rav wrote:
Just phoned the previous seller, who tells me that the air con doesn't work, the passenger side electric window is very slow and it has a strange rattle from the front of the engine. This started after he had the belts changed (at 216k now 237k), but didn't get the idlers or rollers changed. The noise goes away after five minutes and he has used the car like this for over 9 months. Oil pressure gauge is faulty and always reads 5 bar when electrics are on (faulty earth?). He replaced the driving light lenses from glass to perspex as they kept being hit by stones and breaking. They are over £200 each from OPC. He also told me that on the last MOT, he was advised that the suspension bushes were near the end of their life - so will need changing now.
Hi,
My S2 has approx. 105,000 miles on the clock. Firstly, air con on a car of this age is unlikely to be working. It's more than likely going to need a new compressor and recharge etc to get it going again.
I'm not 100% sure about the rattle you mentioned but it may need the idlers and rollers. If you're going to get the rollers and idlers done, it's worth having the cam belts and water pump replaced at the same time. (You need to remove the belts to get to the water pump if I'm not mistaken). Someone will probably be along in a moment whoi knows a bit better than me.
As for the oil pressure gauge, is it always reading 5 bar? Does it read 5 bar when the car is warmed up. I find my oil pressure gauge sits at between 3.5 - 4 bar at idle when the engine is up to operating temp.
Headlight glass/lenses are the same as a Mk 1 Golf, so not sure why he was going to an OPC for these items. Should be able to get some good second ones from a breakers or flea bay.
I think the main thing to remember is to buy a car on the how well it has been maintained rather than condition/mileage. However, I've never heard of a 944 with 236k on the clock. IMO though, I think the car seems a bit expensive. I've seen good 944's with half the mileage for about £4k.
Regards,
Ben
