dr_mat

LOL. The Corrado used to be black (before I drove it on the road this morning), but I didn't check the paint code on the one on the right...

I think that's the RARE "Red Arrows" exhaust add-on you're talking about there, Henny.. Red White and Blue, at the flick of a switch..

But you can get spare parts for the one on the right...

Skip or Corrado? Bored..

Also make sure that the pedal isn't catching on the under-dash panelling when it returns. I had this once...

Oil in water and water in oil are your main signs. Excessive water coming out of the exhaust pipe when the engine is fully warmed through is also a clue. "Mayo" under the oil filler cap, that sort of thing. (But bear in mind "mayo" forms all winter unless the car does long-ish journeys, don't write the car off based on this evidence alone...)

The bolt should bleed itself. The old Bentley manual doesn't specify to pre-tension the bolt in this manner even, so VW didn't envisage it being a problem. Not to say it's not a good idea, but the engine *should* tension it up ASAP without tooth slipping problems or anything. I'm totally with ya on the GSF tappets. My second set in 8k miles are now noisier than the original 120k mile VW ones that were removed.. Grrr.. Wish I'd not bothered now. If you wish to check it out, the bolt is easily got to - it's behind the timing chain area of the engine block, clearly visible.

If you import a car it's given a registration "suitable for it's original year of manufacture". (Assuming year of manufacture can be figured out.) Usually this is worked out based on it's year of registration abroad (wherever it came from). So it's unlikely this is the case here. This car must have been kept off the road and simply never registered until '95.

Is that what happened to the C in your avatar? Compressed by an accident with a volvo?? ;)

I haven't looked at my VR, but I can't help but notice that SteveMac's drop links are the opposite way up to yours.... Perhaps they're misnamed??

^^ Heh, a widescreen Golf. :)

I'd have guessed you'd need to sort out spark and lambda probe to fix emissions myself, not sure how much impact the health of the charger has on that..

Yep, BMW use upright, straight sixes.

You have to remove the cam to change the followers, obviously, but there's nowt to stop you putting the old camshafts back in...

What make of lifters did you fit?

Then they're probably the wrong ones...

Got a picture of the drop links? They shouldn't be anywhere near the wheels..

Hmmm "on motorway when warmed up 70-75", is a shade on the low side. 75-85 all day long, yeah, but I'm surprised to see 70 anytime other than before it's warm. One effect to bear in mind though, is when the thermostat opens for the first time, it pumps in a bunch of near-freezing water, which circulates round the engine before reaching the thermostat. The net effect is that on the first opening of the 'stat in the morning, the temp can drop BELOW 80. Once all the water has been round the loop a couple of times it should stay pretty firmly at 80 or thereabouts. That said, if your 'stat was sticking open, I'd expect it to take a long time to warm up in the morning.

"really low"? you mean 75-80? Well it should be 80. The fact that it drops slightly down from there is probably calibration of the gauge more than anything. Presumably, if you sit in traffic stationary it climbs above 80, ultimately hitting 100 then sitting round about there for a while, with the fans coming on/off? If so, it all sounds completely normal!!

Sounds perfectly normal to me.......

Stick with a nail in it?

Ok fill the tank up then. That'll even the balance out nicely. ;)

If you're worried about it, take the hose off and clean it up inside.

"heavy"? really? You can feel the 40kg despite the extra 40lbft torque? Run the VR with half a tank of fuel and then compare.. (Or were you talking about the Golf! :) )

Perhaps the new owner can post up the REAL 0-60 time, using a quality stopwatch, not the one with the big colourful plastic buttons like before... ;)