very keen to make it 3-nil, especially as I claim costs every time. 

 

Started off by throwing a service kit at the car because... well....

 

 

Then I decided it was time to have a look at why I'd got pools of diesel on top of the injectors.

 

 

The return hoses seemed to have a fair bit of movement in. I removed the return hoses from the injectors and took a look at the seals (the little red O-ring I'm pointing to). You'll need a pick or jewellers screwdriver to remove the seals because they're tiny. 

 

 

 

The seals had gone hard, so definitely a candidate for replacement. Not available from VW separately, but exactly the same size as the smallest in a Lidl's O-ring selection. 

 

With those replaced, it was just a matter of refitting. Do have some spare clips on hand. Even with a decent set of long needle pliers, I managed to lose one during refitting.