Re: Scirocco virgin...

[trnsfrma@ix.netcom.com (Shawn C. Meze)]

At 12:22 AM 7/8/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Just purchased a 1986 8V Scirocco.  Grey, stock rims, 76,000 miles.  I've
>been in love with the Scirocco ever since my dad owned a 1980 S1 and
>totalled it in 1985.  I'm in my third year of college at University of
>Michigan, so I finally saved up a few grand to buy one.  Being from
>Detroit, VW's don't come easy.  It took me quite a while to find a S2 in
>decent shape.


Sounds like you got a pretty good car there! An 86 with only 76,000 miles? 
its just getting broken in!


>1.  My odometer only works for 10-15 miles at a time until it poops out
>Speedo works great, but trip-meter sticks too.  Any suggestions?  I'm
>trying to    
>talk to guys at the dealer I bought it from to repair it. Is this common? I
>investigated the "true" mileage.  I called the last owner and she sold it 2
>     months ago with 73k.  

Hmm, sounds like it may have much more than 76,000 miles on it. 
Unfortunately, this is somewhat common. Jans web site has a really good FAQ 
on it regarding the VW spedo problems. You may want to check it out first. 
If you can get the salesman to fix it, then thats worth a shot. Chances are 
that he wont fix anything for you under the AS-IS clause.

>2.  The nylon ball under my shift boot (don't know the proper name) seems
>to be very worn out.  Shifting from 1-2 is a biiiiiitch.  How much is this
>part, what is it called, and how long/easy is it to replace myself?  Bought
>a Haynes manual, but I wasn't impressed with the details it provided.

Thats the shifter. its probably worn out and needs replacing. About $45 for 
that part. What also contributes to the poor shifting is the shift bushings. 
More than likely, they're beat all to hell (if they're still even on the 
car) and are in dire need of replacement. You can reolace the shifter but it 
will require a somewhat difficult alignment job afterwords. Its kinda 
annoying if you do it by yourself. 
If you get to the point of doing this yourself, lemme know and I can write 
up a detailed instruction sheet on doing the job.


>3.  The struts also are in dire need of replacement.  I priced replacements
>at ~$30 each, but with labor I'm talking $400.  Are there any "better"
>strut replacements out there that are reasonably priced?  Does anyone know
>where I can get this infamous tool I need to remove these struts?  


$30 each is pretty good actually. $280 labor is rediculous! Does this 
incluse the alignment too? (it better had for that price!) 
The tool you will need is the Spring Compressor. I dont know if you have an 
"Auto Parts Club" or anything like this near you. (its like a Costco for 
auto parts) They have the tools you would need. Its about $50 for the to
ol. Thats what I paid for mine. 
If you are going to just use a stock strut (for the front) and shock (for 
the rear) you can probably replace the rears easily yourself. I have done it 
without using the tool and just using my own body weight on the spring I was 
able to get it off with no problems. (Dont try this at home kids.) The front 
struts are the difficult ones to replace. 


>4a.  What other "college budget" mods can I make to this beast to make it 
>purr?  


Not much really. There is alot you can do the have it run great for you the 
whole time your in college.


>4b. Is a K&N worth my $40?  


Absolutely! You buy it once and never buy a filter again! Its especially 
great if you ever encounter the oiling of the air box. It happens with the 
8V. Blowby gasses drag atomised oil with it and runs down into the airbox
. Soaking the air filter and makes a mess. Its typical for vw's so dont be 
shocked if you see it in your airbox when you open it. Since the K&N filter 
is already an "oil bath" type system, you dont have to throw it away, 
simply clean and re-oil it and your good to go.

>4c. How much is a short-shift kit?

Anywhere between $45 (ABD) and $150 (Neuspeed). 

>4d.Or, how easy is it to cut the stock shifter and rethread it for the 
knob?

Depends on whether or not you have (or know somebody who can) the tooling to 
do it. 


>5.  One last question!  I am putting in a Blaubunkt CD player and will be
>removing my stock cassette deck.  Any hints/tips on doing this?  

Pull the center console out. It will give you full access th the rear of the 
console making the removal and instalation easy. If you need details on how 
to remove the center console, lemme know.  


>I looked
>all over for a wire harness, to no avail.  Like I said, imports don't go
>over all that great in Detroit and it shows in the parts store too.  

Its pretty straight foreward for the most part. Once you get into it all 
sorts itself out. Kinda.  :)



Shawn
86' Jetta GLi
82' Scirocco GTi
The Fastest, Quickest, Cleanest and
best looking Scirocco in all of San Diego!
http://www2.netcom.com/~trnsfrma/vws.html

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