Roger Blassberg

Thanks, I will do that. It's a '94 Passat GT ( LHD, supplied in Germany). Suspension, brakes, wheels are VR6 spec. A good load carrier, 235 000 km recorded. Very reliable (except window lifters and heated mirror elements.) Needs to be rowed along on the gearbox. Any suggestions on more low-speed torque would be welcomed, based on Corrado experience. I suppose the ultimate would be to drop in a VR6 but that's going a bit far......... Best wishes RB

My other car is....... a Passat estate wth the ABF engine, 150 PS 16V. It lacks low end torque, which, as you can imagine in such a car, means lots of gearchanging. Having got used to the VR6, it's even more noticeable. Any suggestions for beefing up the torque curve, at a reasonable price? Best wishes RB

Thanks. I'll try that route. The fob has a Volkswagen label on it, and is flat and rectangular with a slide switch on one side and a small socket on the other, plus 2 buttons on the top - if that's a clue for anyone else to give an opinion as to its type/origin. Best wishes RB

New rear bearing seals?? Its likely they will be damaged as you remove them. (based on my experience with a Mk2 GTi). Best Wishes RB

One of the OE total closure and alarm remote control fobs I received with the car (purchased about 18 months ago) has never worked, so I took it apart - lo! and behold, no battery, so I bought a new one from VW. Now the red LED works when you press the button, but it doesn't operate the central locking. I asked the parts man if it needs programming (there's a tiny 3 pin socket in the side of the remote which looks as though it would be for that purpose) but he said that it does not need to be reprogrammed. What do people think? The fob has the marking MPT 1340 WT EXEMPT on the back if that's any help. Best wishes RB

1.Fuses? It takes a while for the seats to heat up, mind you. You say "twist the dial", on mine ('94 VR6) it's a sort of thumbwheel arrangement. 2. Probably the heater elements are burnt-out - they don't like being left on for very long. I'v had many failures on various VWs over the years. 3.Normal. The illumination should come on when you switch off the ignition, though. Best wishes, RB

Check the balance of the rear wheels too. Did the condition of the old front tyres give any clues? - uneven wear caused by tracking out of adjustment, etc. Best wishes RB

Thanks for that , Henny. It makes sense to pressurise the system before cranking the engine. Must think more clearly before sending messages... :oops: Am I right in thinking that, if the engine is stalled with the ignition switched on, the relay will cut out the pump to prevent a big fire in the case of a major frontal impact? Best wishes RB

Doesn't the engine have to be running to energise the fuel pump relay? Best wishes RB

Time to stop when personal taste starts creeping in. Best wishes RB

The red/clear set-up stays legal by having an amber bulb in a clear lens for the indicator - resulting in amber light. I understood timatsorted to mean that he was intending to tint his amber lens red - resulting in red light which is the problem. Just as a matter of interest, what's the problem with amber lenses anyway? We have yellow number plates. I'll get my coat then... Best wishes RB

Thanks, both G-Lader and stevemac. I rang VW, they have some Platinum mats, but not a suitable colour for me. I'll get justmatz to make me some. Best wishes RB

Have you been changing wheels and tyres in the meantime, leading to altered gearing? The vaccum hose is for the MFA Please let me know when you are driving at 110 whilst operating a GPS, :shock: and I'll make sure I stay at home.... Best wishes RB

Thanks very much, G-Lader. Best wishes RB

fronts hammer in, rears extra large hammer required ! But seriously, fronts push in; rears wind in , after you've spent a while cursing the caliper locating pins for being stuck. Best wishes RB

and do it sooner rather than later !! Head gasket failure is bad, under-bonnet fire is worse... Best wishes RB

I don't think that there is a connection from the gearbox to the MPG function on the MFA . I had always thought that it worked on the basis of integrating over time the vacuum developed by the inlet manifold , via a diaphragm/ transducer behind the dash. This is connected by a small bore hose to a tapping from the engine side of the throttle butterfly. Maybe it has developed a leak or has come off altogether. If not, it could be that the diaphragm has gone AWOL. I expect that the transducer gets its feed from the wire that PhatVR6 mentioned.This happened to a Golf GTi I had a few years ago. Best wishes RB

The original equipment carpet mat, drivers footwell, has seen better days and has two holes in it from 10 years' faithful service. The other 3 are pristine. VW are no longer able to supply. Does anyone have a solution? Are there specialists who make mats to order? Of course, it has to have the correct script woven into it !! The interior is cream leather, matching colour fitted carpet but BLACK mats; very practical but a bit strange to my way of thinking. Is this normal or have the original mats been replaced already? Paint code LC6P Best wishes RB,

What's the view taken by 1) MOT testers, and 2) insurance companies to messing about with the colour and transparency of lenses and reflectors? The testers get all shirty if you have cracked or obscured lights, or those without the mandatory E-marks, and an astute assessor might take a similar line if you have a rear ender (!!) and it can be shown that your set up is non-compliant or modified without a declaration. I don't want to spoil your fun, but, " better safe than sorry". Best wishes RB

Make sure you have bought new disc-locating screws (the countersunk cross-head ones that keep the disc located onto the hub). They are very often seized and need to be drilled out. If that happens you need to drill and re-tap the hole and put in a new screw, or better still, turn the disc to another position, locate it exactly with at least 2 wheel bolts, and drill/tap a new hole in the drive flange. Try not to run the drill through the cv joint boot though.......... It's a misery trying to line up wheel, hub and disc holes all at once without the locating screw holding it all together, especially on a dark night on the hard shoulder in the pouring rain . The carrier to hub bolts can be VERY tight. They are best removed by an impact wrench because they don't apply out of plane forces to the suspension components - just torque into the bolt. I eventually got mine undone with lots of heaving on a long bar, but the effort actually bent one of the lugs on the hub, so that when I came to put it all back together the bolts wouldn't line up properly. At this point I gave up and gave it to my long-suffering specialist who did a bit of old-fashioned blacksmithery on it with big hammers whilst I wasn't watching. Best wishes RB

sounds as though a small-bore vacuum hose has developed a leak or has come off altogether, messing up all sorts of control systems. Best wishes RB

If you are going to cut the connector off the loom, make sure you rewire it so that the fan runs in the right direction - it sounds obvious but it's easily done to get it wrong, with predictable results. Best wishes RB

--or indeed if new cams are needed at all ! Why does C-mann's mechanic think that the originals are worn out? Is there scuffing through the case-hardening on the lobes? Or maybe the bearings are worn without damage to the journals, in which case it's a bearing change only. I assume they are shell bearings which can be replaced without the need for line boring. My engine had done 162K when the head gave up the ghost. It had blown the gasket because of very deep pitting on the mating surface and it was cost effective to replace the head complete with all valve gear (£750 + VAT from VW exchange, against many hours of stripping down the old item and replacing most of the parts anyway). The point of all this is that, OK it had been a bit tappety, but not to the extent that I had ever suspected camshaft wear like you used to hear on old Ford Pintos. I'm surprised that the camshafts in this case were the culprits unless the engine had been horribly abused or neglected. Perhaps it's timing chains/tensioners if there is lots of rattling. Not much comfort, but a pity to buy new cams and end up with a continuing problem. Best Wishes RB

How do the Schrick 268 cams compare to standard timing/lift cams in terms of low speed torque, high speed power, fuel economy and longevity? If the engine is otherwise standard, without the benefit of PhatVR6's other extensive modifications including the Schrick VGI and the ultra close-ratio gearbox to keep it all cooking, it may be that C-mann would be disappointed with a peaky cam set-up which robs him of low speed torque. It's a matter of choice of course, but informed choice is best. Best wishes RB

Chris P, yes please. Where are you? Could collect and at least buy you a few beers into the bargain. Please PM me. Thanks RB