Since day one, Haynes has been all about helping you, the home mechanic, to carry out your own repairs on your vehicles. Here, we celebrate those who use their spare time and Haynes Manuals to repair and improve their pride and joy.
DIY champion: Adrian Townsend
Vehicle: VW Golf GTI Mk3 20th Anniversary
Adrian Townsend likes things just the way they used to be. That’s why he’s part-way through the process of restoring his Mk3 Golf GTI 20th Anniversary.
As with everything, constant use takes its toll. And as that great sage Indiana Jones once said: “It ain’t the years honey, it’s the mileage.” Well, in the case of Adrian’s Golf, it’s probably both.
Still, Adrian is not a man to be daunted by such things, not least because he’s had his trusty Haynes Golf Manual by his side, so he’s already managed to get the interior back to the way it once was, after stripping everything out, cleaning everything that came out as well as the bits that were left behind, restoring bits that needed to be rejuvenated, and putting everything back.
And now that he’s got that little task out of the way, he’s tackling both the shiny bits on the outside and the oily bits they hide underneath.
To that end, the front bumper is off, as are the side skirts, the headlights are out, the grille has been removed, and the front wings are gone.
Adrian certainly has quite a few evenings and weekends of restoration work ahead, but we cannot wait to see the finished result.
Every single Haynes manual and Autofix procedure is thoroughly researched, and every step-by-step guide tried and tested so that you can rely on it when you’re carrying out a fix at home.
We know all this, because all of us at Haynes enjoy sorting out our cars and motorcycles ourselves, and that’s why we want to see how you get on, too. And the good news is that lots of you enjoy twirling a few spanners (and the occasional hacksaw) while repairing and restoring your pride and joy.
We’d love you to follow in Adrian’s footsteps by showing us what you’re working on and how you’re using Haynes to help you out.
Just send us a few details about yourself and your vehicle to yourrepairs@haynes.co.uk
Let us know about any issues you’ve encountered or any problems you foresee, plus a few pictures, and we’ll feature you on our website and social channels.