As I don't really need a key-locking passenger side door handle, is it possible to fit a handle normally designed for the rear passenger door of a 5-door to the front instead?
Currently I have quite a nice Alpine FM/AM radio/CD player, which I would like to swap for a more modern bluetooth-enabled one, presumably with DAB rather than FM. Am I right in assuming I wouldn't be able to get one that incorporated CD capability as well, so the whole back unit would need to be changed as well?
Any advice on good units and sources with good service (such as fitting)? If a new unit was DAB, what does that mean in terms of aerial? Would I just get rid of the old wing-mounted telescopic one?
Lots of questions, but any advice gratefully received.
How can I tell which 5-speed gearbox I have on my 1990 Driver? This site has lots of information, but doesn't get me any further, unless the codes given are possible to find somewhere.
This issue has developed further, in that it appears the aftermarket locking door handles are not particularly good. One partial solution was to drill a hole in the relevant moving part in the handle mechanism and then fit a little screw, which raises the profile of the tab. This works, in that the doors can be opened, but the problem then is that they can't be locked, as the modification obviously blocks the locking mechanism.
I am wondering if the way round this is to judiciously bend the steel plate within the door, slightly raising it, so that the tab within the handle mechanism has less travel before moving the plate.
Has anyone else had this issue and how did you get round it? It's another MOT issue, as the doors have to be able to be opened from the outside (I thought opening from the inside was sufficient for MOT purposes).
My 1990 Driver was due to have an MOT but the technician couldn't even start as the VIN label in the engine bay was missing, and the labels on the door pillar and in the boot were present but unreadable.
He said I needed to present the car along with the V5 document, in order for it to be MOTd.
Has anyone else had this issue? Is it possible to obtain new labels, or an alu VIN plate that could be rivetted in the engine bay?
My 1990 H-reg Driver (1.6 petrol) has had an issues with the front doors being sticky and difficult to open.
Some time ago I replaced both the handles and this seemed to improve things, but the issue has started up again, and my mechanic says it's the 35-year-old locking mechanisms, not the handles, that are the problem, and recommends replacement.
I ordered these:
"DOOR LOCK FEBI BILSTEIN 17016 A NEW OE REPLACEMENT Price: £17.46 Item ID: 276848191418 Order number: 04-12862-49358 Seller: mas-motorstore
DOOR LOCK 17018 FEBI BILSTEIN NEW OE REPLACEMENT Price: £16.65 Item ID: 176890164583 Order number: 04-12862-49359 Seller: ams-carparts "
Looks like the same German seller, who advised that they are not the right parts (ie front L & R), and is not able to advise what I should get.
Other sources seem to offer parts that are correct for vehicles up to and including 1989, but mine's 1990. It seems strange that it's proving challenging to obtain parts for a less old vehicle but easier for an older vehicle.
While these don't all come under the heading 'Engine & Gearbox', I hope you'll be OK with me listing them here. The vehicle is a 1990 Mk2 Driver (1.6 petrol).
My mechanic's advisories state:
1. Dipstick tube broken 2. Coolant flange on head has small leak 3. Slight leak from gearbox 4. Play in both front top mounts
What is involved in remedying these issues, so that I can plan ahead for mechanic time if necessary, being very much of a newbie with mechanics etc?
Hmm... this would be inside one of the existing silencer boxes that were not renewed? I don't know, but strange that the noise has started after the work carried out on the exhaust. By the way, this is a 1.6 petrol Driver.
I was puzzled, by the way, to see a bit of double pipework as part of the downpipe/front pipe that has been fitted. Not sure why it's designed like that. Not the same, for example, as the VW Heritage part specified on their website.
My exhaust started blowing and I had the downpipe and middle section replaced. While this is basically OK and the exhaust is no longer blowing, I now detect a new and puzzling noise, difficult to describe, with a ‘metallic crackling or tinkling’ evident only on acceleration, or when needing some power on hills etc. When cruising or under engine braking downhill it disappears.
I took the car back to the garage and the foreman put it up on the ramp and invited me to inspect it with him, confirming all with the new installation seemed OK.
Any idea what might be causing this new and puzzling noise?
This 1990 Driver has supplementary high beam lights inboard of the standard H4 headlights (like a GTI?).
What is the correct designation for the bulbs that fit in the supplementary high beams?
Some years ago a separate headlight loom was fitted, which took power direct from the battery, and worked quite well but it now seems to have developed a fault such that the nearside high beam (both in the standard headlight and the extra high beam are not working. Low beam working normally both sides. It's going to fail its MOT tomorrow due to this, assuming high beams must work to pass MOT.
Will it be relatively easy for my MOT man to remove the dedicated loom and return the lights to normal spec?
Subsequently, I am considering converting to LED bulbs. Are these produced also for the supplementary high beam lights? That's why I need to know the correct designation for them in particular.
