Timbo

Thanks for the replies. Googling a bit suggests the NS is mk2 and the OS is mk3. In any case I'm not comfortable with them being different; the throw of the handbrake cable is different which means it's only really working properly on one side. I think it's likely that the internal volume of the calipers differs too -- that can't be healthy. Assuming I go down the mk4 route, do I need anything special to fit them, or are they a bolt on replacement? What about hoses?

So I was fiddling about with my hand brake, trying to figure out why it felt so... crappy. I took the plastic cover off and discovered the equaliser was not equalising very well. I poked it a bit before long realising that the right hand side cable was basically slack and didn't return when I tugged on it. Right then, I thought, wheel off for a closer inspection time... The mechanism had more or less seized, so I attacked it with some release oil and waggled it around a bit and it started working a bit better. Then I noticed something odd... The left hand caliper looks somewhat different to the right hand caliper. Surely this ain't right? It explains a few of things, like why the cable travel differed between the calipers and probably the partial cause of the right one binding up in the first place. So my question is, what calipers have I got here? I'm looking at replacing one or both of them so they're the same. The right hand is pretty shagged to be honest, so it'll probably be the one I'd replace assuming I only do one. If I'm replacing both which type of calipers do you recommend?

Presumably a heater matrix inspection/replacement is a dashboard off job? :(

Thanks, that puts my mind at rest a little. I still have to figure out where the coolant smell is coming from though... :shrug:

I couldn't see any obvious white goo through the filler cap...

Thanks.

Hi, new VR6 owner here; I finally gave in :D. Should I be concerned about this much oil around the head gasket? The pictures make it look slightly worse than it is due to the flash, but it still has me worried. There is also a whiff of coolant through the heater when accelerating hard, would this be a companion symptom of a problem? I can't see any coolant leaks (I fixed one on the radiator elbow, but it hasn't made the smell go away), but I'm suspicious of the heater matrix as I've been lead to believe it's a problem part on Corrados. The exhaust is a little moist, but not smokey; this may just be the cat? I'm gonna go and see if I can spot any signs of emulsion on the head once it's cooled down, but any advice/insight would be greatly appreciated.

Are these early or late fog lights?.