Chris-M

Transfer the bits off your rotter onto the grey one? If you don't get round to it, let me know. Be a shame to let it rot out. If I could find another shell like you have, or a car with a blown engine, that's what i'd do. Cheers - Chris

Thanks all. Tried Heritage, and they seemed totally disinterested. I have to say, apart from a gear lever gaiter and door step strips for an R32, they have never been able to help me with much. Noughties VW are a real pain to get parts for now, and I fear the demand is never going to be there, like it has been for air cooled, Mk1/2 GTI, or a lot of other classics. Next stop the breakers for a corner chop, but I think that highly unlikely to come to anything. Did you ever get one for your car Rich? what did you do with the burnt black one?

Back from the dead on this topic. Having driven around and still flying through the MOT, I now have a hole in my sill. Not structural, but I can no longer ignore it. 6E3 809 839A & 840A are now NLA. Should have bought those when they were still available. Does anyone else make a repair section for the GTI outer lower A pillar / front door step? I really don't want to have to make one from scratch. Alternatively, anyone put their GTI through a hedge, or onto its roof recently that could cut me out two corners? Cheers - Chris.

After a bit of research on here and a phone call, it seems you can still get the front pillar and sill assembly back as far as the B post. Approx 150 a side, which is not that bad. Paying someone to cut it out, weld the new in then make good and paint it will be more than the panel. 6E3 809 839A - N/S 6E3 809 840A - O/S

How did you sort it in the end? I take it no panels available? Was into 60s minis years ago, so I have a sense of humour when it comes to sills / corrosion.

It's one of those 'do you really want to start chopping it out' jobs, or just clean it up cosmetically and keep it at bay. Ultimately, it will keep coming back, but it passes MOT OK. If I was keeping it, I'd just clean it all up, paint it and fill the area inside with Bilt Hamber. Cutting it out, you'd still end up grafting in pieces, weld and bare metal inside would still need protection and the outside would still need a load of filler etc. Left long enough it will really start to fall apart, and need chopping out.

Thanks for all the replies. A few pictures below. Its not a total shed, but its on its way to being one. If I could do the bodywork myself, it would be viable. But paying someone, especially down here in the south east blows it out the water. Its too good to break. I have another money pit of the roughly the same age, so really need to concentrate on one or the other. No way is it worth 2.5 - 3. I'd want one with no bodywork needed for that. Is it worth 1500? Cheers - Chris.

Hi. 2002 Six Speed Silver Golf ball / nobbly bits on a deers head size dents. Dinged it on the leading edge by the light and above the centre of the arch. Yes they are aluminium. Will get some pictures at the weekend, but TBH it looks pretty good in photos.

Hi All. I have run my GTI for a while now. Maintained it, replaced parts where needed etc. Body has always been poor, and was on my list of things to do, although its questionable due to the cost of paintwork whether it was worth doing or not. Usual bubbling at the base of the drivers door, a dent in the rear 1/4, stone chipped bonnet, lacquer lift on front and rear bumpers, bubbling at the tail gate handle. Bubbling at front end of sills. Flies through its MOT every year and gets used and abused as the shopping car, everyday transport etc. Sadly an altercation with a deer over the holiday has sealed its fate as far as me putting it in a body shop. Front nearside wing now has two dents, as does the rear 1/4 to match the drivers side. Its on 120K now, got a noisy starter, but otherwise its MOT'd and fine. So what i'd like a guesstimate at is what is it worth? Shall I stick it in the for sale here, or is it an ebay job? I will be sad to see it go, as its good fun, but it really is in need of bodywork now, and I know I will never do it. In my ownership its had a new screen, discs and pads, toyos, two springs, rear shocks, alternator, cam belt and service. has a spare set of Bathursts with legal tyres as well. Any ideas?

Thanks all. I borrowed a support beam - fantastic thing, not used one before. Hooked it straight onto the engine lifting eye. Undid the three LH engine mount bolts and lowered the engine, slipped bolt out and wiggled the alternator off. Undid the cables with it loose by the Rad. It just about wriggles out without removing anything other than the connector clipped to the slam panel. Green corrosion visible up at the regulator wiring. Fortunately had a spare complete alternator to fit. Worst part for me was winding the tensioner round enough to get the belt back on the alternator pulley, without the wrench handle pushing the belt away from where you want it to go. Its all very tight! Scan, cleared codes and re-scan. All looks good, and idle back to normal. This is a pretty quick job with the right tools, and knowing how to approach it. I put the feet of the beam in line with the wing bolts. The wings are very thin and flexible. I just watched the engine mount until I saw the motor start to lift. Get ham fisted with it and I bet you could do a lot of damage.

Nostalgia! Being towed home after breaking down. Alternator dead, battery flat. Just whip that off then. Err, no. Screws for reg are partially obscured and seized. No way of getting that bottom bolt out without dropping the engine?

Cheers. Not having sourced one before, whats the usual score? Take the alternator off to try and identify it? I have no idea if its Bosch or Valeo etc. Or can I get a part number from the brush assembly itself?

8 months of ignoring it.... Now I have a proper fault. Alternator dash light is on and engine idle is high. Once revs reach 2800 - 3000, light goes out. Sometimes it comes back on when revs drop at a junction. Sometimes not. Even after light has gone out and after a 10 mile drive, the idle is still sitting at about 1100-1200 rpm. The obvious conclusion is alternator on the way out. But I think this could be related to the earths. I found a few down on the gearbox side wing, but never found the others. Can someone point me in the right direction? Any thoughts on this alternator / idle issue? Cheers - Chris.

Ahh - thanks, I get it. I was thinking the nozzles 1&2 were a moving part inside 5. My mistake. So clip on 5 is a bit like those things on the electrical connectors?

Now the Zen moment has worn off.... I have two new bits - 1 & 2 in the drawing above. Reading through, these are pulled back into part 5 by a spring? I see no spring on the drawing. I assume it hooks onto 1 & 2 somewhere? I have not attempted to get the old ones off the car yet.