dr_mat

Yes, but you'll a) lose a butt load of coolant b) probably break the thermostat housing c) get confused about which one you need to replace (there's three of 'em) So it makes sense to check it out with VAG-COM first ...

Temperature sensor. The engine doesn't know it's cold so doesn't run the cold start enrichment. Get the ECU error codes scanned.

Ah, was just your forum name "was8v" I assumed that meant something .. :) There's lots of people running questionable tyres all over the place, but that doesn't make it a good idea! ;)

I don't think you'll notice the rolling radius difference, it's tiny (compared to e.g. the difference between new and worn tyres). The other issues: clearly you'd have slightly less grip; and the tyres would need to be rated at least "86V" weight rating to support the front end of the car at 150 mph safely.. You may get away with it, since yours is an 8v converted to a VR, but if the log book said "VR" you'd really be better off running 205s, for MOT test sake if nothing else.

Pre-set stuff happens during the first thirty seconds or so on a cold engine and it relies on the lambda from then on. It doesn't know that the lambda hasn't reached correct temperature, either, just that the readings it is returning are stupid and wrong, hence the crap running, poor MPG and so on. Later engines (i.e. post-Corrado) use the lambda for WOT too, there's not really any good reason not to, assuming all the sensors are working well.

The heater element is critical to the function of the lambda. It reads fuck all if the heater element isn't working.

If you know the pin-outs on the lambdas, you just need to check which lambda has an open circuit on it's "heater" pins..

I would be more inclined to blame a temp sensor myself, particularly if it runs rough from a warm start for a while.

I've always wondered why all cars have to be shiny...

Yep, the light comes on to tell you that it's not working.. that's what's supposed to happen. If VAGCOM says it's the valves, then chances are you need a new ABS valve block. There's a slim chance you might have a wiring problem, or an ABS relay problem, but it's a slight chance. The good news is that ABS pump units are cheap and very reliable, so you can pick one up cheap and it's almost certainly going to be fine. As I understand it, you will only have a "low voltage" fault from the ABS if the 12V line drops below ~8V, and you'd know about it well before that happened ... But you aren't getting low voltage faults, so I say ignore the battery and fix the ABS.

The ABS fault is recorded in the ECU, but every time you turn the ignition off and back on it will assume that everything is working again (otherwise how would it ever work?), so the light goes off - UNTIL it detects a fault, when the light comes back on.. This is quite normal. I think it's just a coincidence that it worked for a few days when you swapped the battery. Get it VAG-COMed. Most likely you have a faulty wheel sensor.

We need a "car related myths" page ...

What about other parts of Aberdeen? Or do you only have one petrol station .. ? ;)

It could just as easily be badly balanced tyres.

They're kinda different prices too ..

Could be, but start on the rest of the "common VR6 stalling problem" fixes too. The "brakes" coincidence is highly likely to be because that's the most common time when you dip the clutch and let the revs drop to idle from the engine being on overrun. It's just as likely to be the MAF sensor though, so it might be time to start trawling around and getting hold of some used parts to try out: ISV, MAF etc ..

I think your digital voltmeter is out of whack by +2v, that's what I think ... ;) You may have a voltage regulator problem on the alternator if the voltage is dropping under load more than normal, but tbh that doesn't sound out of range by much if at all. I think, overall, that your battery is probably fine, as is your alternator. I suspect the ignition switch or some other component in the radio's circuit is causing that problem (perhaps even a speaker is shorting somewhere?), and as for the stalling .. well that can be the ignition switch too, or the crank sensor, or as said, one of a large number of problems. But more and more I'm convinced they're not related.

Seems like a fair swap .. ;)

What about posts asking him to contact you? Forums can't complain about that can they? I'm not convinced of the merits either way of naming+shaming, but if you feel like you've been stitched up by a known and respected forum member who won't talk to you any more, you want to try and get in touch with them in as many ways as possible .. One of the difficulties with 2nd hand sales like this is item descriptions. It may well be that blue_joe just didn't notice the buckles in the rims when he was driving around on them, but since he described the items as "perfect" when he hadn't thoroughly checked them he's clearly in the wrong. And if he still maintains that the shipping company damaged them he could at least help in claiming the damages back from the insurance .. (you did take out insurance right...??). I bought a set of speedlines on ebay once (from no-one related to the forum I hasten to add), as they were described as "perfect", and ONE photo was provided of a clean wheel. The seller claimed, when asked, that all the others were just as good as this one, so I bid, I won, I went over to pick them up .. found that one of the four was tatty as hell - lots of bubbles lots of corrosion, and a small dent in the rim. He was adamant that I was being an arse for refusing to buy them and accused me of being a time waster till I pointed out the trade descriptions act ...

Many people drive further than 100 miles to go to Stealth! ;) Stealth have the "official" wheel alignment rig, but they charge £80 + VAT for a run and adjust on it. Plus your £40 in petrol to get there and back it's not peanuts any more, particularly "just" for a wheel alignment. It is, however, good at the job..

This is not unusual - clearly if the engine stops (which it tends to do), OR if the revs drop really low, the output from the alternator drops and the dash light warns you that the alternator isn't charging the battery - it is nothing to do with the condition of the battery. Leave the battery to settle for 30 minutes after running the engine before you test this. Measure the volts, then start the engine and measure again. The battery alone should put out 12.2V or more if it's > 50% charged, the alternator should put out around 13.5-14.5 volts. I think on the Corrado VR6 the ECU relay is labelled "109" but don't quote me on that. There is a separate relay for load reduction during start, but I don't know what it's called...

Which is possibly because they may not be linked ... ? Your original post said "vr6 stalling help".. You also mentioned, as an aside, that with the engine off the radio goes dead for a moment if you turn the lights on. Therefore you most likely have the "generic vr6 stalling problem", which is why I suggested looking around in the search because other people have had the same problem, and you probably also have either an ignition switch, a relay or even an alternator problem. If you think you have a battery problem I suggest you test the battery - it's really not hard to do (voltmeters cost £5 from maplins) and once again it's been discussed before and I've personally written up instructions several times. Speculating over whether a weak battery can start the car when it can't run the lights and the radio at the same time is a little pointless without facts backing it up, because batteries can fail in different ways (as can ignition switches and relays...).

Use the search, there's a number of threads discussing this problem out there already.

The ignition switch has more than a single switch. It has to separately turn on the ECU live circuit, and THEN turn on the big fat relay for the starter motor. One can work when the other doesn't, that's not hard. If your igntn switch is known to be faulty, start there before you look at anything else ..

That's a bloody motorbike engine! lol The extra torque helps of course, but "fast" means different things to different people. The "fastest" cars in terms of outright performance are always the ones with the highest power(bhp)/weight ratio. Think about it: your modern turbo diesel produces ~300 lbft at 2500rpm. Pretty earth shattering torque, but outright 0-60 times no better than a 2.0 16v petrol engined car. Then consider a formula 1 car - about 250lbft of torque, so not even as much torque as the diesel, but ~900 bhp means 0-60 in about 2 seconds .. But for day-to-day driving the VR (or the diesel) is more likely to give you the performance when you want it than the small revvy thing that needs 6000 rpm wound onto it before it wakes up.. Horses for courses: the VTEC engines are masterpieces of technology, but when you're not in the mood for revving it there's no replacement for displacement.. ;)