Do you have a garage do all the spannering?

Or are you ok with servicing and consumables (like brake pads)?

Willing to go deeper? 

Exhaust swap maybe? Suspension?

 

Is the cambelt within the remit of someone who's tackled them on 16V engines?

 

We've worked on Vauxhalls for a couple of decades now, doing as much of our own stuff as we are able, just trying to get a feel for whether it'd be much different when the new car is here.

 

I know Audi have a rep for being expensive to maintain,with main dealer being the preferred choice for any work by many (I know a dozen or so Audi drivers)

I think it's such an individual thing and comes down to many factors like space, time, tools and then the general ability. But by the sounds of it you should be happy enough to dive on in there and get your hands pretty grubby! This forum has certainly been a fantastic resource to many a new born DIY spanner jockey i'd say.

 

Myself personally limited to open drive and living in the wettest place on earth seemingly, I refuse to go too deep (I have done and spent an entire day with bonnet resting on my back in torrential rain with head off etc and never again) and I am not messing about with stands unless I really need to. I have a local garage I know and trust which are in comparison to GB a lot cheaper as a regional small chain not an independent or backstreet set up and only £30 per hour. So for timing belts on my 1.9TDi's I have thrown the car and the parts at them and put my lazy feet right up! Have seen some pics of folk at home doing belts on the drive though and I am bloody impressed! I will however generally do normal servicing, take anything apart to see what it's fecking problem is then if not worth it just replace then decimate and reassemble interior crap and mess with electrics. My Mk1 is 15 years old and low mileage and doesn't really give any real bother, just the age related things popping up every now and again as they reach the end of the road.  

 

The above is subject to change in the summer as 'Operation Carport' will be likely on the cards  

Edited 5 March, 201610 yr by FUBAR

Aye.. we don't mind getting in there to a point. Cam belts always scare the b'jesus out of me, that first turn of the key :peek:  Although we've done a few (including an old Vauxhall V6 Cavalier)

Done an engine change out in the street, in the snow, too. Long time ago now - I'm a bit too old and stuff for that kind of exertion these days.

I don't do electrical problems either, don't mind meddling with interior LED's but, unless it's plug and play, I don't mess with anything else.

 

All we have is an open drive, gravel drive at that.. not the most stable of platform for axle stands but hey, what doesn't kill you.. right?..

 

I'm really hoping the car we end up with doesn't give us too many issues.. servicing is cool, not interested in uprating suspension, looks like plugging a leak or 2 may be on the cards but that's cool too. 

 

Before we moved to Suffolk we had access to a full garage.. all the tools, ramps, a pit. With the added bonus of a very skilled mechanic should we get stuck (and an account with a spares shop).

 

Do paid up forum members have access to trade prices at dealers? Had a Trade Club account with Vauxhall for the best part of 20 years now, saved us a small fortune.

It's only nuts and bolts. Self servicing gives great satisfaction and saves a fortune

I don't mind doing odd jobs around the car, radio, wipers, fixing wiper motors, cleaning TB, stripping off exterior and interior but that's where it stops. Anything engine based, suspension or brakes etc I won't touch. I don't have enough knowledge, tools or the space, and now to be honest, I just can't be bothered with the hassle. I have a trusted garage that does the work. Would I like to do more? Yea probably but I'd want to be taught what to do and not attempt things on my own when I could cause more harm than good.
 

Edited 5 March, 201610 yr by DeanVRS20VT

I do my own servicing and repair work lol

Volkswagen group cambelts are generally fairly straight forward with practice. Engine mountings are usually the stumbling block as on a lot of them they can't be fully removed. It's knowing where they will tuck and working around them that's the trick.

If all 4 filters and engine oil changed by DIY yearly, not a lot left for garage to do in a full yearly service.

If brake pads DIY renewed every 3 years, with brake fluid change (not 2 years recommended) then brake discs could last at least every 6 years, before DIY change..

5 yearly cam belt & alternator belt changes left to garage unless, as below.

Depends how competent, physically agile and tool equipped you are, will stave off visits to the garage, as regards to most servicing.

 

It is self gratifying being able to carry-out jobs on your car, and with help from this site, lots of basic DIY jobs are simple..

I do what I can on the drive at home. Always do oil/filter changes and spark plugs myself. I replaced all the shocks/springs myself on my Clio. Aux belt I did myself on the Skoda as it's only a 5 minute job - totally different story on the Clio!

 

I wouldn't do a cambelt and don't really like doing interior/electrical stuff or bleeding brakes.

I do what I can on the drive at home. Always do oil/filter changes and spark plugs myself. I replaced all the shocks/springs myself on my Clio. Aux belt I did myself on the Skoda as it's only a 5 minute job - totally different story on the Clio!

 

I wouldn't do a cambelt and don't really like doing interior/electrical stuff or bleeding brakes.

Sounds somewhat like our ethos tbh.. I don't mind interior stuff generally and we would do a cambelt at a push but it's a very stressful experience so tend to avoid if possible. The missus is a dab hand at brake bleeding but I'm hopeless.. I'd rather chuck it into a garage and pay £30 for a brake fluid change.

 

See you're in Suffolkshire, we're closer to Mid than West and I've yet to see a vRS locally. Although these past 2 days I've seen 2 mk1 hatches and 1 estate (none vRS).

 

See you're in Suffolkshire, we're closer to Mid than West and I've yet to see a vRS locally. Although these past 2 days I've seen 2 mk1 hatches and 1 estate (none vRS).

I've seen 3 so far, black VRS in KingsLynn as I was driving through. A yellow VRS in Norwich (again driving through) and lastly when I was in Bury a few weeks back I saw a silver VRS.

I'd love a yellow vRS estate.. not seen one anywhere so not sure if they even done them in that colour.

 

Looks like I'll have funds to spend in about 6 weeks.. gagging to get out and get looking with a view to actually buying!!..

 

Seen a lovely looking black estate, it's 200miles away but if it's as sound as it appears (in pics and description) it'll be well worth the trip.

 

Would rather get closer to £1500 (or a grand, even) but would rather spend a few hundred more and get a better car.

I've this afternoon changed front discs and pads after watching a short YouTube upload made by some helpful soul. Although I did find that the rotor wouldnt clear the hub with only the caplier removed so worked out that removing the bottom bolt holding the carrier to the hub, then slackening off the top on enabled me to swing it upwards and out of the way.

Once you've gone to the faff of getting your tools out, jacking up the car and removing the wheel, it was literally a ten minute job on for the second one. It clearly helped that the discs have been previously changed so the locating screw that holds the disc to the hub had been drilled out previously so no swearing needed there. Start with the right tools and most things are within the ability of the patient amateur!

I'd love a yellow vRS estate.. not seen one anywhere so not sure if they even done them in that colour.

 

Looks like I'll have funds to spend in about 6 weeks.. gagging to get out and get looking with a view to actually buying!!..

 

Seen a lovely looking black estate, it's 200miles away but if it's as sound as it appears (in pics and description) it'll be well worth the trip.

 

Would rather get closer to £1500 (or a grand, even) but would rather spend a few hundred more and get a better car.

There a couple near you -  http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/cars/skoda/octavia/postcode/ip270uh/radius/50/keywords/vrs/searchcontext/default/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/price-to/2500/sort/default/page/1

 

But a bit more than what you're looking to pay.

Gotta be estates man.. 

 

Budget will be £2k.... 

you should get a good one for that

 

I tackle just little things, did the boot struts recently, gonna plumb in my boost gauge etc, may stretch to an oil change on the drive way when the weather warms up, but my tame mech will be fitting the fmic when I can get it! And the spark plugs....lol...

All about the tools for me really, the more you try the more you learn, this forum is a great help. Don't think I'd ever do a cambelt, gearbox or clutch though.

We've done all those before. Probably wouldn't tackle a clutch again, no ramp access any more. Gearbox change shouldn't be too hard (famous last words).

We rarely have the cash for the labour part of garage work so we have to try and do as much as poss... helps that we quite enjoy it.

Gearbox is relatively straight forward but they are bleeding heavy, makes for difficulty in the drive way with little more clearance to work underneath than axle stands. Definitely would need help in manoeuvring the box into position. If you can swap a box over, you can do a clutch while it's off!

Seem to remember getting it all lined up us a pita... unless clutches have changed since the dark ages (early 1990's)

Done an auto box on a mk1 Granada coupe in the mid 80's... that sucked rather a lot.

Edited 5 March, 201610 yr by Evil

I work at a Skoda dealer, so I guess theres no line for me :P

Evil

For the stuff you can't do AVS (Anglia Vehicle Services) in Bury are very good and honest.

M

I work at a Skoda dealer, so I guess theres no line for me :p

Any Mk1 Estate vRS's due in? 

If it's nuts and bolts, I'll sort it myself. If the computer bit breaks then I'm knackered.

Any Mk1 Estate vRS's due in? 

 

 

Afraid not, the mk1 VRS down here are starting to get rare, and the ones left are being abused :'(

Well as mine is a project car and not something that I need to get to work I'll do anything on it. I have changed all filters other than pollen, changed oil, fully stripped out the interior and changed the tailgate (albeit wiring the new tailgate in from the inside of the car)

 

I've got a new door and wing to go on hopefully tomorrow if it's not raining and I've got new headlights coming at some point.

I plan on changing the cam-belt at some point my self and other than that I'll see how it goes.

 

As for the Monte, I have to get that serviced ect at a garage because it's still under extended warranty but then after that I'd be happy changing pads and discs ect and doing odd jobs but anything delicate that has risks I'd rather send it somewhere where if it breaks it's their responsibility to fix it.