Henny

Hi Kev, The opposite of lift is, indeed, downforce, however in this case,(and this is my last one on this too! 8) ) the spoiler doesn't actually CREATE any downforce, rather it PREVENTS the car's aerodynamics from producing lift by messing around with the air flow over the back of the car. It's effect is definately not minimal and a decrease of 64% in the overall LIFT of the car wouldn't suprise me at all (in fact I think that's a figure I've heard before). It's a common mis-conception that spoilers on road cars produce downforce, and the reason I've been (possibly a bit overly) passionate about this one is that I got into a huge debate at Uni with a lecturer when he decided to pick on my 16V 'rado's spoiler during an engineering lecture... I lost, badly! :roll: :lol: I too thought that the spoiler pushed down the back of the car and he proved me wrong (in front of about 100 students... :oops: ) by showing the shape of a wing designed to give downforce (F1 styleee) and a normal car spoiler and showing the high and low pressures around them... The F1 wing actually created downforce but the spoiler did sod all but create drag... HOWEVER, when the spoiler is in the correct place on a car, that drag slows the air around it sufficiently to change the airflow around the whole back end of the car and negate some of the lift that a normal car's shape will create. 8) Thus, it doesn't create downforce per se, but it DOES stop some of the lift being produced... 8) The reason that the spoiler on the C is active and not fixed is so that in normal day to day pottering to the shops at 30 to 40 mph you've got less drag from the spoiler, so your fuel economy will be better... 8) It's an interesting note about the spoiler cutout... It wouldn't suprise me if there is one knowing VW's engineers... 8) They're clever sods really, aren't they?!? 8)

Sorry James... :oops: I'll have a quick look at the wiring diagrams and see if I can tell if there's any link between the spoiler and the temp sensor, or if it was just frozen up and was a co-incidence that it started working when you got the hairdryer out... I'd hedge my bets on the side of VW being clever, but you never know until you check! :lol:

Could be worth trying the ignition switch bypass trick to find out what's at fault... I do think it sounds like it is the switch though.... Try these 2 links and see what you think... 8) Emergency Ignition switch bypass guide Switch replacement guide

Sorry, I should have pointed out that you'd need to pull the fuse out before you do your run with the spoiler down... :oops: :lol:

yeah... I got one on my C when I bought it... It's now in the bin... UGH! :pukeright: nasty...

Kev, Taken from the original VW blurb about the Corrado: Source Document I've never heard or read any figures by VW of downforce at speed measurements... :? I also never said it was cosmetic... It DOES make a hell of a difference to the handling at speed... Try it next time you're on a track like I suggested earlier and you'll see what I mean! 8)

dr_mat :D 8) If you've ever been in a modded original beetle at over 100MPH then you'll know where I'm coming from about needing a spoiler... :? My ex-boss had a scarey trick of gently turning the steering wheel at about 80 to move into the outside lane of the motorway and then flooring it past 100 then violently swinging the steering wheel from one side to the other.... :shock: The net result was nothing, 'cos over 100MPH the front wheels were about an inch off the floor! :shock: :? 8) He reckoned that over about 110MPH in a beetle without a rear spoiler was impossible 'cos the car would lift off the floor so the wheels wouldn't be able to give it any more push! :shock: I'm just glad he never tried to prove that one! :? :lol:

Scott I've not done one of these yet, but THIS may help... Thanks to stormseeker for the PDF file (approx 400K!) 8) JohnB this is quite common on the later style dash heater controls... THIS may help... 8)

yup. 8)

LOL, take yourself down to the Formula one pits and tell the engineers that, FBLOL! Look at the shape of the spoiler on the Corrado... It's just that, a SPOILER. :roll: The wings on the back (and front!) of an F1 car are just that, inverted wings which create a pressure difference around them to push the car onto the track. Look at the basic shape of a Corrado (or better yet, a TT or Beetle) and it's basically the same as an aircraft's wing: flat underside with a curved, longer topside. This shape causes the air over the top to move at a different speed to the air underneath causing lift due to the difference in air pressure. The spoiler slows the air over the top causing drag which stops the difference in pressure and hence the lift effect. Oh, and the prats with the HUGE spoilers on Novas and the like just do it 'cos they're sad, misguided people who think it looks good... :roll: :lol:

It's a myth that the spoiler produces downforce. It doesn't. What it does do is to alter the aerodynamic shape of the back of the car sufficiently to PREVENT uplift caused by the air passage over the car. If you go around a corner quickly with the spoiler up and then try it at the same speed again but with the spoiler down then you'll notice the difference as the rear end will seem very light and you'll notice the car will tend to oversteer rather than understeer as it normally would. (DO NOT TRY THIS ON A PUBLIC ROAD! you may find yourself in a hedge! :shock: ) The C's spoiler is for EXACTLY the same reason that the TT got recalled and had the ugly little spoiler added onto the rear end of it. They found that the rear of the car got light and unpredictable at high-ish speeds (75mph+ IIRC) so cornering became more dangerous than they liked... Hence the spoiler... 8) Oh, and I think it's pretty much compulsary to play with the spoiler when in traffic with a boy racer up your rear end! 8) :lol:

The MFA misses out the reading if the outside temp probes reading is out of range... This can be caused by either a faulty or missing sender... The sensor lives in the front bumper just where the brake cooling duct is/should be on the RH side of the car. 8)

VR6 has 5x100 stud patten on the wheels, all others have 4x100. With regards to sizes you can fit, it depends very much on the design of the alloy and how the spokes dish in our out as to whether they'll clear the brakes/suspension or not... Offset is also critical as well... What will fit a non VR6, may well not clear the slightly different suspension and brakes on a VR6... As a general rule, 17" wheels should fit if the design and offset are correct, but tend to give a slightly harsher ride quality and may need the arches "tweaking" to avoid rubbing if you've lowered the car. 16" will normally fit with no problems, again providing that the offsets and design allow clearance on the suspension/brakes. Most people agree that 16s give the best compromise between handling, ride quality and looks. 15" are the standard size for all Corrados (except a few which had a 16" option apparently...) 18" can be fitted but WILL require some arch modifications to allow clearance and stop any rubbing... again design and offset are critical... Hope this helps as a basic start, 8) someone will be along shortly to answer about the OZs I'm sure! :lol: 8)

for the benefit of aposegil who can't see the site... 8) The first line reads: Don't worry... It won't happen 8) (like this anyway!)

Sounds like one of the bits that attach the cable to the mechanism has snapped... Quite a common one this... :? There's a repair guide by Kevhaywire HERE 8)

Have you ever had any problems starting it? (here comes one of my standard answers! :roll: :lol: ) It could be one of the first indications of a dodgy ignition switch... They're known to do all sorts of weird and wacky things to the electrics when they are on the way out... They're only about £20 and will take less than an hour to fit if you can use a screwdriver and aren't afraid to give it a go... 8) Other than that, it could be the earth cable between the battery, chassis and the engine/gearbox. These often oxidise (ends go green) and so cause a higher resistance than there should be on all of the electrical circuits. If it resets only when turning the key to START the car, (rather than just putting the ignition on) then a dodgy earth could be causing sufficient current drain to cause the dash to loose power and reset all of the dash... Having typed all of that, I'd definately say that it's the second option here... Dodgy earth strap... VW Part number: 357 971 235C (upto chassis number 50-P-003 300) or 535 971 235B (chassis number higher than that) and IIRC are about £25 (yes, I've had to do one of these on my C too! :roll: ) I'm pretty certain that the first number is the correct one for a G60... 8) Hope this helps... 8)

Don't forget to take off the trim on the rear of the runners next to the tunnel! You'll snap 'em if you don't remember!!! :roll: IIRC there's a plug in the centre of the trim that you have to pull off to release the trim. You also have to have the seat fully forwards to get the trim out without breaking it! AFTER you've done that bit, it's as VR6storm says, there's just one bolt on the front of the seat that you undo and any wires for the electric seats, pull the adjust lever and push backwards... 8) Refitting is pretty much the reverse, but you need to fiddle around with the centre mount and the handle on the seat to make sure that the 2 line up OK. Also, before you put the bolt back in, shake the seat back side to side to make sure you've got both of the back runners in properly else you could find that your seat rocks when cornering! :?

Ok, my memory isn't what it once was... :oops: It's been a while since I drove my C and I can't exactly just go out and check it now can I?!? :oops: :lol: 8) OK, so what I said above still stands, Just swap 1 and 2 over in the text, and there you have it... :roll: (sorry, as I said, it's been a while...)

Is the bottom of the boor card damp too? There's a thin plastic membane (sticky backed plastic! :? ) behind the door car which stops moisture getting into the car from past the window rubbers, if this is damaged then the moisture can get through and wet the carpet... If it was raining heavily onto the drivers side of the car last night, then the moisture can be quite a bit more than just dampness... :shock: If not, then I'd check around the front corner of the roof to see if it's damp there, as that's where the drains for the sunroof are, and then check the scuttle panel again for any missing or damaged gromets... This is one thing (touch wood!) that I've not had to do to my C yet, so this is just info I've picked up from other cars and from on here... 8) Good luck!

Check in the scuttle panel (the bit between the engine bay and the windscreen where the wiper motor lives - you can only get at it with the bonnet open!) In there, there's a drain at each side, these often get blocked up with bits of leaves and the like so that when it rains, the water can't drain and so finds it's way past gromets and the like and into the footwells. It's either that or one of the door or window seals isn't sealing properly and is letting rain water in... :? Let us know what you find... 8)

I take it that you haven't got it set to position 2? 2 resets itself after an hour of having the engine off, 1 keeps the data until the reset is pressed and held... If you know that and think that I'm teaching you to suck eggs, sorry, that's not the intention... 8) When does it reset? just randomly when you are driving along, when you start the car, or when you turn the car off? let us know and we'll see what we can think up! 8) :lol:

Coming from someone who fell in love with a C and then found out after paying for both it and a G60 rebuild that it's been clocked by 110K miles (actually now done 225K, not 115k! :shock: ) RUN AWAY NOW!!! :lol: There's plenty of 16V Cs around for that kind of money that are pretty much full history and great condition, I know it's tempting to just part with the cash and get the car quick, but it's not worth the hassles that it can cause... I was lucky that the car was a motorway stormer and had been very well looked after until a couple of owners before me, but I could have been a damn site worse off... :? It may take you a while to find one that you're 100% happy with, but trust me, it's worth the wait... 8)

Yup! I've used some proper lighting Gells which come with a protective paper on one side that you're supposed to remove before use, but, guess what colour it is?!? :D It diffuses the light nicely and allows for a nice even spread of light along the whole unit... I haven't got any photos of it illuminated yet (only tested it briefly to check it works!) but it seems pretty good so far! I did have to use 2 of the laserprinted templates overlapped to get a darkness for the black that I was happy with, but I think that's 'cos our work is tight and doesn't buy decent toner for the printers! :roll: :lol: I'm now playing with the idea of doing some dials for the main clocks to go with the new autometer gauges I've got... If I do (and when I get the car to a stage I can safely put a battery back on it!) I'll take some photos and put them in my members gallery instead of hijacking yours! :wink: :lol: Cheers Dubster, 'tis a very good guide! 8)

It's a DIV-X... I just had to install the codec from http://www.divx.com Choose the free one and only install the codec and it'll work perfectly in Windows Media Player... 8)

You ain't joking! :shock: I've come up with a cunning plan though... :wink: I've scanned in the original filter fronts (the bit you normally see), edited them so that they're reversed and just black and white, and then printed them with a good laser printer onto overhead transparancy film. Voila! correct looking heater backings without the hassle of trying to get the green goop off! :D 8) They're here if anyone wants 'em... 8) The odd sizes next to them are the WIDTH they need to be printed at to get them the correct size! Heater templates I think it's an 8... It's the only one I've not got anyway... :roll: :lol: Brilliant guide though Dubster, and a nice looking C to go with it! 8)