VW Golf MK4 Wheel Arch Dirt Rust

One common issue on the Mk4 VW Golf is that the wheel arch liner can trap significant amounts of dirt and debris underneath that retains moisture and can cause rust. This video shows how to clear it out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a07h94_MzUg

VW Golf MK4 Wheel Arch Dirt Rust

VW Passat - New Fuel Pump Gives Improved Fuel Economy Gas Mileage

I've recently needed to replace the in tank Fuel Pump on my VW Passat TDI as it had failed and the car wouldn't start. What surprised me the most was that the car runs much more smoothly especially under hard acceleration and also gives improved fuel economy (gas mileage) which I really wasn't expecting to happen. 

VW Passat TDI Replacement fuel pump failure

I guess over time the pump wears and becomes less efficient but it's not immediately obvious as the change is so gradual. It's only when you switch to a brand new pump that the significance of the replacement is clear.

There was a spate of Passat TDI diesel fuel pump failures early on in the model's life but the pump on my car had lasted 12 years and 185,000 miles. It's actually the first fuel pump I've ever needed to replace so even that mileage is quite low for replacement.

Guide for VW Golf Brake Pad Fitting - How to fit pads to Passat/Touran/Jetta

VW Passat/Golf/Jetta/Touran brake pad change - fitting new brake pads guide

To change the brake pads first loosen the wheel nuts and then jack the car making sure you support it underneath with an axle stand or place the wheel underneath the car.

Ensure the axle stand is in a solid location and won't damage the floorpan - I put it under the suspension arm mounting point.

Remove the wheel bolts and take the wheel off the car.
Remove the metal clip spring holding the caliper and pads
Remove the caliper bolt plastic covers
Using a 7mm allen key undo the caliper bolts

You can then remove the caliper making sure to support it to avoid putting pressure on the brake hose
Remove the old brake pads
Using caliper rewind tool move the caliper position so it gives enough space to fit new pads.
Take cap off brake fluid reservoir and make sure you check brake reservoir level as you are winding back and remove any excess fluid.

Fit new brake pads
Fit caliper back onto the carrier and around the brake disc
Refit the 7mm bolts holding caliper to the carrier and ensure they are tightened
Refit the plastic caps on the bolts
Refit spring clip holding pads and caliper
Refit wheel to car and tighten bolts

Remove axle stand and drop car back to floor
Fully tighten wheel bolts

Ensure you check wheel bolts after 30 miles or so to make sure they are tight

VW Golf Door Card Removal When Door Lock Broken

The rear door lock on my VW Golf had broken so the door would no longer open from inside or outside. In order to fix the problem I needed to remove the door card trim so that I could access the lock mechanism and open the door.

Some articles online suggest that you need to break the door card to do so but there is an easy way to do it without damaging the door. You firstly need to remove the base of the rear seat by unclipping it at the front.

This then gives access to the bottom of the door card where you can get to the 2 torx screws that hold the bottom of the door card in place. You may need a torch to see their location but unscrew those and keep safe.

You need to remove the front of the door handle by prising the handle apart so that you can then access the screws behind to lift the handle off the door card. This will then have freed up all the points where the door card is attached to your Golf door frame and it can be lifted off.

VW TDI Intercooler Differences

Although all the VW Golf MK4 TDI engines are of the same capacity at 1.9 litres there are some significant differences between them that are visible under the bonnet/hood in the engine bay. The most obvious is between the PD 130 and PD 150 TDI engines where the intercooler is located in the front (FMIC) on the 150 and side on the PD130 (SMIC).

This video shows the layout of the pipes for both TDI engines

VW Golf TDI Screeching Noise Steering on Full Lock

My 2001 VW Golf TDI was making a screeching sound when the steering was on full lock at low speeds. This was the same problem I'd had with a previous VW Golf a few years back so the diagnosis was much easier. The fix was replacing the alternator clutch pulley and tensioner - in the end I decided to replace the whole alternator instead.

This video shows the noise that the engine/alternator was making with a seized alternator pulley. I'll do another video to show how to replace the alternator.

 

VW Golf TDI injector wiring loom replacement

Today's job was replacing the wiring harness for the injectors which can breakdown over time as it's constantly subject to hot oil and cooling as it's located under the rocker cover. It's a fairly straightforward job and a good one to do when the car is 16 years old!

Excellent video tutorial thanks to BMAC vags and it only took about an hour

Low Mileage GTTDI PD130 VW Golf

Unexpectedly I am now back as a MK4 Golf TDI owner with my eighth MK4 VW Golf! After running a 1.6 16V MK4 Golf for the last 5 months I became aware of a very low mileage mint 2002 model Golf GT TDI that was being sold locally after being taken as part exchange by a dealer.

I hadn't originally planned to change the 1600 Golf yet and had MOT for it booked for 7 days time but the option of the mint TDI was too hard to resist!

It's a reflex silver 2002 model with full service history, only 2 owners from new with under 80,000 miles. It seems odd to see a missing digit on the dashboard as all my cars normally have over 100,000 miles on them.

Low Mileage GTTDI PD130 VW Golf 

Although low mileage the car is now overdue a service so the first job will be an oil change followed by all filters so that the engine is working to optimum conditions. The oil for PD engines is critical to get correct for longevity so make sure you check the spec of any oil meets VW 505.01, 504 or 507 depending on the engine. The PD130 can use any of these specs.

After driving the petrol 1.6 16V for the last 5 months it's quite noticeable how much more noisy and vibration the diesel has in comparison but on the motorway the 6 speed gearbox makes the car sit much more effortlessly at the speed limit.

VW Golf Front Suspension Knocking/Banging Noise over Bumps

When I bought my bargain £250 VW Golf I noticed on the test drive that there was a knocking/banging noise coming from the front suspension when you went over bumps. The owner believed it was the shock absorbers but from my checks on the car I thought it was more likely to be the front anti roll bar bushes. The car settled immediately if you pushed down on each corner and the top mounts appeared to be in order. I also noticed that on a previous service it was reported that the ARB bushes were worn and there was no evidence of them being changed subsequently.

Worn ARB bush causing Front Suspension to make knocking/Banging noise over Bumps

Sure enough when I jacked the car up to check the ARB bushes were well worn and the ARB had plenty of play within them where the centre diameter had expanded over time. The bushes had also hardened considerably so they didn't absorb movement very well.

The new ARB bushes were a very cheap fix at only £6 for the pair. Fitting them was a pain until I got a pair of G-clamps to hold the bush mount in place to allow the bolt to tighten it. As the new bush is so much bigger it makes it a squeeze to fit the clamp over it but it is possible if you take your time.

The difference in the way the car drives is amazing, there is no longer any suspension noise over bumps and the car feels much more planted around corners. Definitely a job that is well worth doing if your car still has the original anti-roll bar bushes fitted.