Just got myself one and wondering if there are any problems they are prone to that I should keep an eye out for?!

 

RD, watch out for rust under the trim on the wings (front and back), I have had numerous MK1's and MK2's so know them fairly well. they are fairly easy to maintain, just keep the oil checked and changed, I always just used Castrol GTX, they dont like super thin Synthetic as the tappets start to rattle.

Watch the front suspension, can get a bit tired (Strut top mounts) but parts for these are peanuts from www.eurocarparts.com, and I mean peanuts, front disks are about a fiver each, 195*50 15 tyres for 22 quid each, about 130 quid fitted/balanced/vat for all four.

The newest Mark 2's are 13 years old now so as with any older car, just give it a little tlc and it will carry on for a good while (assuming its ok already !).

Oh and they vary a lot, some are quick some arent, my last one went really well but I have had others that were flat as a fart, mine had 120 bhp with a Magnex, K and N and chip and it was amazing some of the stuff you could have a go at and not exactly get hammered, BMW 535, TT and even a Diablo, well the last one did hammer it but it was fun trying !


Any specific questions just let me know.

 

Cheers!! Car is running well at the min. Has had a loada new stuff on recently but as it's my first Golf just a little unsure about it! If I think of anything i'll harrass you lol. Cheers for the help

 

I had GTis for years, got out of them & into my scoob & now all my mates have bought Mk2s to remind me what I'm missing, gits

As J4cko says, top mounts get tired but are easy to do, if it's a pre 87 car (still got front 1/4 windows) the wishbone bushes wear too. Valve stem seals wear at about 80k (slight blue smoke when changing gear), another easy job. If it's had a cmbelt recently, make sure it got a tensioner too, as some people skimp on that, & it's not worth it

Bodywise, the **** they put on the roads these days gathers under the plastic trim parts & on the inside of the rear valance, so check for corrosion, the only other place they seem to go is around the grommets where the heater wires & washer pipe go from the body into the tailgate, by the hinges.

P.S. Enjoy it, I'm jealous as hell

 

I`ve had a few Mk2`s including a G60 before I too got into Scoobs, loved `em, hope you enjoy yours red dog.

 

Around 100,000 miles I was told the clutch would last, as my old MK2 rolled round 100,000 last month the clutch failed and I scrapped the car.

Good luck, other than that it was reliable and fast(ish) for 5 yrs and many thousands of miles.

 

Watch out for the ball at the bottom of the gear lever being worn. I replaced the one one my fiancees 16 valve a couple of weeks before it got written off and it's a bitch of a job. Heater fan motors can play up too and only work on full etc but they are really easy to change.

 

Oh yeah, forgot, chances are your back brake calipers are seized too, coz they all are at this time of year. There is nothing you can do about it, except give the spring & body a few good taps with a hammer before MOT time Having them working will make no difference whatsoever, as there is a restrictor valve attached to the rear beam which effectively disconnects them under hard braking.

PS Forgot to say before. Enjoy I got rid of my last one over7 years ago, & STILL miss it like hell

 

I am still getting over selling mine, for a Mondeo !

Mondeo lasted four months and has been replaced by a Fiat Coupe Turbo but by and large the Golf was more fun, the Fiat brings me out in a cold sweat.

 

It's had new valve stem seals, head gasket and a shed load more stuff done not long ago. Not sure about the cam belt though Will have to shell out for a new one I guess! Is a 1990 H reg. Bit of rust round the back where the GTi badge is but that's bout all I can see!

I'm loving the car and don't know why the hell I didn't get one before!!

Lol @ the rear brake callipers being seized! Noticed yesterday they are!! Nice!

Getting a bit of crunching when going from 1st to 2nd gear on the first few changes when it's cold but apart from that it's good

Very happy with my new purchase

 

Bought mine a couple of moths ago, great fun to drive, love the feeling of the surefootiness and the way it strings the corners, check out www.clubgti.com
www.golfgti.co.uk
www.vwvortec.com

for advices and tips

 

sorry that should be www.vwvortex.com

 

Wee tip for the handbrake guys.
Undo the 10mm that holds the return spring for the hand brake pivot and take spring off. pop hand brake cable out.
With a large flat screwdriver, gently lever the pivot upwards (it will go up about 12mm or so)
With a thin strip of emery paper you can clean up the pivot shaft (this will be manky cos the water runs down and rusts it)
Once clean, soak it in wd40, oil etc (dont get on pads) gently chap pivot back down and work it too and fro with grips till it moves freely.
Re-fit spring and cable and clean pads and surfaces etc if required.
This should be sufficient to get you through an MOT (to save shelling out £50 per caliper) but generally doesn't last long as caliper will prob sieze again in a couple of months (park with handbrake off if you can).
You can fit mk3 calipers to the back of the mk2 (alot better) but it requires something to be done and I can't remember what

 

I put G60 strut top mounts on mine and found a big difference in the handling, i also lowered it on Chassis Dynamics springs which I found great without being too Max P**er

 

Red Dog, if it's had stem seals & a head gasket, it should have had a cambelt at the same time, as you have to remove the camshaft to do both jobs. You should never refit an old cambelt, as they dont like being slacked off & re-tightened.

Ally, that seems like a lot of work to me My Sierra 4x4 uses exactly the same rear calipers as the Mk2 golf ,but I've never had them seize in 7 years, the extra weight & rear drive must keep them warm enough to resist corrosion

Re: the gearbox, get the oil changed, makes a big difference, old oil gets thick & tends not to coat the cogs so well

 

CrisPDuk, believe it or not, it is only a 10 minuite job each side to free off the handbrake pivot (providing your not stripping and cleaning pads and surfaces as well). I've done loads of golfs, audi's this way but only lasts for about 4 months or so in winter. I never knew the sierra XR4 had same calipers, your probs right bout the reasons they don't sieze.
I fitted bonrath topmounts to one of my old mk2's, made all the difference , also fitted a Corrado g60 front engine mount when mine went (feels like your engine gonna fall out every gear change when these go), felt like a new car