dr_mat

Damn good question. I've been told it's "a few quid" from VW. It's even less from a scrappy, mind. I suspect the "ribbed V-belt" is the alternator belt, which drives the water pump ...... (pause whil i dig through my parts pile) In fact I just checked with the one I got recently - yep, the V belt is the alternator belt. i dunno if I qualify as "intelligent", but there you go.. ;)

It's beginning to sound like the temp sensors...

VAGCOM is not VW supplied. The VW 1551 fault code reader tools are £N,000 for traders only. VAGCOM is heavily third party, but let's face it, it's pretty much as good as the real thing. If you're hitting 130 degrees C on the oil OR coolant then something it's working right. Maybe the aux water pump, maybe the oil/water heat exchanger, maybe the thermostat. But that's not right. Even in the height of summer, with 100+mph on the clock I never see more than 120 degrees on the oil temp. As dinkus says, make sure the water cooling system is working right too - if the water temp gauge is going silly, expect the oil temp to follow! And yeah, gotta be worth checking out those relays...

The lotus carlton was the only one with that kind of performance AFAIK. This car MAY have been tweaked, but it would require twin turbos or redline at 10k rpm to get a Granada to 180mph...

Who told you to put cheap tyres on it?!! Sure it chews them, but why is that a reason to put cheap ones on?

For once, I wasn't talking bullsh1t!!! ;)

If you had whiplash you might be able to swing something, but a glancing blow to the rear corner of the car that didn't cause any structural damage to the car isn't going to give you back problems, unless your back was twisted at the time or something.. My father *did* claim for neck problems after his car was in a rear-end crash, but it was one that occurred at some speed, the (3 year old) car was written off by the damage, and my father spent a night in hospital being observed cos his face was mashed up on the steering wheel (and yes, he WAS wearing a seat belt). I have no qualms about him claiming against someone who drove without due care and attention (and was prosecuted for doing so by the police). You alone can judge the severity of your accident, but I have to say you'll be pushing your luck, IMHO. And you will, of course, have to give the bloke his money back if you claim the accident through the insurance, cos otherwise that's extortion! ;)

I'd agree with pablo. It's a lot of miles, and the rust and stuff isn't going to help your case. £2.5k would be the absolute max, and I'll bet they won't swing for that. Unfortunately the money you spent on maintenance can never be reflected in the value of the car.. :(

VAG-COM can read off the engine temp sensor readings too, so you should be able to see if those readings make sense or not. But yes, as said, if the ECU's reading is 90 deg C out when it's trying to start the engine, chances are it's not gonna work! What sort of MPG are you getting?

I don't think many people actually think the 8v is *better*, just that it's not as bad as most people seem to make out. For cheapness it's the best, as it's in the lowest insurance group of the lot, and it's a pretty bullet-proof engine from what I hear. Those that have them report that it's the torquey-est of the three engines, so it provides a more relaxed drive. As far as the 16vs (1.8 vs 2.0) is concerned, from what I hear the 2.0 has slightly better torque (as you'd expect) though ultimately the performance of the two isn't very different on the limit. The catalyst and emissions control on the 2.0 counteracts the extra CCs. They're both pretty reliable, though they both suffer from timing chains and tappet problems with high miles (that's a lot of tappets!). I'm sure people with more experience of these cars can provide more details. For £3k you should be able to get tidy examples of any of these cars, 16v or 8v. Bear in mind even the 8 valve car is insurance group 15 though, when you're doing the maths..!

Oh, if you have VAG-COM (or know someone who does), there's a measuring block page for the ECU's built-in immobiliser which tells you if the key that's in the ignition has been authorised correctly or not.

Fuel pressure problems? Stuck injectors? When it fires does it run on all cylinders, like it's supposed to, or does it just cough and splutter a bit? Does it run well: pull hard, and right the way up to the redline when it's running? There's only one engine speed sensor, but they probably changed the cam position sensor too. Yeah, that's an EXPENSIVE hit. :( (The main engine speed sensor will always show a fault code if the engine isn't turning over, by the way, I hope they didn't just test it with the engine not running and declare it kaput based on that!) Have you tried the spare keys? Common problem is the immobiliser circuit. There's a chip in the key.. I suspect an immobiliser problem, myself, if the car runs well when it starts but won't always start.

I know what you mean - and like I say, I doubt they will care, as they won't be having to pay for it!! It might effect your premium next year (hardly anything though), but if they ask, it's just a "replacement" exhaust, as far as you're aware.... Anyway, what's the alternative? A touch up and respray, hiding damage, reducing the resale value of your car, paid for by some geezer who should drive more carefully? Say they pull the bumper off and find the rear panel dented slightly - then you'd be fecked unless the insurance was paying for it! IMHO you should take it all through the insurance and get the best possible job done. A bodge won't cut it.

As I said - your insurance company won't care, as they are claiming everything off the other guy........

Your insurance shouldn't care, they will be claiming everything back off the other guy's insurance!! You may be able to suggest that the rear bumper is only repaired, but you will have the choice (with any decent insurer) to replace it. Would you honestly choose a repair over a replacement? Given that it's the *fact* that you've made a claim, not the value of the claim, that will effect your insurance record. £200 or £2000 it's all the same to them. Personally I'd take it to VW and get them to replace the rear bumper, making sure that the insurance company are aware this is your plan.

They will replace, no question. £700 + VAT + respray. And that's assuming that there's no other damage!!

My suggestion? Take the damn car out of gear... I'd rather blow the engine up than hit another car or even worse...

http://www.wftv.com/newsofthestrange/37 ... etail.html Is it me, or do you lot reckon the guy just wanted to get somewhere in a hurry too?

Pug 306 TD. 60 mpg, group 5 insurance, 144 lbft. For cheap runabouts look no further!!

For a quick fix, call gpcvwaudi and they'll sell you a new genuine handle for about £50. http://www.gpcvwaudi.com/

1) exhaust banging on rear axle. car been lowered? get the exhaust mounts looked at! 2) take the sparrows out from under the driver's seat!!! ;)

If I remembered the names I'd have mentioned them, sorry...

Found a couple of places in the UK - one in london, one up north. They were quoting about £250-350 to re-do your existing one. I never used them in the end, as it turned out there was a problem with the immobiliser instead.. Nothing wrong with the ECU. Have a good dig on google, and yell.co.uk ...

LOL "we wanted to do an article on the Corrado for our TV program, but we couldn't find one that wasn't in bits at the time"...

I have to say the bong-bong things are far more annoying than a nasty tinny little buzzer, IMHO... Ever driven a hire car in the US? God, everything goes bong bong...