mk2

The only thing i can think of now, assuming the clutch pedal force is getting through ok, is that it might be the wrong driven plate. I used a driven plate from an Audi 100 (same dimensions) for my SDI when I changed it. But the central splined bit had a small lip that just touched the flywheel, which i had to cut off. I guess it might be possible that the kit you got, used a clutch plate from a similar car. I've noticed that there are a hell of a lot of identical plates all with different part numbers- for a lot of different makes and models (fiat, renault, ford etc....). Main difference between them all is the friction material and torque springs.

Yeah looks like the tow bar was definitely the winner... 100% repairable. Just make a list of all the bits you stripped off. Not sure on the alternator. Only the back cover broken? do you have the online parts drawings? All the cross referencing is on there which will tell you which parts are SDI specific...

Bear in mind that even if they choose to write it off, there are loads of us who'll buy the bits if you break it. You'll definitely get your money back one way or other. Like @Skezza says, if you want to keep it for the next ten+ years, then the insurance category is completely irrelevant. Fix it and keep enjoying it like I do with my two SDIs

Any reasonable coach trimmer can turn out this level of work... not expensive either if you provide all the materials. £100 a seat or about £400 for a whole interior. Takes about a week for the whole inside.

No worries about insurance. You need to see it from their point of view, then it all makes sense. To them it is purely a financial transaction and the car is no more than an asset. It could be a block of wood for all they care. Ultimately, if you think it'll cost you more money in the long term making a claim than fixing it yourself, then don't go through the claim process. Unless there's been damage to the other car which would cost a lot to fix. You could just settle privately, as the other car's owner will now have to declare that they too have been involved in an accident, which will affect their premiums too. No claim. Nothing to declare A year ago my black SDI was just about totalled. The hardest repair was the roof. But it looks like new again. If anything, better than it was before. Didn't even notify.

Oops. Everything is repairable. I fancy some SDI spares though. What a shame as that car was immac. personally, I'd strip everything off and then work out what needs replacing. At a glance, I'd say- RHS wing, complete front bumper, radiator trim panel, bonnet, hinges? then behind all that, front valance, radiator, headlights and indicators, maybe some power steering bits. air bag deployment? Parts would come in at probably about £400 I'd guess. Lots of time, maybe 30h. And then respray to the right colour (assuming used parts from a donor car). Insruance would probably assume rebuild cost about £1000, so yeah, probably a write off. But if you got it fixed before they value it, you could save it. Get the repair valued (in writing) from 3 places at I dunno, around £450, get it fixed and then present them with receipts once complete. I've done it a couple of times and got away with it without any recorded insurance thing. But you'd need to do most of the work yourself. About four weekends would do it....

Not an expert on gti... but usually shorts to ground mean that the supply to the sensor (5v) is non existant. So the ECU sees the input signal voltage from a sensor as 0 (earth) instead of somewhere in the range of 0.5 - 4.5 ish. Which means "a line" providing power to the ECU isn't. Inside the ECU there's a voltage regulator circuit that chucks out a perfect reference 5V for all the sensors. It gets that from the main 12V feed, which I'm guessing is absent. Sooooo, that fuse that has gone also supplies the ECU by my guess. It's usually a switched feed, either via the ignition key or a main power relay. I have no wiring diagram, but I'd search around the ignition or fuse area, or maybe that relay if there is one. I'd be surprised if a component has failed as 30A is some big current. My guess would be loom or wiring fault?

Squeaks are generally fine. Knocking, thumping noises are bad....

It'll be nice to see @Rich less grumpy for a few days... He's been trying to find one of these for at least two years!

Yeah. Huh?

Welcome! Nice looking motor.

I've been through the same process. The only stuff that i've found sticks is butyl tape (it's what vdub used to stick the foam seal to the inner door skin). But sometimes upvc silicone works. Regular silicone, vinyl or acrylic sealants do not stick. Ebay is a great source for cheap clips. Like @Rich says, it's always useful to have a bucket full of spare clips.

Jeeze, this really has caused you some grief. It'll all be good in the end though.

With front fogs...

Don't forget that when the clutch is engaged (crank is connected to gearbox input shaft), the flywheel is there primarily for harmonic balancing. Power travels through the clutch driven plate springs. The way to look at it is, think of the weight of the whole car as the flywheel. The only real difference after lightening is that there'll be more movement between the flywheel and the input shaft via the driven plate springs (assuming standard flywheel and clutch type- not dual mass). To get real performance improvements, you need to lighten the car. A lot.

In the lab, we never ever managed to identify any advantage to lightening a flywheel to provide a gain in performance. That said, it's clearly advantageous at the lights when there's an opel corsa or equivalent next to you... brum brum!

Is the minidisc player a VW branded unit or just a straight Sony thing that can fit any car?

So is the minidisc in a Lupo a VW edition?

How about with a hole in in the front wheel? It'd be a tiny teeny weeny key ring. Now that would be class.

Nah, well explained. I get it now. A bit like a pound coin with two heads, or two tails. Authentic, but as rare as.... basically a freak of nature. Cool.

Three for me please. I'l cut the pins off and glue them to the key. Or on top of a swizzel stick. So so many uses....

What's the madness about minidisc? I don't get it.... Phonograph cylinders. Dead. 78s and 45s records. Dead. LPs. Dead. Reel to Reel tape. Dead. 8 track. Dead. Cassette tapes. Dead. CDs/Picture discs/optical discs. Dead. Minidiscs. Dead. DAT. Dead. iPods and MP3 players. Just about dead. Streaming's where it's at. 3/4G modem cards. I enjoy making lists.

Bigger injectors make it more difficult to get a good smooth idle. The pulses need to be much shorter to deliver the same amount of fuel which makes the mixture erratic. So you need to think how much traffic driving you'll be doing.....

correct :) that's the answer I was looking for. what an awesome or wierd place that is. passed a new mini cruise on the way out too. my guess is that it isn't that far from you @lupo1.0se ?

Nah, not good enough. You're leaning out at high revs (assuming the probe is fast). Also too rich at low revs. My guess is that you need bigger injectors. Or fuel pump. Or both. You will be able to get at least another 20hp and a decent amount more torque too. Look at the torque plot- best torque when mix was ideal (14.7ish) 3-3500 RPM. Too rich and too lean it drops. May want add a load of timing too. Your plenum is designed for high RPMs so it is clear you need to change the torque plot- almost like there's a fault right now.