Buying a 2000 VW Golf

Enygma

Hey,

I'm going to look at a '00 VW Golf tonight, just wondering what the general consensus is on this car/model?

Any tips on what to look out for?

Thanks

Silvera

They are a good car in genaral - very strong and well built.

Just look out for the usual, signs of abuse, scruffy interior, etc etc
Ideally it should have a full service history - either main dealer or VW specialist.

Any idea of the mileage ?
(Not that a high mileage is a problem on Golfs ! ...... they will do mega miles if properly maintained).

Also, do a finance check before you part with your cash !!

Silvera.

lomb

rear wiper is the main problem ridiculous design.
water pump failure common, all golfs need pumps need changing with belts at 60k. known to fail in as little as 35-40k miles, a rumble gives this away.

Enygma

It's got 62K on the clock, it's from a dealer but I'll ask about the service history.
It's the base model so no electric windows etc.

Sure I'll have a look anyway, don't have to commit or anything.

Downtime

Check the gearbox - changing into 1st gear - if it is very stiff I'd think twice - they are a general problem on this model - also ask if there has been any power steering problems.

daveg

Car before my current one was a new VW Golf `00 1.4. A lovely reliable car in my opinion. The only problem I had with it was one of the sensors got covered in mud limiting the supply of air into the Engine (I'm open to technical correction here). Seemingly it's a common thing with the Golfs. WM in Galway didn't appear to know this though (cvnts). Charged me 4 hours labour.

lomb

daveg wrote:

Car before my current one was a new VW Golf `00 1.4. A lovely reliable car in my opinion. The only problem I had with it was one of the sensors got covered in mud limiting the supply of air into the Engine (I'm open to technical correction here). Seemingly it's a common thing with the Golfs. WM in Galway didn't appear to know this though (cvnts). Charged me 4 hours labour.

what were the symptoms? slightly rough on releasing the accelerator? my mums has that i think the maf needs cleaning, just need a bit of electrical contact cleaner.

bazz26

The 1.4 only has 75bhp which is very underpowered for this class of car. Try having a look for the Comfortline trim model which has some creature comforts such as electric windows, mirrors, etc. They can be bought for almost the same money as the base model. The Trendline model is a bit more rare but has the same as the Comfortline and also has sport seats and tinted rear light cluster.

Personally, I don't like the Golf as I think it is bought on the strenght of being over reliability. It's no more reliable than a Corolla or Civic.

It's overrated, overpriced, underpowered and underspeced imo, but everyone to their own.

PS check the central locking as VW had terrible problems with this in all their cars around that year.

lomb

bazz26 wrote:

The 1.4 only has 75bhp which is very underpowered for this class of car. Try having a look for the Comfortline trim model which has some creature comforts such as electric windows, mirrors, etc. They can be bought for almost the same money as the base model. The Trendline model is a bit more rare but has the same as the Comfortline and also has sport seats and tinted rear light cluster.

Personally, I don't like the Golf as I think it is bought on the strenght of being over reliability. It's no more reliable than a Corolla or Civic.

It's overrated, overpriced, underpowered and underspeced imo, but everyone to their own.

PS check the central locking as VW had terrible problems with this in all their cars around that year.

fabulous buy new though,lose very little and reasonably priced. i bought a new one a year and a half ago, lovely car. i think they improved the them post 2002 as mine feels very nice nicer than my mums 99.

Enygma

Thanks everyone! Had a look at it there, not in great condition, not bad, just not too good, kinda damp smell, maybe due to the problem with the rear wiper.

The main problem I had with it was this loud ticking sound from the engine, I could even hear it out on the road. Any ideas what's up with that? The guy said it was something wrong with a lot of Golfs.


Anyways, I'm still on the lookout.
Had a look at a Focus Collection on the way back, similar money, looked nice.
How does the Focus measure up against the Golf?

lomb

Enygma wrote:

Thanks everyone! Had a look at it there, not in great condition, not bad, just not too good, kinda damp smell, maybe due to the problem with the rear wiper.

The main problem I had with it was this loud ticking sound from the engine, I could even hear it out on the road. Any ideas what's up with that? The guy said it was something wrong with a lot of Golfs.


Anyways, I'm still on the lookout.
Had a look at a Focus Collection on the way back, similar money, looked nice.
How does the Focus measure up against the Golf?

damp-normal its only a small problem and the wiper motor can be repaired rather than replaced. i repaired my mums with a bit of brass tube from b and q.

the ticking-my 2003 did that the day i bought it brand new, it is normal on post 2000 models as far as i know. it comes and goes. i think it is something to do with the power stearing. this is not a defect.this is a TICK-TICK rapid sound.
a rumble from the engine would be a failing water pump. this is constant. there is a guy selling a 2002 ford focus with leather and aircon 3dr for 13250 in the fs. also it is a nice silver colour.

stratos

Funny dealers. We had a V.W. in work needed a clutch ,local garages wouldn't touch it. " too complicated to work on" they said. Ok we'll just bring to a VW dealer, er, no, "we ain't touchin' it i's out of warranty and they are very hard to work on " came the reply. Really weird.

lomb

stratos wrote:

Funny dealers. We had a V.W. in work needed a clutch ,local garages wouldn't touch it. " too complicated to work on" they said. Ok we'll just bring to a VW dealer, er, no, "we ain't touchin' it i's out of warranty and they are very hard to work on " came the reply. Really weird.

changing clutches is hard work, got to remove the driveshafts, remove the gearbox remove the clutch replace the clutch, bolt the gearbox back on, and refill with oil and reconnect the driveshafts. alot of work for only a few hundred. mr gearbox and their ilks are better as they do this all day.

Enygma

So the ticking is normal eh? Strange....
Hmm, I'll sleep on it I guess.

Also is the clutch supposed to be as light as a feather? Although that's probably not a bad thing at all

Thanks again for the info people, it's my first time spending more than a few thousand on a car and I'm kinda nervous to be honest

lomb

Enygma wrote:

So the ticking is normal eh? Strange....
Hmm, I'll sleep on it I guess.

Also is the clutch supposed to be as light as a feather? Although that's probably not a bad thing at all

Thanks again for the info people, it's my first time spending more than a few thousand on a car and I'm kinda nervous to be honest

the ticking is only normal if it goes away, i have to say my mums 99 doesnt do this but my 03 one does but it has air conditioning fitted ?i never had time to go to a dealer with it and the warranty has just run out. but i can only assume they would not let that car leave the factory if it was defective. there is also a lot of talk about the same issue on uk-mkivs.net and the consenses is its normal.what u really want to do is buy a car that has had some evidence that it has had belt/pump replacements as that is all a gently driven golf needs half way through its life. my mums 60000miler is still on the original rear tyres and on all original brake pads with plenty of material left!the front tyres were only changed recently at 55000. alternativey if u can afford insurance and tax that focus in the for sale forum is a steal with full leather and air con. id go with that personally. should still be able to sell it to a boy racer in a few years for 8k. and ford focuss are mechanically very strong.

Silvera

Perhaps the 'ticking noise' is coming from the hydraulic tappets ?
(i.e. slow/non build up of oil in tappet)

This is a common problem on older Golfs - like my father's 1991 Mk2 ... on start up it 'ticks' for a few mins, other times not - been that way for years.
(Brother had 1990 Golf some years back, same noise).

lomb

Silvera wrote:

Perhaps the 'ticking noise' is coming from the hydraulic tappets ?
(i.e. slow/non build up of oil in tappet)

This is a common problem on older Golfs - like my father's 1991 Mk2 ... on start up it 'ticks' for a few mins, other times not - been that way for years.
(Brother had 1990 Golf some years back, same noise).

the ticking on my one is def not coming from the engine. it comes from a black yoke on the underbonnet drivers right hand side in the middle on the top. i am not sure what this yoke is but my mums does not have one. my car is air conditioned but i dont think it has to do with the aircon. the power stearing pump is beside it.

Enygma

Is it a black thing behind the washer bottle? If so that's the carbon filter (according to thenice folks over at uk-mkivs.net )
If I can pinpoint the noise to that on Saturday when I look at it again then I'll probably buy it.

lomb

Enygma wrote:

Is it a black thing behind the washer bottle? If so that's the carbon filter (according to thenice folks over at uk-mkivs.net )
If I can pinpoint the noise to that on Saturday when I look at it again then I'll probably buy it.

the problem is the cars in the uk at the mo. but yeah that sounds about right it was the black thing yeah and the coming and going of the noise is obviously some kind of pump. some are noisier than others. excellent piece of detective work my friend

stratos

Why not get the aa to check the car, with the vendor agreeing to pay, if the car has a serious fault he didn't tell you about. either way it's peace of mind. I have a friendly garage and I always get him to check over any reasonably expensive purchases. I find most vendors will drive the car over too, unless there is something to find. You just can't beat a ramp check.

lomb

stratos wrote:

Why not get the aa to check the car, with the vendor agreeing to pay, if the car has a serious fault he didn't tell you about. either way it's peace of mind. I have a friendly garage and I always get him to check over any reasonably expensive purchases. I find most vendors will drive the car over too, unless there is something to find. You just can't beat a ramp check.

i would never recommend the aa personally had a very bad experiance with a check i had them carry out. they took the side of the garage very strongly on a serious problem with a car i paid them to look at. absolutely dreadful.
my experiance of cars is this. drive it yourself, drive it yourself, drive it yourself. you are looking for something that does not rattle stears straight and true, under heavy breaking breaks straight. you are looking whether it lacks power under acceleration and on the realease of the throttle it doesnt jerk.if the engine is worn it will lack power. also a smooth gearshift through all gears. then onto the outside, a quick look around tells you if the car has been looked after. check the brands of the tyres etc. check all the panel gaps, investigate if one is not the same as the others. check the clutch.
then move onto the service history. regular break fluid changes with evidence are the sign of a well cared for motor. check timing belts/ tensioners been done if over 60k.
finally and this is most important LISTEN TO THE ENGINE CAREFULLY if its a petrol. this will tell u ALOT about the car overall. an unworn petrol engine should be as smooth as a turbine. no top end rattles and def no bottom end knocking. if all the above is checked 99 out of 100 the car will be ok. you do not need the aa to confirm this. if u really want to check things if u are the suspicious type you can get undr it and check rubber boots, and exaust system but i personally would not bother. a final check of the shocks by pushing each corner in turn completes the check. and thats it!

edit: and finally check all of the electrics particulary on complex cars. especially check the check engine lights and then goes out on ignition start. many people remove the bulb on these and then sell them if there is a fault.

Fabritzo

The ticking it the carbon filter alright, I've come across it in a mk4 golf and a Bora. I don't think i'd be buying that particular golf, no electric windows in this day and age is ridiculous.

lomb

Fabritzo wrote:

The ticking it the carbon filter alright, I've come across it in a mk4 golf and a Bora. I don't think i'd be buying that particular golf, no electric windows in this day and age is ridiculous.

whats the carbon filter do? is it something to do with positive crankcase ventilation. agreed no elec windows is not a selling point. ford focuss are cheaper than golfs and just as stong. a well specced one would be my next port of call. however i have driven a high spec turbo dieseled focus with digital climate and satnav in france and found it to be not as nice as my MKIV 1.4 so just shows u. my 1.4 is not fast but what it is is a very comfortable, turbine smooth car that doesnt rattle (apart from the ticking) and whos seats are very comfortable.

stratos

Lomb I hear ya. I agree, I like you, would probably know a good buy or a lemon in a quick drive. Hey I've never brought a bad car around to my mate yet. However not everyone knows about cars, and it's gotta be in the top ten most infected lakes. But if your new, spending money that makes you nervous, and have,nt got oil under yor fingernails (yet). Stack as many odds as you can in your favour. No deal is foolproof.

stratos

Actually hang on i forgot about the blue beast, took my eye off that one. a blue lemon oh well. we all have bad days.

lomb

stratos wrote:

However not everyone knows about cars, and it's gotta be in the top ten most infected lakes.

so true.

lomb

from a quick web search

Tick, tick, tick. That's the noise that my 1996 BMW E36 328is made. It sounded like valve noise. The noise only showed up when the engine had warmed up. It was most noticeable at idle, when the engine was making the least noise, but it was present at other times too. It sounded like one of my favorite songs, the 60 Minutes theme, but it was entirely inappropriate and embarrassing for the car to "sing" it whenever it wanted. I felt like the car was a rolling Timex ad.

I couldn't tell exactly where the noise was coming from, because of all of the background noise of the engine. Even the ear-to-the-screwdriver trick left me looking for answers. So, I did what anyone would have done, and I started throwing inexpensive parts at the problem.

I thought that the timing chain tensioners might have something to do with it. After all, it seems to work for the 4-cylinder M42 people, so it might work in my 6-cylinder M52, too. I replaced the primary (crankshaft-to-exhaust camshaft) timing chain tensioner, but that didn't solve it. When I found that the original tensioner still had plenty of spring left in its step, I decided to avoid the hassle of replacing the secondary (camshaft-to-camshaft) tensioner, at least for a while, and look elsewhere.

Figuring that if it sounded like valve noise, it might have actually been valve noise, I turned my attention to the HVA (hydraulic valve adjuster) elements. If these become oil-starved, the engine's top end will make a tapping noise. I checked the oil level, and it was correct. (Of course it was.)

Then, by chance one day, I was parking my car while listening to the aggravating beat of the clicking, when I embarrassingly stalled. Although the engine had stopped, the clicking hadn't. I left the car on and popped the hood, and without all of the background noise, I was easily able to identify the source of the ticking.

Here it is.

It's a mysterious little valve attached to the right side of the front left spring strut dome, tucked below the mass air flow sensor. It has a 2-wire electrical connection on top, a vacuum hose on the bottom, and a vapor hose attached to the side. With the help of some wiring diagrams, I identified this part as the evaporative emission control system's purge valve. In BMW nomenclature, it's referred to as the TEV part of the EVAP system, fuel tank vent valve, charcoal filter valve, or evaporative emission valve. Have a look at the parts diagram, the valve in question is part 13.90.1.744.150.

The DME (digital motor electronics unit, the engine computer) calls for the purge valve to open to allow the fuel vapor collected in the carbon canister to be breathed in by the engine and burned. It's supposed to make this call whenever operating conditions permit. The engine needs to be up to temperature, and not under too high a load. I wasn't expecting the purge valve to be opening and closing so rapidly, but the Bentley manual confirms that the purge valve control is indeed pulsed. (See page 130-37, pin 68.) It gives me about 6-8 ticks per second, which is roughly the same interval you might expect of valve noise, except it's not dependent on engine speed. Of course, since you can hear the ticking most clearly at idle, it's easy to overlook this fact.

If you're sufferring from this problem, grab this valve when you hear the ticking noise. If it's the culprit, you'll know right away because you'll feel it kicking with every click.

There's no reason the DME should have been calling for the purge valve to open with the engine stopped after a stall. It's probably just a lucky DME software bug that kept the valve dancing without an engine speed signal. If it weren't for this, I'd probably still be tooling around with dubious solutions like overfilling the oil.

Knowing that the noise came from a silly solenoid and not the valve train put my mind at ease, but I still wanted to be rid of it. Fortunately, the problem was known to BMW in 1996. Their solution was to isolate the valve from the body. This is covered in their service information article SI 13 01 96.

SI 13 01 96 calls for a simple $4 (even on the dealer's price list) rubber mount to eliminate the noise. It's part 13.71.1.259.818, and is the same part used to mount the air box to the body. Here it is, along with a 6mm nut, which the dealer tossed in for free. Thanks, dealer.

Installation is simple. Remove the bolt holding the valve to its bracket (a 10mm deep socket will come in handy), put the rubber mount where the bolt had been, and secure the valve to the other side of the rubber mount with a 6mm nut (once again, use the 10mm socket.) It takes less time to add the rubber mount than it does to read this article. BMW suggests 3 FRU, or 18 minutes, but I guarantee you'll finish it in less time even if you're completely mechanically declined. When you're done, it will look like this, although hopefully your engine bay won't be as dusty as mine.

Start the engine, let it warm up, and marvel at the absence of noise. You won't be bothered by this valve any more. In fact, it'll be so quiet that you'll need to touch it to be sure that it is even operating. (In my car, the DME starts pulsing the valve at about the same time that the water gauge passes out of the top of the blue "cold" region.)

It seems that BMW tried a few different mounting methods for this valve over the life of the M52-powered E36 (323i and 328i models), so this may not apply to all cars. If this solves your ticking problem, or if your purge valve is mounted differently, I'd like to hear from you.

Happy motoring, and enjoy the silence!

Mark
1996 BMW 328is (E36), 83kmi

alias no.9

bazz26 wrote:

Personally, I don't like the Golf as I think it is bought on the strenght of being over reliability. It's no more reliable than a Corolla or Civic.

It's not nearly as reliable as a corolla or civic. The reliability 'image' harks back to the mkII golf which was indestructable, things have gone downhill since.

bazz26 wrote:

It's overrated, overpriced, underpowered and underspeced imo, but everyone to their own.

I seem to remember using those exact words before
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=2070512&postcount=27

bazz26 wrote:

PS check the central locking as VW had terrible problems with this in all their cars around that year.

Indeed, central locking problems plagued mkIV golfs, and most dealers were none too helpful.

Back to the main point however, Enigma, we can't make a judgement on a second hand car that we've never seen, the reputation of any model of used car must be taken with a pinch of salt, 'supposed lemons' might never let you down, and 'one you're supposed to buy because it's better than everything else' can sometimes cause heartache. The history and condition of the car will always be paramount when buying used, but it's hard to beat gut instinct because if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't right. You've said you're forking out more for this than you have ever done before for a car, just take your time making your decision, make sure you're happy with it before you buy, there is an awful lot to chose from right now, after all you'll be keeping it for at least 2 to 3 years.

daveg

lomb wrote:

what were the symptoms? slightly rough on releasing the accelerator? my mums has that i think the maf needs cleaning, just need a bit of electrical contact cleaner.

Sorry for the delay in replying.... From what I remember (about 4 years ago) the the car would start to chug and seem to loose power. As if it were running out of petrol.

lomb

daveg wrote:

Sorry for the delay in replying.... From what I remember (about 4 years ago) the the car would start to chug and seem to loose power. As if it were running out of petrol.

yep sounds familiar, the mass air flow sensor cakes up with dirt and get progressivly worse loosing all power.
tbh it would have generated a particular error code,surprised they didnt pick it up. mafs are dear though about 150 euro and maybe 100 to fit it so 250?

daveg

lomb wrote:

yep sounds familiar, the mass air flow sensor cakes up with dirt and get progressivly worse loosing all power.
tbh it would have generated a particular error code,surprised they didnt pick it up. mafs are dear though about 150 euro and maybe 100 to fit it so 250?

yes you would think a main dealership in Galway should pick that up and not charge 4 hours labour wouldn't you :rolleyes:

They told me they only had to clean the sensor - no parts - but it cost over £200 for labour.

lomb

daveg wrote:

yes you would think a main dealership in Galway should pick that up and not charge 4 hours labour wouldn't you :rolleyes:

They told me they only had to clean the sensor - no parts - but it cost over £200 for labour.

was a little expensive alright , did it do the job though?

daveg

yep.

lomb

il try it on mums

PauloMN

Enygma - damp smell, not in great nick, ticking noise..... walk away. There are SO many 2nd hand cars out there, spend a little time looking around and be choosy - it's a buyers market. You WILL be able to get a much better buy out there.

lomb

PauloMN wrote:

Enygma - damp smell, not in great nick, ticking noise..... walk away. There are SO many 2nd hand cars out there, spend a little time looking around and be choosy - it's a buyers market. You WILL be able to get a much better buy out there.

lol the damp smell- all 1+year old golfs have this-crap design of wiper motor at back and weak pipes.
ticking- perfectly normal my brand new car did this, all golfs do this.

Enygma

Sorry for delay.

The mech down below said it was just noisy tappets and that it was normal on Golfs, I just got off the phone with a VW mechanic and he said that it's "most certainly not normal" and that if a lay person such as myself noticed it then there's definetely something wrong.

The way I see it is, I'm in no rush and I'm not 100% happy with what I'm buying, there are plenty of cars out there too.

So I guess I'm still looking, just hope the exhaust doesn't fall off my banger before I find another one!

Thanks everyone!