Neil VR6

I particularly enjoy Schmidt wheels: http://www.rimstyle.com/products/wheels ... ction.html

5w-40 Motul 8100 x-cess: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-877-motul-8100-x-cess-5w-40-gasoline-and-diesel-engine-oil-100-synthetic.aspx It's not as fancy as the fancy Silko Pro-S which Kev uses but on the other hand my engine isn't tuned to 400 brake donkey power :lol:

The 100% synthetic stuff I got from Opie has really cut down my car’s oil consumption to next to zero. I was pouring that cruddy old semi-synth stuff in at the rate of about a litre every 500-1000 miles but the new oil is so much better.

A decent full synthetic should be fine with those temps but if you’re regularly doing that I’d get a thermostatically controlled external oil cooler. Regardless of oil quality things expand when they get hot so you might want to do something to keep the temps down

They are equipped with a telephone?

He fitted the alarm to my car before I owned it and then fixed it once I'd bought it. Absolutely top chap.

That's probably quite easy to find - some of the Team Dynamics hoops are very light. I think the compliance built into the higher profile tyre you'd fit to a 15 has more impact of the feel of the car

Those RMs look :notworthy: Mine on OE Speedies:

As the car's new to your I'd take it to a specialist for a once over to make sure your spending your money where it's needed most. Whereabouts in the country are you based?

Stick to OE VAG temp senders too, the patent ones have a bad rep

Is there a sensor which deals with hot starting - something to do with the automatic choke? Over fuelling and wet plugs suggests the ecu thinks the engine is cold when it isn't so pours loads of fuel in for no reason.

Interesting :shrug: :scratch: I have no idea! Where's oilman when you need him? :lol:

The first number in the weight description is only its weight when cold. A 10W/40 and 5W/40 will be the same viscosity when the engine is warm only a full synth will remain at 40 weight when the engine is under more temperature stress. Assuming that's correct a correct weight fully synth shouldn't make the engine tappety?

I had mine resprayed and there are already chips in the new paint where careless garages scuffed it with their feet :( Copter Tape is very good though: http://www.justridingalong.com/shop.php ... product=73 I use it on my MTB to prevent scuffs and chips. Some ski hire places also put it on the tops of hire skis to keep them looking presentable

I changed my VR's oil on Saturday after calling the very nice chaps at Opie. My car uses a bit of oil so I decided to go for a 'basic' full synthetic as its resistance to breaking down at high temperatures may reduce consumption. It's better than all of the semis but cheaper than the expensive Silko Pro S. I have always used Synta Silver in the past but the oil standards it adhears to are very out of date as I understand. I got this: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-877-motul-8 ... hetic.aspx

Have a look at the dedicated tyre thread - I've found Toyos to be very soft and wear out incredibly quickly - based on experience with 2 cars. I'm on Contis now and they're much better. Tyres aren't really something I like skimping on TBH.

I'd use the search mate :) There are loads of handy things to know about the VR - I'm learning what goes wrong the expensive way at the moment! What's become apparent to me is how quickly things can go wrong and how it's absolutely VITAL that you get someone who knows VRs inside out to look at them as they can diagnose problems and fix them using quality parts. My understanding of what to look for if I was choosing a car all over again: Early distributor engines are tricky to get OE parts for especially on the ignition side. Dizzies are discontinued and OE Beru leads are in short supply. I managed to get new ones but 4 are black and 2 are red!! I probably would have gone for a coilpack car – 20:20 hindsight an’ all that! Many people have told me that VRs are quite consumptive of ignition components. My auxiliary water pump failed the other day – this was not replaced when the head was refreshed by the previous owner. It’s a relatively common thing as the impellor is plastic and disintegrates. As the chap above says – they run hot so make sure the car’s got a good history of oil and coolant flushes. When you test drive, make sure the fans kick in and regulate the temperature properly. 100deg on the water is fine in traffic (the owner’s manual even says so!) but it shouldn’t go any higher. A rattly top end could well be worn tappets so look out for that and head rebuilds are common on high milers. Bottom ends are strong but bores can ovalise as the 2.9s fitted to the ‘Rados have thinner bores than the Golf 2.8s– see note on keeping cooling system in good shape. Symptoms are low compression, oil consumption and fouled plugs (inspection and misfires). Rattly chains means you need chains and guides doing. Whilst you’re there also change the clutch if it’s not new as you’ll save on the labour in the long run. I’ve found my gearbox (130K mile) to be incredibly sweet and light. It doesn’t like to be hurried too much and first and reverse are occasionally sticky but compared to my mates’ 60K mile GTV it’s a revelation. Look out for worn OE clutch salves too although this is not VR specific. OE ones are cast metal and infect the fluid with rust – OE replacement ones are resin and cure the problem. Heater matrices are also a weak point – mine’s on it’s third one! You’ll know when that fails as the car turn into a 140mph-capable steam room. Warnings of failure are often non-existent although coolant in the passenger footwell is a giveaway to imminent failure. My MAF was recently replaced and made a huge difference to idling and driveability, an expensive OE part - £200. Idling can often be a problem on the VRs too – Check for a from-cold 1K RPM fast idle and 600RPM hot idle.

Could be the MAF or dizzy (your VR sounds like an early one). Pick up on mine is vastly improved following a new MAF that's for sure

Another thing to bear in mind when listening to all us lot talk about running costs and expenditure is the standard of car each of us drive. I spent quite a bit on both my cars to begin with and personally I can’t tolerate much in the way of body or mechanical defects. An example was the lacquer peel on my wings and stone-chipped bonnet. Many people would have left it (the car’s 16 years old!) but as I’m a bit of a perfectionist I had to have it re-sprayed at considerable cost. Now I’m several hundred pounds down as a result where lots of other people would have left it and still enjoyed the car as much. A lot of the expenditure bar the obvious consumables is driven by how much you care about your car and how much of a ‘doer-upper’ you are.

K reg Dragon Green G60 followed me to work this morning from Speldhurst to Tunbridge Wells :wave:

Most people want a decent set up straight out the box which is exactly what the V1s give. I’ve had adjustable coilovers on other cars and I’m sure I’m not alone in setting them up once based on someone else’s recommendations and then leaving them, ad infinitum! For me, the very clever men at KW are far better at judging optimal settings for a suspension system designed to enhance performance on the road. That’s not to say that there is value in the V3s for those who have the time and ability to accurately tune the feel of their car.

Sounds like a deal to me. The V1s feel like a factory upgrade to be honest - good bump absorption and good body control.

I've got the V1s and they're very well damped. Firm but not tiring at all. Well worth the money

Listen to this man. Think about the running costs too. Corrado's are classic cars now and parts are being discontinued all the time as I've been find out to my detriment recently. I had a misfire on my VR and it turned out to need a new MAF, new plugs and leads and a new dizzy. Including labour and parts I was looking at a bill for £700. Heater matrix also blew without warning - £500 all in. So that's well over a grand for a car with is worth about £4K (probably less now). Personally I wouldn't use a Corrado for a 40 mile per day commute. I've had a G60 and a VR and they're both brilliant - the engines are very much the soul of the car for me and I wouldn't get a valver - it doesn't get my pulse racing :ignore: If you're liquid enough to deal with costly problems as and when they arise then fair enough but I don't know of many 19 year olds with hundreds of pounds sloshing about ;-) EDIT: Thinking about it I'd get a tidy Mk 2 8v GTI for a couple of years as there are tons of spares available for them and then upgrade to a Vr or G60 in a couple of years once you've got some NCB

Anyone used a boot mounted rack without spoiler issues?