Kevin Bacon

Oi, less of the sweeping statements if you don't mind, I happen to like American cars! Shelby Cobra, Ford GT40 (new and old), the new Viper, Ford Mustang (new and old) etc. All classics and they do handle. Lets not tar Chevy Novas, Buicks, Cadillacs and Dodge Rams with the same brush please. Historically the Americans have not needed to develop high performance suspension systems as the majority of their roads are straight and most people preferred a comfy ride. But these days they've been listening to criticsm and are now producing some good cars that handle well. Kev

Genuine VAG ones are around £70+ VAT and G&S ones, so long as they're BERU, will have a proper plug on the end, as per VAG, if not, it'll be a generic probe with no plug on the end. Kev

You're not wrong there! And at the price they were asking for them, good job! Just aswell there's still plenty of Passats in the breakers. I picked up two panels for a fiver last time I was there. One to rebuild mine and the other as a backup, should have bought 5 for backups really! Kev

Nearly signed on the dotted line for a brand new Civic Type R but thought better of it. Also looked at a TT roadster and BMW 330 Ci on contract hire but again, the expense and fact they're both so common changed my mind. All 3 are superb fun to drive though. Kev

My old 6 cyl Beemer sounded like a tractor when cold too! I've had 3 of them actually and none of them were as smooth or quiet as the VR6, not even the 24V. Kev

Same thing, different colour. All coolants contain Ethylene-glycol, which is the sticky/greasy stuff. Unless the passenger side scuttle drain area is clogged, can't think of anything else it could be. Kev

I miss my old 16V Turbo :(

To me, mine's transport and something to fiddle with at the weekend! The only thing that gets me going about the Corrado are it's looks and handling. The rest is mediocre in my opinion. Kev

3 of us could loan you our space savers :lol:

They're a bit tricky to get hold of, or were at least when I needed mine. Between GPC and VAG, there were only 3 in the country, and I bought 2 of them :lol: Hopefully they'll have some more by now. Depending on chassis number, window seals will cost you anywhere from £40 a side to £150+ a side :? Kev

Speak to Vince Saiya. What he doesn't know about the VR6 isn't worth knowing but please remember, without actually seeing the car, he can only offer you guidance and not definitive answers. Cheers Kev

They would wouldn't they as it's a gearbox off job....meaning more ££££s! I wouldn't expect a 70,000 miler to be in need of a lower tensioner and chains, but as they say, stranger things have happened! Kev

Good man! I might try that one dry weekend as my upper tensioner makes a curious grinding noise when cold but goes when hot. Kev

Windscreen seal is the likely culprit and the long shot culprit is a ruptured sunroof drain tube, which runs down the A pillar. Kev

Yeah G12 is very greasy if you get it on your fingers. I would normally expect a ruptured matrix to fill the screen and dash with steam, did this happen? The Matrix does sound like the prime suspect though :( Kev

I observed mine on the standard engine mounts (all 3) on Stealth's rollers in March and again, engine movement was normal. Nothing like what you've described. I upgraded the front and Gbox ones as I wanted the engine to sit more tightly in the chassis, just a personal preference. Kev

Looks like a regular non-sensitive EPROM to me. Kev

ATS? Fondmetal? Compomotive? AEZ? Smiths Wheels? Speedline? Stil Auto? Like the others say, could be anything.

Put a heavy duty rubber mount on the gearbox from turn2usa. I've got one on mine (and a VT front mount) and engine movement is negligable. Kev

Speaking of Cambridge, saw two Corrados in the city this morning.....1 boy racered black one behind me and a purple VR6 coming the opposite way in front of me...... Far too many Cs around here... Erm, Cambridge....no. I take my VWs to Stealth and no he doesn't do courtesy cars. Best thing to do is get a mate to follow you in his car. Stealth is only 90 mins from Cambridge. Kev

You mean the big bolt on the tensioner cover? Thought it was just a big spring? Fluff, don't stress about it mate. You WILL know when your engine is need of some major surgery. The VR6 engine makes all sorts of weird and wonderful noises but if none of them affect the performance or running, don't fret about it. Mine sounds like World War 2 under the hood for 5 mins and then all is serine and peaceful, but I know for a fact my tensioners have loads of life in them yet, so I don't worry about it. The noise you describe at idle.....is it a knock, clack, whack, bang, thump or wallop? Mine does all of the above but 3 things can cause a knocking when stone cold - camshafts and pistons. (3rd outruled as you've done the tappets already). Listen to pretty much any petrol engine, even brand new ones and you get a little camshaft or piston knocking for a short period until some heat builds up and expands the metals. Again, nothing to worry about. Piston slap and camshaft rattle are only worrying noises when the engine is hot! Kev

16s can be used but offset and spoke design are critical. No dished rims with these brakes! Azev As, which are moderately dished, don't even clear standard VR6 calipers, so you can imagine the fun and games you're going to have with the Brembos! My mate's 18s on his Cupra R only just clear the calipers.....and they come with the 'Big reds' as standard! Kev

LOL, is that seriously all it is? Kev

If your sign-on name is correct, then am I correct in assuming this 2.0G60 engine lives in a MK1 or MK2 Golf? Is it a White MK2? I knew of a white MK2 Golf 2.0 G60 but that had the cable box. The box you have in your car sounds like a 16V one (solid shift 020) with restacked ratios or a lower final drive. A standard 16V 020 box will max out at 139.9mph, so someone's definitely been fiddling, unless you're running 13" rims or something? Or, you may just find that the previous owner hated the G60 ratios (as many people seem to) and restacked the box. Sounds like a good box to me, wanna swap?? Close ratio just means the gears ratios are setup so that the engine doesn't drop out of it's 'zone', this usually entails fitting a lower final drive or restacking the gearbox with different ratios. Kev