dr_mat

Pity the LHC worked so *quickly*. What will they do with it now?? Wonder what the used market is like for superconducting electromagents and a few hundred kilometres of cabling..

See, you keep saying that when it "doesn't start" it is cranking the engine over but not firing .. that's really unlikely to be a battery issue if it can turn the engine over at all.. You really need a VAGCOM scan. If it is slow at firing after being left standing but the engine is turning over fine then you might have fuel or spark issues.. or an intermittent crank sensor problem.

Miaow.. lol Of course it's the OP's choice, but if I were him I'd be ****ed off if the first response to my for sale post was to criticise the product and its price, that's all. I did apologise for adding to the noise .. ;) ---------- Post added at 2:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 2:03 PM ---------- Fair enough. Will leave it up to the OP to express his opinion, I guess it's important that people know they can ask for this type of stuff if they prefer.

Sorry to add to the noise, but frankly I think it's pretty rude for folks to wade in one someone's "for sale" thread with a load of comments about the value of the item and so on. The seller is trying to advertise his item. It's none of anyone else's business how much he thinks the item is worth - people can make their own minds up. I suggest the mods clean this thread up or split the discussions about the merits of the VSR into another thread..

It's unusual to kill a battery just by letting it go flat once for a short period of time, it usually has to stay flat for a while to sulphate badly. 60+Ah will be fine, it's only really required for starting the car. Adding gadgets doesn't increase the starting load .. !

You can tell everything you need to know about the battery condition with a voltmeter and a load tester .. A lot of people have the former, but not many people have the latter! The C-TEK should have kept the charge up, so you *shouldn't* have any issues, but if the battery is getting on a bit, or has been badly discharged and left flat in the past, it might just be too late for it ..

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/spain-show-boring-inability-to-be-rubbish-2012070232605

"Failed on emmissions" .. in what way? CO level? Or lambda? If it's CO level you need a new CAT, if it's lambda then you have a simple fuelling issue.

I would say you really, really, need to do a VAGCOM scan on the ECU and look to see if your engine temperature sensors are working right..

The chains rattling makes a distinctive noise, and it doesn't happen at idle either. Reports on here suggest that chain tensioners can be failing anywhere between 70k miles and 150k+, but I think the majority of folks find a problem and do something in the 100k -120k miles region. "Rattles when cold" is pretty normal for an ageing VR and is highly likely to be something other than the chains..

(Or like I say there's actually *less* data to assess - less people with garages, and they always weight against and charge more for things they can't accurately quantify. In essence one claim by one the three people in your area who have a garage would have to be paid for by the combined premiums of those three people for the insurance company to break even on that risk, whereas 20 claims from the group of a hundred people who do NOT have garages is spread amongst a hundred people's premiums - even though the number of claims and pay-out is higher.)

It can't be explained, as I said, it's just an empirical statistical result. It's like you choosing to take a certain route to work because you think the traffic is better that way. That's your explanation, but you can't explain WHY the traffic is lighter that way (it may not even actually BE lighter that way, that's just the way you see it).

Every time you make a suggestion about a proposed penalty for something, think about it happening to you .. your MOT expires and you're uninsured.. you modify your car and you're driving it back from the garage, you've not told your insurance company .. you're uninsured if you have an accident right then. Plenty of reasons why you *wouldn't* want such extreme measures to be taken. On the other hand, for repeat offenders or for cars that haven't had insurance on them for ages, throw the bloody book them .. :-D

I beg to differ .. one conviction for uninsured driving and you lose your license.. then how much money do you lose by not being able to work for a year? No doubt a lot more than the cost of the insurance. There are things where you can take it on the chin and not insure (shipping stuff, for example), but if you're uninsured in your car and you get caught, or even if you have an accident, you're in deep shhh.. Unless you leg it of course and the poor ******* you hit doesn't get chance to note down your number .. And, of course, the REASON the insurance is so high in the first place is because of the number of uninsured drivers, and the number of fraudulent ambulance chaser claims, and just the sheer number of stupidly high value cars on the road. FFS if you hit an M5 in the back bumper it'll cost more than the value of your Corrado to fix.. But you know all this.. :)

Sorry, I need all the works done before my MOT is up ...

One thing you musn't do is assume that pricing is based on logic, it's not. It's based on claim history and a whole bunch of statistics. If there's hardly anyone in your area with garages they probably don't have anyone to use as a reference and will weight against you because from their POV that's an *unknown* risk, whereas there's loads of people parking on the streets and they can easily quantify what their exposure is there. I keep being tempted to say things like "people with high value cars tend to get garages" and "garages are targeted because the thieves don't know what's in there" and so on, but that's REALLY nothing to do with insurance pricing .. !

Is 40A enough? I'd heard a VR6 pulls in the region of 120 amps during a cold start..! (The battery should be able to deliver in the region of 600 amps - see the CCA figure for yours.) Look at the current strap on the starter - you need serious chunks of copper to get the thing to start. ---------- Post added at 4:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 4:51 PM ---------- Or am I confusing the solenoid with the starter itself .. :)

I know what the situation is with the law, but hell, they've an obligation to the devotees to keep making this stuff. Look at the beetle.. there's probably more obsolete parts for the Corrado than an original Beetle .. !

Oh man, VW want a rocket up their arse for letting so many parts go obsolete.

Ugly is harsh, but it's not pretty.. :) I disagree, I think the 406 coupe (from some angles) has a timeless elegance. Those wheels though .. urg ..

Tis true! The above picture is really not its best angle. The side-on view of the 406 coupe is classic Pininfarina design studios and certainly the best looking Peugeot on the road. The Corrado is all-german efficiency and manages to look purposeful at best .. 406 coupe could do with better wheels though..

Yep, if you're ok with using a multimeter you can avoid the VAGCOM dance, but in all honesty I'd recommend getting a VAGCOM cable - it'll be quicker to read the error codes, and it'll pay for itself in no time.

Old cars do tend to use oils more quickly. It's not so much heat as contaminants, as you say Kev. You're right, it's not too hard to tell when the oil needs changing just by looking at it, but I'd bet most people have a "change it anyway" attitude, which negates all of the long-life benefits of the £10-a-litre fully synthetics. Anyway, each to their own I guess. The mileages and oil use on my VR don't justify any better oil than the £20 for 5 litre semi synthetics, so that's where I'm staying.

Does anyone actually check the oil condition before changing it? I think most people on older cars, particularly an enthusiast forum, they're going to just change it according to the schedule.. I know I do, and it REALLY doesn't need it due to the low miles. Newer engines that actually test or track the oil condition will hold off the servicing for you anyway, if you can wait that long..

My engine isn't using oil because it only does 1200 miles a year.. :)