dr_mat

I agree, but it doesn't half make it difficult when you're constantly switching between cars with massively different brake feel..

Flat spot on a wheel? I had this problem with a dented rim once. Tyre was balanced no problems, it just wasn't ROUND!

Surprisingly psychologically effective, that zoom-effect thing isn't it? Fill the screen with it and sit really close to the screen if you really want to feel ill! :) Where does one start? Stealth did new front calipers and goodridge hoses all round at the same time, and replaced a dodgy unichip. Yes, I finally tracked down my sloppy steering to the column itself and decided to part with the dough and get it fixed (having sourced a replacement from a low miles car for not much cash!). From speaking to Kev years back we were both pretty sure we had the same problem, so yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if he was very interested indeed! :)

A few more pics from the way back from Stealth today. Needs a wash ... but hey! So, since the last pics, the red tint wore off the back lights, the paintwork saw more inner-city abuse, I've had a new steering column fitted (wow, it feels totally different), loads more new parts. But the same basic VR6-plus-schrick-and-no-badges that it always was.

No doubt true, but how much custom engineering is required to fit a 20vt where it don't belong (you're diggin' it round when it ought ta be square)? It'd be much cheaper to source a recon VR6 and have that swapped in. Stealth will recon your OWN VR6 for just under £3k, iirc.

But the handbrake adjustment does have a significant impact on the way the brake pedal feels..

Same protocol, but different data addresses for the more advanced stuff. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to use a generic OBD reader ..

I note that the review concluded that it had no soul though. These germans seem to have engineered the excitement out of driving...

I'll tell you if braided hoses are worth it tomorrow! But then, I wouldn't have bothered if it weren't for the fact that my original hoses were starting to perish, so faced with paying £40-50 for a set of VW ones, why not pay £70 for braided ones instead?

Wheel bearings? bottom ball joints? Shocks can clunk when cold sometimes. Seizing track rod inner ball joints? There's lots of moving parts under there that can clunk! (All the above are new on mine, for example ...! :( )

True enough, don't think the 1.8s had ABS.

I hope you're not referring to the ABS "self test" that's carried out at 10km/h after every ignition turn on ... ? That can feel a lot like a clunk ..

Great, another site where people who have no idea about anything are free to spout whatever they like as if it were fact. Wikipedia: obscuring facts for the modern generation. :roll: We have a similar concept of a community-maintained database at work, and frankly it's full of shite. * -- this is a rant at wikis in general, rather than the specific CF wiki, as I've not looked at it. I do wonder, however, whether such information is not better presented in a moderated, howto- on the forum than in a free for all.

What state is your VR in these days, Dutch? I keep getting confused. You're called "dutch", but you're canadian, and you live in middlesex ... I see your name a lot, usually associated with buying new bits for a VR...

Well.. sometimes if you buy an exchange part, you get a (obviously) refurbed one. It's not *always* the case that you'll get a new one. But it seems it's more common than I gave it credit for.

I stand corrected: my refurbed calipers came from VW yesterday, and Vince swears blind they are brand new, not refurbs. He says that's fairly common. They even had a brand new Audi V6 engine block from Audi on a "refurbed part" price tag.

Is 127k that different from 100k? Timing chains might need work at 85k miles. They might last till 200k. Take the car on face value ....

Does it really matter what the owner's motivation for selling is? As long as he's not hiding anything about the car's history or mechanics, then it doesn't really matter if he's just doing it for the money, or because he needs to buy a dialysis machine for his sick aunt...

Carpet: 'course it's removable, but it's not a trivial job.

Heh heh .. Ok, so my list wasn't 100% accurate .. :)

Mostly it's just a hose. Let's face it, those hoses are 10+ years old ...

Rust? On a 1990s VW? Yes, of course. Particularly on the Corrado - the body rust-proofing was done by human beings, not robots, so it goes without saying that many cars have little "unique" features in that respect. Then of course there's the results of a lack of care taken by an owner. The slightest paint scratch/stone chip can easily result in rust (only Volvos and Audis are galvanised I'm afraid..). And the wheel arches are prone too, mostly due to stone chips thrown up from the wheels. But on the whole, they're pretty good. Rust proofing in the 1980s is one of the few things that VW really genuinely deserve their reputation of reliability for. Every other mainstream manufacturer at the time was still having major chassis rust problems at 7-10 years old (and sometimes sooner)...

The late VRs use the ..462 MAF, which is shared with the Sharan. Or so I'm told...

Sure, but how many E36 BMWs do you see? The Corrado as a model is rare. The 3-series BMW isn't ..! Let's face it, the M3 just looks like a standard 3-series that's been touched by the max power wand .. (Let the flames commence..!) ;)

Mate of mine has a 328i, without nikasil liners. With only 60k miles it's a very solid car, and it's got a much smoother engine, better fuel economy, is sooo much more refined than my VR. But it's not as quick.. I've not actually driven it so can't really give a direct comparison of how it feels on the road. He's obsessed with rear wheel drive though, so his opinion of the VR isn't representative. Not that he's ever driven a decent FWD car (such as my VR), so he's really just comparing with the Seat Marbella he crashed when he was 17 ... They are good buys, but I felt that there's no point - they're too common and too big. I wanted a Corrado for the compact dimensions, the stealth factor, the retro design, the rarity, and the big V6 :) the BMW has some of these, but not others ..