Mike Edwards

Could be interesting to find out what the VSR-equipped car is doing these days...

Sorry, should have made the last post clearer. The head gaskets do tend to go as do the rings on cylinders 1 and 6. In extreme cases the bores wear oval as well meaning that the block is scrap. There is no set mileage fo any of this though as it depends more on how the engine has been used and looked after. Hence, if it isn't bust leave it alone. If you're losing coolant check for leaks before assuming it's the head gasket. Get the coolant checked for traces of exhaust gases if there are no leaks (or they're only around the expansion tank).

In answer to the question: "What mileage for a VR6 head rebuild?" the anwer is - "When it breaks". The head gasket on the VSR-equipped VR6 has done 160k miles and seems to be fine, The one on the other VR6 needed to be replaced after 120k miles. Both have spent their lives on the motorway. Coolant loss may be due to the thermostat housing leaking (does it run at about 110 degrees on the motorway?)

Owning one of each and having used them both on a 115 mile M25 commute, I have to say that the VR6 got better fuel economy. The difference is only 3-5mpg though (30+mpg vs ~35mpg)

So, you might be interested in a set of intact standard seat bases then?

Go to a Ford dealer and ask for the part from a Galaxy VR6. It costs less than £20. As previously mentioned, VW only sell it with all the bits of plumbing it attaches too at a cost of ~£140.

021 907 601 A "Impulse sender" for the ABV

Worn suspension bushes are another thing to consider. They're rubber and perish over time...

Jim 16v. From the description of your modification technique, the Saxo is perfect for you... :twisted: The rear speakers come out with the grills, which are held in by 2 screws visible just under the edge of the shelf. Unless the magnets are huge, or the mounting face of the speaker protrudes a long way in front of the brackets, there's no need to butcher the shelf. Also, if you're spending mucho wonga on some good quality speakers, it makes sense to run some new wire from the head unit to the speakers so that you don't have several connectors messing up the signal.

I laugh at your "huge" service bill. "That fanbelt sounds a bit odd" "Why can I smell burning rubber? Maybe I should pull over?" BANG!!! The moral of the story: The previous owner may have changed the cambelt*, but if they didn't change the tensioner at the same time, your engine is on borrowed time... *Obviously, this is not a problem if you are a VR6 owner. If you are, then you only need to worry anout worn bores on cylinders 1 and 6, worn valve guides and chain tensioners that decide to take a rest... :shock:

If it tilts but doesn't slide, you need new cables (these come with the part that's broken attached). That said, if these items are bust you will be able to raise the roof, but not get it to go back down. So if it will fgo back down, the problem is elsewhere. So, what is it doing exactly?

Going back to the original post - regardless of mileage, the age of your (original?) shocks and the ride quality you describe means they are probably well past their best. Fit some new ones - preferrably Koni top adjustables and some H&R springs. The car will sit nicely and still ride/handle well.

Hmmm....

There's a 30A (?) feed into the boot area to allow fitment of a towbar. Why not use that? Also, the standard plugs behind the headunit do have a switched live in them to power the headunit with the ignition switch (with a seperate permanent feed to maintain any presets) Have fun...

Hmmm, yours really isn't a UK model is it? :) LHD and kneebars....

Perfect place to get them wet when opening the doors in a rain shower...

I recommend fitting these bits of paper to your baseball caps... :twisted:

Use 2 driver's side arms with the blades swapped over (passenger blade on driver's side etc) and it will sit properly.

If you have a 4-cylinder car, the wishbones are identical. If you have a VR6, the mount for the ARB points downwards. HTH

How come?

RossTech have a uk site where you can buy the basic kit for £139... :D

DR MAT, You seriously think the rubber bits in your car will last the lifetime of the vehicle? Maybe if it's rust prone, but otherwise rubber perishes with time/heat/use, plus it wears away. The attached picture shows what happens to the top mounts of the rear suspension over time (9 years and 160k miles). On the subject of front engine mounts in a VR, the construction of this item means that over time it compresses allowing the engine to thrash around (making it more likely that things will break)

If you really want to boost the torque at low rpm you have 2 options: Shrick/VWM VSR (moves the torque peak down to 3500rpm and sticks another 40ftlb on top. More torque from 2500-5500rpm than the original peak value); AAA series inlet manifold (more restrictive, but boosts low-down torque) The former will cost a couple of thousand to buy, fit and have set up. The latter can be bought 2nd hand for less than £100. Pays your money and etc...

The diameter and shape of the inlet tract is significantly different between the AAA and ABV engines. The AAA one is more restrictive and designed to boost low-end torque at the expense of torque at high rpm. HTH

Rams. In a word - no. The 15w is the viscosity when cold (the W satnds for winter). i.e. the oil is as thick as 15 weight single-grade oils when it's cold. The 50 is the viscosity when hot i.e. the oils is as thick as 50 weight single-grade oil when hot. In practice, this means that the viscosity of the oil varies less with temperature than a single-grade oil.