My GT-G40

[dub-disaster]

looking realy good in those photos paint work looks immaculate!!!

[djtez]

always love the colour and condition of your car alex!

i keep a close eye on instagram also! lol

[Alex]

Hehe, Instagram is a random collection of bits but glad someone's checking it

Thanks guys!

[Jester]

Looks ace, colour is perfect! On the group meet photo the G looks so small!

[Alex]

It's pretty rare to find a car that's dwarfed by a Mk3 Polo. But...

[Alex]

Mini update.

It's occurred to me that I haven't introduced you lot to my long-termer. This is owned by SEAT UK, and I've got it on long-term test, going back in May next year. So think of this as my daily drive:


I like it. It's got the 1.2 TSI under the bonnet - 1.2 with a turbocharger - so it's livelier to drive than the factory figures suggest. I picked the spec, hence the FR trim and larger wheels, and I've fitted the TomTom nav upgrade, cruise control and USB iPod connection to make it really useful. This gets to do most of the hard work these days, and it's averaging around 42-46mpg (depending on how I drive it) using Shell V-Power which it seems to like.

Because it's the estate version it's also massive in the back. Four cases? No sweat.


The Polo is getting short-ish outings at the moment to keep it ticking over but it's still being stored on the lawn at my inlaws while we sort out a mortgage. I think the new screen has kerbed the leak, which is good, and there are two tubs of calcium chloride crystals inside to absorb the moisture while it's laid up. Fun and games. Winter mode? Here's mine...


Aiming to get it professionally Waxoyled next year, and add a wideband Stack AFRM to my bank of gauges, probably worked into the right hand speaker grille. Not sure yet.

Naturally, I'll keep you all posted. :thumbsup:

[Alex]

Interesting feature on MSN Cars this afternoon:
http://cars.uk.msn.com/features/cars-motoring-journalists-drive-1

[Alex]

Small updates.

We're about two weeks from completing on our house, so the Polo hopefully is only a couple of weeks from being garaged again. I'm already planning a bit of a refresh for the interior and engine bay. Just a few bits that I want to tidy up.

So, low mileage seats. They've been in storage for about eight years, so they're quite dusty, but the fabric is immaculate.


These are going in this weekend, and mine will go up for sale afterwards. Anyone after some really good condition Scirocco GTII seats? The only flaw is a small patch (1cm square) of missing vinyl on the driver's side door card and the seat base has gone a bit bobbly. I'll post pics when I've removed them.

My carpet has blim burns on it, so I'm replacing that when I've got a garage, and the driver's side door card has gone a bit saggy so I'll probably replace the whole set (so the fading is the same on all of them). One of my Corrado VR6 steering wheels will go in too. The plan is to take most of the interior out, hunt for rust, treat it, and replace anything knackered while it's in bits. :thumbsup:

In other news, I've got an automatic up! this week. It looks tiny on its own, but it dwarfs the Polo:


It's taller and wider, but the Polo is a few inches longer. I'll get a better pic tomorrow, when it's light, assuming both cars aren't covered in snow.

[Alex]

Well, this is annoying:


Driver's side door handle flipper. It's only been on there a year, you can tell by how little paint has chipped off (and if you look for my delocked door handle guide from Feb 2012)

It's the third non genuine door handle to break within five years. Enough is enough, I've ordered a genuine handle and footed a £42 bill. At £10 per time for play-doh non genuine rubbish it shouldn't take long to recoup the difference.

I'm on a bit of a renewing spree with this car at the moment. We should complete on our mortgage on Thursday so I'll have a garage again, which means I'll be able to crack on with a few jobs on the car.

New door cards picked up from G40jon last week:


The list is growing:
- new door handle on the driver's side
- replace inner air seals on the a pillars
- remove seats and clean thoroughly
- remove and replace front, and maybe rear, carpets
- remove door cards, seal fuel tank breather hose hole
- fit VR6 steering wheel
- renew door membranes
- replace/rewire passenger side lock solenoid
- re-attach rear wing rubbing strip
- clean it all!

Car looks like this at the moment:


Mechanically it's sound but it looks a bit tired due to being rained on constantly for six months.

Pics as and when.

[Alex]

Normality restored. Picked up our house keys on Thursday, G40 has been garaged since Friday.



Time allowing I'll be stripping the interior this week to clean it out and check for rust. There's loads of room in the garage, I can open both doors and walk all the way around it.

And, in other news:


Making a gauge pod for it in the next couple of weeks.

All for now.

[Alex]

Gauge pod has arrived. I'm going to chop a hole in the speaker grille and mount it on a piece of plastic where the speaker used to be. Not worked it out yet.

[Alex]

The pod is too big. So it's going back, and I've got another one coming. A cheap one, but it's smaller than this.

Unable to fit the gauge, I've been working on the house today. But I got a sudden burst of enthusiasm earlier means I've spent a couple of hours starting on the interior. It all comes out so quickly!





I'm quite looking forward to driving it like this. It won't be staying stripped though, I'm getting new carpet and renewing the sound deadening material while I'm at it.

Thankfully despite being soaking wet and fairly grim under there, it's not rusty. I'm taking it up to Ponty for a service and checkup next week, to see how solid it is underneath. With the fabric out they'll be able to get at everything easily.

I think I might need a new fuel tank. Not so good. Just a hunch.

Door cards coming out one evening this week. Easy job that.

[Alex]

So this morning I had a few errands to run, thought I'd take the Polo for a drive. The interior is very definitely going back in but for now it's a giggle driving it around like this:



Massive G-smiles!

It's booked in for a service and to have the wiring put in for the wideband on Tuesday, and a quick stop-off at Longlife Exhausts on Monday to get the nut welded in for the second lambda into the downpipe.

The floorpan seems to be solid on first inspection but my driver's side sound deadening didn't hold up to much vacuuming. Sucked a load of dust out of the passenger side footwell but ended up with half the driver's side insulation in my Dyson. Whoops! While the interior is out and it's in for a service I'll be getting any rusty bits fixed in the garage.

[Alex]

The car's been held up by a few delayed parts, rear beam bushes to be precise. Hopefully picking it up later this week, as I'm away Tuesday-Thursday.

So tonight, I spent a while reviving my new carpets ready for it to come back.


They've come out well, I think. Good and fluffy. I've given them a wash with AutoGlym interior cleaner for the bore stubborn bits.

My old ones have seen better days.


They were a bit grim when I bought them, a few fag burns and tears, and while I've had them they've spent a few years living next to building sites which has taken its toll. However, they're not awful, so I've put them up out of the way in case I ever need them again.

Sorry a slightly dull update. The interesting bits are happening out of sight at the moment - my gauges are all in and wired up, I've got a proper G40 rocker cover gasket, it's freshly serviced and there are some polyurethane rear bushes going in this week. But I've been in France most of the last few weeks so I've said not to rush it because I don't have time to pick it up anyway. 

[Alex]

It's home. Updates to follow.