James.

Be on good terms with your bank manager ! Honestly though you'll love it. Exhaust looks like a Blueflame unit i had a few year back. Welcome to the VR fold

Gliptone ALL THE WAY. I recently removed my entire interior and over the course of a few weeks managed to remove 17 years of grease/dirt/detritus from its surface. Keep the leather warm indoors for a few days and then slowly work the cleaner in with a soft nail brush. Allow it to dwell for a minute or so and then wipe off with a damp cloth. When dry work a coat of conditioner in once a week for three weeks (or until supple for dry leather). Don't be afraid to give it two or three treatments (but don't scrub !). 250ml will cover a filthy set of front seats or a fair set of front/rears. Anything above that, buy the 1ltr bacause it's cheap enough and it works a treat on leather chairs/couches etc. You can get it cheap enough on ebay. The results will astound you.

It sounds like main question should be: What do you want from your interior ? By this I mean: Do you want something that is going to be used everyday and not worry about marking it and the general wear associated ? Leather is a much cosseted addition but is cold in winter (unless heated) and can get very hot and sometimes uncomfortable in summer. Personally I've had all combos of cloth/Recaro/leather at some point and although the leather can be a warm place to be in summer, for the amount I use the car the trade off is worth it. Perhaps it's worth finding another member locally that has Recaro and ask for a go. I would never had fully appreciated the difference in support that a Recaro offers over a std Corrado seat unless I had sat in one first. In regards to cost. Realistically, how long do you expect to keep the car ? I know it sounds like a daft question but if you plan to keep it for at least four/five years then maybe for the enjoyment value it would be worth it. If the cost is still at the back of your mind then buy a cheap second hand interior and keep it stored incase you decide to sell the car. Like you said, you may never re-coup the cost of a re-trim but selling it seperately would see you making more of it back. Just my thoughts, but at the end of the day it's your money/Corrado. Hope this helps

Best to speak with who you decide to the work as labour rates and more importantly quality can differ greatly. But as a guide MJ has prices on his site : http://www.mjinteriors.co.uk/prices.asp

This could be a massive help to me and save me a few pound notes to boot ! What's the durability like ?

Anyone removed them complete (non destructive method) ? Don't fancy paying £500 for a new pair of windows and seals. Tips and first hand advice please Thanks, James.

To be fair, when the local branch (Warrington) rang me up the guy on the phone said that he would have to be involved fitting it, as he was the only one there with enough experience of them. He did say it was a two man job so my mind is "kind of" more at ease.

They're all group 19/20 insurance ?

Top drawer mello yello motor mister !

Went to the dealers (Corkills Wigan) and got the following: Battery jacket Badge clips Rear washer cover Oil cap Other parts are in the Wanted section as they are either stupidly priced or obsolete: Rear spoiler support sleeve Engine cover - VR6 DOHC LH + RH under trays Scuttle tray water deflector Headlight lenses Indicators (both) Fogs (both inc housing) Rear qtr glass (both sides) if I can't get them out in one piece. Clear headlight protectors Getting a price for the paintjob on Wednesday.

Funny, I rang up the autoglass people this afternoon expecting someone uninterested on the other end. Ten minutes later I got off the phone having had a bit of banter with another Corrado owner. great stuff ! The french make good cheese and wine. Not cars !

Guess it's a real lottery as to what level of quality you get then. As a rule of thumb, what as standard should I be looking for when a screen is fitted (trim, sealant coverage, glass type etc) ? I've removed the a post covers/scuttle trim/wipers so wouldn't mind having an idea of what to look for when mine gets replaced in the not too distant future.

Fitted a lights on buzzer today. £1.36 for the buzzer from Maplins. Wired it into the interior light and headlight loom and it works a treat.

Considered it for a moment but to be fair under all the dirt,hand grease and detritus the leather once I'd Gliptoned the leather all the interior an was in excellent condition with very little signs of wear so seems pointless having the whole car done. I'd also like to try and keep it as near to original as possible. The main bits that need a look at with the dash are: Handbrake handle/Gear knob/door handles and if I was being picky the seat bolster as well. I'll have a look at the Preston meets so thanks for that as well.

Just sent my letter to Santa... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-litre-Hotrod-VW ... 500wt_1182

Damn right. I'm itching to get in it for a drive. I used to go to north Lancs club GTI years gone by and have lost touch with regional meets. Any worth a look ?

It's an option but really a last resort at the moment as it wears off over time. Thanks for the advice though.

As original as the day is long. Though I have been tempted to drop it with some flavour of BBS bolted on. Factory all the way !

The bodywork under the trim tunnel is primer grey Jim. Someone at the factory has written "Dusty Mauve P+E" in marker pen under the hand brake. Kind of sad but I like finding little details like that. In the mass produced mechanized world of car manufacture it creates a level of human attachment. On a different note, I finished my 1:36 replica today. It's not perfect. It's pre facelift, got the wrong wheels and LHD but it cheered me up finishing it.

I touched on the idea of getting a second Corrado (8v etc) for daily use but one is enough for me. I also can't bear to let my Cinquicento that I've had since new go.

Cheers Rich I went to see Michael (Junior) a few weeks back. You're right he is a top bloke and tells it how it is. He was trimming a Bentley at the time but made me feel just as important with my cheap offering. We trawled through swatches but couldn't find a match so he made a call to a custom leather hide supplier he uses. Bearing in mind a leather hide can be bought for £100+, the price for a one off custom dyed hide... ... An eye watering £850. Plus the labour on top (about £700) Like dad said: " It's the dearest cigarette he's ever smoked" Insurance (house and car) don't want to know so it looks like another big bill. I'm obtaining samples from abroad at the moment to try and keep the prices realistic. I certainly don't want to cut corners on the quality/finish but if I can save some pound notes on the material cost then all the better.

Finally in a position where the dash can go back in as all the electrics are sorted (when trimmed). Want to give it a few weeks for any issues to manifest themselves. I sure don't want to remove the dash again unless I can help it. Trawling through the wires I had some finds along the way: A complete Tracker ! (phoned the insurance and it wouldn't reduce the premium 1p ! Some use they are.) A switch to cut out the horn (wired into the alarm !) Perhaps one of the past owners found the alarm sound offensive ? Burnt out radiator fan fuse (immobiliser bypass) on a separate loom. I wondered why the fan didn't stay on after immobiliser kicked in. Glad I spotted this as this could have caused some issues down the line. Again not sure how long this has been like this but it ain't a good thing.

Thanks Pete I totally agree. The Campaign is being restored to as it rolled out of Osnabruck. Which worries me as I've already started discussing cleaning the underneath and detailing the engine. Didn't speak with dad for three weeks. In the end life's too short to hold grudges but I do feel the red mist descend when the subject is raised. My main chagrin was that I'd just spent three weeks sourcing/removing/stripping/recovering and cleaning the replacement dash. To be fair I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for dad so I have to keep a perspective.

Hello everyone I've been hanging out in the background for a while and thought it about time I put my car on here. It may show but haven't frequented many forums before (so please go easy on me !). I used to drive a White 2.0 16v Corrado (L35 WAG) 2001 to 2004. But after selling it spent the next four years wanting another. After a lot of searching and waiting I landed on my current vehicle (August 09). It's a 1992 VR6 Campaign. I spotted it on here and duly negotiated a deal to take her back home with me. The colour combo suits my personality perfectly. Initially reality bit hard when we turned up to view the car. It was in a right mess and a lot worse than described (see extensive list of jobs below !). But a combination of blind enthusiasm, time on my hands, haggling and seeing beyond the grime and extensive repairs told me there was only one place the Corrado was going.. Up north. At home after a machine polish (A twenty footer as they call it): I'll update this thread on how it's going (feel free to chip in at any time to offer advice or ask questions). Parts bought due to damaged originals: Foglights s/h Sunroof wind deflector s/h Sunroof seal (new) Wing mirror glass (both new) Under bonnet heat/noise foam. Forget it. Too expensive...ooops bought it. Under car wind deflectors/splash shields s/h. Tyres 205 50 15 Kumho KU3. New. Wheel nut coversRefurbed the originals. Petrol flap return spring. Bought, painted and fitted. Door lock pins/catches. Bought new from VAG. Service items (various) Some of the jobs I needed to sort once I got it home: DONE - 1, Towbar (remove and destroy the evil thing) Sept 09 - Removed the crusty old bar with rusty nuts and retired it to behind the garage. Stupidly it resides with the genuine VAG one I took off my 16v Corrado from seven years ago (Sold to Pat McCrotch) ! DONE - 2, Heaters. Only working on setting 4. Completed Oct 09 - Replaced the thermal fuse and this sorted the first three settings. It took me a few weeks to work out that the connector for setting four had become broken when re-installing it. DONE - 3, Bodywork. Dents on both rear arches and front wing. Scuffs on each corner. Small fractures on the bonnet. Different shade of sunroof ???. Usual stone chips on the front bumper/bonnet/wing mirrors. Sill wear from getting out/in the car. A car valeting friend ran his mop over it Oct 09. Have decided to have the car repainted as all panels have work required. This should hopefully happen Jan 2010. Jan 10 - Car on its way to the bodyshop (Autoline, Wigan) 1st Feb. Should be back three weeks later. DONE - 4, Sunroof. Tilts fine but is slow returning. Wind deflector catches when closing. Seal is shot. Upon removal I've traced it to the rubber strip that seals the roof lining and sunroof. The roof lining has an extra black felt layer which is catching. Will complete when the interior goes back in DONE - 5, Chin spoiler. Cracked and scraped to within an inch of its life. Replaced Sept 09 with a new 50mm version. DONE - 6, Upholstery. Filthy, grime covered leather, warped dash and a carpet that I swear had not been cleaned/vacuumed in years. Oct 09 - Removed the entire interior. Cleaned/washed/vacuumed the carpets and removed all the tar/grease spots. Stripped the Recaros/door cards/trim and cleaned the leather with "Gliptone" leather restorer and conditioner (wonderful stuff). DONE - 7, Wheels. Blisters, kerb marks and burnt in brake dust marks. Nov 09 - Bought a brand new set of OE "Monte Carlo" wheels off e-bay (cheaper than having them refurbished !). Next job tyres. DONE - 8, Dashboard. Warped above the instrument cluster (due to leather shrinkage). Oct 09 - Removed the dash from the car and carefully removed the leather. Sourced a replacement dash from Lindon at Dub Haus Chorley and stuck the leather on to the new dash. Very happy with the result until... Nov 09 - Dad set fire to part of the garage (Bin containing used paper towels located next to vehicle interior + lit Cig = part destroyed interior and upset son !) The dashboard took the biggest hit. Jan 10 - Leather samples arrived from Germany. Colour match found ! "Tanin rot" as used by Audi and BMW. Leather paid for and should be with us 1st March. Dash and other bits to be re-trimmed (by Stuart and Paul at Ashley James auto trim) and ready by the end of March. 9, Engine bay. Needs a general tidy. Feb 2011 - engine, subframe and all parts removed for a complete clean and refit. Want this completed by May 1st 2011. (Well that deadline came and went !) July 2023 - Finished. 12 years isn't bad ! 🙄 DONE - 10, Locks. One key for the door and one for the ignition. Oct 09 - Retumbled the locks with help from the fountain of knowledge that is this wonderful forum. One key entry (even though it has a full closure alarm !) DONE - 11, Alarm/Immobiliser. One key for both. Need spares. Oct 09 - Sourced spare alarm/immobiliser keys and configured them. DONE - 12, Windscreen. Cracked. needs replacing (bad times). (£50 excess on the insurance - Good times) Replacement to be installed post respray (end of Feb). DONE - 13, Air con. Service and re-gas. Nov 09 - Unit holds gas and has now been tested to confirm cold air (now then wheres that sun ?) DONE - 14, Repair and replace bits of trim. A pillars (obtained Oct 09), Sun-visor clips, Door seal, paint Locks, badges (obtained Oct 09), door handle guides, wing mirror gaskets(obtained Dec 09). Hand brake plastic shroud (obtained Nov 09). DONE - 15, Wing mirrors Don't work at all. Nov 09 - Cleaned contacts and now working. Had to remove the door card and cut part of the inner door skin out to fit the switch correctly ??? Must have been like that from the factory !!! DONE - 16, Radio Couldn't pick up a cold. Nov 09 - Chopped out the old amp and soldered a new piece of wire in. Can now get Five live. DONE - 17, Heated seats Sans warmth. Nov 09 - Removed the relays. Cleaned the contacts and now get hot exam ass on demand. DONE - 18, Relay 67 More ticks than a tramps vest. Nov 09 - Since fixing the heaters it doesn't tick so much. Hoorah ! DONE - 19, Lights on buzzer. fitted Nov 09 Removed 2023 Photograph from July 2010 at Dalton CC Interior shot after the carpets/seats were cleaned, late 2009 (Spare steering wheel fitted to preserve the original).

I swapped the wiper arms/blades from my mothers standard 02 Lupo and am really impressed with the wiping they give. It's three times better and the daft thing is, her Lupo benefits from my Corrado set up !!! The drivers side blade on the Corrado sweeps the top rubber by about half a centimeter at the end of its stroke but I can live with that until I replace the blades. Wanted to keep the standard look and seem to have successful. I'll post up some images when I find out where my camera is.