my tf does the same i have tried bleeding the system 3 times now, it does get hot but takes about 6 miles driving to do so but my mk1 is pretty much hot by the end of my road
Freestyle and TF for Sale Mk1 work in progress, well it never stops does it lol
Some people in the past have put a small hole in the thermostat to allow continual flow to protect against thermal shock when the thermostat opens. One big side effect of this is it takes longer to warm up.
I'm not saying this is a good idea, but who knows what previous owners have done?
If i sit in one place it will warm up quicker but if one the move its just warm at best. The temp gauge is just above 0 when on the move. as soon as i stop it starts to climb
First thing to do is remove the ashtray! If you put your left hand in there while seated in the driver's seat, you will be able to feel the heater pipes. Bottom one in in and top is out. After running the car for 10 minutes test these pipes for heat.
If the system is working properly the bottom pipe should be almost too hot to touch and the top less hot.
If the bottom one is hot and the top one cold there is no flow through the heater matrix. This could be the valve stuck shut, or air in the matrix preventing flow.
If i sit in one place it will warm up quicker but if one the move its just warm at best. The temp gauge is just above 0 when on the move. as soon as i stop it starts to climb
That definitely sounds like thermostat.
It could explain some of your idling problems also.