Kevin Bacon

Nah, 5,608,312 lb/ft at 102rpm isn't nearly enough :lol: Kev

The traditional mcphersons looks somewhat antiquated next to those SACHS beasties! Didn't even know they did a height adjustable kit! You got that much inner arch rubbing on 7" rims? What offset are they? Kev

Agreed, a complete load of cr@p. He hasn't even uploaded a pic of this amazing device, which is always the biggest give away it's a con. Kev

I've used both Eibach and Neuspeed and my own preference is Neuspeed. They are better made than Eibach and are engineered for a better fit, which is reflected in the price. The front is 25mm and fixed and you get the choice of 25 or 28mm 3 stage rear adjustables. Relaxed, regular and stiff. Only go for the 28mm if you think you can control oversteer in the wet! Otherwise go with the 25mm set to regular. The rear attachs to the torsion beam in the same way as the MK1 Golf GTI, i.e. metal brackets and uses rose joints to allow the torsion to maintain it's natural movement over bumps. These must be lubed with plenty of copper grease, otherwise they'll seize, so Nspeeds are not fit-and-forget like the Eibachs. Both are excellent, but if you want that little extra and a higher standard of fit and finish, it has to be Neuspeed :lol: I have just the 25mm rear Nspeed on my VR and that alone has erradicated body roll, so don't feel the need for a front one for the time being. Kev

Sorry I meant tie the cotton around something fixed on the struts. Had a few too many bevvies..... :oops: From my experience, braces don't do a lot on subframe equipped cars unless you're a regular track day attender. MK1 Golfs with open chassis legs benefit enormously from bracing, but MK2's onward don't really need a brace unless you're running a brute of an engine. The Nova boys that fit Calibra turbo engines often find the struts rip away from the chassis due to the immense torque delivered. Just my opinion. Kev

Bummer if they are no more :( AC Delco are the best of the lead acid batteries, by far. Voted "ICE battery of the year" a while back. Only the dry cell Oddysey batteries come close, but then you're looking at a LOT of wedge for those big yellow beasties. Kev

That's quite true actually. If the catalyst detachs itself from the casing, then it will essentially impede flow. Good point. Usually the catalyser has gaping holes in it if the engine has been running rich for an extended period of time.....which is where my AF meter comes in handy, LOL! Kev

Ah but they do my friend. Don't be fooled by the Vauxhall sticker. If they're still black with a green/amber indicator (they were last year at least), it's an AC Delco :wink: If Vauxhall do no longer use AC Delco, then my sincerest apologies for leading you up the garden path. Kev

Excellent, glad it's sorted. Keep that method under your hat my man and anybody with a similar problem in your neck of the woods will think you're genius :wink: Kev

Come on rodders, is that all :lol: (only joking!) Corrado speedos are pretty accurate by the way. The fastest I've ever been was an actual 155mph (GPS) in a friend's M3 Evo during an Evo car magazine cambridgeshire meet up. It wasn't so much the speed that's frightening, but the uncertainty of what the other road users are going to do as you approach them, namely HGVs! I highly recommend you attend an Evo meet by the way, you get to see some serious machinery and some of the attendees are on the Evo payroll and bring the 'long termers' along with them. RS4s, Vanquishes, M3s etc etc. Awesome. Kev

LOL, my bark's worse than my bite! I posted that at work where I tend to have my sensible hat on! At home when I've got a Jack Daniels and Coke and a pack of 20 in front of me, I don't give a t@ss! Kev

I saw some experimental car park in Autoexpress that had long rubber plinths on both sides of each bay to prevent knocks. By all accounts it was a success. At the end of the day, a car park knock can cost you dearly because the claim always goes 50/50, and that's dependant on you seeing them do it anyway, which is rarely the case. My car is always the one parked miles away from the supermarket entrance all on it's todd, and then low-and-behold, there's cars next to it when you come out again! Kev

No need for a lower brace. Just seam weld the subframe. Had mine done by Stealth as that's what they used to do to their VR6 Vento Cup racing cars. Do you really need an upper brace is the question? And here is the answer:- Tie a peice of cotton between the two damper threads and leave it slightly slack in the middle. Now take the car out and give it death round the corners, and I mean really give it some like you've never done before, within the limits of space and other road users being around. When back home, check the cotton. If it's snapped, you need a brace, if not, you don't. Kev

Old folk, bless em :lol: I came out of Sainsburys once and saw this old boy with his car door pressed firmly against mine! He was negotiating his bags into the back seat and bumping his door against mine a good few times in the process. I don't think he even realised he was doing it to be honest. I looked at him and said "Do you mind?" eyeballing mine and his doors, and he was very apologetic. There was no damage to my car as luckily both our rubbing strips aligned. Sometimes you just have to be diplomatic and cut the other person some slack. For all I know his ticker could have packed up if I'd shouted at him and you shouldn't really have a go at old folk anyway as they're not able to defend themselves. If a young person arrogantly flung their door open onto mine, then it would be a different story, but old harmless biddies that basically saved us from the evil intent of Hilter, well, give em a break. Kev

The most amusing incident I've had was when I had my MK2 Golf 16V. I'd just had Stealth fit some Konis, H&R springs and Eibach ARBs (my favourite setup) the week before so it was handling quite nicely at this point. Anyway.....there I was travelling along minding my own heading toward a roundabout (dual carriage sized one) when a set of lights came out of nowhere and glued themselves to my bumper. Doing about 50 at this point and sped up a little and entered the roundabout.....the road was wet so I was bricking it, but just had to lose the plonker behind me, on handling if not speed......so I just grit me teeth and hung on for dear life.......the Golf made it across the roundabout in a tyre scrabbling fashion but not too shabbily......once clear I check the rear view and I just see these headlights spinning round. He'd basically understeered off the roundabout and onto the grass and into a hedge! I was absolutely p'ing myself for ages afterwards but I should have been concerned with his welfare. Nevermind, the things you do when you're young :lol: Kev

Yep that's the plate I was talking about. Highly unlikely that has come off! Sounds like the pin that engages into the hole in the plate isn't moving. All the mechanicals for that are behind the carpet on that side of the car. Get someone to operate the CL when the carpet is removed and observe what the vacuum actuator does, or doesn't do! Kev

Stealth did mine last time I was there and used an air line. Only took them about 30 mins. I think they flushed about 2 litres of DOT4 through. Since BF is hygroscopic, it's worth including a refresh in your 24,000 mile service intervals. Or you can use DOT 5 (lasts much longer) which has a higher boiling point but being synthetic, I don't know what affect this could have on the piston seals. Kev

As with all engines, the key to longevity is religious oil changes and servicing. There was a 1.6 diesel VW Golf that clocked 500,000 miles on the original components. Shell were so impressed (Shell oil and diesel used in the engine it's entire life) they bought the car off the owner, stripped the engine down and put it in a glass case at the UK Head Quarters. Mad. Kev

Aye, that's why batteries quote a cold crank current, something like 360 amps for a couple of seconds, or something like that! My advice is to fit the biggest battery you can fit in the car and be done with it. An AC Delco sealed job from Vauxhall always gets my vote. Might be an idea to re-terminate the grounding points as resistance here increases current draw significantly. Kev

No probs. The reason I mention this is because the the ECU takes an earth from the engine (behind the rocker cover) and if the main earth strap (gearbox to body to battery) has a bad connection, it can cause running problems. Therefore, with an additional earth, electricity being electricity will take the path of least resistance, i.e. the newly installed strap :lol: Now that I have remembered that old trick, I'm gonna do it to my VR too.....for good measure! Let me know if it doesn't help and we'll look at other things to check. Kev

Incidentally, the blanking plate's (if you haven't got that type or a spare one) part number is 535 957 087 and costs £2 from VAG. Kev

Cheers bud :lol: The Lambda boy is an excellent peice of kit if you want something more in-depth. Do you need to install the 5 wire probe though, or can you tap into the stock one? I prefer the idea of 2 lambda probes (1 for the meter and 1 for the ECU) but it just gets expensive! Mine cost a tenner and tells me exactly what I need to know and I bet there is an LM3914 chip at the heart of Lambda boy's meter :wink: Kev

Hmm, not really sure then in that case. It's been a number of years since I last had a 16V. Could be an iffy earth point. What I found always helped my valvers was to fit an additional earth strap from the inlet manifold to the battery. Halfords sell chunky battery leads, just stick one from the battery - to the first 13mm manifold nut. Kev

To get rid of an air lock, drain the coolant, and refill via the radiator top hose, not the expansion tank. Filling via the latter introduces air, whereas filling from the top hose forces air out from the bottom of the block up, and out through the expansion tank. Keep filling until you see liquid appear in the tank, replace hose. Top up to min. Take for a 20 min drive. Top up in the morning. Air lock, hopefully, gone. Kev

Does this happen under load or just when cruising along? If it's happening under load, could be one or more defective HT leads. The current damp weather will augment the problem. Kev