Well it was decided today we would take our new disciple, to bits.

Was working perfectly fine, but burning A LOT of oil.

How bad could it be?

Yep, you guessed it......

So what did we start with?
Perfectly respectable 25 year old 220 gti m-series.



Timed and water dropped.




Its at this point we started getting nervous of the complete lack of gaskets....and excessive use of sealant








This is hard sealant too, not hylomar type.

So head off and time to see what else is going on.


Should have stopped there

Multiple damage marks to the piston faces and score marks on the bores






So over to the head, how bad could that be, it still had compression and ran well.
pending further inspection but i'm thinking this needs a full rebuild too.



Then something very surprising happened, We found a gasket

How does somebody put something back together like that and expect it to work?

How old does the work look and how many miles since?

Kevin Norman might build you an engine...

It was working, it was poorly but working.

In answer to your question john, its those "oh its a rover" mechanics we all hate.

Good job my spares pile is massive

What idiot would let a mechanic like that work on there car and mess it up, oh wait......................

I made an enquiry for this car when it was for sale about 4 years ago. Kinda glad I didn't go for it now!

Still not the worst car to come my way

All easily fixed "Properly" and a good percentage should be done by this weekend bottom end wise.

Head is off with a friend of mine so should be back soon enough. (but thats not soon enough )

Then we can start putting it back together.

Seem to remember the fella said it'd had a respray at some point too?

If they did, if was an emperor's new clothes scenario.

Not been dry enough, long enough for me to see i to its extent but drivers side has dead lacquer

Confirmed head dropped of tomorrow for diagnosis, new valve seats cutting*, new stem seals fitted* and a damn good pressure test and steam clean.

* pending outcome of diagnosis.

It must have had a head gasket fitted surely?