@Vorsprung durch Technik - answering your questions:
The clutch stank badly of burning (though this may have been from when the previous owner drove it onto the car transporter revving its nuts off to keep from stalling!) and had a juddery sudden action so although the friction plate was only about half way down to the rivets I decided to change it. I only rarely get to change a clutch so and I have a bit of an OCD about tightening the bolts evenly on the pressure plate since a Metro and a Renault 12 I did in the late 1980s both ended up with juddery clutches after I changed them. Tightening the bolts exactly 45deg in steps and strict rotation takes ages but has so far resulted in really smooth take up on the ones I've done since.
Also the GTI: not really foot to the floor - no it just wanted to get up and go, like my 2003 3L A4 convertible - just tickle the accelerator and suddenly you're headed for a speed awareness course or SP30 if plod or a Gatso is watching.
The cooler weather has meant I can live without cool air for now so the faults in the last post will wait for a bit.
I knew it was too good to be true because too many people had warned me. The engine warning light came on after about 200 miles. Codes 16804 and 17699 popped up when I scanned the engine controller with VCDS on my work laptop which has the shareware version on it so you only get to find out the first code meaning and have to google the others (home laptop has full version):
16804 - Catalyst System; Bank 1: Efficiency Below Threshold
17699 - Coolant Temp Sensor at Radiator Outlet (G83); Signal too Large: Upper Limit Exceeded
I was half expecting the cat one because the MOT emissions were a bit marginal and the cat is an aftermarket Powerflow one I guess the previous owner had fitted.
Yesterday I changed two things:
1) The G83 radiator outlet temperature sensor - easy to do after removing the undertray and £9.71 from Eurocarparts - didn't need to drain the coolant and only lost about 100ml despite the old o-ring sticking in the housing and needing to be lifted out with a finger. Will see soon if it fixes 17699...
2) The "running in" oil after 250 miles and put 4.5l Quantum Platinum in it with another new oil filter. (Thanks for the advice
@Vorsprung durch Technik, I've not stuck to it quite but then this isn't a motor worth thousands!). The mineral oil that came out looked only very slightly darker than when it went in and I was watching it spill into the catch container the whole time - no metallic bits or anything except oil.
I also saw that both the exhaust flanges either side of the flexi section seems to be leaking slightly in the middle. There is a tiny amount of soot around the joint and you can just feel the hot gas when you plug the tailpipe with a rag. Also condensation drip from both flanges from a cold start. This could easily be the cause of the 16804 problem. I'll replace both gaskets, having not renewed them with the engine / clutch work as they looked perfectly alright. I might try just a smear of exhaust sealer on the mating faces but I;ve heard that this can knacker a cat if a bit breaks off inside. Opinions please!
Also spotted that the under tray has actually been touching the bottom of the exhaust at the very back edge as it has melted and there has been the noise as if something is a bit boomy. All the exhaust mountings look good but the undertray seems to be maybe too high. Maybe it is missing a spacer or bracket at the back where it bolts to the subframe with sheet metal screws? or maybe the exhaust is bigger bore than stock?
I've ordered 2 new bits of exhaust heatshield / underbody trim to replace the comically corroded bits that are way too rattly and ratty to do anything with. These are the bits 8Z0825215(A?) and 8Z0804172B. I can't even see where all the mountings to the body were, will have to trace them using the new parts when they arrive. I'll use aluminium nutserts and nylon screws and washers to try to defeat the horrendous electrolytic corrosion that Audi couldn't be ar5ed to think about for these parts and their fastenings, at least until I find out which ones get above the nylon melting temperature!
See photos below. What do people think to what I've done to the interior? The seats, door cards and various plastics are from Pete
@P stamp and the other twist bits from Ian
@Proghound. The old interior was black with platinum half leather and Alcantara seats but the bottom bits of both front seats had basically "had it" and I had toyed for long enough with trying to match Alcantara repair material and either find someone to do the seat panel replacement (stitching) or do it myself (and likely make a dog's dinner), when Pete's twist seats came up and it was an easy decision. I might go for a twist roller blind thing if one comes up to replace the black one. I have Ian's Twist roof liner, carpet/mat set and some of the ABCD pillar panels still in Platinum which I may change out one day. The main reason to swap over the armrests was a practical one - the new door cards were from a car with 2 electric windows and my FSI has 4 so the switches wouldn't fit. Drilling the door cards' plastic welds, pulling old armrests off and screwing on the replacements was easy. Also I can live with the blanked-off rear winder holes in the new door cards, mostly 'cos I never go in the back! Obviously I now have lots of old bits: black door cards with cream armrests, half-leather and alcantara 5-seater set of seats etc. all safely tucked out of sight and mind in my lock-up. PM me if anyone is interested, or one day I'll get around to listing them on the parts for sale forum.
Oh, and Andy
@Gritty came out for a spin in it a few weeks ago before I accompanied him for a spin in his TDI - he only lives up the road it turns out, both our cars are Dolphin Grey with OSS, 16" wheels and similar vintage so outwardly they're really the same to a casual observer. We had a little tinker with his thermostat housing bolts too.
Enough for now, all the best,
Matt
The bulkhead is much more obstructed on the OS due to the brake servo and other fuel related gubbins. I must fire up my laptop and do a search to see if this wire routing has been solved by others, (Tapatalk search is hopeless) and also take a look at my TDI fog light wiring to see if I can learn anything.
