Junior Jackson

If you go to a dealer and ask for some new membranes you'll find that the current part number for them (for Mk2 Golfs anyway, presumably the same for C's as the membranes are discontinued for both model lines..) consists of a roll of plastic sheeting which happens to be exactly the right thickness and flexibility and a small tube of black sticky stuff, similar to a mastik 'gun' tube, but designed to be operated by mere fingers... Chris.

Our (JCT600, formerly Priory Park) dealer in west Hull is currently charging £74.00 an hour labour... Chris.

After £300+ of mounts plus fitting I'm reasonably sure it's not them, I've been quoted more than £300 to fit the four rubber mounts to the front crossmember, surely it can't be that difficult, the mounts are quite easy to access, they are easily viewed from the underneath front of the car. Has anyone changed these mounts and if so, how difficult a job is it? With a couple of trolley jacks it looks like not too bad a job.. Chris.

Hi - haven't been around for a while but been busy - the exhaust on the G60 knackered but I wanted to get the engine solid before I fitted a new system - at low speeds, every gearchange would rock the engine about - on / off throttle even gently would thud it backwards and forwards... Previously had a solid front mount and didn't like the vibration so went the whole hog and got all three vibra-technics mounts and had them fitted. Vibraton has gone totally - you can really feel that the engine is solid - gearchange is better but the rocking is still there!! At anything up to 35mph, on / off throttle thuds something at the front of the car backwards and forwards... Could it be the front crossmember mounts? I'm wondering if running the solid front mount could have transferred the stresses onto these and killed them? I have bought a set of four from VAG and will get them fitted but I want to know if there's anything else I should be doing at the same time? Could it be other subframe mounts?? Any advice would be great - I have very little knowledge of subframe mounts other than the front crossmember ones.. Thanks in advance, Chris.

Boot lock - yes, it's easy to remove the barrel from inside the boot lid, just force the pin out which holds the washer on the back of the barrel, you'll see what I mean when you look at it. you'll need to remove the panel from the inner of the boot lid obviously. Ignition - no, not at all. The usual way is to get a new key cut (stamped by the dealer) to match the car's key number - this is then a 'original' ignition key (providing the ignition hasn't been changed..) and then re-tumble the rest of the locks to suit. I can re-tumble door / boot locks, including removing the barrel from the handle / boot lid, stripping, cleaning and re-assembling with grease etc. It also frees off you handles nicely. If anyone's interested in this as a service, if anywhere near Hull they can bring vehicle - I can do all three in about an hour. Alternatively can mail me handle and I can return in post - let me know if anyone's interested?? This applies to Corrado's and Mk2 Golfs... Chris.

OK - if you have the full factory loom, it goes like this: One seat plug (end of loom) plugs into bottom of drivers seat. Loom runs across (over) centre tunnel and another seat plug tees off and plugs into bottom of passenger seat. Loom then runs to the rear of the vertical black plastic panel which is on the left hand side of the passenger footwell (RHD cars obviously..) The two relays and their associated mounting plates sit here (behind the plastic panel) - there is a clip for them but I ended up with a couple of ty-raps as well.. The brown earth wire with the 'ring' style connector on the end should be mounted to the body somewhere here, as close to the relays as possible and (obviously) with a good earth - scrape a bit of paint off if necessary. Loom then runs to the switch unit in the dash and then on to the fusebox. If everything else is in place, there should be two plugs left on the fusebox end, a black wire (+12v feed) and a blue / grey wire (switch lighting feed). +12v connection on top rear of fuse box is shown above. I originally thought the fusebox connector next to it was for the switch lighting but the next day realised that this was full of blue / white (speed signal) wires, not blue / grey. (It was dark...). I ended up just cutting a blue / grey cable going to another switch on the dash and patching the blue / grey from the loom in. Since then I have fitted DDI backlit dials and rings etc so I now have a permanent connection point behing the switches where all of my dash and switch lighting is connected.. Hope this helps, Chris.

catch_twotwo, don't understand - of course you have to cut the old quarter off and weld the replacement on??!! tallpaul1977, is it early or late? Thanks, Chris.

Are there any manufacturers of replacement body panels that do any for the Corrado in the UK? many of them seem to list Scirocco panels but not 'rado. Specifically looking for late quarters (£460+ each from VAG) or failing that just arch repair panels. Thanks, Chris.

http://corradoteilede.h765700.serverkompetenz.net/shop/index.php?cat=c97_Corrado.html Woah - why have I never seen this site before?? Amazing - my credit card(s) have all just groaned simultaneously...:) Chris.

TBH, thats what i thought too. DEFINITELY needs a blue oval in the grille - I think it's a combination of the lights and the RS bumper... Chris.

As before - most pda's now have bluetooth, just get a bluetooth gps 'mouse' - with a sirfstar III chipset. About £40. Then it's down to mapping software which is personal choice (tomtom etc). Or get a Fujitsu Siemens Loox T830 in a couple of weeks - mine's on pre-order... http://www.firstloox.com Chris.

Hey - those who have been brave (mad) enough to put a syncro setup in a corrado (or any other 2wd vw for that matter) - what was done with the freewheel control? On a syncro, the reverse switch on the gearbox sends a signal to the freewheel controller (which is a relay on the fuseboard) which disengages the 4x4. Was this implemented on the conversions or just forgotten? Thanks, Chris.

Is it possible to change a g60 exhaust manifold whilst the engine is in the car? I have been told by an 'expert' that the head has to come off..?? Thanks in advance, Chris.

Didn't the golf g60 have a corrado-style side mounted intercooler? I thought only the rallye had the fmic... If that's right, that would explain the golf g60 having similar figures to a corrado g60. Chris.

As per other post: Heater control mechanism is part is from a '92 to '96 Toledo - 1L0 819 045A up to chassis no 500 and 1L0 819 045C from 500 onwards. God only knows what the difference is. There doesn't appear to be an air conditioning option. Chris.

Heater control mechanism is part is from a '92 to '96 Toledo - 1L0 819 045A up to chassis no 500 and 1L0 819 045C from 500 onwards. God only knows what the difference is... Chris.

That part No. doesn't exist in the Seat etka. (Virtually) all 1995 Toledo part No's begin with '1L0' 358 819 045 is the code for a Passat heater control (the knob mechanism), RHD. 357 820 045A is the code for a Passat heater control, LHD 358 820 045 is the code for a Passat heater control, RHD with air conditioning. Chris.

Here's an interesting one - of those who are running over 200bhp, how many have rebuilt internally to get this (i.e. have all these motors been rebored, ringed, etc very recently)?? It would be interesting to see a comparison of bhp vs. miles since rebore / rering (obviously not an exact science..). If you're looking for every extra ounce then a rebore or at least a hone and rings is a necessity, but I'm just interested to know how much bhp loss there could be with 20, 50 or even 80,000 miles on an engine (providing everything else is in good nick etc)... Chris.

That would go along with my theory that the electronics for the closure of the sunroof are with the motor and switch, not somewhere else in the car as yalan suggested. I live to be proved wrong though... Chris.

Hmmm - according to wiring diagrams for a '94 Corrado (USA I'm guessing), there's only the switch and the control module, which is attached to the motor. The control module has a feed from the door locks so that would trigger the closure... Can anyone confirm that this is the case on UK cars? Thanks, Chris.

Soooooooooooooo - to give an early rado the sunroof closure - is it just the motor and switch assy? I guess the question is where is the electronics that control the closure? Are the actual mechanics of the sunroof any different on early and late? (I think not...) Thanks in advance, Chris.

Quick kind of related question - do late sunroofs open and close with one touch (like windows - just touch button once and roof goes all the way open or close)?? If so - does anyone know what is different on the later models - I'm guessing the motor and controls in the headlining - is there anything elsewhere in a late car which has anything to do with the sunroof full closure and one touch open (if they actually do this)?? Long winded but thanks in advance, Chris.

Hi - firstly please bear in mind this is with regard to a Mk2 Golf syncro with no ABS. I've searched a few forums including this one and found quite a few tips with regard to bleeding brakes etc but some advice is conflicting or confusing. I've just done a rear disk conversion on one of my syncro's and also changed the front disks, hubs and calipers etc for Corrado G60 one's. I've changed the standard small syncro master cylinder for a late Mk2 larger bore one (22mm) and it's also had new flexi hoses and mostly new metal lines. Wherever possible we've tried to keep the fluid in the system (or what's left of it) but obviously all of the calipers, hoses and the master cylinder are empty. We're struggling to get anything but air through the system, using a pro pressure bleeder or otherwise. We've gone back to the original master cylinder and tried removing altogether the load compensator. I've a new compensator coming tomorrow just in case but really we have to treat it as a completely empty system. Can anyone help with this - i.e. if the system is completely empty, what is the correct procedure to get the system filled and bled?? We've tried loads of different routines and orders and we're just chasing ourselves around the car now. Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks, Chris.

Long story, but lost speed signal whilst performing a full early to late dash swap. No speedo, MAF or spoiler control. Dash swap was not without it's issues - whilst swapping dash switchgear and door panels etc. I used all factory late looms so i had the fusebox out (many times) and wiring all over the place. I had the switch illumination wire for my heated seats plugged into the speed signal for a while etc etc. First changed: 1) Speedo binnacle (gauges) 2) speed sensor in engine bay 3) factory loom from gauges to fusebox etc with no results whatsoever. Checked for voltage at speed sender and was fine. Whilst removing old dash, I didn't disconnect the spoiler control module and pulled the circuit board out of it's housing - played with this and all seemed ok - spoiler worked manually fine. Was convinced it was a wiring issue - wiring goes from speedo sender on gearbox, into fusebox, out and into gauges. Then back out of gauges and into junction box on top of fusebox and off to radio, spoiler control etc. Spent the last month trying different things every time a new possibility struck me with no effect. As a last resort, (one speeding ticket later)decided to remove the shaft that is inside the gearbox that provides the square rotating shaft to drive the electronic sender. First suprise was that this is made of plastic (on my '91 G60) - second suprise was that if you turned the cog at the bottom of the shaft, the square piece at the top didn't turn. Arse. This is actually two parts - an outer 'guide' 02A 409 192 £3.69 and the inner rotating 'pinion' 02A 409 197 £2.74. My inner shaft had snapped due to the top part of it siezing solid in it's outer guide. 2 minutes to swap the shaft and guide and speedo etc is back in business (thankfully spoiler control is fine also). Can't believe it's taken this long to sort... Chris.

This is an earlier post of mine: This pic http://www.the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/download.php?id=29708 shows where the loom plugs into the junction connector on the top rear of the Corrado fusebox. The power (black) and switch lighting (blue / gray) both plug in here. You will need to flip the fusebox down to get at them... The three black (grey looking) connectors plugged in the top are all switched 12v - you can see there is a spare slot for another connector on the left. The lighting block is to the right of it and has the same spare slot (on my '92 G60...) EDIT - the info re the 12v supply (black) is correct and the picture above shows where this plugs in. The similar block on the back of the fuse box to the right of the pictured power connector actually contains blue / white cables, not blue / grey and is therefore speed signal, not dash illumination. I have not found an easy plug in for dash illumination yet but is is easy to find some blue / grey cables goiung to every dash switch etc and just patch it in. Just to clarify, on the factory loom, only the black is necessary (12v) - the blue / grey is just the illumination of the heated seat switches. On the factory loom, the earth (brown) connection is by the relays at the left hand side of the passenger footwell. Chris.