dinkus

Ahh ok so someone has locked themselves out of their work car park :lol: And there was me worrying that I might need it one day, so was debating if I should keep it on my keyring or leave it at home.

The only way of measuring the hp at the flywheel is by putting the engine on a bench and hooking it directly up to a dyno. When you get a rolling road print out they actually measure the torque at the wheels, then take a guess at what the losses are from your transmission to arrive at a crank/flywheel figure. So when you get your engine chipped and miraculously have 30hp more than you did before...take a close look at the numbers and compare the wheel torque readings.

Not sure what particular Meguires product would be best suited to that :lol:

It's impossible to measure the actual losses in your transmission without whipping the engine out, measuring the crank and then comparing it with the wheels reading. I'd say your VR is fine, don't worry about it.

:lol: unless you were gonna polish that bit of ducting, then it's all good :D

You could be chasing a ghost. 152 at the wheels doesn't sound too bad (presumably for a VR?) The actual number they get at the crank is all a big bodge anyway. You need to compare your wheel figure with someone else's known good VR to see how it holds up. Then if it's way out you can start playing with stuff.

When I got my C I was handed a big bunch of plastic fob things with it, which are all for the now removed factory fit alarm (I think). They consist of... 2x 3 pin immobiliser keys and 1x Speedline remote fob thingy. However, the thing that is bugging me is this, anybody got any ideas what it is/was for? I guess it's some kind of emergency entry key, but is it part of the factory alarm? It says Clemsa on it, but that's it. Just a flat bit of plastic with a ridge down it. Presumably with some sort of chip in it, but it might not..

Yeah I've got spring compressors I can use once the strut is off the car, I just want to check that it'll come off in one piece without removing my teeth :) It's a pig to get the compressors on the springs while they're still on the car, but I'd rather know that I need to do it before I start.

Err OT?

Ok guys, my weekend project is to do the front top mounts, brake disks and pads. I've got the top mount kit from GSF that includes the mount, bearing and nut (apparently), VAG disks and Pagid FR pads. So what my spanner man wants to know is... Is there definitely a top to the strut to retain the spring when it's off the car? Or do I need to use spring compressors before I take it off the car? Which bolts need replacing out of strut-hub, carrier-hub, carrier-caliper? Or any other various bits I should be aware of first? Loctite/lube on bolts? Circlips? From previous posts, it sounds like an investment in some super heavy duty cable ties is worth considering too. Wish me luck :D

Thanks John, mine are cloth tho, so hopefully I'll be ok

Exactly my thinking :D

Mine probably won't increase much in value, but it certainly won't go down any. I'm not particularly bothered about how much it's worth though, because I plan on keeping it a fair while yet :D

Yeah mine cost over £5k to buy as well. Saying that it is still drivable at the moment, but if the work isn't done sooner rather than later it's just going to be a bigger bill. It will also tighten the handling up a treat to make it back to how it should be. It's all good, I was budgeting for it, so it's not a shock, I just wasn't expecting to spend the whole £2k straight off :lol:

Yeah you better have your forum stickers on prominent display... which is a good point, I can actually put them on my C now I've got one :lol:

So far my list is for... Serpentine Belt & Tensioner New rubber all round New pads all round New disks all round Top strut mounts Rear axle bushes Rear shocks Misc sensors Bits of misc trim Swissol Also likely to need a new CV boot and front engine mount in the not too distant future. Luckily my mate has an almost full set of tools and some mechanical knowledge, so he's gonna do the easier stuff and I pay him in new tools so he can do the harder stuff :D 8)

Kev, I must say your C does sound sodding fantastic :D I'm not a big fan on the whole modding thing tho... my aim is to get it looking (and handling) like new again, although I've already bought Pagid FR pads (with VAG disks as suggested by yourself) and I think I'll put a K&N panel filter in next time it needs replacing. A new set of VAG rear shocks are going on at some point tho, so no lowering for me. I live in Essex, so I gotta do my best to distance myself from the Nova's ;)

I just bought a set of the Pagid FR pads from GSF, they're about £35 for the fronts, can't remember for the rears cos it was over the phone. It doesn't matter about dust, as you obviously wash your C every week anyway 8) However, they are supposed to wear fairly quickly and that will be even worse if you have drilled disks. Mind you, they're supposed to be worlds better than the green stuff ones. I'm sure Kev will be along soon to put you straight, he seems to have had every combo of pads and disks imaginable on his C.

Well I'm budgeting £2k for my first year of VR ownership to get it into tip top condition, and I've got a parts list totalling £1450 so far, so it looks about right. Luckily I've been reading on here so I knew what to expect, how much it would cost and where to get it from. Just called VW in Stortford and by mentioning that I had a CCGB membership he gave took the price down from £98 to £70 :D I'll be using them again! In fairness it was for brake disks and a sensor, so he probably gave me the Parts Club rate on the disks, but even so I'm well impressed. Good job too really, cos I still need a poop load more parts from them that they don't have in stock yet.

I'm worried. I just spent £170 with GSF and going to spend another £300 with VAG... yet I'm in a good, even excited mood about it. After a few hours hard graft it will mean that my C will no longer handle like a sloppy turd :D I guess the joy of spending money on your C wears off for a while? :lol:

So Autoglym for my Recaro's it is... anybody got a good site to get it on the cheap? ;)

I started with a clay bar to get the paint spankingly clean as I already have some okish Turtle Wax err wax. Then when I can afford it, I'm going to get some Swissol. But I'll agree with you on the baffling array of stuff. Read this post from the start and see what people recommend I guess. Any my next question...what's the best thing to use for cleaning my cloth seats (and roof liner)? They're both filthy. Someone has suggested the AutoGlym Interior shampoo stuff, is the Meguire's stuff any good? Or should I get a valet to do a proper shampoo on them?

Good stuff, I put in an order for my clay bar from them last night, so it's detailing stuff tonight :D

Surely they are all Tornado Pink by now? :lol: A Campaign is what you really want for ultimate geekiness...mmm brick red leather.

And now for something a little cleaner. The interior is much cleaner too, but I'm not taking pics of that til I've cleaned the seats properly.