First car! '96 6N

[Drakelet]

Got my first car on Friday. Polo 6N 1.4 SE P-reg. ^_^

She's not perfect, but I love her. I'm still 16 so can't drive on the road (legally...) yet [17 in a month today], although I live on a farm in the countryside so I have a drive I can drive up and down our track and a yard to practise 3-point turns. So far so good. Tractors are scary though...

Cleaned her today, and went around looking for problems. Before I made the purchase I got a local garage to have a look over. They said the coolant housing is leaking slightly, but apart from that nothing major (slight gearbox oil leak, a belt [forget which] slightly cracked, the bushes just starting to go), and very minimal rust. I've noticed the clutch needs a large depress and the handbrake needs to be pulled up a long way, but I'm hoping to get it taken into the garage soon and have some things tightened up. There are a few more non-engine problems too, but nothing serious.
Would anyone here be willing to give me some advice on repairs, such as if it's OK to do yourself, or how much they would cost?
Problems I've found so far:
- Near side mirror electric doesn't work [Either wiring broken or just unhooked?]
- Near side side indicator is slightly loose [Just needs refitting/tightening? Still works fine]
- Near side dash speaker slightly raised in one corner [As indicator]
- Near side front lock pin top snapped off [A whole new system needed or just pin? Hard to fit?]
- Near side front door speaker cuts out when door fully open [Wiring problem?]
- Aerial is a bit dodgy [Just buy another screw-in one if I want]
- Wiper blades need replacing [Just blades or full arm?]
- Fuel lid has no spring [Just spring or full cap?]
- Radio doesn't work [Previous owner said something about a cheap valve (he didn't know much about cars he said)]
As you can see, nothing major (mirror is the main thing).

The previous owner(s) had lots of those glass sticker things. When I got it there were two. One came off easily, although the other is cracked and is almost baked on. There are also marks from where others were, and they're really annoying me. I've also removed the tax disk holder, and that's left some gooey stuff. What's the best way to remove all this crap?

Also, what are the "standard" specs for a '96 SE?

I'm not looking on doing many mods due to money (or lack of). I'm probably gonna get a new head unit and speakers. Maybe clear side indicators? If I can get a job, some alloys too (although need to find out about the fitting - I've heard it's 4x100 35-38mm?).

Any help is hugely appreciated!!

[randomage]

Hey mate, if i were you i'd get the car into a garage for a full MOT style test, as that will bring most problems to light. get the belt changed asap, as snapped belts can cause a whole host of problems. If your dad or a mate is a meccy and you have the tools, i would have thought you could do it yourself, but if not take it to a garage.

sort out all the leaks quickly, they may not be a major problem, but having to spend a fortune on oil can be a major pain. bushes can be done at home, although they are an absolute pig!

VW handbrakes are always useless. i have trouble holding the car on a hill with mine! you'll learn to keep the car in gear if parked on a hill, for peace of mind if nothing else. all you can really do is get the cable tightened or replaced, and make sure the rear drums are in decent nick.

check the clutch for wear. if it's close to going, get it replaced by a garage.

i have no idea about the mirror i'm afraid, but wiring sounds like a possibility.

by side indicator im guessing you mean the repeater on the front wing by the door? i think these are just pop in jobs, get it out and check nothing is broken.

the dash speaker is the tweeter, if i recall the mesh on the top is held in by clips, it might be that one of these is broken. replacements can be obtained at a scrappies.

the pin is an easy job, again, go to a scrappy, unscrew the old pin and screw a new one on. job done

ns speaker sounds like a wiring fault. check the wires aren't being pinched by anything when the door is open.

aerial - like you suggested, get a new one and screw it in. if this doesnt help, check the wiring going from the aerial to the headunit.

only the wiper blades will need replacing, you can get replacement sets from halfrauds

no idea about the fuel lid, might be able to get a replacement from a scrappie??

cheap valve makes no sense with the radio, get an electrician to look at it.

white spirits should get any goo off with a little persuasion. not so sure about the marks though. always worth a try!

wheel fitting sizes (known as PCD) is indeed 4X100. the 35-38 bit is the recommended ET, which is how far the wheels stick out from the arches.

Everything here is correct to the best of my knowledge, although if anything is wrong i'm sure more experienced dubber will help me out!!

hope this helps.

[Drakelet]

Didn't expect such a big reply, thanks!! Won't reply to everything, but I've taken it all on board.

the pin is an easy job, again, go to a scrappy, unscrew the old pin and screw a new one on. job done

Are they a universal size or will only ones specifically made for the Polo 6N fit?
These apparently fit the Golf, Beetle and Lupo but NOT Polo!?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BN-VW-Golf-Beetle ... |294%3A200

halfrauds

Haha. I did see a pair of wipers (with arms) for £15 there. eBay could also be good I'm sure.

cheap valve makes no sense with the radio, get an electrician to look at it

Exactly what I thought.

white spirits should get any goo off with a little persuasion

Yeah I've heard about spirits, hadn't got round to trying them though.

wheel fitting sizes (known as PCD) is indeed 4X100. the 35-38 bit is the recommended ET, which is how far the wheels stick out from the arches.

Does that mean technically I could get a larger ET, they would just stick out the sides? Could this work with wider alloys? Purely theoretical, I'm just trying to learn. Also, would different size alloys mean the speedo etc need recalibrating?

[randomage]

Didn't expect such a big reply, thanks!! Won't reply to everything, but I've taken it all on board.

wasnt planning on writing so much, i just got kind of carried away!
Those door pins won't fit the 6n, you want pins from another 6n, or a mk3 golf.
Ebay will come up trumps for blades just make sure you get the right ones!
lets put it this way. a lot of the members on here have alloys that are way outside the recommended ET! im no expert on alloy width etc. myself. different size alloys will need different profile tyres to keep the speedo right. again, im not expert, but a lot of the guys on here are damn good at this kind of thing.