my "new" Golf Mk 4

It's an aftermarket bodge? Meter the wires & see what the load is but that sounds like the head amps fried.

IIRC flick it twice quickly

The immobiliser bit's the expensive bit, anyone can cut you a key but it won't start the car.

Are you sure it has rear speakers? - I'd have thought an SE should have them, but JackH of this parish had a MkIV TDI-S estate that didn't - it didn't even have a wiring run for them.

You can, yes. I had to with my B5 shape Passat, as the remote bit of the key died.

ISTR you twist and hold to activate the alarm system. The immobiliser is a transponder type.

Yes.

I was quoted £120 PER KEY to order one and have it coded.

Indie VW specialists with access to VAG-COM can code cars to keys and I'm sure you can get spare 'blades' cut without too much hassle.

If you need spare keys, I have 1 or maybe 2 of that generation keys here

- they'd need coding to your car and you'd need to get a blade cut for them - but they're yours for the cost of postage if you want them.

I'd say so too. Maybe an S wouldn't.

On 19-Jan-08 19:05:29, Duncan Wood said

My stepson had a go and thinks that the stereo unit itself is okay (that's where the head amp is?) but the passenger door speaker is blown. Using a couple of pins he put the right output to the left etc.

We're still confused about the rear speaker situation.

Brilliant - thanks for that.

Hmmm... is there a setting that disables the immobiliser?

Thanks for the help.

All the best, Angus Manwaring. (for e-mail remove ANTISPEM)

I need your memories for the Amiga Games Database: A collection of Amiga Game reviews by Amiga players

Come on. A MK2 Golf GTI has rear speakers. Any half decent car has rear speakers. I'd not be surprised if they were fried or the HU was playing up, but I'd be very surprised if the car didn't have them.

Hadn't thought of that. If it hasn't got speakers, it would still have the round grills in the rear doors, and the tweeter bits up near the handles?

Excuse my thickness - does that mean the immobiliser picks up on the key when its within a certain proximity? And so a battery is always needed?

Eeek! :)

Flip!

That is an extremely kind offer, thanks. If you can bear with me a bit, I'll just try and get a better idea of what's involved and then be in touch. Very many thanks.

All the best, Angus Manwaring. (for e-mail remove ANTISPEM)

I need your memories for the Amiga Games Database: A collection of Amiga Game reviews by Amiga players

Yes. The actual door mouldings are the same - they're designed to take the speaker upgrade. The only way to be sure is to take the door card off and have a look.

No, no battery needed. Transponder keys are a passive device - using a detector 'ring' around the ignition barrel.

As others have said, the key can be in the region of £120 to get done by a VW garage. The remote fob part of the key can be replaced yourself if you manage to break one - it`s a bugger splitting the key, but instructions are on the net. The key for the car doesn`t have a battery, the transponder works without a battery, but the remote fob does use batteries. I`ve gone a year of regular use on the car without replacing the batteries, so they should last a fair time - when you notice the fob not working from as far away as normal then replace the batteries - but DON`T go to a garage to get it done. The batteries can be found for £5 a go in watch repair shops, or in the region of 10p each on ebay :-) All you need is a couple of screw drivers and the instructions online and it`s a 5 minute job if you`re as ham fisted as me, possibly a 1 minute job if you`re competent :-)

By the way, I`ve got a TDI 100 passat which is fun enough to drive, is the golf as nippy as I`d imagine it to be? :-) Trying to convinve the g/f that when she turns 25 we should get a golf with a TDI engine so she can get used to a more powerful car than her 65hp SDI polo :-)

WEll if it's shorting then it'll disable the other speaker wired in parallel with it. It sounds like you've got a 2 channel head unit & it's just been paralled up to the 4 speakers.

Err no, that would make it pointless :-) If you don't geel the need for it then you can get two mechanical keys cut & tape the working one next to the ignition coil.

And the result is.............

No flipping rear speakers. :(

I'm now wondering if it really is an SE. I gather the SE is supposed to have them:

Its got rear headrests, A/C and velour seat covers, buzz windows and mirrors .... but my Mk 3 CL which had no toys had rear speakers. Oh well.

We bought a new pair for the front anyway, so I have now got some reasonable sound at least.

How do you tell what model Golf you actually have?

Clever stuff. Thanks.

All the best, Angus Manwaring. (for e-mail remove ANTISPEM)

I need your memories for the Amiga Games Database: A collection of Amiga Game reviews by Amiga players

On 20-Jan-08 12:38:06, Simon Finnigan said

Thanks I'll see if I can track that down.

Think 10-20. :)

Well, my Mk 3 CL was only 75hp so the Mk 4 seems pretty nippy to me, but having driven the Mk 3 for several years I'm fairly easily impressed in the acceleration department. :)

All the best, Angus Manwaring. (for e-mail remove ANTISPEM)

I need your memories for the Amiga Games Database: A collection of Amiga Game reviews by Amiga players

Accompanied by the sound of a chisel on slate Angus Manwaring, managed to produce the following words of wisdom

Best way I've found is to look at the sticker in either the service book or in the boot somewhere. There'll be a code on it which will give you the exact spec of the car, all the options fitted etc. While you're at it check the service book to see if the first stamp is from a UK supplying dealer.

I've had a few VAG things lately which have been weirdly specced but allegedly UK spec imports. Things like rear speakers missing on an SE is typical of an import. Another giveaway is the imports tend to have shorter engine numbers on the logbook.

My S doesn't have rear speakers, but it has all the grills.

The MkIVs were an exercise in cost cutting, which explains why there are so many cheap plastic fixtures and fittings that fail in them. I doubt it will be as much of a "good friend" as the OPs Mk3 was.

Z

A few of the car supermarkets seem to specialise in non-uk spec VAG cars, whatever they say. When I bought my A3, I looked at several with no AC, but all UK cars should have it.