Blair

lol, my mistake. I thought you were taking the p*** there :)

You could always stick some Saxo lights on it, THEN it would look cheap...;)

That sounds quite reasonable for an A4 light cluster like that to be honest... :)

Well I was treated to a demo of the automatic seatbelts in action tonight - very cool :) Nice to meet you Tempest, and you too Jim, looking forward to next time when I've got a bit more time and a painted Corrado that isn't put to shame by yours!!!

Good line to take. It might help him get a reasonable trade in for his (frankly knackered) 16 valver Golf in that case.

Nice, but I bet the bodyshell was as stiff as Larry Grayson's right wrist :)

Hang on, I know the answer to this one :dorky: I was speaking to James Renshaw the other week and he said he'd had it done, so it must be possible...:)

£175 each from my local dealer... :( If they're cut out for repainting, can they be re-bonded with the original seal?

Hmmm....all good info, thanks :)

My lodger (an old mate from Uni) definitely has his heart on a Cupra R (his E-reg 16 valver is falling apart around him). It would perhaps be a bit sad if we both ended up with the same type of car parked outside the house ;) He's off to see a couple - a £14K 210bhp model, and a £16K 225bhp model. According to the dealer though, the additional power is somewhat offset by a heavier aircon unit and the difference on the road is almost unnoticable. Must be a bloody heavy aircon unit then :)

Shorter lifespan ;)

Well you gotta love 'em both anyway :) After 5.5 years of G60 ownership, it's probably about time I sampled the delights of the VR6 on a more longterm basis...;) Either that or, funnily enough since Kev just mentioned it and it's the other car on my list, a Cupra R...:)

The Seat rear lights look OK, but the rest looks like a mess. Automotive rape!

Ripping apart BMW parts I would enjoy. Putting them back together competently in Corrado headlight shells? Perhaps not :)

Spirit, Leamington Spa. Full 100K service, 237 quid to include coolant temperature senser, here's what they missed (that I'd already spotted myself and had the parts in the dining room ready to go on): - 4 knackered shocks - Knackered rear bump stops - Virtually inoperative handbrake mechanism - Seized and inoperative rear calier (which I didn't notice until removal!) They also billed me for a 5 litre can of semi-synthetic for a 4-litre sump. When I asked where the can was with the extra litre in case I ever need to top-up, there was a brief conflab in the workshop (behind closed doors) then they came back with an unopened 1 litre bottle - "oh, he had JUST used the other litre in another car". Bill me for 5 litres? Give me 5 litres then Which begs the question...what the HELL do I pay them 200 quid for? It appears that if it doesn't come up on the diagnostics computer, they're pretty much stumped...

Bugger. I was hoping for more of a "plug'n'play" type of arrangement! ;)

Yeah, I meant to say "you're supposed to tell them...but loads of people don't!" :) Best of British luck to you, sir!

Probably not to everyone's taste, but I think they update the front end beautifully...

Only just saw this - very, very sorry to see that dinkus :( Not a lot I can add (apart from my condolences) as a lot as been said already. There are so many "mix'n'match" solutions open to you though, I'm sure you can keep the repair costs down and ensure it's not a write-off. For a start, if you can source that brand new rear quarter and a new front wing privately (front wings should be no bother to get, isn't there something going on at Santa Pod tomorrow...?) you could ask the bodyshop to quote simply on labour & paint - because, as you said, otherwise they'll source the parts at full VAG price. It might be worth a tentative call to your insurance company and ask for a definitive answer on what the threshold would be for your car to be written off. They have all the details, they can consult their nasty little black book (you know, the one full of all the sick jokes about how much they think our cars are worth) and should be able to give you an answer. If pressed for WHY you're asking, just say you're concerned because you heard of someone else on the Corrado forum having their car written off for quite a small amount of damage (which wouldn't be a lie :) ) Strictly-speaking you're supposed to advise them of ANY accident (whether a claim will be made or not), as the police told me when I recently reported that a lorry had shunted my car, warped the plastic of the rear bumper then refused to give his details. He got back in his cab, kept shouting "move your f***ing car" whilst I was writing down the details of the haulage firm, phone number & reg plate off his cab (he wasn't very bright clearly). He finally screamed "move your f***ing car before I move it for you!" as he revved his engine and started shunting towards the back of the car again, at which point I finished taking down the details, got back in the car and got out of there (with my witness in the passenger seat who had also got out and seen the damage). But I digress... Anyway, back ON topic...as I said, there are a number of ways you can combine things to get it done to ensure it won't be written off. Sorry there's not much more I can do to help - sounds like you've found a decent bodyshop already, but if you get twitchy and want somewhere with a personal recommendation I know the place who used to do the bodywork on all the BRMotorsport demo cars, I've had some work done there in the past and they're excellent. The downside is they're near Rugby! All the best, hope it all works out fine (I'm sure it will :) )

GSF? You sure? My local one (Leamington Spa) told me categorically that they do not stock or order Corrado exhaust parts, and to go to VAG. VAG wanted around 130 quid just for the rear box... *EDIT* Just noticed Kev Hayward's post about GSF too...looks like I'll be heading down there and asking again...

Yeah, spot-on. The R&C tends to attract a more 'generously-walleted' clientele, I remember the night with a Ferrari, a Porsche and TWO Bentleys parked outside...all on double-yellows, of course :)

Yeah, it's nice out the back there :) Only problem is I'm Corrado-less next week (in for some minor restoration work to repair scuffs and scrapes accumulated over the years). I'll have a think - like I said, the Rose & Crown is a great pub, but parking's a problem (it's right on the market square). Mind you, everyone just parks up on the double yellows outside the pub anyway and I've never seen anyone get a ticket. Would be cool to sit out the front looking at a small Corrado formation parked up outside ;)

Sounds good to me Jim :) Let me know when! Another good spot - although a bit short on parking - is the Rose & Crown in Warwick. I've seen a black 16V down there quite often as well...

OK, we'll leave the peanuts - I'll settle for cold hard cash ;)

About 7000 small bags of Planter's Dry Roasted would just about cover it ;)