worst pig of a job to do?

maxmo: Yeah, having all the right tools woulda been a better start point for the inlet manifold job, including small torch and mirror.

Matt82: "oil filter housing gasket, with engine and rad in place", I'm hoping that wasn't on a Mk2 1.6 like mine, 'cos that's on my list of things to be done soon...

abf"d mk1: that's hardcore! I imagine the only worse sound would be same bit of molten metal dropping out of the other side of your head...

 

Brake pipes and heater matrix on Mk2

 

17 yr old calliper carrier bolts which were rusted away to nothing. The stud extractor I'd ordered arrived just as I was about to throw in the towel.

 

Sounds like it might be the same scenario as my old 1300 mk1 golf (similar engine layout) , swapped out the starter motor, b*tch of a job, on my back with the car on ramps, majorly awkward amongst other things.

Another one would be trying to remove the exhaust down pipe from the manifold from my old '75 auto, 3 out of the six bolts had seized and thus rounded, so had to detach the whole manifold from the block and drop the exhaust just so i could get the inlet manifold off to fit the twin carb setup.

ANother would be swaping brake disks and pads on the old Golf outside my council garage, realising that the screw keeping the disk on the hub wouldn't come off. Then realising i'd parked it to close to the garage door to close it so i could go back to the house to get a drill to drill out the old rusty screw.

Had to take the garage door off it's hinge and replace it so that i could lock it.

 

has to be a heater matrix on a 306 diesel(kno its not a vw sorry)but the worst on my golf would have to be the exhaust,gotta agree with funkbaron on that one,well exhausts in general especialy when building my mates mk1 escort cosworth,the downpipe has to go in from above and i ended up gettin a 17mm spanner drop on my head!!!

 

Any type of bolt thats rusted or threaded so that you cant unscrew it really irritates me.

Worst job I've started and now given up on was coolant hoses using those old rusty circlip things that you can only remove with mole grips. 2 hours to do 2 pipes.... and lots of swearing.

 

ooh or the oil feeds for a turbo on a 200sx s13...

 

And Turbo gaskets on an S14. Nightmare of a job!

 

Not VW, but the D-Jetronic fuel injection on a W114 (1968-76) Mercedes 280CE is really awkward to make connections on, etc. It was one of their early attempts at fuel injection, so they didn't really have any experience and the layout is completely illogical.

Also as a general thing, any type of bodywork (painting, filling, welding) is always more awkward than mechanical work, its easy to slip and make a mistake etc which is later difficult ort time consuming to correct.

 

non-vw : toyota hi-lux transfer box, on a 4post ramp OR citroen xantia heater matrix - 7hrs worth of pure cussing!

vw: taking poxy carburettors apart.

 

I still have nightmares about replacing a crank and 4 rods on a Renault Laguna 12 valve diesel.

<shudder>

I hate doing any jobs that involve working upside down under the dash too.

 

Got a few:

Mk2 polo -Changing crankcase breather pod on back of the block.

Mk2 rocco - changing the main fuel pump (lets put it somewhere mucky, dark, and cover it with tight rusty threaded unions, then we'll reward the sucessful mechanic by hosing him down with petrol) - yummy.

E30 bimmer - Anything near the front of the engine (Some twunt put the bonnet on back-to-front!)

Mk2 Ibiza - Changing the pedal box.

 

I know it's non-VW, but changing the heater fan on a Mk1 Fiesta. Thought it'd be as easy as it is on my Mk1's, but oh no. Rip out the seats, dash, wiring, scuff knuckles, climb in upside down, put out back, you name it Eventually convinced the other half to ditch the Fiesta and get a proper Mk1, a Golf, least then I could fix the heater fan

VW-wise, had to be the head gasket change last year. What everyone told me was an easy enough job to tackle, ended up being a right pig. Particularly when Halfords sold me the wrong spline socket for the head bolts But it was waaaay satisfying once I'd done it, even if it did take months and months

Al

 

i agree, i cant type the words i am thinking about those sorts of jobs.

 

vr6 golf changing the bulbs for the speedo I know it sounds easy but my hands were scratched to **** on the back and it took three hours!!

 

Mines changing timing belt & waterpump on our mk4 20vt

 

Actually , changed my mind...... replacing the broken clutch pedal and trying to get the poxy spring back on top of the pedal assy, blooming knightmare

 

mk2 golf rear beam bushes i spent 2 days getting one side done what a pig of a job that was guess next time ill get a tool for the job

 

A full respray is definatly the worst job of any... aside from fixing a Howard muck-spreader which I remember as a kid

 

Lapping in valves

Will it ever end