OK
Hat the car for 6 months now, came from a new V8 Cayenne S Twin Turbo. Some tw@t stole and burt it out, Still fighting with insurance company over valuation GAP ins etc as big 4x4 value drop through the floor as soon as the roll out of the show room.
So,
GTI fit the bill price wise and a go anywhere car. Also, all I could afford after the above (had to pay balance of finance off before any settlement from GAP - be aware anyone with GAP ins)
Yes, thought GTI was a spirited Golf. Small car with a 2.0L engine, but nothing "special". Found that nearly all TDi's could easily pull away from me, traffic lights motorway etc.
Wife has a 207 GTI CC - think it is a 1.6 Turbo and it goes like stink. You really feel the turbo come on song. Bit of an all or nothing, compared to to KN which was amazingly fast and soooooooooo smooth with little or no turbo lag.
Read about all the DV versions, type "D" seems to be the one that has stayed the course. The "G" has been dropped for the "D" so I think this is still the one to get. Some rate it over the Forge as it requires no maintenance.
Fitting - this is another thing I am loving about the Golf. Could have easily left school to be a mechanic. Love working on cars & bikes, always have. But as some of you will recognise as you get older, company cars, etc, you stop doing some of the things you love. The golf makes me feel like a teenager again.
Fitting is quite easy. Remove OSF wheel and front of the wheel arch liner - the bit with the vent for the brakes (you will know it when you see it).
Once removed the DV is just behind the inner wing. The photograph in the first post will help you recognise the location. It is fastened on by three 5mm alan bolts. They are a little awkward to get to but not that bad. I have a Halfords Micro Pro socket set - about £30 if not in one of the 1/2 price sales. It is the best bit of kit I have ever bought, for just over a tenner and the instant replacement of broken bits for the pro range can't be beaten.
The kit has all the adapters in it to remove the wheel arch liner and the alan bolts.
Use a bit of thread lock before refitting.
All in all took about one hour from start to finish.
Hope this helps.
The main reason for the post was a worry that the bits had disintegrated and would somehow reach the internals of the turbo with disastrous consequences....
Thanks again for all your help....