Roger Blassberg

Is there a label in the boot back panel or front driver's side wing? RB

I put the roof lining back in today, having given it a good clean with Vanish carpet cleaner. Just to make sure that it didn't get damaged, I reinforced the back of the two rearmost tabs and the surround to the interior light/electric motor panel at the front; I bonded some thin plastic, (actually a piece of food container cut to size and bonded on with superglue to the back of the liner). I replaces the foam strips, which had fallen to pieces, with 3mm thick rubber draught excluder from Homebase. Hopefully this will prevent rattles and creaks. Best wishes RB

I am in too. Best wishes RB

Tyre pressures too high? Steering geometry, especially castor-angle wrong?? What benchmark are you judging your opinion against? Are the tyres wearing evenly? Best wishes RB

I should think that it would be a lot easier to get the constant-section strip made separately, and that is the bit that deteriorates along the edge so is the part we all need. It could then be cut to length from a long production batch and the double-sided adhesive tape applied. It would then be farly easy for the purchaser to use a suitable adhesive to join the strip to the original back part (and front maybe) at the change of section. That should make the production process much cheaper and more attractive to a potential manufacturer. Best wishes RB

I have sent you a PM. Consider it sold. Best wishes RB

I have sent you a PM. Consider it sold. Best wishes RB

Thanks for all replies. Best wishes RB

Has anyone had a standard VR6 leather steering wheel successfully re-covered? The leather on mine is wearing badly at the 3 o'clock position - it hasn't worn right through but bits are coming off of the surface. If anyone can recommend a specialist, please let me know, or if you have a perfect one for sale..........?? Best wishes RB

Passat B4 estate glass sunroof is now in. It fits well, very slightly high (less than 1mm) at the middle front which I will try to minimise by adjusting the panel but the main thing is that IT TILTS AND SLIDES !! And the bonus is that all sorts of interior rattles have disappeared as well which must have been emanating from the old sunroof. The sliding blind is a perfect colour match (beige). There is hardly any wind noise and all I have to do now is get the headlining back in without breaking it. Last thing on the list is to get the A/C working. Best wishes RB

As the originator of this thread, may I please take the opportunity to make the last post as well and bring this unseemly wrangle to a quiet end by asking the administrator to lock it? Best wishes RB

The one on ebay is for an ABF engine, yours will be a 9A if it is standard. Perhaps there is a difference in the lengths of the 2 versions. Best wishes RB

to revive this..... I have now taken the headlining out. The article which Nick sent was very useful, but a couple of points need mentioning. It takes no account of the B pillar seat belt height adjusters/sliders which I found impossible to dismantle, so I just took off the coat hooks and pulled the tops of the trims towards the centre line of the car as the headliner was drawn back to the hatch door. The other thing was that the windscreen trim at the front of the headliner would not come off because the windscreen sealant used at the last replacement has glued it to the screen surround. So I had to be very careful to get the hatchdoor end tabs out of their slots. It was just possible. Both of these will make getting the headliner back in a very tricky job, needing many helping hands. The foam strips on the inner face of the headliner all disintegrated as I pulled it out so I will have to find some sort of replacement; I find rattles and squeaks to be very annoying. Amazingly the clips for the A pillar and rear headliner trims are still available from VW at 32p each Best wishes RB

To remove the B-pillar interior trim I need to get the seatbelt height adjuster button off. Bentley is not very helpful and just says to pull it off, but I have pulled it fairly hard outwards (towards the centreline of the car) and it won't budge. I am loathe to lever it in case I break it. Is there a trick involved in this? Best wishes RB

I can only base my opinion on 20 years of B4 Passat ownership and 10 years of Corrado. The B4 sunroof has been completely reliable even though it has never been overhauled, re-lubricated or anything. The Corrado has , er, not. Best wishes RB

My B4 (35i "Facelift) has the middle sunvisor. Best wishes RB

I noticed the other day, when taking out the sunroof motor for the ten-thousandth time, that on a sunny summer's day they get very hot indeed, quite literally too hot to handle. Maybe that too contributes to their premature failure. I might try to squeeze in some sort of heat shield between the roof and the motor. The Bosch motor in the Passat B4 sunroof I am about to install seems to be a lighter construction compared to the Rockwell item; I hope it is more reliable. Based on 20 years of Passat ownership, with total sunroof reliability, I am looking forward to an improved experience once the transplant has been done. RB

My B4 has a light grey roof lining, (not for sale though, sorry!!), so the answer is "yes, probably". Certainly the light beige Passat interior exactly matched that of the Corrado, so I would think that the shades of grey will do too. How is it that VW made such a mistake with the Corrado sunroof ? in my 20 years of B4 Passat ownership it has never malfunctioned, but the Corrado has been a pain in the back-bumper. Looking forward a brighter outlook. RB

Fan run-on is controlled by fan control unit as described above and by yellow sensor on the thermostat housing. Have a look at the Definitive Cooling Guide. Best wishes RB

No, the front calipers have pins which are identical to each other. RB

You will notice that the 2 guide pins in a rear caliper are not identical; one is stepped and the other one isn't. I Think that this is something to do with providing for the caliper to retract when you take your foot off of the pedal. Maybe the pins have to be in the correct (either top or bottom) guide hole, and if they are not correctly positioned it could (COULD) be the cause of your problem. Try swapping them around to see if it makes a difference. Best wishes RB

Thanks Nick, I am hoping to collect the Passat roof this week but I won't have time to fit it for a while. Grateful for the offer of help, I'll call you soon, and assist you with yours when the time comes. RB

Sorry to hijack this, I have now bought a B4 estate sunroof complete unit to put into my Corrado (I may or may not use the glass panel). Can someone direct me to a write-up on removal/refitting the whole shooting-match?. Thanks RB

On the oil level that you mentioned, as long as you have the level correct on the dipstick, it should be ok (assuming you have the right dipstick for the sump you are using). My thoughts were also on the starter motor; maybe the pinion is not disengaging from the flywheel properly. Best wishes RB

In fact there is a complete mechanism, with motor, on ebay at the moment. RB