Russ_16v

Yeah i can appriciate that, im happy for anyone to bring friends etc, i know what its like, iv done it for people with my Clio off the Clio forum im a member on, it can be a bit un-nerving!

PM me your paint codes mate and il get you the part numbers, i work for VW

Im looking to buy a MK1 vRS, but iv never been in one, let alone have a good look around one, are there any members close to Swindon/Cirencester/Chippenham who would be kind enough to let me have a look around their car, the ins and outs of ownership and possible a short drive? Im 28, not a boy racer and fully insured for peace of mind lol Cheers in advance Russ

The damage i have seen from mudflaps is terrible, the moisture and dirt builds up behind them, and they hold it to the body work, even on mk4 Golfs at work we have tried to take them off and they have pulled bits of bodywork with them. Agreed with cleaning them out

get the part number off it matey and PM me it and il get the price for you

Price of the part roughtly is £1200 ish, give or take a bit depending on what model, that price is from a MK5 Golf i just quickly looked up on ETKA

Ignore the book mate, VAG change there minds every 5 mins on cambelt changes lol (i work for VW)

This was exactly what i was looking for when i signed up, good work!

The CR engines do seem to cope better than the PD, but it is still an issue shall we say, to make sure the car gets warm regularly. Again it all falls back to driving style and useage, there is no clear cut instructions etc, as each person uses and drives their vehicles differently. I hope this helps, this is from one of my links from VW: "Diesel particulate filters (DPF) are becoming more common-place on diesel engines, particularly the 2.0L TDI pumpe-düse (PD) and common rail diesel (CRD). This is in order to reduce particulate matter in exhaust emissions as required by European legislation. A DPF traps most of the soot (particulate matter) that is produced during diesel combustion and holds it until a certain soot level is reached. A process called ‘regeneration’ is used in order to clear the soot trapped in the DPF. ‘Regeneration’ occurs when the exhaust temperatures are around 500°C. There are two types of ‘regeneration’, passive and active: Passive regeneration occurs on long motorway journeys, where the exhaust system gets very hot and burns off the soot unaided. Active regeneration occurs when the soot level reaches a certain point in the DPF. The soot level is constantly monitored by the Engine Control Unit, which triggers ‘active regeneration’ when necessary, raising the exhaust temperature and burning off the soot. Problems occur when the conditions for ‘regeneration’ are not met. This could be due to frequent short trips or stop/start driving when the ‘regeneration’ process does not run for long enough to be effective. There is a high risk of this in urban/inner-city/Channel Island areas. Additionally, vehicles that spend a lot of time idling (eg taxis), accumulate soot faster, hence the need for regeneration is higher. When the DPF light illuminates, customers should refer to the Owners’ Handbook, which states: ‘The DPF symbol lights up to indicate that the diesel particulate filter has become obstructed with soot due to frequent short trips. When the warning lamp comes on, you should drive at a speed of at least 37 mph and an engine speed between 1,800 and 2,500 rpm for about 10 minutes. As a result of the increase in temperature the soot in the filter will be burned off. If the DPF symbol does not go out, please contact a qualified workshop and have the fault rectified.’ Future legislation Future European emissions legislation (EU5/EU6) is set to reduce the exhaust emission limits even further. Current EU4 exhaust emission limits for particulate matter are 0.025g/km.The proposed limit for particulate matter for EU5 is 0.005g/km (expected introduction 1 September 2009), which will almost certainly mean that all diesel engines will need a DPF in order to meet the required targets." The introduction of the common rail diesel engine used in Volkswagen Group vehicles brings with it an enhanced DPF filter and diesel injection technology. This allows better control of the ‘regeneration’ process, thus reducing the effects on customer driving profile and issues within urban/inner-city areas

Problem is the the MG is the same reason why iv now discounted the ST200, the engine is great, and i love vee's, but it will be expensive and hard to work on :( I keep going over all the choices and its def down to the vRS or accord TR, im looking at this to be long term ownership which is why the choice is so difficult

See iv compared my boot to a friends focus RS and is boot is twice the size, we have tried fitting in the pushchair, and it only fits by removing the parcel shelf, then any more bits and pieces we have to carry on the back seats and i really dont like the idea of that with a baby in the back too, god this is so hard lol

well i want to get a car to keep long term you see, and i want something thats fun, im a car nut through and through and the Clio is number 36 for me, and i enjoy my track days, but they will have to go hold for a while lol Im looking for a fun, larger car, for the money i can raise (circa £3000) that seems to leave the ST (now out the question) , the vRS ( still very very tempted) or a Accord type R, (good engine and chassis) but the Skoda prob makes more sense due to the advantage of getting parts through work?

More along the lines of if you do most of your time driving around town's and city's, doing short stop and start runs etc, then understand the vehicle will need a run regularly to clean the DPF. As posted its not a flat out thrash, more of a trip to let it warm up fully (say 1/2 - 45mins for example,using more of the rev range with the vehicle being under load) A good example was a previous post, dealer cars tend to be run on mainly short trips ( our runs out are only a few miles) and that is why the DPF light was on, and as posted a short motorway stint has put out the light and it has not returned. If you do short journies VW do suggest not having a DPF equipped car. At the moment the technology for DPF's is not great enough that it can be used in all works of life, and does need a run to clean it, i dare say in time to come this will be remedied, but at present this is the technology level we are running at.

Wow, thats an interesting input matey the thing is my other halfs parents live in Wales and is a good 2.5-3 hour drive away, and we do this trip often, and we can only just get the push chair in , and thats removing the parcel shelf, and thats without bag for the lil'un and a bag each for us, what 172 did you have?

Lol thank you mn1981, i have dismissed the Ford, even though i have a soft spot for them, i just can't justify the repair bills if anything goes wrong engine wise. So the main choice so far is the vRS, the only other one thats in my mind is the Accord Type R, which is like chalk and cheese with the power delivery lol

I hope this may help as i work for VW The main reason why we have DPF faults is due to the car not warming up properly. In the vehicles manual it states the car must be able to get warm frequently, and if the car gets mainly town/short trips, it doesn't get the DPF warm enough and causes the light to come on. If this happens, giving the car a thrash to get it warm usually puts the light out as the DPF warms up and burns all the crap away ( thats what it does, and why it needs to get warm) but if it doesnt get the chance to get hot and burn off the deposits it can get too clogged ( in basic terms) and fail, requiring a new one. Though we do have the occasional one that is faulty, but its not that common in VW's As said if coded out and removed it wont cause any damage, it just wont be as 'clean'

maybe just some people are unlucky i guess?

Clio 172, 2001, 131,380 miles, engine never been apart, still original box, and clutch, power 141@ the wheels, 173.3 @ the flywheel, who says french cars dont last

that is very good, but its easy to fall into the trap of 'false enconomy', for example that is a cracking mpg to get, but im not really supprised, as the car has hadf not too much load, and sat at a steady speed. But remember your daily drive might be shorter and there for under more load (stop start etc) and that would put your mpg down to maybe low 30's, and remember the Fab dervs can do 40-50 mpg on shorter journies, more on longer ones Just some food for though as they say

Wow thats really good (PS i here your coming to the Kemble airfield day?)

Surely the Cupra cant be that much better than the vRS?

Thats what i was about to sujjest,making this sticky mate lol Well sounds like its all the same as the VW's then, which is a relief as i have got nearly 10 years worth of experience with them

Wow thanks matey, im lucky enough to work for VW and i know our workshop systems can read Skoda's and i can take one with me , so i can plug it in and see, i can also take the good old pressure tester ( the one to fix to the coolant bottle and pump and check the guage) so im lucky enough to have the tools and know how to use them lol, so the list goes: Check if Timing belt has been done. Check for Water leaking in boot from hose popping off the rear wash/wipe Check for Faulty CD multichanger Look for Problems with central locking Check for Front ARB corroded under rubber sleeves Noisy starter motor, noisy secondary air pump Check for clutch wear head gasket problems: coolant level, coolant color, oil on dipstick Check DV (fluttering sound when letting off the throttle), MAF Plus the usual used car checks

Ha lol fair do's fella's ,thank you for all the tips so far!

ah good point, sorry my bad