monVR6

Thanks for all the positive comments guys. Must admit - when I originally bought it, I was really looking for one without leather - not sure why as I now love the interior - feels rather luxurious!! Have a new baby due any day now - and I am hoping the pass the car on to them when they are old enough - (assuming I can force myself to relinquish it) . .. Cheers all Martin

Thought it's about time I posted some pictures of my VR. Have had it for 10 years and love it as much as ever It has Koni top adjustable shocks, H&R springs and Eibach anti-roll-bars. Has done 97K with a recent top end rebuild, new chains etc and Schimmel 263 cams fitted. It has a cream leather, electric Recaro interior with heated seats. Oh - and everything works too!! Here's to another ten years . .

Saw a nice green storm (N reg) parked at the Bear Inn in Burwash today. Looked very nice and clean!! Wished I was in mine!! Anyone here?

Only just seen this thread - did you get the remap done? I have an 04 Fabia VRS and recently had this remapped by Angel Tuning - (I think they are countrywide). Upped power from 130 standard to about 170 and torque to around 290. It is monstrous in the mid-range - but (as warned by Angel) - I do get some clutch slip if I floor it on the motorway in 5th or 6th - most of the time - it is not a problem. MPG wise - it is about the same as before the map - driving like a vicar on a 100 mile trip the other day, I managed just under 65 mpg - couldn't go any faster anyway really coz of traffic - so it can still be really economical if I don't rag it. Even without holding back - it will do mid-fifties on the same run. Take a look at the Briskoda website - lots of useful stuff on there. Cheers

Hi all Am getting a sort of grinding noise which seems to be coming from the front of the car whilst driving and seems to be louder and more apparent on a left hand bend. Don't think it is wheel bearing - (it's not that sort of sound). Brakes were replaced last year for MOT - so expect those are OK - any other thoughts? Cheers all

K ** SEP methinks - on the A23 near Wakeham place on Wednesday night. I was in my VRs Fabia - so any waving would have been pointless and frowned upon! I'm never in my VR when I spot others :-(

Hi there I'd like one of these tools too please. Can pay by paypal. How should I send my address? Thanks Martin

Thanks Toad - will bear that in mind - I do have the funds but was hoping I wouldn't have to lay out for this yet - fingers crossed! Perhaps I should cancel the new washer/dryer :grin:

A lovely Ice Grey Violet suddenly appeared behind me today just after I'd pulled out onto the A27 near Eastbourne. Gave a wave - not sure if it was seen though! Think it was lowered and non-standard wheels. Don't Vr's look nicely aggressive in the rear-view mirror :)

Hi all So - having moved to the south coast, I've now sorted parking with a shiny new drive and have therefore liberated my VR from my Dad's garage. Difficult to describe how fantastic it is to drive after 6 long months! Anyway - I can now get round to getting my 263 cams fitted - and plan to go to John Mitchell Racing - (have heard good things - and having spoken to him - I feel they are fully justified!). Just wondering if you knowledgeable people on here think there are any other performance tweaks worth doing whilst the cams go in? So far, I have an enlarged TB, K&N panel filter and an AMD remap - (which I presume will be revised when the cams are fitted). Car is a 95 Mreg. It has been suggested I consider doing the chains - but - car is low 90K miles and smooth as silk, no noises etc - and as I only do low miles, I think I will leave this for the moment. So - what other things could I do?? Any thoughts much appreciated. Cheers all

What an interesting discussion! Everyone is calling out all the alternatives I've ever thought of - BUT - can never justify changing my VR as I can't imagine a better all-rounder that looks so good without being shouty - great handling, sound, performance, space (for the size) etc etc . . Have driven a good few options - but none of them have ever been good enough to make me change. SO - I bought a second car for the long round trips to the office. Have a Skoda Fabia vRS - 130BHP - stonking mid-range - and 60mpg on a cruise. Can also get a whopping BHP and torque increase via a generic remap for about £280. Build is cracking, good space for size (again), nice to drive, well-equiped, refined etc etc. Think I have a great combination - and still have the rare VR - which I love driving every time I get in it! PS - one other thought - Lotus Elan SE Turbo - different - and interesting - also a great drive . .

Thanks everyone - I best get on the blower to Vince - and set myself up for another visit to the Motor Museum whilst I'm up there !!! Watch this space - no doubt you will all see a big smilie post from me shortly :D Cheers MONVR6

Hi all OK - I was in the first group buy for the Schimmel 263 cams, but with a potential house move on the horizon, I haven't yet had them fitted :cuckoo: So - with the idea of getting me fired up to get my arse in gear and get spending - I'm interested in any exciting tales of monster power gains and increased VR performance. Maybe then I can convince myself (or rather the missus) - that a superfast VR6 is considerably more important than a chunky house deposit :grin: Cheers all . . MONVR6

Well big thanks once again all. I must say - the knowledge and experience on this forum - on so many different subjects is vast - and always really helpful. I salute you all :salute: Unfortunately, it will be difficult for me to ever repay this knowledge - unless anyone ever gets stuck on a particularly challenging Sudoku puzzle . .

Great - thanks - so his asking price of £3995 is pretty much on the mark if he considers it excellent. It is pretty good - couple of minor marks but nothing major. He's an independant dealer by the way - but I suppose that doesn't make any odds? Anyway - it defo looks like he has shown me an old guide (the tinker) - perhaps I should get him to show me the figure again - and then ask him to look up the Punto for a trade-in - if it's an old Glass's version he's using, the Punto should be a higher price - that would piss on his bonfire :)

Morning all Thanks very much for the input - so it looks like maybe he's trying to be a bit clever with the pricing he's showing me then! The car is a 1.8VVTi Petrol T-Spirit - so I'm assuming this would be cheaper than a diesel? It's a shame because I like the car - but if this guy is trying to play me - it just makes me doubt integrity etc etc. To a certain extent - even if the car is well-priced - the bully bullsh*t he's come out with worries me - (he also seemed to think my wifes trade-in Punto 1.2 16V was a group 14 insurance car :wave: Is there much difference between a diesel and petrol for Versos? Thanks again

Hi all Bit of a long story here - so apologies in advance :? Anyway - me and the missus have been looking at getting a family truckster - (naturally - the VR will remain as my favourite toy) - so I went to look at a Toyota Corolla Verso today - on a 2002/02 plate. Well - I was pretty impressed and am tempted to go for it. But - the figures the dealer quoted don't seem to stack up. As usual, the Glass's Guide came out and he was happy to show me figures for the car in question - however, he then said "hang on let me check I've got the right model" - and nipped out the back - only to return with the guide showing the retail price at £5425 - he has it up for £3995 :scratch: So - I'm thinking that whilst "nipping out the back" - he perhaps sneakily got out an old Glass's which naturally would have a higher retail price to try and enhance what a cracking deal this was - and at that point I fell for it. But with time to reflect - I started to think - why would a dealer who is in business to make some cash sell a car - (which looked good and tidy) - for 25%ish under book :confused4: So - I checked Parkers - which I know is not the preferred valuation - but this showed the price at about £4100 for a 60K miler - much closer to the asking price. I've therefore started to think that this guy is trying it on a bit - not that it's a bad deal - but that he's treating me like an idiot - (which admittedly I sometimes am) . . . but this all makes me rather sodding angry :mad2: So - couple of questions - what are the general opinions on this sorry state of affairs?? Also - do we have any friendly sales guys out there on the forum who can check the latest guide for me please? The car in question is a T-spirit Corolla Verso in Met. Silver with 70K on a 2002/02 plate - in good condition. If the price is not showing £5425 - is there an older guide that does show this price? I know I am asking a lot here - but perhaps discussing this may help us all if we ever encounter similar situations?? And finally - why are these guides so bloody secret and shrouded in mystery?? Cheers all - llok forward to your thoughts . . . MonVR6

Agree the tool would be best - as it was number 5 plug for me - I was able to get a good grip on the body of the cap from under the cover to remove with my uncommonly small hands and ET-like fingers. Other cyliders will no doubt be a pain in the . . . to remove . .

Thought I'd add my thoughts to this. As many have said, I find it very difficult to find a replacement that does everything the VR can do as well as it can. I've had various thoughts of changing it in my 5 years plus ownership - and whilst the thought of a Boxster, 944Turbo, Fiat Coupe or something else is attractive - I know I would miss the VR - the handling, throbby V6 economy etc. This was really brought home to me just recently - I hadn't driven it much for a few weeks - and when I got back in it - it still amazed me with it's feel, performance etc - SUPERB. Now - I do like my cars and driving - but I can get enjoyment just from different driving experiences. I also have an old "breathed on" A series Metro - (in sh***y yellow) - and an old Eunos Roadster for when I need to feel the wind against my balding head. I therefore have the performance of an early Boxster (in the VR) - and the top-down fun in the Roadster - plus capacity to cart crap to the dump in the Metro. Getting back into the VR makes me feel special every single time and I never tire of the 30-70 sprint - (5.7secs according to Autocar)! Another big thing for me is how rare they seem to be. Me and the Missus always try and guess how many we may see on our longer journeys - 9 times out of 10 - we never see another one - I like being individual 8)

Hi again So plug number 5 was loose and after tightening - everything was back to normal - a great relief as I had hideous visions of this being hugely expensive :clap: Hope this may be helpful to others whose VRs suddenly develop such a noise - I only discovered the solution by accident really :roll: Cheers all - and thanks for the input . .

Hi all Thanks for the thoughts - had a bit of a closer look today and it looks like plug number 5 is almost undone - and actually wobbles about in its' socket - as this is where the noise seems to be coming from - I'm thinking this is a good thing to do first! Only thing is - is there a special tool I need for this? Cheers

Hi all Just about top go for a spin in the VR a bit earlier this afternoon and it seems to have developed a knock from (what seems like) the top of the engine - it seems louder with ears near the throttle body. Now, it was fine when I last drove it - so not sure what has caused this? The car has done 90K miles - could this be the early signs of the chains needing doing? If it is the chains - can it be driven like this - or is there potential to do more damage? Anything else it may be? Thanks in advance everyone . .

Hi all Tried a search - but just need an easy answer really? How easy is it to change a front engine mount - and which is best? I understand Vibratechnics is expensive - and a golf diesel can be used?? Thanks all - apologies if this has been covered elsewhere?

Really sorry to read your post - but - I agree it's condition more than mileage - and I reckon once you get to a certain mileage, the higher it goes just looks all the more impressive! Devil's advocate though - maybe the previous owner didn't know either? I know a guy who has an E class Merc and all the LCD bars on that mileometer have gone a bit dodgy - so maybe it's more common that we think? Still - if they did cheat you - karma will no doubt kick in!

Regarding my latest edit - not in any way trying to diss the VR - just interested in people's thoughts about comparable motors!! Cheers