Linus Van Pelt

Are you sure it wasn't the person behind you flashing? :lol: (as in "speed up ya' muppet, it's a 50" ;) ) Seriously though, they can go off from cars going the other way, but you've nothing to worry about as the lines will clearly show you under the limit. LvP.

Seems rather odd... Maybe the valves weren't fitted properly (assuming all four tyres were changed at the same time by the same poeple :?: Are you doing BIG mileage? I do, and so I need to do mine once a week, the times when I forget/too lazy/not enough time* (delete as applicable) - I have seen pressure drops 5-10 psi (esp at the back). But I do (or did :lol:) 130 miles/day and drive enthusiastically :wink: LvP.

There's not a huge amount of difference between the two sizes, but 195/50/15 (as shown inside the door) is the standard size. I think 185/55 are cheaper, and roughly the same rolling radius, so it was probably a budgetary thing. To be honest, I wouldn't expect there to be much difference (if any) in the required pressures. Just check for uneven wear on the tyres to see if you've been over or under inflating (more wear on the centre line = overinflated, more wear on the edges = under inflated). A drop of 15psi/week suggests to me you have a slow puncture :wink: LvP.

I wouldn't mind if they just smashed the window, but they usually start with breaking the lock, attempting to prise the door and then they smash the window... :evil: [mutley]razzle, frazzle, grazzle[/mutley]* *had this done twice to the aforementioned Mk3 (which also had a CAT1 and a stoplock). Nothing to take and nothing taken on both occasions, although one muppet did leave some blood behind :twisted:

:roll: It was available, standard on some (optional on others) for all VW models of that era. My old base level 1.4 Mk3 had it ;) LvP.

Good man ;) 8) Sounds fairly similar to mine and that's more or less what I said. I originally took the car in for a service (and a 4 wheel alignment) and just gave him my "list of things that aren't right with the car" :lol: Regards, LvP.

:notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy: 8)

I had similar problems with mine. It actually got to the point where I couldn't get the window to go back up again :shock: . Best friend to the rescue, and after removing the door card we managed to coax the window back up. However, rather than looking at getting new parts, he suggested rubber lubricant (stop sniggering at the back ;) ) sprayed around all the edges of the window frame, seems to have done the trick and hasn't been stuck since! Worth a try before shelling out for new parts... LvP.

What does that mean? Sorry, that means I've sent you a Private Message :) (based on the "YHM" = you have mail)

Y(will)HPM LvP.

Whatever it was, I seriously doubt it was worse than what AmD charged me for new OEM suspension and disks/pads/bearings... They also did my front wishbones too... but a bolt sheared so the labour cost on that wasn't pretty! :lol: LvP.

I'm pretty sure they will :) I can't remember the chap's name that I always speak to, but he's a really nice bloke and it appears his mechanics know their stuff. From what I can tell they treat every car as individual, so just say you're having similar problems and I'm sure they'll let you know if anything is amiss. One of the reasons I liked them so much was because they were keen to get stuff sorted, without needless replacements and parts for the sake of it. A rare things these days! As an example on costs, they charged me £73.95 (inc VAT) for complete diagnostics (fuel/ignition) and subsequent replacement of the distrubutor; £225.20 for a full service (inc spark plugs, all filters, oil and wipers); followed by £181.95 for changing a front engine mount, 4-wheel alignment, reseal on the exhaust and the labour for what they did to fix the steering (some of which was done during the service I think). They are open on Saturday, but only until 1pm, and you'll need to give maybe two weeks notice to get it in on a weekend (I'd ring them rather than e-mail btw). Good luck getting it sorted, and if you do pop down on a w/e, give me a shout and I'll come along and say hello! I think they have a rolling road too :lol: LvP

If it helps, I know exactly how you must feel surveying the damage to your C. Take a peek at what happened to mine, [ http://the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic. ... highlight= ] and if it helps, all of my damage was repaired by panel beating (no new panels required). The de-ja-vous I had looking at your pics made me shudder :( Hope you get it all sorted mate, fingers crossed for ya :thumb right: LvP.

Indeedy... muchos funtastic hooning aplenty ...we shall just have to see how long it lasts though... :roll: In fairness, the way home from work when traffic is stuffed [emergency route #2] does involve some country lanes with more potholes than the roads in Sri Lanka, so I'm fairly sure most of my problems involve things getting loose, which means there will probably be a drop off in steering over time. Since I'm still on astro-mileage commuting, my car will be serviced every 4-5 months, and since it's going to be with RA from now on, I can just get them to repeat what they did at the last service (that's the theory at least!) LvP (the forum member formerly known as DtM)

This one needs a sticky ;) Top stuff thevisualedge! LvP.

only 3? [monty_python] we used to dream of only having 3 things go wrong with our C [/monty_python] :lol:

Sorry bud, I'm trying really hard to not be rude here, but I would seriously question the validity for most of those so called "stats" (they're just badly cobbled together figures from magazines)... ...unless you meant this in a they have got to be kidding, kind of way :?: LvP.

You don't like valvers do ya :D Anyone with a sig that long has to be compensating for something :wink:

Well, I went in for Part Two at the w/e and by jove they've actually fixed it! 8) Having already mentioned both the general steering and handling concerns (including a good tip about rear torsion beam bushes from 16VG60), they couldn't actually find anything specifically wrong (I was in following a service to have a new engine mount and 4 wheel alignement done). They've gone over all the steering/handling parts, checked tightened, reset and lubricated everything in sight. Whilst I don't pretend to know precisely what they've done, whatever it was, it worked (and better still it didn't require any new parts!) My steering wheel is back to the usual position and the car is on rails around corners again :twisted: . Anyone in the Berkshire area looking for another recommendation, take a look at RA Engineering (Bosch Service Centre) http://www.raengineering.co.uk can't praise them highly enough ;) DtM.

According to Mr Manual... The Warning Lamp comes on when: (1) The Handbrake is on (duh!) (2) The Brake Fluid level is too low (3) With ABS it also indicates that the pressure in the pressure accumalator is too low ...Unless you're in my car where the led is bust :lol: I have the replacement, just not got round to fitting it :oops: DtM.

...I knew you well :( ...but why-oh-why did you have to die just after I got to work (need to stop and start car to open the gate to the car park) and not first thing this morning before I left :lol: It's a conspiracy I tell you DtM.

Possibly belated now, but I'm just adding my 2p to what 16VG60 has said. My car was on about 100k when I replaced the shocks/springs. I considered going for sports/shortened matched pairs or even coilovers, but with the state of our roads in the UK, I decided to just replace with standard oem ones. The effect was an immediate improvement in ride quality and handling, and as John rightly says, you get to feel what the car would have been like to drive off the forecourt 8) DtM.

dr_mat, that sounds like a perfect description to me 8) Incidentally, I know they didn't get around to looking at my steering on Saturday (when I had my service), but they've certainly done *something* that seems to have helped (quite a bit better in fact)... :scratch: I know they said the oil leak was 'difficult to get too', so maybe they had to remove and replace stuff which might itself have just been loose (gasket in or around the oil cooler I think - although I've no idea where in the engine bay that would be :oops: ). Either that, or it was the leaking oil itself finding it's way into somewhere it should'nt be... presumably a part 'slipping' would be comparable to it being 'worn/loose'... :?: The plot thickens... :lol: DtM.

This could be fun, had my P&J in for it's service today. Due to yet another oil leak :roll: (some gasket or other this time), they didn't have time to give my steering the once over - however, it's going back in next Sat to sort some bits out and they should be able to give it a thorough going over then. I'll report in if I get any new suggestions, but as dr_mat says, it's more than likely to be a combination of several things, and I don't think any solution will fit all, but at least it'll give us all a check list of places to start looking. DtM.

...don't know if this applies to anyone on here, but to be forewarned is to be forearmed and all that :wink: "Window Tinting - Amendments to Legislation During the early part of 2004, Section 32 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations will be amended to include “Window Tint Films”, where such materials attached to the glass are capable of reducing the Visible Light Transmission of forward windows to below prescribed levels. These changes will be back-dated to become applicable from 1st January 2004. This will effectively ban virtually all tinted films fitted to windows forward of the B-Post on any vehicle that is to be driven on UK roads. The reason for these changes is the recent proliferation of vehicles that are excessively tinted. Some vehicles may be so heavily tinted that they present a real danger when used on public roads. The action being taken by the Government follows a fatality that occurred recently where a heavily tinted car was involved in a collision with a motorcycle and the window tints were held to blame due to the vision of the driver being impaired. There is however, a recognised difference between “light window tints” which may be considered safe for road use (such as those supplied to you by Pentagon) and “excessively dark window tints” which are not. There has also been a great deal of debate in recent years about the legitimacy of window tints that do not obscure the vision of the driver. A clear case has been argued that road-safe window tints do not actually conflict with existing regulations. The Department for Transport have argued however that Section 32 was always intended to cover materials attached to the glass, despite the fact that no mention of this is made in the Regulation itself. The only solution remaining would be to amend the Legislation. Consequently and in order to clarify the situation, the Government have finally decided to up-date the Regulations to specifically include Tinted Films since, in the view of the Police and the Department for Transport, this is the only way in which the problems of excessive tints can be remedied. Unfortunately however, even tint films that may be considered to be safe for road use will now be viewed as in conflict with the Regulations, enabling the Police and Vehicle Inspectorate to take action against vehicle owners. This has significant implications for the owners of vehicles that have window tints already fitted and also those that are responsible for installing or selling window tints. Implications for the vehicle owner After much discussion, a sympathetic Enforcement Policy has been agreed between the Department for Transport and The Glass and Glazing Federation to ensure that all vehicle owners that have had tints applied in the past may be dealt with fairly. This applies in particular where the infringement is with respect to tints that do not pose a significant threat to Road Safety, despite being in contravention with the amended Regulations. In any event, after the date of the amendment to Section 32, the owner of a vehicle that has window tints applied forward of the B-Post could be challenged by either a Police Officer or by an Inspector from the Department for Transport’s Vehicle Inspectorate, where their vehicle is noticed being driven on Public Roads. Where such a vehicle is stopped and the window tints applied are such that the Visible Light Transmission level, when measured using an approved device falls to below prescribed levels, the following enforcement guidelines have been agreed with, and recommended, by the Government. Above 30% Visible Light Transmission (Less Severe Window Tints) The owner or driver of such a vehicle would be required to have the tinted film removed from the windows under the direction of either a Rectification Notice or a Delayed Prohibition Notice. A period of grace will apply for a limited number of days (normally ten) during which time the vehicle may be driven whilst the rectification work is to be completed. In either case, the vehicle will need to be inspected by either a Police Officer or Vehicle Inspectorate Officer to confirm that the glass has been restored to a compliant condition. Prosecution is unlikely in such circumstances provided the vehicle owner complies fully. Action that needs to be taken All Businesses that have supplied window tints forward of the B-Post are being encouraged by the Government and the Glass and Glazing Federation to contact all of their previous customers to inform them of the changes to Legislation and to offer them a chance to have their vehicle rectified by having the front tints removed. " DtM.