[Dee_aRe_Cee]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

There is an exact same Golf in Pune with a friend. He restored the car using another donor car. Coincidentally it bears a similar Txx registration as well.

Congrats on the restoration. P.S: Do you live in Kamat complex off Miramar?

Post some pictures if you can, would love to see it!

Are you from North Goa? I actually drive near there often as my friends and I drive around in a small group, with our old cars (maybe bugs, a bus, golfs, impalas or the e30 and you'll see 2's or 3's)
I stay in a village near Mapusa

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by Dee_aRe_Cee

Post some pictures if you can, would love to see it!

Are you from North Goa? I actually drive near there often as my friends and I drive around in a small group, with our old cars (maybe bugs, a bus, golfs, impalas or the e30 and you'll see 2's or 3's)
I stay in a village near Mapusa

Sorry, the registration that I thought it had was wrong. Couldn't get frontend pics:

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

That's an mk2, got a sedan (Jetta) version of it ready for paint.
Was the donor white? I saw a white golf in the background of the pics of my donor, might just be it.
Those wheels are a bit rare, it might have a nice leather interior

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

EASTER EGG

1.5 4spd to 1.6 5spd

Picking up the car was delayed by 2 week due to unforeseen circumstances.
I went to Pune all excited expecting to push things to get ready but had to return early as I had an exam the next day(stop judging me! It was just a practical exam!). The engine needed tuning and the brakes were getting jammed. Don't ask for pictures, I was heart broken and was in no mood to take any.

Did I mention that I got the car with only the front brakes functional(hence they needed work), that the vacuum wasn't generating so I had to engine brake at the same time as I stood on the brake pedal? Psst! the guy said "no need for ABS! you've got the engine brake which doesn't lock". That's on the list of biggest B.S. statements made to sell a car, but whose taking the 1000km bus back? I wanted to drive! fast forward to today, the previous owner refuses to take my calls to get the NOC done! Got to send someone there once the car is back and get THAT DAMN NOC!

A few days after I returned from Pune, a friend dropped by and his beetle got my dad all nostalgic about his old beetles from his college days. He went on about how simple they are and how he would drive from Berlin to Athens with his bugs, how he once dodged baddits with the car, how they'd fly on the autobahn, how those big wheels, light weight and peppy engine would give the guys in their Benz's a run for their money. After a while I realized that my plan of 2 VW's as daily drivers was fine, I loved the golf, but the mk2 Jetta was the wrong car for my dad, he needed a Beetle! I began discussing it with my dad who was open to the idea of trading up the Jetta for a beetle after it was enjoyed a bit.


The coming Sunday had a car meet, so I took my dad along hoping to see some nice Beetles at the car meet. As I met up with my friends along the way I stopped to refuel and a friend with an earlier Beetle happened to stopped too, on asking my dad whether He wanted to have a ride in a beetle till the meeting point(an hour away) he jumped out of my zippy BMW E30 and shoo'd me away as he ran off to the beetle


My earlier plan was to upgrade the Jetta to a 5 speed for my interstate expressway drives, but the whole Jetta plan was scrapped, the new plan was, restore, enjoy the car, sell it off and upgrade to a Beetle. This was a bit disappointing as I loved the VW mileage but the golfs top speed was 90kmph, that's horrible! I love reaching quickly as much as I love the long drives! Today I got a call that a 1.6D with the same mounting as the mk1 was found so I've decided to upgrade and it had a 5 speed so that will be serviced if required and fitted.

now the question is, what do I do with the left overs? sell as a runner? sell as a project? or sell as parts?

Do P.M. me if anyone is interested, prices are reasonable.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[FINTAIL]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Sorry, the registration that I thought it had was wrong. Couldn't get frontend

Hey -

The car is always seen moving in and around Baner.

Saw it y'day at Balewadi infact.

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

Where's your golf?

"it's fine, I guarantee you will reach Goa"

I haven't updated this thread in ages, and to be honest I've been too embarrassed to do so. I got a 2 year reminder of when I bought the car yesterday and I decided I would update this. Friend's have constantly asked me where my car is, to annoy me or genuine concern and at some point I've gotten so frustrated that I can't tell the difference. I've been filled with rage and I'd like to advise others not to go down the same path. You have to over look your own restoration, you can't expect a workshop 500km away to do thing's the way you expect them to do it. Either do it yourself, be involved, or don't bother at all!

The last update was when I reached Pune, expecting a car that was road worthy, when I reached there it was 6 am, I came along with a friend, was already cheated by the taxi driver and all I wanted to do was get into my car and drive it home, but things are never that simple. As I neared the car from the rear I noticed it wasn't alright. The front was raised and something was off. I approached the car hoping for the best but fearing the worst, I open the bonnet to find no head in sight! I was very disappointed and depressed, in no mood to take pictures of the car. I just sat around for the next few hours, waiting for the owner of the workshop to come, explain what I was looking at and what was next. by 11 the workshop owner came to the workshop, I met him, was greeted with a smile but he ran off again to speak to workers around and other waiting customers (I doubt they came from 500km away to see their cars but I'm extremely patient so I didn't make a big deal of it)

when he was finally free he told me I won't be able to drive the car and I'll need to give him more time. I was shocked, I had traveled all the way(have I mentioned its 450km one way?) and expected so much more, this wasn't what I wanted to hear! I told him I can give him 2 more weeks, and he was fine with that. It was a long and slow bus ride home, I was disappointed but glad that I'd be getting my car back soon and that it would be DONE RIGHT.

Every cloud has a silver lining

"Don't worry!" he said
"your car is fine" he said

3 weeks after I last saw my car I was ready to leave for Pune. It was more than those 2 weeks I had given them to fix her up and I was all pumped up and ready to drive it home. I tend to get over confident, so I came alone. I decided to reach Pune on a saturday, leave the same day to reach Goa on the same day.
When I got there it was the same thing again! major parts were missing in the engine bay! but I was assured it was just off for minor work and would be back soon.
I checked out the donor car, it was now 2 colors but had useful bits on it
I left the workshop for a while, planning what I'd do with it, chop it up and sell the spares, make the front end into a fridge, give it away to someone up for a crazy project, exchange it for parts, make a caddy or cabrio. crazy idea's, just blind brain storming!




They fit it back together quickly, started the engine and tuned it. It seemed fine when I got back in a few hours later, so I took it out for a test drive. It drove fine, it wasn't the 5 speed I was promised but it drove fine till I saw steam! The elbow leading to the radiator was leaking so we limped it back and fixed it. It was already past dark. The workshop owner( I think I need to find him a nick name, Mr.D it is!) decided to test it a bit more so I joined him on the test drive.

I noticed the oil light coming on after a while, it would stay off at the beginning but turn on after a few minutes. He assured me that it was fine and it had to do with the wrong oil sensors being used. he assured me it would be alright to drive it to Goa.

he dropped me off at a nearby hotel, insisting that I wait for the next day as the payments were pending and they couldn't be done so late and told me to meet up with him the next morning, after 11am, after church.

I met him the next morning, everyone was smiling, me because I was finally getting my car back and Mr.D because he wouldn't have to see my car anymore and MAYBE because he was getting paid for it too(who doesn't love HONEST money? especially after all those months of slogging over the car, making sure it was finally PERFECT!). As the bill came in I realized it was half more than what I had expected, but why fuss about it? I just wanted to get it back and I was glad that it was finally done right! As I finally sat in my semi restored(I'd need to do the rest myself) and fully functional 1980 volks-of-the-wagen golf, I was glad. I started the car and got it onto the main road and out of the garage. As I got ready to leave, Mr.D made sure to see me off.I asked him one last time "are you sure it's fine this time? that oil light won't be a problem?" he said "don't worry Baba, it's normal, don't worry, I checked it MYSELF!" I left, glad to hear his reassurance and ready to tackle the next 450km!


I filled up the tank and realized the battery was low on charge, Mr.D said don't worry, it'll take some time to charge so I push started the car and went on my way. It took me a while to get on to the open road, but when I finally was, I felt free, alive and ohh so relieved!

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

When good turns bad

well, it can't get worse

It was a relief to finally get to drive my car, after all those months(5 if I remember correctly), she was finally on the road, the car was driving fine, just the way I remembered it with a pinch more of a punch. As I neared the out skirts of Pune, I accidentally shifted into the wrong gear over a speed breaker and stalled the car, I managed to get the car to the side of the road with whatever little momentum it had left. I got out of the car to stretch my legs a bit and check if everything was alright under the bonnet, well, at that point there was no use. I COULDN'T OPEN THE BONNET! it just wouldn't unlatch!

It hadn't charged yet so I pushed the car a bit, as I was on a slight slope It was no problem, she started! What a relief! As I got out of Pune I was glad that I was finally on my way! I had passed where I had previously experienced a break down(another story for another thread). I was FINALLY on the expressway! It's not like the golf is the fastest vehicle around, actually a stock, 4 speed diesel is pathetic! Its tired at 80kmph! As I was cruising, I noticed a first gen octavia Vrs in my rear view mirror, I love those! he sped past then slowed down just to give me the thumbs up! Was quite satisfying for Smokey after she was called a maruti 800 all her life!

at the next diversion I accidentally stalled the car to realize that the battery wasn't charging, well great! I got out of the car and asked for help from a nearby tea stall, no one would help, so I shut the door and started pushing the car, as I tried to open it I realized the door wouldn't open! It was like the damn thing was pissed off! It just kept misbehaving! I was heading for a tree so I quickly stopped and turned into the brakes after being the driving force! I managed to stop right next to the tree. I got back into the car after managing to open the door, I sat back in, defeated yet hopeful, I gave her once last crank after apologizing AND SHE STARTED!

When bad turns WORSE

atleast I didn't get kidnapped, right?

It was already past 2pm, I had continued driving, eager to get home, suddenly I notice a ticking sound from the engine! I stop the car and call up to hear that it was tested, it shouldn't be a problem, maybe it's just overheating, add some coolant to the water. I continue in search of a shop with coolant when suddenly the tire bursts! How bad can my day get? I turn off the car with alot of hesitation. I check the spare, and it's alright! I jack up the car to find that the workshop placed the wrong tire iron! IT WAS TOO BIG! My only option was to continue driving with a flat till I found a tire repair shop, I got onto the service road and continued till I FINALLY found a shop to find that they didn't have that size either! I then traveled around 2 kilometers in the opposite direction, into a village to finally find the correct tools I required! I replaced the tire and stopped at the nearest tool shop I could find to buy the correct spanner.



By now it was 4pm and I realized I would have to travel at night, I had to! I had no choice! I just wanted to get the car home! I continued till 6-7pm to find the ticking sound quickly getting worse, it wasn't a temperature problem, it was SOMETHING ELSE!

[autocrat]

Originally Posted by Dee_aRe_Cee

When good turns bad
it was SOMETHING ELSE!

Mate I can understand the pain. I went ahead and thanked your post as its going to flatten the learning curve for many of us.

Glued to the thread.

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

Originally Posted by autocrat

Mate I can understand the pain. I went ahead and thanked your post as its going to flatten the learning curve for many of us.

Glued to the thread.

Thank-you, I've been waiting for over a year to get the car back, whatever I'm posting is a year old. It was a harsh learning experience. I was too naive! Thank you for your reply! I thought no one was reading anymore and wasn't going to post again. Will update it further tonight

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

When worse turns to FML!

At that point I thought to myself 'I think I'm getting kidnapped by these villagers'

I was near Kholapur, so close to home yet so far. I needed to drive a dozen more kilometers, get off the highway and get onto the road leading to the ghats. I could see the sun setting, all of a sudden I noticed a horrible ticking sound from the engine! The higher the RPM the worse it would get! This was unlike anything I had ever experienced and I did not know how to diagnose it, all I could think of was getting to the nearest mechanic.

As I started to slow down on the side of the road, I could see 2 men on a bike slowly over taking. I was desperate, someone back home once told me the highway near Kholapur is unsafe, but I had no other choice, so I stopped them and asked them where the nearest workshop is, they pointed ahead, said it was less than 2 km away and said they'd show me where. As I followed them slowly I neared a slope, finally the sounds were too bad to bear so I quickly shut off the car.

I was on a steep slope, they asked me what was wrong and I explained that the car needed a bit of rest before I could limp it further. As I struggled with the bonnet and finally realized that I had to pull it to the left for it to unlatch, I realized that even the bodywork wasn't sorted out properly and it was actually worse.

I let the car cool for a bit while I spoke to the two men who stopped to help me out. they explained that they were in a hurry, had a family engagement but would help me out. after a while I tried to crank the engine, It wouldn't start, so we decided to push start it backwards.

the car rolled backwards on its own, the slope was quite steep, the only problem was traffic and the fact that the sun had set and it was pitch dark! I found a lack of traffic and started to role back. I prepared to start the car, shifted into reverse and let go of the clutch... *BANG!*

I pulled the hand brake and got out of the car, looked underneath to find that the exhaust had fallen. The workshop had changed the engine to a different one but didn't fit the exhaust correctly! I got under the car and tried to wrestle with the exhaust and get it into place but there was far too much tension! The two guys were shocked! What was this guy doing, rolling on the ground, trying to fix his car. They were confused by my swiss army knife too( it's a life saver but people misunderstand it as a weapon). I took out some tools, a jack and tried some tricks to get it in place but nothing worked! I needed something else to tie it up. it was 8 and they were late, they promised to return with some wire in an hour. I watched them ride away and got back under the car, struggling with it for another half an hour, then got back in the car and waited.

I fell asleep to be woken up by a knock on the window and a light in my face! I thought I was being robbed but then I realized that these two guys had returned to help me out. They brought some wire and I managed to lift the exhaust. I tried to start It again to hear something that resembled a metallic monster under the bonnet, well at this point I knew the engine was toast!

We managed to push the car nearly a km and stopped before an underpass leading to the workshop on the other side of the expressway, I had no more energy left to push it to the other side. I then asked them if they could drop me to a hotel if possible and they asked me to sit on their bike. As we started to move they told me that I won't be able to find a hotel at this time, at this point I realized that no one would find the video surveillance of me stuck between two unknown men the way I had seen all those videos on TV of kidnapped kids. I would be gone without a trace!

[v12]

Sorry to hear about your experience Dee_are_cee. The experience with any vintage / classic car restoration is always a mixed one. Agreed these cars need a lot of time and money - but along with that you also need a restorer with good experience, honesty, patience and above all responsible. The fact that you have given your car for restoration to someone who is hundreds of kms shows the kind of trust you have placed in them. If they re not able to keep that trust - I wonder what customers within the same city face.

You did make a good decision by taking the car away from him. It's best to keep the car with you than let it rot with the restorer. Maybe it would be a good idea to hire a good mechanic and have him come over to your house and get the work done - if you have all the tools available to do the job.

[crdi]

I truly understand how you might be feeling. You trusted your mechanic way too much. Was the place that much reputed to assign the job so far away? You probably could have given it to some garage in Bangalore. I'm sure that bhpians of Bangalore would have given you some leads even about the not so famous garages. If you still haven't made peace with yourselves, what about making it a mongrel car of sorts, i.e. cosmetically 100% golf and engine/transmission/suspension from something recent and reliable. Please do give us the rest of the story.

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

Originally Posted by crdi

I truly understand how you might be feeling. You trusted your mechanic way too much. Was the place that much reputed to assign the job so far away? You probably could have given it to some garage in Bangalore. I'm sure that bhpians of Bangalore would have given you some leads even about the not so famous garages. If you still haven't made peace with yourselves, what about making it a mongrel car of sorts, i.e. cosmetically 100% golf and engine/transmission/suspension from something recent and reliable. Please do give us the rest of the story.

The reason I sent it there was because I expected them to have expertise in handling early liquid cooled VWs. They'd know where to get parts and what matches and I had a donor car in Pune, it seemed like the perfect plan but sadly Mr.D is unprofessional as you will see in the coming updates. I wouldn't change the engine to something that isn't from the same family. Updating slowly, till I get the car back.

Originally Posted by v12

You did make a good decision by taking the car away from him. It's best to keep the car with you than let it rot with the restorer. Maybe it would be a good idea to hire a good mechanic and have him come over to your house and get the work done - if you have all the tools available to do the job.

the car is ready now, these updates are old. I did take the car from him later on and move it back to Pune to another workshop. It's yet to reach home.

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

Starting all over again

started with 1 and a half car and now its hardly one

After the days events I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was sleep, but I was still confused as I neared a hut. My new two friends welcomed me into their home, as one went out the other was talking to me about his job. At some point I removed my power bank which he had never seen before! I explained how it worked while the other returned with food. After eating they offered their own bed while they slept on the floor. As I tried to sleep I realized that these simple people had helped me in a way I would have never helped anyone else, we are constantly thinking about losing the things we have.

I woke up to a weird sound outside, I opened the door to find these creatures as confused as I was by my presence.


After a while we headed to a neighbors place who happened to be a mechanic. We went to the car to find that the engine had seized. We towed the car to the workshop and I exchanged numbers with the mechanic, there were 2 w115's so I assumed they'd be able to handle it.

I headed back to the bus stand and asked one of the guy's who had helped me what I owe them for their trouble. He put up his hand and said "Friendship isn't here" as he rubbed his fingers together, "It's here" as he touched his chest.

The engine that they had fited in Pune hadn't been flushed of the old gunk, who know's if they even changed the oil looking at these pictures. (I lost the pictures but it WAS BAD!) Over the next few weeks it was a struggle to make Mr.D take responsibility for the engine seizing. He sent a bottom end to the workshop in Kholapur which did not fit. After two months of frequent calls they took the car away to "the outskirts of Pune" where it was to be fixed by the same mechanic. Considering what had happened Mr.D finally agreed to make things right.

After many phone calls back and forward it sounded like things were going well till a friend of mine sent some pics of a car 'just like mine' rotting on the roadside near Panchgini on a whatsapp group. turns out IT WAS MY CAR! I decided to give them another 1 month as I was doing a road trip and would pick it up on the way.


Within that month I found someone ready to take up the donor car as a project but when I called the workshop up and they said the municipality destroyed and took the car(no photographic proof). The car was parked in the compound but they said they took it to the road temporarily during a renovation and the municipality took the car away without a warning! It sounded fishy but I still had another car which I didn't want to lose aswell. Mr.D promised to do things right again after this loss.

[Nissan1180]

You're going through a lot of pain.
It's sad to see this.
Did you ever think of giving your car to a reputed restorer and letting him handle it all?
You are spending quite a bit of money and time trying to make this work, and although I admire your passion, I feel that the unprofessional people don't deserve so much of your time.
Just my opinion.
All the best.