Common MK3 problems?

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J-Money

J-Money

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Helping someone look for a mk3 golf. Apart from catching fire, are there any major issues I should take note of?

Should be the base 1.8L engine (that's the one in them, right?!)

Thanks.
 
Yup, the early model mk3's are 1.8 8 valve with a single fuel injector. Later they changed to 2.0L 8 valve and after that they offered the VR6 OBD2 12 valve.
 
There are some OBD2 1.8 8Vs too, my friend has a 1997 1.8 golf.

Body-wise, you should check the whole car, they are cancer on wheels honestly, the classic is the plate-surround that tend to rust quicker than the rest.
 
Yeah, I know about the rusting, and that's the first thing I check. Any known issues mechanically/recalls?

Like the coilpacks on the mk4 1.8Ts, or their windows falling out, lulz.

Should be going for the base 1.8L or 2.0L, no VR6 or 1.8T.
 
Mayerz said:
There are some OBD2 1.8 8Vs too, my friend has a 1997 1.8 golf.

Body-wise, you should check the whole car, they are cancer on wheels honestly, the classic is the plate-surround that tend to rust quicker than the rest.
Click to expand...

He is right... cancer on wheels... check the whole car from A to Z, body and mechanics, everything.
 
T'es facile a décourager, comment ca t'as un volks, avec tout ce que le monde disent sur la marque :laugh:
 
J-Money said:
Yeah, I know about the rusting, and that's the first thing I check. Any known issues mechanically/recalls?

Like the coilpacks on the mk4 1.8Ts, or their windows falling out, lulz.

Should be going for the base 1.8L or 2.0L, no VR6 or 1.8T.
Click to expand...

You can call any VW dealer and give them the VIN # and they can tell you if there is any recalls that need doing.

These cars are pretty basic, check spark plugs, spark plug wires, dist. cap and rotor, coilpack, you can check if a coilpack is cracked by spraying a mist of water on it and if it misfires then its cracked, that goes for checking spark plug wires and distributor caps also. I have never encountered anything incredibly wrong with these models, but you need to be sure you check everything from body, engine, suspension and steering
 
Aside from corrosion there really isn't much to go wrong with these cars aside from regular maintenance. The regular bushings, plugs, ignition wiring, gaskets...

If you manage to pick up a clean example (which isn't easy these days) you shouldn't have any issues with corrosion, the ones that had to rust away already have...
 
Mayerz, car is not for me, and the person who's buying it loves the volks style, but doesn't know too much about cars. I don't want to turn him away just because the first car he buys is a piece of shit, lol.

Jettaway, thanks for the heads up. Another buddy of mine is a mechanic, so we'll definitely bring the car to him for a thorough inspection if needed. Just wanted to double check if there was anything major that I can verify on the spot (apart from the car itself, as Sergio would say, lol).
 
Mayerz, car is not for me, and the person who's buying it loves the volks style, but doesn't know too much about cars. I don't want to turn him away just because the first car he buys is a piece of shit, lol.

Jettaway, thanks for the heads up. Another buddy of mine is a mechanic, so we'll definitely bring the car to him for a thorough inspection if needed. Just wanted to double check if there was anything major that I can verify on the spot (apart from the car itself, as Sergio would say, lol).
 
Dubweiser said:
Aside from corrosion there really isn't much to go wrong with these cars aside from regular maintenance. The regular bushings, plugs, ignition wiring, gaskets...

If you manage to pick up a clean example (which isn't easy these days) you shouldn't have any issues with corrosion, the ones that had to rust away already have...
Click to expand...

Thanks Argi, I seemed to have completely missed your post.
 
Corrosion, rear axle bushing, regular maintenance and the front driver door harness good luck
 
Thanks for the heads up guys, I'll check what I can if/when I go with my buddy to check of few of them. PL, I'll def bring it around to check corrosion if there's anything interesting.
 
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