CorradoWannabe

Ahh a fellow sufferer! I feel a lot better now -thanks Rado! Main thing i've had to deal with is everyone and anyone i know expressing their view that i've bought a pile of junk, without seeing it - or without knowing how many people i had check it out b4 i bought it! Grrrrrrr ! Yes, myself and my dad wanted to check to see if the fuel was getting through - on our golf that was easy - how would i do it on the C?

Ok guys, before i outline this problem let me apologise for not being able to give many details at all - also i am not near the car at the moment so wont be able to try things for a while or give feedback etc :( I'll try and list everything that is relevant. BACKGROUND: - Bought the car 2nd hand - pervious owner said the car always starts first time, all the times i saw the car before buying and during my 1/2 day of driving it, it fired first time (approximately 20 times in total) - Day i got it gear linkage cable broke and needed replacing (car pushed back to drive where it stays for a few days). - Car sat for 3 days but was started everyday and fired fine. - One day it was started a few times and just left to idle (so i could let people hear the engine etc). - During this time my "friends" decided to test out the CD player and bass tube to the max - so lots of loud music played - ie plenty of battery drainage. - Same day, few hours after it started fine, tried to start it but it would not fire. Starter motor was turning but engine just wouldnt start. - Spark plugs were changed, it was checked they were producing a spark and they were - oil changed - fuel topped up etc. - Towed to garage to have the gear linkage fixed - all done but garage said it wasnt starting - we asked them to spend no more than 1 hour trying to get it started - they said they were busy and would look at it when they can. Its now been about 11 days! CLUES: - At some stage on the day it stopped working i remember having the hood open and noticing a loose cable. The cable was a thin black wire and was very thin. It didnt seem part of the car and was not connected at either end and i took it out! I know this sounds like the obvious culprit but it seemed nothing like the sort of wire used for anything electrical in an engine, also was loosely on top of the engine as if placed there rather than having come off somewhere.. Thats about it really. The VW service/repair place have still not looked at it - but i thought id see if any of you had some ideas or obvious things to check. It does have an immobiliser but this just cuts of the battery (to my knowledge). For reference the car is a 1.8 16 V 1991 - 87,000 miles- and i did get it cheap! £900! All help appreciated guys - any ideas of anything! I bought the Corrado on July 1st and so far have had 1/2 a day of driving it! :( This is after months of being after a Corrado (just see when i registered on this forum lol)

I can get up to 60 in 2nd on my 1.8 16V.. well i got up to 60 on my one day of ownership (rest of the time car has been at mechanics and i've been out the country :cry: had to have the gear linkage cables changed.. but then once that was done it didnt start.. turns over.. but doesnt fire (i'll post more details in another thread if its a big problem!))

Thanks Mark - probably get a mechanic to sort it out when im out the country - thanks for the price estimate - not too bad at all - and im glad its replaced now if the original clutch cable is a weakness :)

Oh forgot to say - mine is a 1991 1.8 16V Corrado,H-reg

Having finally got a Corrado and having diriven it for about 1/2 the day and got home to show everyone i drive the car down the road and ... tried changing from 1st to 2nd.. didnt quite work.. tried third.. got a crucnh.. then the gear stick just became totally loose! I thought id broken the gear box in some horrific and freakish way! A Corrado owner for one day.. and back to a CorradoWannabe! But thankfully AA came down n saw it was just the gear linkage cable - the plastic bit on the end has snapped off... anyone had this go on their C before? Any idea what i'll be paying for a replacement cable? The worst thing is that i will be out the country from Monday to Friday - so the earliest i could possibly drive my corrado is at least a full 7 days :( :( :( I have to say tho - the car is fantastic - the 1.8s my take a while to pick up - but above 4000 rpm they are fantastic! I am comparing the Corrado to my 1.6 golf tho - so i guess its not surprising im so in love with it :) You guys noticed that when ur in ur Corrado everyone starts racing u even if ur just driving along sedately? Maybe its my imagination...

Guys, Just bought myself a 1.8 H-reg Corrado - 87k on the clock - not good body work - but decent engine - paid £900 - got some questions if you dont mind! 1. Tyre Pressues What do you guys recommend for tyre pressues for the front and back of the car? I've not checked the owners manual yet - but i remember on my golf that often you find a setup that is better than the recommended. 2. Brakes What do the 1.8 16V owners think of the brakes? It might be that my brakes are worn but to me they didnt feel that great - have you guys fitted upratted brakes on the car? That is it for now - although i am sure there will be more soon.... .. now i finally got a C might have to change this user name of mine... :)

Guys check out http://www.carstats.co.uk

I got refussed insurance from Directline - cos the car had been lowered and i was not over 25 (!) yet Elephant insured me.. interesting.... :x

I've given it a full HPi check - it came out clear except for the owners thing!! Im gonna give the documentation a full looking over - one reason why im after this car is the guy who owns it works in the offices next to me making it easy for us to sort out meeting and buying etc... silly reason to get i i kno :mrgreen:

Sure: -87,000 miles (seems low!) -Some VW service History -All the MoT cerficates ever -Recent Cam belt change -Just been MoT'd -Alarm + Immobilser (Cobra) -Very tidy interior and clean engine that runs better and smoother than the other Corrados i've seen (altho others were highmillage - and one of em was ex accident!) BAD POINTS: - small dent in driver side wing - rear wheel arch scratched paint - passenger door taken from scrapyard! -Owner said 3 previous owners.. HPi said 7! Thats most of what i know about the car -a friend of mine drove it for me to test it out and he said that the steering felt light at the top and heavier as you turned and also there was a lot of vibration in sthe steering wheel even at low speeds. Owner said this was as the wheels he'd put on (he took of the 17" alloys he had before!) had not been balanced yet.. and that was causing the problem, but we fear it could be that its not been lowered properly (been lowered 30mm - just new springs put in apparently) The conditions of sale for me are that: a) he shows me all the MoT certs b) we go get the wheels balanced and see if that cures the vibrations Any comments welcomed!

Here is a car i've almost bought - got some pics for you guys, the biggest problem is that the door is a different colour as it was just used as a replacement door! See what u think of it Also the wheels.. are they standard Corrado alloys that come as an option.. or non standard? I need to kno for insurance reasons! Thanks guys!

Guys - now that i have found the "reasonable insurance quote" i needed i am very close to buying the car - i will check out all the places you guys mentioned and get a quote from them - thanks for your help! If all things go to plan I will have pictures up here very soon.. also may have to change my user name if i do finally get a Corrado!

Omg - thank you SO much Joe - what a stupid mistake i made - cheers! I got a quote - £720 from elephant - i will try a few other places too.

Cheers dazzy & Harrow - i just tried elephant - but got the message: "We are unable to insure a car with this type of modification(s)" doh! All i said was that it had alloys and had been lowered. Im gonna try hic and adrian flux now! :(

I have seen the car of my dreams! A Corrado 1.8 16V - H reg - 87,000 miles - seems in good shape mechanically - and due to an imperfect body work its only £1000. One big problem though! The car has been lowered. Got a quote from my insurance company and they have said that as i am under 25 - i cannot be insured on a car that has been lowered! That was Direct Line's word :( Now there must be guys here with lowered Corrados that are insured on em and under 25.. or do ur insurance companies think ur car is unmodified? All help greatly appreciated! :cry:

Wow - i love this forum!

I managed to find a guy that had all the bits i wanted for very cheap indeed - giving me both lights + grill + wing + rear light - all for £250 - no bonnet tho as he's sold that already :( I got some more pics of the car - this time with the bonnet open - any comments are appreciated - it looks like my Corrado dreams are resurrected :shock:

Anyone following the story here... i got some quotes today.. the labour from the official VW guys was quoted at about £1200 - the parts needed were estimated at costing about £1500 :shock: Side Panel, Bonnet, Grill + Lights and maybe a Front Panel too! The guy that owed me a favour said £300 labour - but as Corrados were so rare he'd have trouble getting the parts :cry: :cry: Also the VW mechanics said teh Corrado parts are about 3 times more expensive than golf parts - so that combined with the fact that my bank insist i get a graduation certificate before i can get a graduate loan - despite starting a job very soon - means my Corrado dreams are dashed - and looks like im going to stay a CorradoWannabe!!! :| :cry: :mad: :(

Would have made for an interesting picture!!!

OH - everyone is probably wondering.... WHAT HAPPENED TO IT! The story was the guy was going down an A road - faster than he should have been - saw a speed camera last minute - hit the breaks which caused the car to spin - and he hit the central reservation :shock:

I went to see the car properly with the owner there later today and got to drive it too - and i gotta say i was very impressed. Full VW service history up to 75k, got all the stamps, receiets of more recent stuff - also engine is reconditioned too at 75K just before the current owner bought the car. The radiator looks like it may still be ok - the engine bay is warped badly, but nothing seems to have been jammed against anything else... just about! I took it for a spin and the steering was good - seemed good. The ownder said how he had advertised it for spares more than salvage - but i know a body repair guy and have some spare time + cash to spend on this car! Gonna get a quote tomorrow morning from an body work guy... the guy selling the car has said how he wants it sold asap as he already has a new car and needs the drive space, if i do not buy it he'll put it back on ebay.. so then it will be open to all of you guys! Best part was when i asked him to drive it round for me - and he refussed saying he was not insured on it anymore - and with the car looking like that it was just asking to be pulled over! :)

Thanks for the input guys - my plan was definately to try and restore it! From the pictures i felt it needed the parts that Henny said - i know a body repair guy that owes me a favour as my dad gave away our last car to him! (Dont ask - its a sore point :mad: :x :roll: - Mk 2 Golf too! My first car!) I am planning to get a quote from a repair guy - i would love to salvage it as the millage is low - and a full VW service history up to 75k sounds great! Regards the re-spray - that could wait - anyone ever tried doing something like that themselves? I had a look at it today - just casually - going to see it with the owner later on this evening - im hoping to print the pics out and get some quotes from our body repair guy too! Today asi was walking up to the car from behind it looked absolutely immaculate.. till i got close! Also from the inside there were wirings hanging out of it - i think they may have been from the radio - i'll see what the ownder says later on! Its a shame to see it like that - one main reason im so tempted is that its just down the road from me! :)

Guys, I lost a bid on ebay for an Corrado that had been in an accident and had sustained quite a lot of damage to the front. The guy lived just a few miles away from me - so i emailed him to try and arrange a viewing but the bid time ran out etc - so i had to content myself with saying to him that if hte winner bidder messes him around then get in touch with me! Well - yesterday he did - i got some photos too. The car is an H-reg with 100,000 on the clock - it has a full VW service history up to 75,000 miles (when he got it) it still drives perfectly apparently (!) - oh its a 1.8 16V - the colour of the body work is faded too - and one of the back lights is smashed - but i wondered what you guys made of it! WARNING!! The Photos may cause you to feel pretty upset - they did fo me! The price it sold for on ebay was £515.

Gavin, Of course you dont sound like my dad :) your advice is very valuable and just the sort of input i wanted! Yeh - i have seen that if i jus throw in another £1000 i can get a Corrado with 1/2 the millage - probably from a dealer too - so that would give me a few other added bonuses. Its the fact that its right next to my house that is making me consider it more than i should probably - also its the first Corrado that i've been to see - love at first viewing perhaps? :) Thanks for the input - i think you are right - i will look for one that has a lot less on the clock... having said that isnt there some way of having an inspection done on the car to see what state things are in? I think i need to give the service history a full inspection and perhaps come back here with my findings :)