dr_mat

Dunno about the rack position. I doubt you can get it wrong enough for it to be a problem. I suspect that the moment you try to attach the UJs you'll find out exactly what position the racks needs to be bolted into... I can see that it's probably pretty easy to replace the bottom bearing on the column, but I don't think that's important. The top bearing (at the wheel) is harder to get to, but I'm sure it's possible to renovate, just *hard*..

Different tyres - you've got your Bridgestones back? The GY F1s have a rep for a bit of tramlining.. You had the subframe seam welded? Which bits? Which are the cross member bushes?

*I* think that the play in the column will disappear when the rack's pinion is tight. *I* think that the rack-to-column link should be under load at all times to keep any slight play in the UJs out of the equation. But from a personal basis I think the worst of the steering vagueness and wooliness is caused by power assist problems, be it bad seals, bad valves or what I don't know. Vince comments that he had a bad rack in a golf once that was heavier to turn ONE way. When the rack was replaced it was heavy BOTH ways, the "light" steering was wrong. Perhaps we're suffering similar issues?

Could also be worn power fluid seals.. Anyway, had my ball joints and top mounts done now, plus a little sprint through the countryside with Vince driving. He gave the car a clean bill of health... Of course... (It's been pretty near faultless all week..) The steering is improved with the new parts, no question. There's less bump-steer, though the car still tramlines and pulls from one side to the other on and off under heavy acceleration on uneven surfaces (but then, 190lbft and front wheel drive).. The steering feels quite heavy at the moment, as it should be I suspect, but there is still the slightest hint of play when moving at speed, so I suspect I will need a new rack for the same reason as yourself. I think we have a combination of several problems. 1) basically worn components all over the place making everything worse - BJs, track rod ends, top mounts etc etc 2) worn rack showing a tiny bit of play (but this isn't going to be the reason for the MAJOR handling sloppiness, IMHO) 3) blown power fluid seals, or leaky seals (I think THIS is the cause for the intermittent nature of the problem!)

Erm - bet it didn't. Another thread, but I'll bet it *recorded* about 160bhp at the wheels, it then estimated 213bhp at the crank!

Maybe someone can work out how much a replacement corrado would cost in parts, excluding labour. I would estimate around £50k .. Ok, so VW aren't as bad as some others, and yes, the parts last a long time (well if you exclude door handles and headlight switches), and occasionally they reduce prices too. Does that mean it's ok? Does that mean you get a warm glow when you know 60% of your hard earned cash goes straight to VW for parts they didn't even make? Well we can argue about this all night I'm sure, but personally I think they blatantly gouge. Records companies do it, car companies do it, governments do it.. Doesn't mean it's acceptable or right. I've learned to be cost-effective and shrewd in buying stuff for my Corrado, and resources such as this forum are absolutely vital to making sure you don't go completely bankrupt keeping these cars on the road! And you're a jammy git! My exhaust went pop after only 7 years!! Thank god I got a genuine part for only £155+VAT instead of the heinous £298 + VAT that VW wanted, eh?!!! ;)

Mine has been fine again this week, Kev. And I've done nothing at all to the steering column...

But anyway, these are all reasons you shouldn't buy a Corrado true enough. Even I will admit there are still plenty of reasons why you *should* buy one tho.. ;)

Come on, Henny, even standard, shared parts are pretty heinous. Ball joints £18, front shocks £55, top mounts £12 (for a lump of rubber). They charge OTT, no arguing. I'm sure they're not *as* expensive as certain other companies, but it's pretty mad, some of it. The only justification they have for charging these prices is that they have to retain a stock of them for many years, but even the parts they buy in from other companies have an enormous mark-up too. The headlight switch *can't* be RHD specific, can it?

Flog it on ebay if it doesn't fix the problem. If you're getting free advice (instead of £60/hr advice) take the hit on parts you buy just-in-case... ;)

Merci buckets. ;)

It's around 9-10 hours to change the timing CHAINS on the VR, so the Fiat ain't so unusual... Admittedly it's going to be done more often if it's a belt, but at least it's on the service intervals. With the VRs it's completely down to the attention that the owner pays - my car has been through a number of services and my garage kept telling me it's "running sweet". Of course it was clattery as buggery, but hey.. And VW parts? Don't get me started...!! HOW much for a headlight switch? HOW much for a fog lamp?? HOW much for a crankcase breather valve??? But you all knew I was going to say that anyway...

There's lots of Corrados out there that aren't necessarily "bad", but just have a constant demand for new bits. Mine included. And mine hasn't been overly abused, or cut+shut, or skimped on in the past, it's just the way it is.

The cheapest cams are not IP addressable - you'd need a PC with video capture card (which is essentially what an IP addressable cam IS!). Have a scan around on ebay for wireless cctv cameras. Imported from HK for about £35-40. They work for a pretty good range, actually. You will have a hard job powering a PC full time without the engine running, btw. A friend was forced to do it for a work project (admittedly with a full size PC AND a 15" CRT!), and the biggest problem was blowing fuses. A fully charged car battery would only last about an hour, too.. A 64Ah battery should supply enough current to keep a small PC running for around 60 hours tops though, at approx 200 watts, assuming 90%-ish efficiency in your power inverter and power supply etc etc.

For the ultimate in in-car live system monitoring, how about bolting a small video camera under the bonnet, or on the suspension wishbone and having a small LCD in-car? Perhaps hook this into a PC system, so you can VAG-COM, mp3 and watch the inside of the wheel and the suspension all at the same time..? You can get wireless TV cameras about the size of a matchbox for about £35 now...

It'd be cheaper to use a custom-built mp3 storage/player device plugged into your existing ICE than to build a PC in. Less cool, admittedly... Such as an ipod or whatever.

Might be a good selling feature.. ;)

Um sorry, collective irresponsibility... There's no codes to be read from your engine, AFAIK, so that was a red herring (from when I thought you had a VR..).. You can check the operation of the idle valve - I've read on here that you stick a 12v supply on it you can see it open/close. If it's sluggish or struggling then the answer is clear.

We were still talking about YOUR CAR!! ;)

Just for a moment there I had visions that you were turning your C into the "clubman" model.. :D "into".. not "onto" ... :) don't you mean traveller?? :wink: ......clubman's were normally associated with Mini 1275GT's whereas the traveller was the Minor Estate with all the lovely wood on the rear :wink:[/quote:85e2d] Indeed you are probably right. I'm not old enough to remember that stuff... ;)

Just for a moment there I had visions that you were turning your C into the "clubman" model.. :D "into".. not "onto" ... :)

I'd agree. A mate at work has an A3 1.8T quattro 180. Quick car, very surefooted, very stable, very solid. But he says himself his previous car (BMW 318ti) was much more enjoyable to drive. And that was nowhere near as quick.. I've not driven the A3, but I can tell from the passenger seat that quick tho it is, it just doesn't do anything that's less than boring. And the seats are pretty dire too. To be honest, performance wise the 1.8t is probably more useful than my VR. Certainly in marginal grip conditions it'd leave me standing still, spinning my wheels, but it's just so goddamned BORING!!! It's not quite a toyota, but hey it's a means of transport. To put it in hifi terms the A3 is the Denon mini system: pretty, competent, powerful, convenient but uninspiring. The Corrado is clearly the british-built hand-chosen separates kit: stunning when you get it right, but ultimately more difficult to live with. Or is that one analogy too far? ;)

I used to think they built the A14 just for me. For about the first 6 months after they built it I'd tank along it most weekends in a knackered old cavalier (one of many) with just the horizon for company... ;)

You've clearly got a private race track, Kev... ;) Perhaps VW just didn't have the guts to admit that it was skimming 150mph? They didn't wanna upset BMW? ;)

Yup. I wonder also if the "145 mph" figure might not be just a bit pessimistic. Given that the power requirements for an extra 3 mph is another 10bhp, it wouldn't surprise me if most VR6s that left the factory were capable of 148mph or slightly more - which would require 155-160bhp at the wheels, thereby making up the difference.