Roger Blassberg

High teens to low twenties?? I get more than that from a 16V Passat estate (ABF engine) even around town and pulling probably 250 - 300kg more body weight. Hell, I only get a bit worse with a 4.2 litre supercharged Jaguar. Best wishes RB

The extra capacity comes from increased bore. The strokes are the same so I would think that the rods are the same length unless the little end position varies between the AAA and ABV engines. Best wishes RB

Top left, I believe. best wishes RB

Sorry to be pedantic, Dinkus. The coilpack has three coils each of which is connected to a pair of cylinders. The coils fire in order to both in their pair - one is on the firing stroke, and the other is not but gets a spark anyway. So if one of the coils fails you will drop 2 cylinders. Best wishes RB

Ignition switch hasn't been mentioned. It's always worth changing that - it's a fiddle but cheap enough. Best wishes RB

Talking about a Corrado, not an F1 car, I accept your argument for wind resistance, although the loss of say 75kJ/sec. at 100mph rapidly drops away under braking , since drag is not directly proportional to velocity. By the time you are down to 50mph the drag is relatively negligible, maybe 10kJ/sec. A 1250kg Corrado travelling at 45m/s has 1265kJ to get rid of, so even the drag associated with 45m/s over the whole deceleration would take nearly 17 seconds to dissipate all that kinetic energy. Don't know about downforce though with a Corrado. If anything there is likely to be uplift - look at the shape of the thing in logitudinal section. It's not low enough to have any serious ground affect and is a good approximation to an aerofoil, even with the trademark spoiler deployed. (which is accepted to be there to reduce lift at the tail.) Do we have any tyre experts? What sort of frictional coefficients can be assumed for "normal" tyres and surfaces? And how much energy is given up to rolling resistance? Best wishes RB

Don't care how big the discs are, the maximum retardation you can get, relying on friction between the road and the tyres and without ground effect or similar tricks, is 1.0g. That's 9.81m/sec/sec (approximately!!). So from 100 mph, (or 45m/sec,) it will take at least 4.6 seconds. Elementary my dear Newton. Best wishes RB

I expect that at least some of the difference between your stopping distance and that quoted in the Highway Code is the "thinking distance". I imagine that, in your test, you hit the brakes at a known point and measured from there, whereas the Highway Code takes into account the distance travelled while you are thinking about what to do about a hazard that has just unexpectedly appeared. 70 mph is 31.3 metres per second, so if it takes you 0.25 seconds to think and another 0.1 seconds to get the pedal down, you have travelled nearly 11 metres (40 ft.) extra. And I expect that they take into account the slower reactions of the "average " motorist over the whole age range. Ever been in a car with a (cough) "elderly driver"? The time it takes for them to react is bl@@dy frightening. I once sat as a passenger, with my 75 year old father at the wheel at 170mph (Jaguar XKR on an Autobahn). A sure cure for constipation! Best wishes RB

I expect that it is a piezzo-electric device, that is it turns a physical shock (detonation, pinking, pre-ignition, call it what you like) into an an electrical impulse which is read by the ECU and causes the ignition timing to be stepped back. They are rather sensitive to the through-bolt tension, needs to be done up to the exact specified torque; too tight and it's damaged, too loose and it doesn't pick up the shock properly. Best wishes RB

The distributor set up has longer leads. They work with a coilpack but are not very tidy. best wishes RB

I suppose the thing to do is to drain the sump and filter, measure and put back the exact amount specified in the handbook and compare the level achieved with the mark on the dipstick. At least then you will know if you are under or over- filled. best wishes RB

Put more oil in, then it will be long enough. (Apologies, it was too good to miss....) Best wishes RB

Sorry to sound like I'm teaching Grandmother to suck eggs, but 1000 miles from a bearing sounds as though you may have done it up too tight. Best wishes RB

There is certainly such a thing as downrated wheel bearings, namely NOT genuine VAG. A lot of people have had trouble with these. Best wishes RB

Tedb, you are now thoroughly confused by 2 opposite opinions on whether or not you need spring compressors !! Davidwort are you sure you can take the unit apart safely without them. I agree that the bushes, spacers, bearing etc. above the top spring plate can be slid off of the damper piston but if the spring top rubber is broken or displaced, then the spring needs to be taken off which needs a compressor. Anyway Tedb, I think that your best bet is to get it looked at by the installer of your dampers. Best wishes RB

Not really a do-it-yourself option if you have to take the suspension units apart, unless you have spring compressors and a good set of other tools. Take it back to where you had the shocks replaced and get them to check it over. Best wishes RB

Top suspension mounts? Best wishes RB

Also look on the web for http://www.Fourseasontuning.com a place in California which does genuine timing chain sets complete for $155 plus carriage. He also does pistons, bearings etc. With the US$ so weak it could be worthwhile even to pay for carriage and import duty. Speak to James West, he's the boss and owns a US spec VR6; he'll give you an estimate for the shipping costs. They open at 10 am local time (7 pm in UK) and accept PayPal. Best wishes RB

If it is overfueling, the cat won't like it and the oil in the bores is being washed off with petrol. If it is underfueling you risk damaging the pistons through overheating/detonation at higher engine speeds. Best wishes RB

As has been said, the important things are to check it on level ground and to make sure that the dipstick is pushed in fully. If it has been standing overnight, the oil will all be back in the sump. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it and push it back in fully and take it out again for a reading. If the engine has been running recently give it a few minutes to allow the oil to return to the sump then do as above for the dipstick reading. I don't think that the temperature of the oil is material, other than to alter the time taken for the oil to get back to the sump. The other important thing is not to overfill as the catalytic converter is intolerant of oil being blown down the exhaust pipe (or unburnt fuel for that matter). And don't forget to put the filler cap back on - it sounds obvious but it can be forgotten, and it makes a terrible mess of the underbonnet area if the oil gets sprayed all over the place. Best wishes RB

The engine in the Mk3 Golf GTi 16V and Passat B4 16V is designated ABF; this is the one you do NOT want as the block is taller. Best wishes RB

I'm no expert on G60s, but isn't it a bit different if you have a supercharger? Can you disconnect the exhaust and inlet pipes from the supercharger and take off the head that way? And of course if you have to do work to the head itself, you will probably need to completely strip it bare which will entail undoing those manifold nuts, but at least you will be able to work on it on the bench rather than fiddling about around the back off the engine bay. Best wishes RB

Just make sure that the bore of the caliper is not contaminated with paint if spraying it when the piston is out. And don't paint the surface where it butts up against the carrier. Best wishes RB

It's a bit of a fiddle to change the seals but be patient and you'll easily do it. Getting the piston started back into the bore is the tricky bit because obviously the main seal is a very close fit. Be certain to keep everything scrupulously clean. Best wishes RB

Thanks for the tip - I'll put a painter's dust sheet down under it. Best wishes RB