craigowl

Thanks, dukest. Sorry for thread drift. Tread's all gone!

I see previous owner of my car paid - in 1998 - £270 for 2 Dunlop (205/50) tyres. (including balance, etc.) This must have been about double the normal price, anyone? A year later he paid £254 for another pair. The company was Quiknik. :lol:

On the VR6, there is one and it is for the lambda sensor IIRC.

I still use those guys! :lol: I wondered if you might rise to that one, Glenn! Actually, referring to McQuistons in Ayr. Vauxhall/Opel dealer right in centre - all dead and gone bust, I hope! :evil: :angel:

In our early days of car ownership, I found that the cowboys in the Ayrshire garages we used sometimes overfilled the sump. I got into the habit of checking it everytime thereafter. Call me cynical, but I reckon they dont care if they do it as they will be happy to get a big job replacing burst or leaking seals if you havent sussed out what has been going on.

They were scared of your mum, Bro Gideon? She sounds more than useful! 8) We need pics, please. :lol:

Noise should mostly be of rushing air forced by fan(s). I think electric motor is relatively quiet. No vibration apparent IMO. With vibration, I suspect a balance problem of fan. Check for something gungy (tar?) stuck on one of blades or a bit of blade broken off. Also check fan is mounted properly, possibly in rubber grommets or similar. REMEMBER TO DISCONNECT POWER PLUG FROM FAN BEFORE INSPECTING IT. THEY CAN START UP WITHOUT WARNING.

They might be, I did not hear where they came from, though it did cross my mind to ask. Was Autowerke any good, dont know anything about them?

Shame about Star. I always had them in the back of my mind for if I needed any big job done. You sound like a reasonable guy Mystic Storm, so we need to be wary. I certainly would not want to drive all that way and get a lack of customer care like that. In Linlithgow, Hunters (a family business originally in Edinburgh since 1948) have two VW "technicians". I spoke to one of them when accompanying him when he was driving my daughter's Golf which was having a rear brake noise problem. We had a 15 minute run and I asked him about the VR6 and he said he had taken them apart a few times and would be happy to give a Corrado any attention. He correctly diagnosed Golf's fault while we were on drive, too. I had the C in there only once to have an engine mount replaced after the bolt sheared when I was replacing it. We have also had the 17 yr old Peugeot in there several times (Barum tyres £19.99 incl balancing etc for 205 - done in minutes.) My daughter always gets us to put her Golf in there for servicing and repair. Clearly, I cannot guarantee that everyone will get complete satisfaction there, but I would trust them with my Storm again.

Nae problem! - Oor sporrans are loaded wie hot porridge, ready to splatter ye fae heid tae fit, Englishman!

Got it, Mystic Storm. Not in Edinburgh and very surprising. Have never been there but knew they were supposed to be highly regarded technically. Mind you, I knew a few people from that district and you cannae aye trust them! :lol:

That is a pain, Mystic Storm. As a good customer they should not be treating you in a blase fashion. As has been said, they should return the car to you in the condition (or better) than it was when it went in. Easy to say, I know, but stand up strong for your rights. Who are they? In Edinburgh? Just curious - wont slag them off until you give the go ahead. :lol:

Sorry to hear about that, JIm. However, by the time you become very old, if they still have a similar wiper system, or, indeed, if you are allowed to own a motor car, you will never turn on the wipers on a cold morning without checking that the blades are not frozen to the glass! I suppose I am saying "been there, done it, but it was a while ago!"

My little scrawny arms get sore cleaning up there! :(

I was looking at these and others a lot a few months ago. Remember "you get what you pay for" means doing your research well. I saw somewhere during my search that cheap, inferior products made in China may be supplied by some firms over the pond.

If it has a coilpack and you have had/are having wet or damp weather, that can be the culprit. Look up coilpack in "search" and you will find plenty about that.

Almost certainly will be clutch rather than brakes IMO. Brakes usually have to heat up over longer run than just reversing up your drive. Smell from seized caliper/hot brake pads can be like horsesh!t, I have found. So many decades since I had new clutch, can't help there.

Oi! What's this about "elderly" and "burnt clutches"?! From what I have seen and heard on the road your clutch will last a lot longer if you are 60 than if you are 20 or 30! :lol: I haven't had to have a clutch renewed since about 1968 By the way, my green Storm is 1995, 102k and, counting me, has had two "elderly" owners. I paid £7250 in 2001 at 95k, but that included full warranty for 2 years worth £500. PS I see they were "mature" owners rather than "elderly", anyway. These different terminologies become very important after you are 45 - just you wait and see! PPS Go for it, but find out if it smells of wee, first! :roll: :wink:

Yes - glad you are OK. Driving at night, particularly if its wet with the glare, reflections, etc. is a lot more difficult than people like to talk about, I have found. Hope your car is OK. Never mind, man, you have a lot going for you - I would have given two or three digits to be able to say " I was coming home from having played a good gig........." :lol: Visited your website and listened to Spiderbites - really good - and nice, dirty guitar sound. Regards, Craigowl (frustrated guitar owner). d.o.b. 1945 :shock:

Taste a little of the liquid on the tip of your tongue then quickly spit! Coolant tastes sweetish (spit - don't swallow :lol: - stuff is more toxic than poor Britney!) Rainwater tastes a lot like er..........................................................water.

I've repaired cracked plastic watering can with a bit more plastic and a soldering iron. Did not look great but lasted for years! IMO Someone with an artist's or craftman's touch could do a fine job.

Fine idea, IMO. We can add them as we learn about them. Notes about alternative suppliers could be useful too IMO. Also, if someone has got it wrong, amendments from those with sound factual knowledge will be constructive and helpful, too. I can start with: Grill VR6 badge silver. Rear "Storm" badge. Apparently available from Awesome GTi?

Yes, there are some good ones out there, too. I have to say Advantage VAG of Stirling have been very good to me for parts orders. Two of the sales guys out admiring the C when I got back to it came over as decent guys who would not be likely to ignore a customer. However, it's funny how I can still remember walking out of the local Peugeot garage 16 years ago when the salesman seemed so unhelpful with my genuine interest. I was in the market for a new 205 and he lost a £9.5k sale which went to a rival in Edinburgh where his opposite number was an absolute gent. Elephants have long memories, but so, too, do car buying punters taking the difficult step of buying such an expensive item as a new car.

Remember, guys, the customer is king and stick to your principles. I have never gone back to garages who treated me in an unforgiveably shabby manner. One is our nearest VAG dealer 7 miles from here. I prefer to do a round trip of 40 miles rather than go to them again. A pity really as they were let down by only one member of staff with an attitude problem. Sometimes it seems as if customer care courses have never reached staff at many UK garages.

An old school friend of mine inherited a £0.9 million estate from an elderly lady he looked after from time to time. He lived in a lodge house on the estate with no central heating, etc, etc and worked as a teacher at a private school in Edinburgh. His cars had always been things like old Citroen Dyanes, etc. and he had no hifi or anything like that, preferring to spend his money on going out and travelling abroad. Well, once he had bought his new house in a posh part of East Lothian, he decided he would go shopping for a new Toyota Celica (a hairdresser's car does suit him actually! :shock: ). He still dresses as he always did, a baggy jumper, often with holes, hanging on him like an old sack. He does speak in a refined way, though. At the Toyota dealers he asked if he could have a test drive of the blue Celica he fancied. Salesman - "Well, you actually have to prearrange a test drive, sir, it's not as if you are going to buy the car today, is it?" My friend - "Ecktually, I can write you a cheque for the full amount today if the car were to come up to my expectations." Talk about a 180 degree change in attitude when the salesman heard that! What a humiliated groveller he then had to be. We often ask for a repeat of this story from our acquaintance when others are present who have not heard it. Has a real feelgood edge to it. 8)