Scirocco Register

hello ive purchased a 1989 vw scirocco it is badged up as a gtx with a 16v grille but looking at the engine it looks the same as a golf 8v engine so has it got the wrong grille or is it a 16v any help in finding out would be good. i bought it of a polish person who has brought it too england so i had to register it. its done 245,000 kilometers seems to run and drive ok but doesnt idle very well. as its done so many miles i thought id ask you guys "in the no" what i should be looking out for and what i should change. the reason for buying this car is to drive accross the continent and into central asia 6000 miles is there anyhting specific i should worry about for this journey thanks in advance ryan

Welcome along bud, sounds like an epic journey your planning. Genuine 16V GTxs are rare, and nearly all left hand drive apart from the few that were converted by a VW dealer in England. As for things to look out for, id say Snakes , Scorpions, and possibly Tigers, good luck with the journey mate !!! if that mileage is in Kms, then its roughly around 160,000 miles ish.
Seem to remember a Polish registered GTX on Ebay a couple of months back, down in the London area, is this the same one ?
Get some pics posted up please buddy !!!

Welcome mate.
A journey to central asia, sounds great, the sort of thing that everyone should do at least once in their lifetime

I think that you should just get the car serviced, change the cam belt and decent hardwearing tyres. If the roads in Eastern Europe where I have been are anything to go for don't lower the car!

Good luck and looking forward to seeing some pictures.

yes i did get it off ebay and it was in london so it is that one you saw have just had it in the garage until now ive serviced it and im going to do a cambelt next week ill get some pics up tomorow or the weekend it is left hand drive but the engine looks like an 8v is there any pics of the two engines anywere so i can see

I recall that polish LHD GTX it was round the corner from me. Definitely an 8v as I recall he first advertised it as a GLX - not entirely sure he knew what model it was - certainly did look like a GTX to me though.

Where abouts are you from fella?

You will obviously need a decent tool kit, Duck tape, cable ties and I suppose a selection of small and likely-to-perish spares. Fan belt, cam belt, head gasket, rocker-cover gasket, sump gasket (why not, gaskets are flat and light); thermostat; a few different gauges of pipe (i.e. fuel hose, radiator hose); fuel, air and oil filters; spark plugs; brake fluid, coolant, oil and WD40. A good service and replacement of any suspect items before you go, plus several hundred (or thousand) miles of use in the car before you set off would be a very good idea.

I can also recommend a visit to the MASTA and Foreign and Commonwealth Office websites to make sure you have the correct immunisations and don't drive into any war zones.

cheers for the info guys,
im from southampton goig to be travelling through iran but not any war zones hopefully,
im looking at doing all the fan/cam belts before i go are they likely to fail in a journey of just 5000 miles have got a good array of tools and hammers

Iran, what a place to be at the minute! When are you planning on going?
I think you need to make sure the windows don't fail, as it gets damn hot in the middle east.
Where abouts in central asia are you gonna end up?

Definitely take a spare clutch and accelerator cable! My clutch cable just snapped and it's a PITA, specially for 6,000 miles!

leaving here on the 18th august heading out to tajikistan. there is a charity out there that we know and support and so are taking 2 cars out there for them, only 1 scirocco the other is a isuzu trooper. i think its defo an 8v gtx as it has all the badges and the larger spoiler ill get pics up tomoro so you can tell me if im wrong

Good luck mate and brush up on your Russian!

pictures have been delayed as im trying to fit new rear shocks and springs, ive used the local factors but they seem really cheap and not very good anyone suggest some good ones??