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My mk2 1.3 coupe doesn't seem to want to idle properly when it's started from cold - seems to just splutter and very nearly cut out, with the battery warning light flashing as it nearly stops.

Is this carb icing? And is there some way to deal with it on the cheap?

Cheers in advance.

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Do you have a pierburg or a weber carb? Manual or auto choke? Last time it was tuned, had the choke / fast idle etc adjusted?
No damp in the ignition system? Sprayed with WD40 just to make sure?

It's a Pierburg as far as I know, with an auto choke. I don't know about the last time it was tuned, it hasn't been done since I've had it.

Which parts would need spraying? I've got a can of WD40 lying around somewhere.

I was thinking about getting it tuned anyway, I think my ignition timing needs setting up professionally because I get a strange noise under acceleration and going up hills which I think is pre-ignition.

Is a tune-up expensive?

the carb, probably

i'm not a carburetor boy, but the pierburgs are notorious for being, well... sh*t.

Looks like you're in need of a good service
If I were you, I'd get the carb and ignition set up professionally (make sure they get the auto choke right on the carb, as they're a bugger if they're not done properly).
For now though, take your can of WD40 and spray the ends of all of the HT leads from the distributor cap to the spark plugs, and from the coil to the distributor cap. Take the distributor cap off and spray inside that, and spray the arm of the distributor. While you're at it, take the spark plugs out and check that they're all in one piece. Give them a spray for good measure if you want, never know, might help

I had the car serviced about a week ago, so the spark plugs are all new. Don't know what they did about the dizzy or the carb (if anything).

Which carbs are there that I can get a suitable replacement manifold for? (I'm assuming I need one)

I was planning on getting the timing done professionally because I don't think it was done when I had the car serviced - I'll try to get the carb looked at at the same time.

Just ask webcon for a quote on a weber replacement for a polo and they'll give you one that fits directly onto your standard manifold. On the 1.05 the carb you want is a Weber 32TLA, and I think it's the 32DTMR (maybe? off the top of my head, someone correct me ) for the 1.3.