Hi there I am new here and to Sciroccos in general, I am currently in the process of buying a 1991 Scala 1.8 model and was just wondering if anybody had any advice on pitfalls and achilles heals relating to these and any info on what to pay particular attention to maintenance wise.
Also the car I am looking at is fitted with a webasto type canvas sunroof which certainly appears to be Factory fitted judging by the finish and the headlining, was this an option on these cars as I`ve never noticed one on another scirocco before.
Thanks in advance Chris
I'd suggest the sunroof was dealer 'fitted' or arranged by the first owner when near new - the factory never did the fabric roofs.
Keep on top of any leaks into interior, check the filler neck, the bulkhead where the clutch cable goes through, the rear axle mounts and and if in doubt change the cambelt if no evidence of it being done within the last three years.
A lot of questions have been asked before so do check the tech help sections below - a lot of (helpful) experience on here.
Thanks for the info mate. 43mpg really? One of the reasons for buying a Scirocco was for better economy than my current daily(an old Jag XJ6) but I wasn`t expecting as good as that(nearly double the Jag)I thought high 30s so anything more is a bonus
Hi Chris
Not too far from you over in Bonhill. I'm almost certain you're car will be Fuel injected as the Scalas of that era were and the GT2 carbed. Sound advice from GTXTRA there.
In the process of cleaning up my Scala(91) and suffered the horrid stud snap on the rear axle when I tried to remove it.
Should be back up North soon if you need any help with your new baby. Don't hesitate to ask
Rob
There once was a young sardine
Who upon seeing her first submarine
Got scared as she stared through the peep-hole
'Oh come come come,' said the sardines mum
'It's only a tin full of people!!'"
A bit of general car buying advice - check recent MOTs for advisories - could be the sign of big bills to come if the dreaded "c" word is mentioned (corrosion ). Also, the owner may have "misplaced" any fail sheets - always worth a look for these online too.
And a bit of Scirocco specific - check the coolant closely. If it's clear or rusty brown walk away.
Thanks Rob, good to know there is helpful people nearby, it is indeed an injected model but when I went to pick it up on Saturday the external fuel pump failed suddenly and scuppered the deal.It was supposed to be a straight swap for my old Jag but as its my daily runner I couldn`t go ahead even though the guy text me half an hour later to say it had started working again.I am still tempted to take a punt on it as the car does seem to be a goodun otherwise. Either that or sell the Jag and try and hunt out another Scirocco elsewhere.
Mr Brown the car in question has a fairly large wad of reciepts with it and every MoT and the owner seems to be a serial VW man and has moved on to a campervan and wants my car as a daily runner.Seems genuine enough but the car has until recently spent a year laid up so I am wondering if the fuel system is contaminated with rust and sludge hence the pump failure?
There is 2 fuel pumps on the injection Scirocco, one in the fuel tank (lift pump) and one under the car main fuel pump. The one in the tank is easy to change and costs about £25, the one under the car can be a bit more trouble some to remove as there is not much room and its been exposed to the elements.
I also just thought about the relay. These thing do go wrong and can work one day and not the next.
You can put a wire across the 2 bigger terminals were the replay fits on the fuse box to get the pump run with out the engine running but don't do this for long with out the engine running or you will burn the pump out.
I used this method once to get home when my replay stopped working (This is why I carry a spare bit of wire in my glovebox), the replay has been fine for the last 6 months, ???
Fuel Pump stop working, was it noisy?. Sounds intermittent to me from the description. I'd check the fuel pump relay.
Regards Rob
There once was a young sardine
Who upon seeing her first submarine
Got scared as she stared through the peep-hole
'Oh come come come,' said the sardines mum
'It's only a tin full of people!!'"
Thanks for the advice guys,very helpful peeps on here.The pump did indeed get noisy before the car cut out so I asume that this points more to the pump than the relay?From what I could tell it was the external pump, judging by where the noise was coming from.
I decided to bite the bullet and just pick the car up tonight, again it seems to be running well so I will attempt to take it to work tomorrow(about 17 miles)and get the garage next door to give it a look. Wish me luck! A baptism of fire never hurt anyone
). Also, the owner may have "misplaced" any fail sheets - always worth a look for these online too. 
