JohnJ

...and my 2p worth... Try pushing the fan switch inwards...if this makes the fan work then it is probably the switch contacts which are worn. HTH

If you are going to bypass the dampener then be careful what material you use, dont pick anything that will pinch and restrict air flow (or you will screw up your idle speed) and remember the location at the back of the bay, over the manifold will get v.hot. Speed fit plastic plumbing pipes and a couple of 90 degree bends are an easy temporary fix! HTH

No never did try cleaner, was thinking about giving it a go but my car was off the road waiting for a bearing anyway so I took the chance to get them refurbed. I suppose taking them out to be cleaned and tested means 100% certainty that they are good. I was told each injector has its own built-in filter (true?) and these were pretty gunged up, presumably injector cleaner would not have been able to entirely clean the filter elements?

Just had all 6 injectors ultrasonically cleaned and flow tested (at £25 each) to try and cure an intermittent 'induction backfire' problem. Thought my car was running reasonably well beforehand and it did well at a recent RR-day but: Cold-start is now instant. Always started first-turn but was taking a few seconds before it would catch. Think this might be down to losing fuel rail pressure via a leaky injector? Start-up feels 'smoother'. Idle is totally solid with no 'charateristic VR6' lumpiness. Throttle response is much sharper, engine is generally more refined. My mileage (120k) and care (FSH, regular oil changes/filters etc) are fairly typical so I would have thought that other owners might be suffering similar, without even realising it??? HTH.

And if the glue is not shifting... buy an 'eraser wheel' from a body supplies store: a little rubber wheel that fits on a drill and removes all the nasty stickness in a couple of minutes...with zero damage to the paint! Sooooperb :D

A couple of good pointers, thanks! :D

It did occur to me that it might be the ECU throwing out bad data, but the problem is so intermittent I am a bit dubious. Might just wait until the car is off-the-road for a few days anyway and I will get the injectors ultrasonically cleaned. Might even try some injector-cleaning fuel additive but I wont expect too much success!

Hoping someone can help with a very intermittent problem: Every now and again my '96 VR will backfire through the induction system, just as the starter is engaged. Has happened about 6 times now and usually destroys the ISV dampener box :mad: . Only happens when the engine is cold. The car starts and runs perfectly 99.9% of the time. The HT system seems fine, no arcing, and the coil pack has already been changed. I have a K&N induction kit fitted but this was on long before this particular fault came about. I am beginning to think that perhaps an injector is getting leaky, or even a really random ECU/wiring fault. :? Any thoughts?

You swine Sandy, your torque beat my BHP figure!!! :mad: Hows about doing me one of your special reflowed chargers that I can bolt onto the VR? :lol: Good to see everyone again and Thanks to Roddy for making the arrangements.

Depending on how Saturday night goes I will either join the Glasgow team at the Showcase early doors or just wander up to Star a bit later on...Remember to keep space at the back for a little un! G40 AL (or is it now 20V AL?) what you thinkin buddy?

Think some Audi models (A4?) came with chromed locks which can be adapted to fit.

A big squad (15 cars, 34 bodies last year) usually set off from Bedrock VeeDubs in Motherwell on the Friday morning, stay at a nearby Travel Lodge type place, then cruise back up Sunday afternoon. We are a very friendly, mixed crowd so anyone (lads, lasses, couples) who wants to hook up for the journey, or the whole weekend, will be very welcome. Swing past Bedrock or forward any details to moi.

OK, I am with you now. The black lead does not need to go all the way back to the battery, just find a solid earth point. There is a earth 'spider' in the driver-side footwell, behind the dash and just above the bonnet release lever...run a decent guage cable from the head unit , over the top of the steering column and connect with a 5mm spade crimp. Best option to join cables is to make a solder connection and the protect with heatshrink tubing. Next best is to use bullet crimps. Next best is wiring blocks (or terminal block or chocolate block) insulated with tape. Do not twist wires together and try to avoid the blue wiring clamps (mentioning no trade names!). HTH :D

In my view it depends on the spec of the HU. The high power Alpines (i.e. 60W/channel) have a seperate wire for the +12v supply since the peak current demand is near the limit of the ISO spec. The other HUs should be OK running the ISO supply, but by all means run a separate wire if you are having problems. All IMO of course.

Cheers Lads... I should have demanded a recount, how could a POLO beat a CORRADO fergodsake!!! :lol: Is that why Big Al was buying buns for the judges? (or maybe I should not have voted for him...doh!). Well done Al (he is not all bad...he is on this forum after all) but don't get too cocky, I will have my revenge at the RR Day! :evil: JohnJ

Yeah, because its an indoor show you are locked in from 8.30-4, which is a pain. And the roads are always boggin this time of year so no matter how clean your car is when you set off you end up having to ferry buckets of icy cold water from the janitors room and wash the mota in the car park. At 8am. On a Sunday. I don't remember last year being particularly poor...there are always a few top show cars (Ron's Mk1 etc), a load of nice daily drivers, and a few real mingers! Inters it aint! Better stop now or I'll talk myself out of going. Make sure you collar me for a chat...if I'm not around the car I'll be in the canteen filling my face with burgers!

I'll tag along too... How about meeting at the Visitor car park for the Forth Bridge (across road from the new Tesco, past the Esso garage)? Plenty space and would make some great photos!

A crowd of us who are exhibiting will be setting off from Bedrock around 7.30 (feck! guess why our annual Halloween party is postponed till next week!). The early start is a killer but why don't you guys give the organisers a call and RRReprezent!!! sure they will be glad of some Quality motors. A laid-back show but v. friendly & always good banter.

It was more than just elongating the fixing holes with my InPros...the lens back was actually fouling on the tailgate cut-out. I needed to heat the rear of the clusters until the plastic softened and then push-fit in place. Better, but still not 100%. The chrome finish is total cr4p (has gone patchy with the black plastic breaking through) so I got my panel beater to colour code the housings when I was getting my respray...was a total b1tch since the paint kept on reacting and blistering!!! Kinda makes you grudge paying £270 for the privelage of the hassle. :mad:

Need to be careful if you remove the hose to the Throttle Body which is presumably there to prevent icing in cold weather? Anyone who as suffered carb icing, particularly on bikes, will know what a PITA it can be...running like a dog one day, fine the next. I have been thinking about relocating the electrics which are in front of the expansion tank, especially since I have all the relays & stuff for air-con... still trying to find an accessable and dry position.

Yup, 7.5 x 17 will be fine... So long as the wheel offset is correct, you stick to a 205/40 tyre and dont drop lower than about 40mm (for normal driving anyway...go nuts for a Show when you get coilies!). This is my set up and I never get any rubbing at all, even b-road blasting 5-up! I often swap back to my 15 inch Speedlines and I can't say I feel a huuuuge difference. Sure the ride is slightly harsher with the lower profile tyres but not worth worrying about. A 16inch wheel is a better compromise but you might struggle to find the design you want in that size, most models are only 15 or 17. HTH

/drum roll/: don't you mean 'tail'? Sorry. I'll get me coat.

Ok OK The next free hour I get I will fit the other side! Just wanted to let folk compare both. Ahem :oops:

Why not go to a scrappy?...plenty of Passats and dead easy to remove the bits. Parts are easy to clean/paint to look like new.

Was out-and-about in the South Side this morning so I swung around your way... My VR is lowered 40mm and cleared the speed hump fine! G60s with the 90mm spoiler might scrape a little but the plastic is fairly (!) flexible. In my experience the cat is the lowest point that tends to ground out, and I did get a lot of problems before I strapped all the heat shields tight and re-hung the exhaust with new rubbers. One less excuse not to get a C! :D