new and on the fence.......

[Neilpr]

Hi All,

Firstly, what an awesome forum, so much useful stuff. So thanks all for posting handy stuff.

So, be very much on the fence about a MK3 2000 model i got offered, especially since i read so many horrifying pre cat stories on all the forums.

So one of my friends and work colleague has just got a new TT so getting rid of his MK3. Came at the same time i was looking for a little second car for the summer, and wanted something i could tinker with.

went and saw it at the weekend even though i was hesitant. got high mileage 112k but full service history, 12 months mot and tax. its in good condition.

all the little things i have read about on the forum as common faults are the case. arial stuck up, cloudy lights, passenger window not working. its not smoking, healthy oil levels and idles great, and good power delivery.

arranged for me to get it, take it home then check the cats and de cat if needed and if cat is damaged i can take it back for a refund.

thoughts?

[Neilpr]

haha i guess not

[vinp182]

Can't go wrong if you can take it back for a refund dude

[vinp182]

Pre cat failure is a side effect of 'oval bore syndrome' so still be aware that even if the pre cats are still in tact then the 'oval bore syndrome' may still have occured ( or may still occur)

You need to take it for a good blast out using all of the rev range (espacially high end) with someone following you to see if it smokes then

[Neilpr]

ahhhh thanks for the heads up! i gave it a little blast and didnt see any smoke but as u said ill get someone to follow

picking it up today, but still a little nervous because of the amount of warnings about steeling clear of pre facelift.

'if' it blew, are there companies I can call to just sell the car to them for parts. its not worth paying 1k for a new engine when im paying just a little more than that for the car.

[Ekona]

Post-facelift precats can go too. They're cheapy nasty ceramic things, which is why TTE switched to metal for their turbo kit.

[Neilpr]

i bet the turbo versions go like a bloody rocket!

well fingers crossed i guess and keep an eye on the oil. going to de cat it at the weekend hopefully.

been a little while since i have had a car i can tinker on, so getting excited! even if i will look like a hairdresser driving it lol

[RST]

Just get rid of the pre-cats for a little peace of mind. If you read up on the various forums they can still go the same on post-facelift cars (some after 10k'odd from new ) I got a de-catted manifold from somewhere, maybe the defunkt JSP or summit but they're the same E-Bay copies anyway. When an ECU re-set was done it still flew the MoT on emissions, a silly mod not to do.

[Neilpr]

just did another post, as bloody heat shield is rusted on! arghhhh