jmk

if you're near south london buy mine. see 'mysic blue storm' for sale on the forum. I've dropped my price loads and it's the deal of the century.

Thanks. Had a good luck and there were no leaves or blockages. Only thing that I could see was a hole that was quite large through which a wire/ cable runs from the engine bay in to the top on the fan unit. I filled the excess gap with silicone sealant and I'll see what happens next time it rains.

Over the last two days my C has developed a case of damp carpets. The passenger foot well and both rears are damp but the drivers side and boot are dry. The sunroof seems to seal fine and I've briefly looked at the obvious things in the bulkhead so see if anything rubber bungs have popped out (where cables pass in to the car) but can't spot anything untoward. The only work that I’ve had done recently is a new windscreen 7 weeks ago (which has been perfect - I think - since then) and a new phone car kit was fitted last week; he used the current external aerial so no new holes were drilled. Any ideas on where I should look next?

lennylogknob, Yep, Passat unit definitely works. They have two types, one with 4 and another with 3 cables - something to do with their air con I think. The 3 cable one went in to my C with no problems. VW wanted the best part of a grand to do this with new parts (which would have inc a new plasic consol to replace teh damaged one after some bast@rd nicked the radio).

If you need a replacement, get it from a breakers. Corrado ones that work are hard to find but a Passat one fits. Should cost you £20.

Always run mine at 36 front and 32 / 33 rear. Never had any uneven wear issues; just make sure you check the tracking and front wheel alignment every 6 months or so.

I used to have Zimmerman drilled discs and Pagid pads but they warped after mainly town driving and 15,000 miles a little town driving after 13 months use - although I do have to slow down for 120 speed bumps each day when commuting. They were replaced with Lockheed drilled discs and their recommended pads (no idea which) 4 weeks ago; cost approx £120 all in (which seemed very cheap, think I may have been charged wrong). Managed 1600 miles driving round Scotland and they were great. Only problem now is that they sound terrible when cold and breaking from a slow speed - squeak and grind - and they didn’t do this for the first 2 weeks of use. It's going back to the garage next week to get looked at. I'd back up Kev and say stick with the VAG standard discs if you're on a tight budget.

I had a small oil leak on my VR6 and a new sump gasket cured it. Before it'd lose approx 1/2 ltr every 100 miles and now it hardly uses a drop. What price are they asking and what extra's does it have?

I used spit and polish for my Storm's wheels in Feb this year. They had to go back twice as the initial quality wasn't great but they got there in the end. They were badly kerbed, scratched, chipped and the laquer had come away over the previous 7 years but they now look great.

Woody, can you help: My fan works but it's pretty noisy and also not very effective. When you say you got a MK2 blower, did you get the whole fan unit and bits and pieces that go under the passenger part of the dash? Did you need to buy anything else, what did it cost and was it easy to fit? I have air-con; no idea if this'll make things more tricky. For what it's worth, if your heater control dashboard switches ever go, I found that a second hand Passat dial was easy to come by and fits perfectly. Ask for a Corrado one and almost every scrap yard will have no stock – just make sure it’s undamaged as many breakers rip these units out and destroy the retaining holes for the screws. It cost me £20 and VW wanted over a hundred for the part and 4 hours labour to fit it – idiots ;-)

Thanks for your comments. Garage has replaced teh alternator saying it was faulty free of charge. It may have shorted on the dip stick tube and this has been relovated slightly. Also, the warning lamp was a blown led and is being replaced. Hopefully, this'll last more than 8 months.

No idea; I'll check tomorrow and let you know. Is there a recommended battery and alternator for the VR6 (it has air con and an up-rated hi-fi with amp)?

My C broke down on Sat due to a dead alternator. It was last replaced in Aug 02 (GSF recon) just after I bought the car when the same thing happened and I needed a tow from Manchester to London :mad: (great service from Green Flag). After looking through the paperwork that came with the car I’ve found out that it was also replaced by VW a year before. I don’t just want to have another alternator fitted only for it to go again in 8 months, so can anyone suggest what may be wrong / what I should look at? Symptoms are: - When the alternator was replaced in Aug 02 the garage noticed that the battery warning light wasn’t working. They replaced the alternator but suggested that it wasn’t cost effective to rectify the warning lamp. - Car sometimes cuts out for no apparent reason; generally after engine is running for 3 miles when I approach traffic lights at the bottom of a long hill. It’s also more noticeable in winter and would happen twice / three times per month. When car was last serviced (Feb 03) the coil pack was found to be cracked and was replaced along with HT leads. It's only cut out once since and seemed to be much better. - Sometimes the electric windows / wipers are slow when the car is first started. Seem okay once the car is driven for a hundred meters. (Assumed that the car is leaking current from somewhere.) - Every now and again the central locking doesn’t unlock the drivers door first time round. (This may be something unrelated but remember a threat on alternators and central locking). - The radio’s reception seems worst when the car phone is plugged in (proper Nokia hands free kit hardwired to the car). Again, could be unrelated. It’s been to two different garages and no one has been able to trace or rectify the underlying issue. Any suggestions?

Storm - 15 gal tank and get 20mpg communiting in stop start SW londonb traffic. so approx 300 miles. Almost never see the trip meter go past 30mpg even if I'm going a steady 60 on a motorway. No idea how accurate it is, but I know the speedo is absolutely spot on between 50 and 110 when measured against my GPS radar detector.

I thought I had the same issue when I got my Storm last autumn as my wheels always spin and there's no perceivable traction control going on at the wheels, so I assumed it wasn’t working. However, at winter and on snow I could hear it trying to work - faint clicking noise from the ABS sensor unit on the dash, or from behind it - but again no impact at the wheels. This only happens up to an indicated 15mph. Either it's been disconnected at the wheels or it's a crap system. I suspect the latter. Never heard about the 1/2 throttle bit but before.

Thanks. It doesn't leak just turns off after a while. I'll try and research the pressure issue as you suggest.

For the past several months I’ve owned a 95 Storm which had Diavia air-con fitted shortly after it was new. It seemed to work fine last year and was fully charged when I bought it. However recently it’s been giving me trouble. It seems to turn on okay – I can hear the compressor activate and the engine revs drop slightly. However after perhaps 30 seconds it seems to turn itself off (the switch is still depressed). If I try and switch it on again nothing happens, but if I leave if for a few minutes it will come back on, but it only lasts for 30 seconds or so. I had a new alternator fitted last autumn. Do you think that perhaps it’s not producing enough charge and that’s why it’s turning itself off? Anyone else experienced a similar problem. Thanks. :?

On the oil temp discussion, it takes between 5-8 minutes (depending upon weather) for my oil gauge to reach 50 (Storm). I commute daily in SW London and before it’s at 50 I only rev to 3k. It's perhaps another 10 mins before it’s at 90 and will often go past 100 (even in winter) during my 9 mile commute. On the motorway at a decent speed it’s not unusual to get near 110, but this is perhaps a little too high so I’m thinking of having an oil cooler fitted this summer. ANyone else had this done - what do you reckon?

Got to agree. The fan on my Storm sometimes kicks in after a short drive of a couple of miles, even if the water temp remains reasonably low (ie before it's even reached the half way mark). This can only be a good thing as VR6 motors seem to generate a lot of heat in a small engine bay. Suggest you only worry if the fan doesn't come on.

Recently went for adjustable Koni shocks and kept my original springs (can’t lower the car as my daily commute involves nearly 120 speed bumps and front spoiler / bumper costs the earth). Cost a fair wedge but made a huge difference to the responsiveness of the chassis and isn't too firm on 'soft' and if you do a track day it's easy to firm them up. However, I’d also suggest that you change your bushes at the same time (PD Motorsport did mine) - the old ones looked a right state as they’d been on the car since new – 110,000 miles ago and had split in many places! Out of interest, what track day event / venue would you recommend, and does it have a reasonable run-off area (never driven at one before)? Have some friends going to the Nurburgring late summer and would like to try a UK track before deciding whether to go.

If you have £9 buy a Storm (mystic blue) that's not been modified. That way you'll have a classic that'll depreciate less than the rest, will have a few extra toys (look out for air con) and as with all VR6's will be great to drive.

They did a great job on my Storm and I'd highly recommend them.

VR6Storm, What do you think of the Miltek exhaust? I’ve got a Storm whose exhaust is getting towards the end of its’ useful life and a Miltek replacement was recommended. What did it cost? At a constant smooth throttle is it any louder than normal – I like relaxed and quiet motorway miles so I can appreciate my hi-fi? Under hard acceleration does it sound a little more interesting?

Last summer I bought a Storm that’d covered 111,000 miles. After spending a fair wedge on the bodywork to get it looking like new, it needed a comprehensive service and a number of annoying gremlins addressing. I spoke to loads of garages and got a mixture of responses from [what now appears to me to be] lies / misleading advice from some ‘specialists’ to no practical / useful advise whatsoever from VW. In the end I went with PD Motorsport because John and Darren returned my calls and emails, and sounded interested in helping me; rather than just wanting to make money [VW!]. I collected my car last Friday, and even though I’ve not had time to go on a decent run, I can say that PD are exceptionally talented as well as enthusiasts. Admittedly my bill came to over £2k, which was expected and I was consulted over each major decision, but this included over 20 hours labour [VW wanted almost £90/hr inc VAT!], refurbished wheels, tyres, coil pack, HT leads, rear brakes, MOT etc. The upshot is that it now drives like new; well as good as I could imagine it drove when new. I’d like to thank John and Darren for doing a great job and recommend to any of you that if you want a service or specialist work undertaking, that you should give them a call. They’re much cheaper than VW per hour and actually want to make your car drive better. Before PD Motorsport, my Storm had a full VWSH but at times drove and handled like a dog and the electrics couldn’t be trusted, particularly on damp cold mornings. It still has a full service history but VW are no longer servicing it; it’s now superb. Morale of the story – sod VW, use a good specialist and enjoy the car like never before. :D

I need to have my car phone kit changed as it’s for the old (large) style Nokia phones with a more modern one. Also, with the phone in the kit there’s some interference resulting in poor radio reception and I can also hear the engine revs in the speakers. Can anyone recommend a specialist that’s within an hours drive from Kingston who could look at this?