dr_mat

My driver's side handle went last year (while I was in North Yorkshire, of course, only 5 hours drive from home). Within a day of that being fixed (and suddenly realising how BAD the passenger side handle was too, I got some light oil (just that spray stuff from Halfords) and lubricated the handle mechanism. The bit that gets really stiff appears to be the bit of the lock in the door jam, as opposed to the handle itself. Here's what I did: Open the door, prise the plastic cover off the lock mechanism that is now exposed, and liberally spray oil into the moving parts that are visible. You'll notice a HUGE difference (or at least I did) in the movement of the handle, and mine has now lasted a further 8-9 months (touch wood) and still feels easy to move. You'll need to re-do this every so often, particularly if you're using very light oil (like I am), but it's gotta be better than the pain of fitting new door handles... (Not an easy job.) My 2p. :)

They don't need to fund any development work at all. Just start building Corrados again. Ok maybe they should develop windscreen wipers that work, door handles that don't break, rear calipers that don't seize, leccy windows that don't rattle, heater controls that don't break, sunroofs that don't seize, headlight switches that don't break, foglamps that don't crack, headlights that are bright, brake load balancing valves that don't seize, engine hoses that don't crack... Need I go on..? I suppose you're right - they do need some cash for development!! :)

Only 95%? You're such a rip-off merchant!! ;) That would bring VW part prices down to the same as those for Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot.. etc..etc..

By the way - one of the cheapest ways to get your car checked over in a basic way is to take it for MOT. Even if it's not due, it's still only around £40 for a fairly comprehensive test of the important safety issues.

No service history...? :shock: I hope you got it cheap!! Take the original number plate (if you have it) and the VIN number to a VW main dealer and they should be able to tell you the car's history, at least through their network. Obviously they'll know nothing about independant servicing and so on..

Just a lucky guess ... :) :)

Keep plugging the Corrado, guys, we're all praying you can stabilise late model VR6 2nd hand values a little... ;) ;)

Yeah man, the C has a glovebox light! Mine has a dead bulb, but it certainly has the light...

(And you wouldn't mind seeing the hell thrashed out of it by "the stig" and Clarkson comparing it unfavourably to the Ford Feces and the Alfa one-four-seven gee-tee-aaayy..)

The best upgrade for a G60 is surely to swap it for a VR6 ;) ;)

Did you warn your bank manager that you were buying a corrado? ;) By the way, you're more likely to get useful info from people if you let people know which engine you have... ;)

Have you tried an ECU reset procedure after fitting the new pot'? Maybe the ECU needs to adapt to the new zero level? Do you have an ohmeter? Can you compare the "zero position" resistances? I presume the revs are high when the engine is cold with the new pot aswell? (Mind you, I believe the cold start mechanism. takes up some throttle slack on cold starts, so this may not be affected as much.) YMMV... (Can you tell I do troubleshooting in my job??)

AFAIK there's no law that says cars registered post-'92 HAVE TO HAVE a cat. Simply the emissions limits are so stringent that it's unlikely that a car without a cat will pass. BTW - I think the engine is tested based on the age of the engine, as best as can be determined. The rest of the car would be tested based on it's registration date.

Admitted, there seems to be none in the UK at the moment, but there's a couple here: http://search.ebay.co.uk/ws/search/Sale ... &catref=C1 You might have to browse down the category tree - have more success that way I think.. M.

FYI a new VR6 block from VW costs around £2800 + VAT, as I recall.. :shock:

What's the voltage at the lights when the engine is running when using this? Don't forget the alternator is pushing 14.2V across the battery when the engine is turning, so aren't you over-driving the bulbs? (Albeit only slightly.) That said, I'm interested... :)

Yeah, even my 115bhp 2-ton 1992 Cavalier would haul it's lardy arse to more than 126 on it's speedo without too much complaint.. Sounds like something's not right there, mate.. :?

My 2p: I noticed a significant difference in the amount of time it takes to get the oil into the tappets on my VR6 (clattery noise) at cold start when I switched from 15w40 to 10w40. The latter seems to be much quieter, much quicker. I don't know much about the G60 engine, but I don't think I'd risk anything that thick in my VR6 unless I was living right on the Equator... (Where cold starts aren't..) Oil pressures must be enormous for cold oil when it's that thick! :?

You're supposed to open the doors *before* you jack the car up... Allows the body to twist in the designed manner, or so I've always heard. Also prevents damage to the doors if you *do* try and open them while the car is jacked up. I'm dubious about adding extra bracing to a car. The chassis is designed to twist and move in a certain way, and if you artificially alter that, then you may wind up putting more stresses into components that were never designed to handle it. Let VW do it, sure, they have chassis twist simulations on supercomputers (like wot we make :) ) and can work out where the load will be diverted to... But then, these are all old cars, so it's probably not going to noticeably alter the lifetime of the body shell anyway... YMMV... :)

Rams: you have a PM :) Cheers, Matt.

Quite agree - but was just wondering if you got my message about the speedline alloy...? Cheers, Matt.

Ah, the VR6 Corrado. 4th gear cruising in suburbia... Round roundabouts, junctions etc etc.... And if you're above 40mph, 5th gear will do too... Talk about relaxed driving... :) From traffic lights... First... Third... Fifth... :)

Oh, by the way, some silly bugger smashed into my rear quarter about a year ago, taking the paint down to the metal, denting the wheel arch, and smashing up the corner of the bumper. So you're not alone on that one. :( Of course they didn't leave their details, tossers. :evil:

"Some silly water hose" cost some poor bugger on this forum an entire new VR6 engine very recently!! That's why I'm paranoid about the oil temp readout on the MFA..!! :?

The 16V is used for staving off the bank manager on long motorway runs, I'll wager... ;) Anyway - I'd considered the engine mount problems myself, and I *have* had the mounts inspected, and the conclusion was that they're not "shot". Of course, it's difficult to tell just how much movement there might be cos you can't really push it with the bonnet up, but I don't know of a "reliable" test otherwise. I certainly can't move the engine much by hand, but then, I can't apply 180lbft of torque about the crank by hand either...