studentgti

I'm a student and I run a VR6! Slowly worked my way up to one by buying cheap cars that needed some work, getting it done and selling on at a profit once I'd got bored of them (happens too quickly for my liking :lol: ). Worked my way from MOT fail MKII GTi -> Cat C Rado 2.0 -> Audi A4 -> Rado VR over a year and a half, so the purchase cost didn't effect things too much. Insurance was a big hit although the VR only costs £50 a year more than the Golf did - but when it's at Uni with me it does sod all miles so a limited mileage policy takes a chunk off the price. Not using it much whilst I'm at uni also saves the fuel - it only gets a good run when I'm home with the car-loving mates! Parts and maintainance are the biggies and you just have to save by doing all the work yourself & with mates, it saves loads and makes a change from politics, philosophy and economics essays! I've tended to work my summers/holidays and allocate a chunk of that and do all the years work/modding in one go :wink: - make sure the tax is due at the same time as getting the loan and you don't notice that hit as much either :) !

Don't know if this really counts but it made me laugh... I borrowed my mates van to go to Glasto in and then to move from one student house to next years and left my Rado at his in case he needed it - to which he said he didn't like it that much and wasn't a fan of the VR so it would probably just sit on his drive :cuckoo: (he's a 20VT sorta guy). Spoke to him tonight as I've not come home yet to swap back and it turns out it's now the "safest thing going" and he's done about 500 miles in it in a week showing it off to anyone that would look/listen! He even took it down to VW Expo and put it on our local car club stand. Think there's a new convert there!

My first Corrado was a Cat C - I came home with it after going to the local VW breakers for a VR conversion for my MkII :cuckoo: It needed a new bonnet, slam and headlight and the wing was repaired - everything else was sweet with no creases and all the electrics engine etc were sweet - it never missed a beat in the time I had it bar the ISV packing it (it was a 2.0 16v with 90k on it). As for the VOSA check you have to take it down to your local VOSA inspection place and they check it out, think it cost me 40 odd quid. The insurance companies that write them off take the logbook and the DVLA won't return it until they've been notified by VOSA it passed its check, and it comes back marked as a repaired write-off. VOSA told me you were allowed to drive there without tax (as you can't get it with no logbook) as long as you have a valid MOT on it, which you can get whether it's a writeoff or not, mine went straight through this (from memory I think they wanted to see the MOT and insurance at VOSA along with a reciept of purchase). Basically all they do is check the chassis and engine numbers match and the car isn't dangerous. Then they give you a pass certificate which you can use to get tax from the local DVLA office (not a Post Office) and the DVLA issues the logbook back. It only took about 20 mins to do the check and was really easy, I think you're meant to notify your insurance but I never did :nuts: . Just for reference I paid 800ish for it from the scrappies with some decent alloys with new tyres and the replacement headlight it needed. Cost me 50 quid in panels from ebay and about the same in paint (did the repair work between myself and a friend). Sold it in the end for £1300 so still made a bit of cash on it. Sorry that's all a bit long winded but I hope it helps!

Got a couple from my new VR in the couple of weeks I've had it: Literally 2 minutes after picking it up from the last owner, got some fuel in the M6 Toll services and the first thing the cashier said was "nice car, love the way it looks on those wheels" - knew it had all been worthwhile then 8) . Second lot came this week when the coil went and I was outside trying to diagnose the problem - two seperate car loads of blokes pulled up next to it and commented on how nice it was and asked if it was for sale, as did the neighbour who's house I was parked outside - all within the space of 10 minutes and all depsite the fact it was sounding distinctly unhealthy trying to fire up and didn't look much better either - obviously much Corrado love in Manchester!

Well its fixed! One coil later and it's back working as it should :D . Can't explain how happy I am to hear that VR noise again 8) . Big cheers to everyone that offered some advice, definately helped me narrow it all down! :notworthy: Cheers again James

Nope it didn't blow again after I replaced it, so don't know what was wrong there. Fuel pump is definately working, I can hear it prime on ignition and run when the car is cranking - and there's a definate wiff of petrol under the bonnet when its been trying to start. Not sure how to check if the filter is blocked?

I've just checked fuse 16 - it was blown. Replaced it though and still the same thing, trying to start but no luck! There's fuel in it too, it's just above the red... I'm living off Daisybank Road - sort of Longsight/Victoria Park end of the woods if you know it? Cheers.

Ok I've just found out it's definately the ignition switch that was stopping it even cranking before. I've just 'hotwired' it using the guide on here and it tries to crank perfectly every time (had it jumped onto another car battery as well incase it was low) - but still won't fire up! So one problem down (even if it is a temporary bodge), one to go...like I said being stuck in Manchester and not home means I'm seriously short of tools so can't take a plug out to check for spark - is there any other way of doing it? I tried taking the main coil lead off as per another post on here, but it doesn't seem long enough to actually reach any metal.

Thought it was only fair to subscribe if I was going to ask other people to take the time to reply :grin:. This forum has come up with answers before enough times to make it well worth it! Haven't got a mulitmeter no, so probably time for a trip to Maplins! I'm pretty sure it's the ignition switch rather than the battery though, as the AA guy tried the booster pack last night when it was doing the same thing and it made no difference, and when it does work it does crank as it should. Hopefully I can fix that problem easily enough - it's the failing to fire up when it does crank that's bothering me at the moment - what's the best way to test if the coil has packed in? Cheers.

Hi Been on the forum for a while, used to have a 2.0 16v that I repaired as a write-off. then sold that and recently got myself a nice Corrado VR6 (been after one for aaagggeess): Seems a shame this has to be my first post about it but here goes... I was driving along last night and it just cut out on me! I coasted to a stop and tried restarting but no joy - it turned over fine but refused to actually start. In the end the AA came out and whilst he was trying to fix it it stopped turning over completely - all the electrics are fine but when you turned the key nothing at all happened. He towed me home, and this morning it was trying to start again, but after a few tries has gone back to the key not doing anything again (although I don't think the battery is dead). I had a look through the forums and as it seems like a kind of intermittent problem when the key does nothing am I right in thinking this is probably the ignition switch being old and so wearing out and not working? Also, regarding the not starting when the starter does turn - I've read it can sometimes be the fuel pump but this primes no problems at all and runs so that can't be it. The ISV buzzes fine when the ignition is on, so where do I go to next? I've heard it could be the coil having packed up (it's a VR with the distributor cap) but unfortunately being at Uni in Manchester (and living in Kent normally) means I have no tools or anything to check for a spark etc. Can anyone offer any advice on what to do/recommend a good mobile car electrician/come and help me out for beer/food/money?! Any help would be great! Cheers. James

Cheers The rest of it seemed too good to just let it go! And we wanted the experiance anyway, hadn't really played with panels before. Surprised at how easy it was to be honest - passed it's MOT and VOSA VIC the morning after we put it back together, tanked it up and drove it straight up the motorway from Kent to Manchester (where I'm at Uni). It didn't miss a beat...are there any local meets? I've seen one in Brum that seems to be the nearest.

Hi all I posted agggeesss ago saying hi as a newbie and said I'd get some pics up - only just got round to doing it but here we go: It started life as a CAT C write-off we got from the scrappy when me and a mate went to buy a VR engine for my Golf (Came home with a 2.0 16V Rado instead...). It was a bit of a bargain, only panel damage and all the electrics etc. worked fine. Got some new panels sorted off ebay and sprayed up, did all the work between me and a mate. In the end it needed a new bonnet (went with the older style one because I prefer the look), wing and slam panel and a headlight the scrappy threw in with the car. Then fitted the Porsche D90's, and slammed it seriously low on some H&R coilies, fitted the debadge grill. After a new cambelt and a good service she was ready to go, and runs beautifully (especially considering it was sat for a year). Just done over 94k which isn't too bad for a '92. The ride is a bit too harsh but I think the overall look is pretty good, got a few more mods planned in the pipeline... Apologies for the crappy phone pics! Here's how it looked when we bought it: And here's how it looks after a few days of hard work: Comments welcome!

I've driven the 225 (think thats the top spec one). Nice looking cars, interior is seriously nice as well. The traction control and handling are completely mental, but the engine definately lets it down, uses masses of fuel, loads of oil and sounds a bit daft. Plus you do have to rag it (the 'redline' beep is at about 9k I think) to get the best out of it. Didn't like how twitchy the steering was either, especially at speed, but it definately held the road. It was my mates and he only had it a couple of months before selling up and building a 20VT MKII Golf, which he much prefers, faster too!

Hi Just starting to reassemble my Corrado after some reconstructive surgery (pics eventually!) and have realised that the screw holes attached to the top of the headlights have snapped on both sides. Don't really have the funds or the time to get new headlights at the moment, although I will eventually, but I was wondering if anyone had some ingenious bodges for getting them back securely in as a temporary measure? Cheers James

That's a good point - it's on a J plate so it must be 1992 then, I'll have to have a check... Definately a 2.0 thought, although it appears to have been made mid change over as it's got the later spec exterior but what I assume is the early interior. I'll get some pics up as soon as it's got its new bonnet on (old one was knackered) and I've got rid of the seriously crappy wheels it came with - had the car 2 months and it's only sad on the driveway so far... :( There is one thing I haven't been able to work out yet having never owned one before, what does the small stubby stalk behind the main one on the steering column on the left hand side do? I assume this will become clear when I drive it, but haven't got that far yet!

Cheers! Very handy to know, I thought at least the ARBs would be different, should make life a bit cheaper...

First of all I wanted to say hello to everyone, I've been reading here for a while and thought it was time to make a post! Recently bought myself a 1991 2.0l Corrado (moving on from a MKII Golf Gti) and this forum has been excellent in answering lots of the questions I had, so a big thanks for that (will post some pics up soon!). I do have a couple of questions though that I don't seem to be able to answer with the search button! I've got a lot of MKII bits kicking around, and I know that coilies are a straight swap so they'll be going on the C asap, but I've also got uprated ARBs and front and rear strut braces - will any of these parts fit straight on to the C? I've noticed on a couple of websites the ARB part numbers seem to be the same, but can't find any reference of anyone trying before. Any help would be much appreciated! Cheers.