Roger Blassberg

When you say "gears have stripped", do you mean the tapered splined hubs that go into the wiper arms, or something in the wiper motor unit itself? The wiper motors are readily available on ebay and are used on a number of other models. Best wishes RB

The crank position sensor will ALWAYS come up when the engine is not running. This is normal. It is notoriously difficult to isolate the problem because once the engine cuts out the fault will show anyway. It needs a signal from the rotating crankshaft to activate the fuel pump and ignition circuits. For the sake of £50, (ok, not to wasted on a whim, but this is actually a good price for a cps)I personally would change it. Best wishes RB

Read the "Sticky" above. If you get the through-bolt the wrong way round you will wreck the engine. RB

Mawrick, you mentioned that your car has an airbag. I was not aware of any Corrados fitted with that. Was this an option even in US? RB

Fuses and relays are your first port of call I would think. Someone will know which ones....... RB

Be aware that the ABF is a bit taller (15 mm I think) than the 9A, and you may need to fettle your bonnet for it to fit. A good ABF will give at least 160, maybe 170 bhp with its dedicated management system so it is certainly a worthwhile swap. They are very robust and reliable, I have a B4 Passat with the ABF engine and it has done 250 thousand miles. I am just about to put on a rebuilt cylinder head because of valve guide/oil seal issues, but there are no bottom end concerns at all. RB

...and there is good money waiting here for a new set of roof trims. RB

Another favourite location for a leak is the joint between the radiator and the top plastic elbow, held together by two bolts into captive nuts within the radiator top moulding. There is an O ring in there. Look down the battery side of the radiator for stains and rust. Be aware though that the captive nuts in the radiator may not be quite as captive as they should be - they may turn with the bolts in which case the only cure for a leak there is a new radiator. Also check the radiator temperature sender further down on that side (big brass hexagon with an electrical connector attached to the back of it) . It is not done up very tightly and the fibre gasket can start to weep coolant. Best wishes RB

Are your camshafts still rotating? (Is the timing belt still in place is what I mean). Or, as said above, it could be a flame trap on the breather system near to the idle stabilisation valve - certainly on VR6 engines they have a tendency to go bang. Best wishes RB

Silver G-reg of unknown variety, looked un-modified and original, at the A414/Watling Street roundabout (old M10), near St Albans yesterday afternoon at about 4.45 pm. Brief exchange of thumbs-up, and away. RB

Whilst you have it apart, replace all the foam on the heater box diverter flaps. Also be very careful with the centre console (the plastic moulding that houses the switches, radio, heater controls) The fixing hole tabs are, like any 20 year old plastic, getting brittle so are quite likely to break if you are ham-fisted.The most likely to break in my experience are the ashtray housing tab and the four mountings for the heater panel. Best wishes RB

Look at "The Definitive Cooling Guide" under the Stickies in this section. It will tell you how to trace the fault. Best wishes RB

Mine received too, not yet fitted. If I had known you live just around the corner so to speak, I would have collected it in person. Best wishes RB

Mine received too, not yet fitted. If I had known you live just around the corner so to speak, I would have collected it in person. Best wishes RB

I have been using Osram Nightbreakers with a direct-to-battery relayed loom for a long time now, with no degradation of the reflectors. Best wishes RB

Why did the bottom chain break? Check the crankshaft sprocket very carefully for worn teeth (apart from the one that is filed down as a timing mark). It could be that you would be wasting your time and money replacing the chain if the sprocket is worn. The bad news is that you would need to replace the crankshaft if this is the reason. Best wishes RB

Top tip. Dont drop it, it will go somewhere totally inaccessible!Tie a piece of cotton around it before you try to extract/re-insert it. RB

If it is electric I am 99.9% sure that both seats will be height adjustable.

B4 (1994 - 1997) Passat glass sunroof especially from an estate fits almost perfectly. They are more reliable than the Corrado too. Best wishes RB

Are the rubber roof trim strips still available? Mine are breaking up along the inner edge. I replaced them in 2005 but they are falling apart again. Best wishes RB

Certainly check that the top chain guide rail is ok. They have a tendency to break around the mounting bolt holes. You can change that with the top cover off just by undoing 2 bolts (which you should try your best not to drop down inside the bottom cover!!!) The guide rail is very cheap, about £15 from VAG. RB

Hasan, to get the lower timing chain cover off you will need to take off the gearbox, the clutch and the flywheel. It is not a 2 hour job!! It must be one of the most stupid design characteristics of the VR6 engine that the pivot for the tensioner blade is concealed by the lower cover. Is the tensioner the Mk4 (solid plastic) version? If so I would be tempted to live with slight grooves, as it is most unlikely to break up. Only consider changing it if it is the earlier rivetted composite type and the rivets look as though they are about to be ground down by the chain. Good luck RB

Fixed!!! Thanks to everyone, especially Hasan for his well-illustrated article which showed me, step-by-step, how to dismantle and fix the switch. And to loepan for pointing me in the right direction. Incidentally, I was wrong about the knobs. There IS a difference; one has a cut out in the rim for the sliding contact to go through. Putting the two outer knobs on the wrong way round is what bends the slider and causes the problem, so beware if you do take the control panel apart. Best wishes RB

Odder and odder. Thanks Hasan. Your suggestion didn't work, but I have now determined that the intemediate speeds do work at positions BETWEEN the marked stops, so 1 works at 1.5, 2 at 2.5 etc. Obviously the thermal fuse is ok but the switch itself needs attention. Anyone got a good switch?? Roger

I would take the tailgate and the steering wheel. Please PM me Best wishes RB