Mike Edwards

Swiftkid - the OBD2 throttle butterfly is quite a bit bigger that that in the standard Corrado item. Having had a gas flowed item on one of the VRs, it did make for a slightly different feel to the throttle (as if i were using more throttle than was the case), but the difference was less than fitting a late model OBD1 item from another car which had a direct linkage to the butterfly, rather than the two stage affair that the C normally uses. Oh, and for road use, the 2.8 manifold gives more torque lower down the rev range, but will mean you have no hope of winning rolling road days. :)

get hold of the bits and give it a go as it's probably the only way you'll find out if the mechanism inside the seat is still good. Chances are the external bits were removed after the plastic part of the handle broke leaving a metal wheel with a toothed/serrated edge.

Lube the sunroof tracks and mechanism with white grease (having cleared out any gunk/dirt you can see) as a first step. They're meant to be regularly cleaned and lubed,but most won't have had either since leaving the factory. Otherwise, watch for signs of scratches on the passenger side of the roof panel as an indicator that breakage is imminent.

The cassette in which the mechanism fits differs between the early and late cars, with the result that you can use an early motor on a late cassette, but not the other way round. Additionally, if you start looking at glass roof cassettes, you'll see that the spacing pegs that hold the cassette away from the inside of the car's roof are longer. The mechanisms for Corrado roofs are all the same though, and they're the same as that used in all the other VW steel roofs from the same period (the glass roofs use a similar, but non-identical mechanism). If it tilts but doesn't slide, the casting on the end of one per both of the drive cables that run around the inside of the cassette and moves the mechanism has snapped. You will need a new cable or two, and probably a new mechanism (as play in the mechanism caused it to jam and that's what snapped the casting). The warning sign that you need to replace the mechanism is scratches on the passenger side of the roof panel. The cause is wear, generally made worse by poor lubrication. Yes, I do own an anorak. Why do you ask???

Your engine does not have a carburettor, so where have you been squirting the cleaner? A jamming Idle Stabilisation Valve is the most likely culprit, although I'd be interested to understand the theory behind a loose battery clamp causing this... :)

Things that go wrong with the ABS: Front sensors (cheap) Rear sensors (less cheap) Pedal Sensor (starting to be expensive, but a 10 minute fix) ABS ECU (Ouch) ABS Unit (Ow! Ow LOTS!) With the possible exception of the ECU, all of these show up on the OBD2 output.

I'm with Boost Monkey. The parts are cheap and easy to fix, you just tighten the nut with your fingers until the washer starts to bind and the job's done*??? *There's a few other bits to do afterwards, but this is all that's involved in getting the taper bearings fitted correctly.

Manually crank the roof into the parked position. Remove the motor from the roof, but leave it connected to the electrics. Use the switch to wind the motor all the way forward, backward and back to the parked position. Refit the motor to the roof.

The cassette will bolt straight in, but you will need to adjust the panel position in the cassette to avoid lots of wind noise. The centreline of the original steel panel needs to be 1mm low on the front edge, and 1mm high on the rear edge. The mechanism needs rot be in good shape, with no play too.

Plus, it's difficult to spin the rear wheels (unless you've got a 4WD conversion fitted), so the copious amounts of stone chip can mostly cope.

They're vulgar... :)

I thought the parts to use were from a Polo? They fit without mods too?

If it starts on the second attempt, it can't be the crank sensor. The cam sensor is something else to consider. Does this car stall pulling up to junctions at all?

The only difference between the metal and moonroof (apart from the panel, liner, parts of the mechanism in the cassette etc) is the size of the spacers on the roof cassette itself. The only difference between the Mk3 Golf and B3/B4 Passat is the shape of the glass panel itself. They all fail for the same reasons (lack of lube, leading to wear, jamming and snapped components) so picking a roof from a more common car might help get a 2nd hand roof for less, but doesn't guarantee a successful repair...

What mount are you replacing it with? Fit the but butchest one you can think of from the Corrado/Golf Mk3...

Grenade! The ISV not only fails (completely, burnt out, FUBAR'd), it cokes up. Cleaning with carb (or brake) cleaner so that it opens with the flick of a finger sorts this though. The coking up, not the complete failure - just so we're clear. The damper on the throttle body also fails, and isn't available separately. Without it, the car will stall when you dip the clutch. The MAF is another failure point. Cleaning is unlikely to work for long, as it's designed to burn off contaminants. If it isn't doing this, it (or something in the engine that is allowing so much oil vapour into the inlet that it can't cope) is FUBAR'd. Other than this, a knackered Cam Position Sensor is just about your only possibility short of an ECU fault. There is a reason why VW went to OBD2, and it's not just improved fuel economy...

You mean the scrapper. :( H432 TVV was broken for bits within 2 years of selling it. M437 CLC - who knows...

One the original suspension on the VR6 I used a plug spanner with a ring spanner on top to hold the nut, then a trimmed Allen Key socket plus adapter and breaker bar for the damper shaft. Worked a treat. An impact gun with the correct size socket is a lot, lot less hassle though...

Other things to check: What state is the gearbox mount in? If it's worn, it messes up the adjustment of the selector cables and will eventually bend the selector mechanism in the gearbox. Is your gear lever vertical when in neutral? It should be if everything is present and correct. If the only way to get a working gearshift is by having it leant over, something is out of adjustment.

Still sounds like the motor and roof are out of alignment, as the Mk3 roof it interchangeable with the Corrado. The microswitches that detect when the motor is in the closed position are in the motor assembly itself, so move the roof until its at full tilt and slap the back edge of the opening in the roof so that the trim panel pops free. Slide this back out of the way, and then power the roof to the closed position (there are two marks on the mechanism on each side that show where this is). Now, with the motor detached from the roof try holding the switch so that it reaches the closed position and stops. Reattach it and test. If it now behaves itself, move it back to the cult tilt position and reattach the trim panel to the roof by sliding it forward until it lock in place, then close the roof as normal. The other option is that the mechanism has worn to the point where the roof is trying to tilt as it slides backwards, causing it to jam (and burn out the motor...)

Get some SEAT Ibiza 305mm Brembos. They are worth it. Failing that (having tried 'one or two' combinations) - a set of brand new standard genuine G60 discs, pads flexihoses and fluid will make you realise how good the original brakes were when new. HTH

Confused - the VR6 top mounts have an entirely separate bearing. These used to be less than 10 from VW as they were also fitted to the Mk3 Golf.

Did you fit them the right way up?

A new cable isnt that expensive, and replacing it takes about an hour if you've done it before. However that doesn't fix the cause. Unlike the author of the piece on VW Vortex, I think the problem is not the little rubber washer compressing, but a lack of lube leading to worn guides (they're meant to be lubed every service). The moonroof uses the same mechanism, with minor changes to accommodate the thicker glass roof. As such, the same problems with wear and breakage will occur. Find a working sunroof cassette of either type for as little as possible and use that (note, you need the glass from the Passat to fir flush in the C - the Golf is more curved). HTH

What happens when you accelerate hard? Ordinarily i'd be suspicious of the wishbone mounts, but...