Recent content by gixerson

No pops, just a custom back box on mine

Removed my space saver wheel the day i bought the car. Have 2 tins of tyre foam and a decent 12v pump instead. Had 2 punctures over the years and the foam sealed them both enough for me to get to a tyre shop and get it fixed or replaced in one instance. So why not just ditch the spare and buy...

Used a bit of velcro tape on mine, been fine for over a year now. Trick is to use the right amount of velcro, too much and it's difficult to open, too little and it doesn't stay shut when lifted up.

First off £300 to change a bulb :ohmy: Just done mine and the replacement bulb was £60, took me about 20mins With regards to the fault, first thing i'd do is swap the ballasts over from left to right and see if the fault moves, if it does you know 100% you have a faulty ballast. If the fault...

This is the guide i used DIY Haldex Filter / Fluid Change - VW GTI Forum / VW Rabbit Forum / VW R32 Forum / VW Golf Forum - Golfmkv.com Did the Haldex and DSG tranny oil and filter change, very very easy

Had my 2004 3.2 for around 18 months now, in that time my average is 24.4mpg Best mpg on a tank so far is 27.9mpg, worst is 18mpg. Good points They're cheap to buy They're subtle looks wise compared to the S3 (might be a minus for folks more flashy) Throttle response (astounding) Noise...

Can't remember the exact brand, but i have tried waterless cooling liquid and ended up throwing it away. It was a pain to fill as you need to flush out the old coolant and let it dry, The car then ran a fair bit hotter with this stuff Absolute waste of time, money and effort

You can buy a replacement 3.2 engine for around £1500 these days. Hire a engine hoist, invite a few mates round to help and even if the worst happens you're back on the road for a LOT less than £4000

Not of downshifts. As i said above with a manual i can barrel into a corner, change down from 4th to 2nd while braking, and once the wheel speed is within 2nd gear speed i can heel and toe, lift up the clutch and use the engine braking. By adjusting the bite of the clutch and rev matching via...

As you say Dave each to their own To me nothing beats a good manual gearbox though when it comes to feel and control. With an Auto even in manual mode the ECU is controlling the gear change not you, you can "request" a gear but if the ECU doesn't like the request it won't give you the gear...

Honestly think you're looking at it about right there. Only thing i'd add is, try and get a test drive in a V6 A3 while you're at it. I know you said you like the looks of the R32, but the V6 A3 is essentially the same car but for less money with a better interior. I test drove both and they...

If it was me i'd keep what i had and save my money, but then i wouldn't accept any money from my parents towards a car either. Had my 05 3.2 for just over a year now, really really wasn't much of a fan at first. Coming from a MX5 all A3's just felt dull as dish water, heavy and had absolutely...

Apart from the gearbox i'd rake those all up s normal wear and tear.

Fact is there is a chance you'll get problems with any car. I've seen brand new Mercedes that have spent more time in the garage than on the road and i've seen 20 year old MX5's outputting nearly double their power running without problems for years. There are a few known problems with 3.2 DSG...

Had my 3.2 for just over 1 year now, 10k miles and not a single problem. Carried out a full service just after i bought the car, haldex and gearbox oils and filters changed. Change the oil every 3k, not lost a drop of oil between changes. Really wasn't a fan of the car for the first 6 months...