I need another engine don't i?!

Lots of variables here! Recon motors arnt cheap and second hand engines may be worse than what you have. Repairing yours could be a minefield once apart? Do you have a budget? Where you based? You might just have a bad mechanic rather than a bad engine......

get a second opinion of another mechanic 

Or just fit a 1.8 gti engine for around your 1k budget. Relatively quick easy swap
Keeping performance and better mpg.

Guys and Gals.

Conversions always sound appealing. Firstly a Golf Conversion is a big task. Did the man tell you that for £1,000 ???? you get...... a good engine, a completely revised engine suspension system, a new front end to the gearbox, totally revised fuel system, totally revised exhaust system and needless to say, a totally revised cooling system. All for 1K. No No No, this is going to be more costly than an new WBX engine, plug and play.
These people are talking absolute B......ks. They have NO idea or are on a dream.

And the Subaru conversion, yup, we are even further down the line of dreams and nightmares. It's a VW WBX, not a Japanese Boxer. These conversions are highly complex and eventually VERY expensive indeed. You end up with a VW T3 with a very mixed character. Value drops off the planet and if it goes wrong, who do you ask?

Fix it or throw the van away, but don't dream. These conversion guys rarely drive again, they just keep bolting on more bits to make it work.

FYI, the Golf engine doesn't like pushing, it's a puller. The Subaru is a fantastic engine in a Subaru. Shove it in the back of a VW and no one wants to know it when you sell it. And worse still, who is going to service it for you anyway? Cleanly you are NOT technical, don't play in areas that are a minefield.

I've driven T3 Golf conversions, it's awful. I've driven T3 Subaru conversion, very complicated indeed, expensive, old machinery and not an ounce of character compared to the good old VW Boxer. We are half a world apart.

And if this seems like science to you, here's a point to think about.
Our Asian sisters have been trying for 50 years to get their car doors to close like German ones. You know what, they never succeeded. But hell, they tried. Japanese Engines are amazingly perfect, but they just don't 'clunk' the way the German ones do.....................


Such is the problem with forums, unprofessional advise, enthusiasts who tinker but are not really knowledgeable about the general public who just like to drive their dream.

So cut the nonsense, you need a new engine, a proper replacement WBX, as said.. plug and play. It's going to be expensive, but far cheaper than all these other strange ideas of changing what was always as wonderful concept and appreciating.

Sometimes in life, you just have to be real...... Don't dream, Drive!

Good Luck x


Edited by Mark-Hans - 30 Nov 16 at 22:47

Well that's a fair bit of nonsense there. But hey.

I've completed several AAZ and one gti conversion for around 1k.

All drove lovely. No doubt an original VW WBX would be the simplest to plug and play.

Scooby conversion for sure lots of money. No comment about the drivability or desirability but people who've done them speak very highly of the performance.

Conversions may be expensive, but once the conversions completed, if you happen to cook your gti/scooby/tdi lump. theres plenty more reasonably priced replacements easily picked up and dropped in place 

nic wrote: How does an engine know if its pushing or pulling? Surely its just going round and round? (or is that up and down!)

My missus always knows... maybe engines are the same?

*snigger*