tonedef

I had a chip repaired in my screen by a mate of mine with a winscreen company a few weeks ago. According to him the chips have to be directly in the line of driver's sight and the size of a 2p to be an MOT fail. Sounds like you should be OK.

Hi Hamza, Where are you going to in Saudi? It's starting to sound like my next contract (if we ever get clear of this one in Kent) might be in Yanbu starting some time in June or July. You'll sure be needing a/c over there, you can hardly wind down the windows and let some cool air in car you??? I would recommend a climatronic install simply because of how many new models come with it and therefore the availability of cars to rob. cheers, Tony

Thats interesting, i would be seriously interested if that was an option....[/quote:8d792] Badly written that, maybe it would have been better reading "If I bought another Corrado I'd do another install". I was looking at buying the VR BlueRado is selling and swapping a few bits over to mine before selling it on, that would have probably grown climatronic while it lived here! I think that four or five good days would see one done but right now that's probably a month's worth of my time at home :lol:

Short of offering an install service I'm doing what I can to encourage sales for you Carl. Not sure anginthere would be too happy if I had Corrado climatronic jobs lined up on the drive, I'm only home from Kent 2 days a week right now and the next job's looking like a stint back in Saudi so the waiting list would be long!

Thats as mine is now.... Sounds very fiddly and i dont know whether i have the minerals....... But you know you want to really! It's not as bad as it reads, I'd do another if I had to :lol:

Not quite sure what the Golf switch gear looks like, I'm sure it's going to be something like the same though. I would say the hardest part of the install was squeezing all the bits in, the drier/receiver went in place of the carbon canister. The vacuum accumulator went behind the other corner of the front bumper which meant moving the horns. I've already mentionned the issues with the condensor. The wiring was pretty easy once I managed to get the right drawings but there's a fair bit goes into the relay plate so I had to re-pin some plugs there. You also need to have a later type fan controller as the compressor clutch is driven by a relay in there, that plug also had to be re-pinned. The main evap bolted straight into the exisiting three holes plus one extra that had to be drilled it also picked up all the ducting no problems. I had to fit an actuated flap valve into the dash centre vent as the Passat duct would not fit. There's a sunlight sensor had to go in the top of the dash which I cut through the small centre grill which looks like it should hold a speaker but doesn't, I'm still not too happy with the lens I have over it so may replace it at some time if I have to take the dash out again anyway. One of the water temp sensor had to be swapped for a four pin item rather than the original two pin one and there's an extra water temp sensor goes into a different type of heater pipe. The evap itself is quite a lot bigger than the original system and I've ended up with a much shallower glove box and only approx 20mm deep lower shelf on the passenger side. I also have a small hole through the dash on the passenger side where the cabin air temp sensor is fitted, I'm still looking for a small plastic grill to cover that up. It all sounds like a big job but done step by step it was pretty straightforward. I am however an engineer and did at one time build Group N Evos for the Ralliart works team so I maybe don't get phased by stuff that some people may find a little daunting !

My condensor is mounted outside the existing one bracketed off the rad but it really is huge, I had to carve lumps out of the front panel to get it to fit around the right headlight and also by the top fan cover where the pipe connects. The control panel is from a 96 Passat VR6, the box for which fitted straight into the centre console but I did have to modify the front panel as it was too big. The curve on the facia does not exactly match the console and the black is slightly different but that is really picking fault, overall it has to be one of the best mods I've done to the car. Pestering is OK, it's good to share the experience of the job. Your location says to me that you possibly drive almost passed the end of my road as I live 5 minutes from J30 M1 so if you're passing I'd be glad to show you how much fun it was! I managed to borrow the wiring diags for the Passat from my local dealer (they've lost the Corrado ones) without which I would never have managed it, I've got a copy of them at home if you do decide to go for it. I feel another Corrado climatronic coming along this summer, dinkus has already been asking questions too, I'd better look for something else now they're getting common :lol:

Hi Goldie I was doing an install from scratch to replace the original feeble blower which used to clear only a couple of small patches on the screen. There's not a deal in there would be any use from a Diavia system, maybe the condenser and compresor although IIRC they used an earlier coolant so may be no good, everything else is climatronic specific. One thing I would do differently if I were to do another is that I'd look for a condenser from a later car as the Passat one I used is huge and gave me a lot of extra work relocating the rad backwards. That's had the knock on effect of taking up space I need to get a Schrick in there (next plan after I locate some grey leather Recaros!). The one in my S3 is tiny by comparison. Tony

I can certainly vouch for the kit you get from Carl when buying a climatronic install, mine was very comprehensive, carefully removed from the donor car and well packaged. Of course none of that made it an easier instsall but it was well worth the effort now the weather is getting warmer. Go for it, you know you want to!

BUT.................. I bought my first Corrado in 1995 just before production ended and have owned one ever since. I've seen so many new concepts over the years that were supposed to be replacements for the "old" one that I will not believe anything until I see one in the dealer's showroom. I think the Iroc looks stunning, if it ever makes it through all the cost cutting excercises/corporate makeovers without being too watered down I'll be in line to buy one. I'll not hold my breath though, the S3 is to me as close as VAG have come to a succesor and it'll do me fine until somebody up there has the balls to risk a coupe again.

Couple of questions about the Spal fan if you don't mind me asking. How much slimmer is it than the standard fan? I had to move my rad back to fit the condenser in for the climatronic as it's huge, I only have about 10mm clearance now to the standard inlet manifold and plan to fit a Schrick so need to save some space. Is the cooling OK with just one fan?

Don't whilst out bedding in a new set of brake pads go into the bottom of a dip at 80+ with coilovers fitted. You'll be phoning for a tow when you've ground a hole in the sump :roll:

Bleeding the master cylinder is just the same as bleeding at all the other nipples, you just need a smaller spanner, 6mm IIRC. It's easier if you remove the plastic pipe between the MAF and the throttle body first as it gives you more access. Not quite sure why everyone has so many problems bleeding the brakes, I did all four wheels, the ABS pump and the master cylinder on my own with the car on axle stands. I started with a completely empty system as I'd had all the calipers off for painting and it took about 1 1/2 hours tops. Only thing to look out for is putting a G clamp across the rear axle bias valve to allow full flow to the rear cylinders. Plus if you have no assistant you'll need an eazi-bleed. I've never tried pressure bleeding as I don't have the kit but then never had need of it either. The theory about having the ignition on and pumping the pedal loads is a myth caused by the fact we have no UK manual to refer to, the Bentley manual was for US brakes which were totally different from ours.

£170 per year for my VR :lol: I thought I'd paid £170 for the VR too. No benefit with the 1.8T though, I paid £190 for the S3!

Thanks for that, even more options to consider!

That's something we're all familliar with, welcome to Corrado ownership :lol:

Reading this thread has concerned me a little. I've been on the look out for a Schrick or VSR for a while now, I prefer the idea of the VSR but have to be realistic about the chances of finding one! My issue is this though; when I fitted the climate conrol I had to move the rad back to accomodate the rather large Passat condenser. I'm left with about 12mm gap between the inlet manifold and the fan in one place, in fact I also fitted a VT front mount to prevent too much engine rock as it looked dangerously close reving the motor even when parked. If the Schrick comes closer to the fans normally I could have a real headache, is it the same with a VSR? If not I'll be saving more and waiting for ever for one coming up on Ebay!

That's the way round it was, I remember it was one part of the system or the other! Just took a look at the Diavia wiring diagrams and they look like pretty simple relays, one single pole energise to open and one twin pole energise to close. Shouldn't take too much matching up unless you're looking for the two "control units" too?

I have a large selection of VAG relays. You are more than welcome to have a look through them. Try a wanted ad, I half remember somebody having some for sale a few months ago, it'll have probably gone off the system by now but maybe they never sold them?

You make it sound so easy :lol: I'd also like to install aircon or climatronic, but wouldn't have a clue where to start :? The actual mechanical install is no big deal, OK it's dash out and a bit of bulkhead surgery to get the big bits in but the Passat VR6 pipework etc all laid in place nicely. Removing the carbon canister gave me room to fit the drier canister in place and the vacuum accumulator squeezed in behind the horns after I'd moved them forwards a little. The compressor bracket is already there, another bolt on job. The condenser was a bit tight as I had to carve the front panel up a bit and move the rad back until the fan almost touches the inlet manifold but there's no rocket science involved. Oh, and then there's the wiring, that was the biggest challenge as you'll really need the original VAG wiring diagrams to figure it all out. Patience, a week off work and access to a second car are all that's needed :lol:

Do what I did and install a cimatronic system from a broken Passat or similar, you'll end up with a better system for the same level of pain!

Look on ebay for a manual but don't expect to find a Haynes one as there weren't enough Corrados built for them to justify the expense of producing them. The only one available is the Bentley (American) one, most things are similar although the braking system is a bit different between UK and US models. Expect to pay around £75 for a paper copy or a fiver for a hooky pdf version :shock:

I had my Speedlines refurbed by Pristine, it cost just over £200 including a repair to one of them but they look the nuts, well worth it IMO.

I had a broken PCV for ages, tried a fix with super glue after cleaning it up first with brake cleaner and it seems to have held OK, it's lasted three months now anyway. I haven't yet managed to break the ISV so no comment there :lol:

Technically, yes it's needed for the MOT. Mine however has been most unreliable over the last alomost seven years, the light just stays off now having stayed on for years. It still lights up, it made one appearance when I first powered up after a dash rebuild last year, I think it's just given up trying to get any more attention. Never failed the MOT though!