chrisb

It's because they're getting rare and old but don't rot, I reckon. Sadly ours (a Sport) got written about 18 months ago, but it drove like new and still looked smart pre-accident.

Take it for an MOT and find out. Most parts that would cause an MOT failure are still available new because many of them are common to other cars.

Update: lubing the sunroof didn't work. The VW grease is expensive too, but apparently using normal grease will wreck it. I came to the conclusion the machanism was jamming- the motor runs OK- and fell lucky on a complete mechanism with glass on ebay. Fitting it is a breeze, as the headlining was out- just pull off the drain hoses, and unbolt it. I did make sure to use the horribly expensive grease (G-000-450-02) on the new mechanism, and it is now together, working perfectly, and not leaking. Predictably, I broke a sunvisor clip, so I've ordered a pair.

Well, I got ELSA, and I've reconnected the drain hoses. Getting the headlining out is not too hard: Hardest bit is removing the lttle hook that the sunvisors clip into- the cap that covers the screws is *very* stiff to remove: I've sratched one. Other than that, it's a case of removing the c-pillar trim (which just pulls), removing the sunvisors (including the mini one in the centre), removing the sunroof control and interior light, and the 4 grab handles. The trim just unclips around the sunroof opening- ELSA says to use a special tool, but I managed just with fingers. The headlining then pretty much just drops out, and squeezes out through the tailgate. You can then unclip the drain hoses from the sunroof, which gives enogh slack to re-attach the drain grommets. There's 2 grommets at the back, behind the rear lights, as well as the two in the screen pillar. In my case, the rear ones were only partially blocked, but as I said, the fronts were solid. All of tem are clean now. I still need to remove the glass (which is suprisingly easy- four screws hidden under trim) to check adjustment and lubbricate the slide. After that, it's clean the headlining, put it back, then fix the jammed heater flap, then clean up the stains from the sunroof leak....

There's two grommets in the A pillar, above the door hinges, about dash level. They will be blocked. They have a plastic cap in them, which pulls off (one of mine was missing), then you can see the slot that is meant to let water out. I removed them to wash them out (having tried probing them to clear them), but I have to work out how to put them back (and free up the sunroof which is sticking a bit). I'm waiting for an ELSAWin manual, then I'll do both, I suspect the headlining has to be dropped to get at both the sunroof machanism and the top end of the drain tubes :-( , which I think i need to do, as the tubes are too short to pull out of the hole to refit the grommet. If you're lucky, you may be able to probe the grommets with wire, but be careful; it is easy to push them inside the pillar, and they're awkward to get back out. When I pulled the grommets off, the water gurgled away. A lot of mud came out of the grommets, they have a bend at the bottom where it sits. If I get round to doing this, I'll post it online. For now, it's just draining into the A pillar- let's hope there's a drain at the bottom.....

You sure it's the windscreen leaking? That's what my other half thought, but it was the sunroof drains (assuming you have a sunroof!). If the water splashes out from the headlining when you go round a corner, it's a fair bet. I've never had a bonded screen leak.

Cheers both, the top end is still connected, but I've removed the rubbers at the bottom: they were so choked with mud there was no hope of clearing them in situ- I've washed them out. The drains at the top are clear, as are the pipes, as the water gurgled away when I removed the rubbers. I now have two problems, though neither are serious for now, and at least the car won't fill with water. 1. I need to refit the rubbers in the A pillar, but there's not enough play on the pipes to do that, I reckon. They're too short to pull out through the hole in the pillar and put the rubbers back on,, so I think i need to acess the top, tape them to something like the net curtain wire you suggest, drop them a bit, refit the the bottom, then reconnect the top, after fixing....... 2. The sunroof is stiff anyway- it opens, but shutting it needs a helping hand, or it jams and re-opens. I reckon it needs cleaning and relubing. As another poster has said on here, I hate cars with sunroofs. PITA. Chris

They're body colour on ours, but yes, I'm pretty sure they just pull, they did on my A3. Go gently, and take your time.

Hi Can anyone tell me how hard it is to remove the glass sunroof? My other half's 2000 Sport doused her in water the other day from behind the headlining . It was the sunroof drain grommets in the A pillars, bunged solid. Had to take them off to wash them out (and to get the water to drian with a big gurgle). This means that to reattach them, I think I'll need to get at the top end to get enough free play. I need to do that anyway, as the sunroof is stiff, and doesn't close properly unless you help it, so I guess it needs cleaning and lubricating. Damned VW, it's only 13 years old... Does the headlining need to come out? I can't see fixings from above. Found this, which might be useful. I have the ELSAWin manuals somewhere, but not sure where, so any help appreciated. Chris

Just the ones with a cable clutch, and just the ones before the modified box was produced. The sport is affected worst as the clutch is cable and heavier, the GTI & TDI have hydraulic clutches. It affects Polos too.

Use a good quality semi or fully synthetic oil that meets the VW standards in you handbook. If you have a GSF branch nearby, go there and get filters as well. Resetting the service light is in your handbook. It can be done by holding in the trip reset while turning the ignition on, I think, but the exact procedure is in the book.

Ours is AFK with 44k miles. There was a little oil in the airbox when I had it off, but not much, and it rarely needs topping up, but then again it gets changed at 3k mile intervals (once year or thereabouts- the car does low miles). Does yours smoke at all? If you wash out the airbox and breather with carb cleaner, does the oil build up again? I suppose it must be going *somewhere*.

Check your clutch cable adjustment.

See you most days around M5 J2 north, between 7:40 and 8am. We're heading the opposite way in a red Leon usually.

Simplest upgrade is a remap. You should see 90ish BHP without any trouble.