jamiehamy

Only been at Gordon's (G-Wagenz) once when he helped me with a seized caliper. Very meticulous and not your average mechanic (in my mind). Workshop is very clean and tidy, and the work he was doing on other cars looked very neat and well organised. From feedback from other people too, I think he would be a pretty safe bet :)

New PAGID discs and pads fitted to the front as well as drivers trackrod end. Also just fitted Goodrich hoses at the front, as well as new brake pipes. The originals were in good condition, except in the arch, where they were beginning to rot, so good time to do it. The hoses make a nice difference, less sponginess and effort required to brake. Still not quite as firm as a modern car, but by all accounts, that's fairly normal. Now i've got good brakes again :) Rear brakes never tend to get too hot, which bothers me. I know they don't really contribute as much, but I'd have thought on a good fast drive with lots of heavy braking, they would have gotten at least too hot to touch. Also, they sturggle to maintain that shiny look, which I am putting down to not getting hot and burning off any cr@p? Compensator is in the middle, maybe needs adjusting to make them work more? Mileage 173002 miles.

I must say, I echo kev's comments about posters never updating with how they got in. It's maddening to see threads that are outlining exactly your problems, what the poster is going to do, then no final update/outcome! I know I for one do my best to put a final post stating my outcome to try help people. Maybe when we spot an 'incomplete' thread that hasn't been updated for a while, we can try resurrect it and encourage the OP to provide an update? It'snot just this forum of course, it's everywhere, but it's small things like that that make 'our' forum even more helpful than it already is. :) I know I have occasional stalls, but will not replace the MAF simply because no-one (that I've ever found) has fitted a new one and been able to say 'that fixed it'. I'm sure it's happened, but I'm not aware of it.

I've got some Jamex Blue ones lying about i was going to bin. Okay condition, most of the paint is still on them, no significant rust. Yours for nothing if you want to pickup from Houston some time.

Got these today. all present and correct. Cracking value!

I knew this one would come up! I fitted a felt pad too, sorted it. Does anyone know a method to make the inner handle work better i.e. not release at full 'pull'? I doubt the metal rod has expanded and it's pretty rigid so can't bend it easily. I can't find anything to adjust or tighten - Has anyone ever replaced this with something durable to make the release nicer? I did consider wire, but that would be a really bodgy fix!

One thing which reduced rattles immensely was adjust the boot catch pin down a mm or so - holds the boot down a bit tighter and really reduces rattles from all the contained machanism :)

I must say, I really don't agree with the sentiment about handling in standard form. I put mine back to standard ride height ( still with Koni T/A's tho) and really love the handling. On very slow twisty bits, it's a bit nose heavy, but take it up the fast roads beyond Loch Lomond and the thing is amazing. I have driven many cars or all sorts, and this is the best all rounder. Every driven a Civic Type-R? Handling is panties, esp at high speed! I always remember driving a friends 911 Turbo, wickedly fast and, by all accounts, amazing handling. However, when I got back in the Corrado, I felt it was much easier to drive and take to it's limit and felt significantly more planted. Porsche was so twitchy over anything but smooth roads. Handling at the limit is what matters - I reckon I'm much safer on the roads in the Rado because it's so forgiving of misjudged corners or speed. I remember once having to take evasive action when someone pulled out on me and to this day never workout out how I never went into a spin! Anyway, just thought i'd defend the bit I feel passionately about, even tho you weren't attacking :)

Yeah, i'm sure it's a 15mm. Might be pretty solid on tho. They adjust a few mm up and down. If the door hinges have sagged ( even imperceptibly), it puts more downward pressure on the pin. Moving it down 1 or 2mm can make a nice difference. Again tho, one day you'll need to do the hinges...lol Funny you rarely hear of Corrado door hinges sagging. Wonder how much longer before we all suffer, then find there are no hinges for sale anywhere!

Dave's kit helped sort mine after it snapped and it felt better after too, but also pay close attention to the door pin on the pillar. Adjusting it slightly can help, but it won't stop the small arm in the handle snapping one day so def worth doing in advance in your own time. Mine snapped whilst I was in France...doh!

This might not help as you are probably in a rush, but when i needed a replacement engine, I got it on ebay for £200. Took a chance, but it's never missed a beat and fired up first time. So, def keep an eye on ebay too for a bargain. Shame, I posted recently about a VR6 block with 5 cylinders. Would probably have been ideal for you but imagine it's gone now.

True, you need to do high miles. But if you don't it makes the 1.8T even less rewrding financially surely? I know I've had similar thoughts, but realised then unless I went to diesel, changing to something that was not significantly more econical and I wasn't as happy with was not worth the £200 saving a year. I would recommend doing your financials and work out if the cost/hassle to change is worth the yearly saving. I'd imagine any 1.8T Corrado's will cost you a good £1000 plus minimum to change into - that'll be 2 years savings already gone, more if you're low mileage. Also, it's amazing just how thirsty the Rado is when not warmed up - mines is warm most of the weekend, but on short journeys, it simply guzzles. Reset your MAF after 5mins and notice how much more economical the Rado seems to be! Whatever you do tho, just stick the with Rado :)

Something that has irritated me for a while is the inability to search for acronyms on the forum. It's really limiting and makes searches so much longer, especially when so many terms are abbreviated down to a 3character acronym. Examples are '16v ABS' or 'VR6 LPG' or '1.8 ECU' or 'VR6 ISV'...you get the idea. You can't search for any of them. At least, I've not worked out how, despite trying to trick with random symbols. Admin - is there anyway the config can be changed to allow searching on say 3 characters, without affecting performance too much? It's not the only forum, but it's the one I use the most, hence my post :) Cheers, J

Must say, I've had a few friends with 1.8T Mk4's, and the fuel consumption is pretty dire on them, unless you drive like a granny. Also, compared to a V6, it's a pretty soulless engine (especially in standard form). If you really want a cheaper to run Corrado, then 1.9TDi or LPG is the way - 1.8T is not going to be the answer to your dream I doubt tbh. Let's say you average 30mpg with the VR and 35mpg with a 1.8T - How much will you save over say, a year?

I think a meet would be good, I'm easy where as long as it's in the middle of something fair :) French cars - not sure about that unless it's a special French car! ooft...

Just did the google, we're both right probably! I'll leave you to interpret this :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Volkswagen_Group_factories

Yeah, I thought the Polo and other SEAT derived cars were produced out there using a site that was inherited from SEAT? Might be wrong :(

No no no! For things like track rod ends, balljoints, manifold studs etc...i.e. old goosed things that are being replaced. If the nuts/bolts are that tough to get out, they need replaced anyway as far as I'm concerned. As I said earlier, it's not really possible to heat the wheels studs (or more importantly the hub they are threaded into)with the wheel on without damaging other things. Sheared studs have actually been on Ibiza and Polo and never heated. And one of them was not even me removing. Maybe it's just me, but I think the quality of metal on these cars is rotten...something to do with being made in Spain maybe?! But yes, point is valid however, pay attention to what is getting the treatment.

In case anyone is interested, I bought a set of these for the C yesterday. I've got the front 312mm setup from a TT, so hoping they will fit. Cracking price - £47 for a set. Obv only using front ones, but even still it's great value. Seems too good to be true so will keep posted on fitment as and when. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Goodridge-Braided-Brake-Lines-Quattro/dp/B002RNSAQY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1297848564&sr=8-1

It's awesome stuff, I use the Normfest ( or Wurth) which is far superior to most other brands in my opinion. My formula for getting stubborn bolts (esp old track rod ends) out is to blast them til really hot with the blowtorch, then immediately spray liberal amounts of SC on. Does the trick everytime (provided the bolt head doesn't come off). Heating is good, heating with very quick cooling causing the lubricant to sook in to the thread is amazing!

I've had plenty of Varta batteries over the years and never had an issue, so that must be a good sign :)

Probably not. If they really are that tight, you could try Super Crack and leave it over night. Probably no point in heating - you'll not get access to heat the right bits without damaging some other stuff that will absord the residual heat, likes bearing seals. Are you using the standard VW wrench or an extendable one? The longer the handle, the easier it is. Just be careful not to shear the nuts tho. More modern VW nuts are not great quality and more prone to shearing.

Just thought I'd clsoe my issue off for now. Replugged the loom with some average quality bulbs - not had an issue and that's over a month. Only thing I'm thinking is that on occasion I've held the stalk so the main and dipped are on at once and possibly the heat has blown the filament. Probably will never know, but so far so good. Thanks to Andy and Kev :)

Good thing with people 'hoarding' a couple of sets is that there will be a supply in the future. I know i've been frustrated when I realised I've missed a group buy and there were none left. At least 'over supply' at group buy stage will mean there will be a stash available for a couple of years (hopefully) :) The more we get into circulation now, the less chance of someone profiteering for a rare part because they aren't as rare anymore - real enthusiasts will offer their spares for a realistic price. Only reason I'm ordering two pairs is that I know I'll loose the first set at some point, just like the original ones! lol And thanks for arranging this Stuey - when I saw the previous offering at silly money, I was thinking about how we could get a group buy, but had no idea where to start!

I'd take two pairs thanks.