Roger Blassberg

The yellow one is a 4 pin connector and is responsible for the temperature gauge, so this is the one you may suspect of being at fault. The blue on sends messages to the ECU regarding fueling and the black one deals with air conditioning issues. Best wishes RB

Rica, mine is a very early '94. If you want, and as you seem to live quite close to me (same county at least) you could try swapping my ECU (no integral immobiliser) into your car sometime to see if it does the trick. You may have a broken wire or something as an alternative source of the intermittent cutting out. Clutching at straws, it may be the ECU relay. Best wishes RB

Well, time to confess age, (51).... yes, such a shock, for me as much as anyone. But the good news is that I pay £290 fully comprehensive with protected NCD and legal expenses. Full ncd., clean licence, self and wife insured, living in Hertfordshire. With First Alternative. Best wishes RB

Check that the caliper carrier is centred over the disc. I had a similar problem with very noticable binding and continuous squeals from the front brakes, hot smells (mostly from the brakes !!) and poor fuel consumption. When I fitted the 288mm setup , I discovered that, somehow or other, one of the lugs on the hub to which the carrier is bolted had been bent out of position slightly, causing the brake to bind on one side of the disc. A bit of judicious blacksmithery brought it back into line. Together with new pads and discs, the problem was solved and she rolls completely freely. I had replaced the seals in the calipers too, so there was no chance that the piston was sticking. Best wishes RB

I bought a set from justmatz at Inters this year, and the heel pad is almost worn through already. Not desperately impressive. Best wishes RB

Too good to ignore. I'm very sorry. I really should know better at my age. etc., etc. Best wishes RB

Be careful with fuel-burning heaters in confined spaces. They can produce carbon monoxide (deadly) if not properly maintained or are used in unsuitable, unventilated conditions. Being a bit chilly is a preferable option to being permanently stone cold.....

6203-2RS, (not 6203-2RS1 as quoted in the Knowledge Base because I don't know what the "1" means !!!). For that price I can afford to chuck it into the tool box if it's not the right one. Delivery promised Wednesday (1st class post, 1st class service all round) The number is a generic code indicating 6 - bearing type (single deep groove Conrad-type ball bearing), 2 - duty (light, 500 kgf radial, max 17 000 rpm), 03 - diameter (40mm o/d, 17mm i/d), width (12mm), and 2RS - 2 rubber seals Best wishes RB

Don't forget that, as a last resort, you can take a civil action against the offending driver to get your property restored to the state it was in before the accident, irrespective of the insurance company's write-off assessment. Best wishes RB

The deal with the American bulk purchase deal was no deal at all because the postage costs were enormous. I found the bearing on http://www.simplybearings.co.uk, for £3.88 including p&p Best wishes RB

Anyone know if 6203 2RS is the same as 6203 2RS1? I/D 17mm, O/D 40mm, W 12mm, Conrad single row radial ball bearings, rubber seals on both sides. Because if it is, there's a supplier in USA who can supply 20 bearings for $11 plus postage - that's total price. Best wishes RB

In answer to my own question, BSLBrammer.co.uk Hayes (W.London) branch quoted £12.91 + vat for 1 item, coming down to about £9.50 each for an order of 5 items. Does anyone know of a cheaper supplier? VAG price for the complete tensioner is about £65 + vat, Murray McDonald in Hatfield Herts about £57 +vat. Best wishes RB

Does anyone have a telephone number/email/postal address for the bearing stockist BSL mentioned in the (very excellent) Knowledge Base article? Thanks in advance. Best wishes RB

You might go into your nearest VAG parts dept. and see if they can do cheap(er) oil pressure/voltmeter consoles (part nr. 536 919 527) for us right-hand drive people. Alles gute!! RB

Mine does that too, and over-reads when facing downhill/ braking, especially when the tank is getting low in contents. It's to do with the position of the level float in the tank and the electronics of the gauge. The solution is to never drive the car; that way the reading stays constant and your fuel bills are slashed. Best wishes RB

Thanks Phil Best wishes RB

I'm very interested in this, but would prefer to fit the gauges in place of the ash tray which I never use, rather than under it in the space which I find useful. Is there a separate mounting panel available for this, as seen in one of RW1's postings? Best wishes RB

It sounds like one of the small bore cloth covered rubber tubes that run to the vacuum advance on the distributor or to the various other controls on the inlet system. You can buy this stuff by the metre for a few pennies. It's worth replacing all of these tubes. Best wishes RB

A gent in a straw hat and with a Christmas-cracker moustache and pink hair seems to be making a take-over bid for the Mod Squad. Best wishes RB

Yes, they bring them in on transporters, straight from the factory. Best wishes RB

I have ATE Powerdiscs (grooved), with standard pads. They work well enough, no fade, reasonable bite. BUT, they are very noticeably noisy when being used hard, a sort of rumbling groan. Which reminds me, I must call the wife........ Best wishes RB

Heater matrix. Hoses to/from oil cooler. Well you did ask........... Best wishes RB

Rica, Back in this thread you mentioned that you have in the past entrusted your VR to Follett in St. Albans. As a (probably cheaper) alternative, I suggest that you give Mike Chapman a call on 01727 844179; he is VW trained, operates from Hatfield Road, St Albans and has always given me very good service on my VWs. Together we have spent ages getting to the bottom of all sorts of issues with my VR6, and he has owned one himself. There are several weak points in the cooling system, one of which you have identified. Another is the hose from the back of the cylinder head to the heater, and furthermore the short hoses to and from the oil cooler/heat exchanger behind the oil filter. For parts I go to Murray McDonald in Hatfield 01707 272686; he is also very knowledgeable. Good to hear of another Dragon Green VR6 in the area, but what is this "Ugly Duckling" business?? Best wishes RB

If you need a new cable or to have the instrument repaired, call Speedy Cables on 01639 732213 (Swansea, near you) Best wishes RB

You should ask the Fraulein to translate it for you. Best wishes RB