G-Lad

If you have someone nearby willing to swap for a while so you can test, i'd recommend trying a clock swap. I had an overheat incident which turned out to be most likely due to inefficienct waterpump fins (most missing when unit was removed). After swapping all 3 stat housing sensors plus the housing and the stat, and the rad sensor *and* both waterpumps *and* the control box, I had everything behaving itself but I still didn't get sensible gauge readings again, until I swapped the clocks. It might be overkill, but after all of the above I just didn't trust the gauges!

Zero problems in my VR6. Happily motored up the M1 to Nottingham on Saturday night. Changing lanes was occassionally skittish but keeping it steady was fine. Other people driving too slow and not leaving sufficient sliding distance were the only issues.

Fair comment. Also I guess if you're flushing then you want to dump the grotty fluid through a big opening.

It was recently pointed out to me that you don't need to take the bottom rad hose off. You can undo a 10p sized plastic drain plug over by the water pump, on the other side of the oil filter housing. You have to get on your back and reach up to see it but once you know where it is you can reach from underneath and undo it with your fingers, providing it isn't too tight. Sorry that this advice comes too late for this year's maintenance ;)

I looked at about a dozen cars in 2008 when I eventually bought my VR6. Some of the cars I viewed were total dogs and one was even priced at £7k but had rust on it (the guy was trying to get back what he paid - dream on!). you can't assume a dealer (of any kind) will have a car in any better shape than a private owner, so just look at as many as you can within your chosen radius. If you're lucky you might find that dream "one careful lady owner from new" ;) Also if you search the forum you should find a link to a Google Map showing locations for forum members who may be willing to view cars with you in their local area. Or, buy from an active forum member on here and then stalk them by reading all of their past posts, to reveal what ills that have suffered and resolved (or not!). Good luck and happy hunting :) chris

Assuming the 1.8 16v KR engine has the same gearbox setup as a Mk2 Golf, then look at the gear linkages, if the gearstick is slack. My Mk2 used to lose gears because the plastic linkages snapped, which happens when the cups on the plastic bits crack. Also, because gear selection is based on rods and clamps (not cables like more modern cars) then something may have slipped. Has the clutch cable snapped or auto adjusted itself too short ie not engaging the clutch? even if you have to salvage a gearbox and pay a back street garage to fit it with a new clutch, I expect you'll still be on the healthy side of £500 (assuming it IS the same bits as a common Mk2 Golf 16v). Breaking a car due to gearbox issues seems a bit extreme to me :) good luck! chris

Reading this thread again, I think your original question may have lead the answers a little bit. It's not just about the engine or the mechanicals when buying a Corrado. I think you should be very very picky when it comes to bodywork, too. Original paint is hard to come by but at least look for sold metalwork. It will depend what your skills are or who you know to work on your car, but it strikes me that an engine swap is less traumatic than a rear quarter panel swap. Just a thought! There is a buyer's guide check list on the forum if you have a dig around. Good luck :)

Has it had the chains done within the first 100k miles? Do the clutch at the same time. I don't know anyone who's had chains snap on them, personally, but I wouldn't risk it. does it run at the right temperature? If no, I'd avoid buying it. Mine was a massive money pit to resolve. There is loads of advice out there but do you really want to have to follow it all just to make the car behave itself? Over heating seems to be the biggest problem with an ABV engine. has it had plenty of oil changes? It's a very easy job, so there is no excuse for not doing it annually or every 10k miles.

Ditto. I'm very happy with my Rainsport2. I managed to get them fitted for £242 from a little place in Staffs back in 2010. Probably due for a change soon! Goodyear Eagle F1 used to be my tyre of choice but they moved manufacture to China and the rubber spec changed. I doubt you'll get proper German ones now...

This poll might give you an indication of how many of each colour are on this here forum: http://the-corrado.net/showthread.php?10315-What-colour-is-yer-Corrado&highlight=colour+poll Chris

thanks, will do :)

Doh! Yes it is the VR6. I thought I had read about a stopper elsewhere but couldn't see it, and spurred on by this thread (http://the-corrado.net/showthread.php?46198-VR6-Coolant-Flush) I just whipped the hose off... As predicted, that got me about 4litres of coolant out, into a bucket. I've already read up on the proportions i need for refilling, so I'm expecting to see 9-9.5litres! Knowing something was up, I tried pulling out one of the thermostat temp senders, but no joy (presumably the wrong side of the 'stat). With only 6ish litres of coolant in the block, can I now start the engine up to heat the thermostat and release the remaining coolant? What happens when the new cold coolant goes in after the thermostat has cooled? Do I have to part fill the first 4 litres ito the rad part of the circuit, and then run it before the remaining 5-5.5 litres will go in? Doesn't that leave the block empty when I'm first running it and at serious risk, or is the oil alone sufficient to keep it cool during the refill process and thermostat warming / opening stage of the task? Aye curamba, I feel like a right newbie today!! Thanks for all of the help. Chris

The bottle of MT-90 states it holds "1 US Quart / 0.946 liters" so I think my maths is close enough. I've been underneath again and considering the very slight slope in my garage which points the nose of the car down hill (so slight a slope that it's safe to jack from) and considering that the jack is as low as I can keep it, while physically being able to squeeze small belly under the car, I think the angle is probably not a big enough factor to be causing the drain hole to be too high and cause a significant pocket (or at least I hope not) - thanks for the suggestion though :) Now the oil is in, albeit mixed a little, I think I'll move the car to billiard-table-flat ground and whip out the fill plug (now lubed and smooth) to allow the excess to drain, before I go for the MOT and to ensure I don't blow a gearbox oil seal... ...now to wrestle off the bottom rad hose and do the coolant! wish me luck :D

thanks for the reassurance :) OK, so perhaps it didn't help that I didn't warm it up sufficiently before draining (car is SORN, so doing a fluid service after 9mths standing), though it did drain for 45-60mins with both drain and fill plugs out, and only looked like approx 1.5l of oil in the old washing up bowl i use (handy volume marks up the side). After I threw in 1l of unused but oldish fuchs hypoid gear oil (from my golf, oil bought about 4 years ago) to flush out any grud, that brought the volume in the bowl up to about 2.5l, suggesting the whole 1litre of clean flush oil came through. I started with 3 x 1 quart bottles of MT-90 (bought 1 extra for fear of running out by 100mls) and have weighed one empty bottle, 1 full bottle and the part full bottle. After taking away the weight of the empty plastic bottle (90g) I've got 405ml left in the second bottle. That means I've got 946ml + 541ml = 1487ml of MT-90 in the gearbox (give or take probably 20mls that spilled out before I stuck my finger in the funnel).... Very odd! I guess if the rear of the car is on the deck and the front is jacked maybe 12-18 inches, and the oil is flowing out of the fill hole, then if anything it is slightly over filled, not underfilled. It sounds like the worst case is that I've mixed dirty old oil with old but clean fuchs oil, and about 1.5l of MT-90. Agreed? Potentially a bit of a waste of the MT-90 :( I guess I can do the same trick after I've retaxed, MOTed etc and gone for a drive - that should increase the relative volume of MT-90 at least, though if 2 litres is correct, I'm now about 500mls short of a full warm gearbox oil change... :bonk: ---------- Post added at 03:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:23 PM ---------- Yes, I've done that before on the Mk2 16v, hence my paranoia. Had to have the output cup oil seals replaced - good to note though. Over filling is just as bad as underfilling.

What's the correct volume of oil for a VR6 gearbox? I was under the impression it was 2 litres :scratch: I've just drained and refilled mine (draining from the bottom plug, and refilling from the forward facing 17mm plug) and only 1.5litres went in before it started spilling out of the front. [ATTACH=CONFIG]51180[/ATTACH] This guide (below) says to run the gearbox in second gear for a couple of minutes, but I can't see how this guy got a full 2 litres / 2 quarts in the gearbox, without it spilling out everywhere! http://www.corrado-club.ca/mods/tranny_fluid_change.html I can't believe the Canadians have a different spec gearbox in their VR6s but hey, maybe they do!! I'm going to run the gearbox for a couple of mins as suggested, to see if any of the 1.5l gets displaced inside and lets me squeeze the last 500mls in, but I don't see it happening! ...I'd love to know the official gearbox oil volume from a textbook / experienced person please :bonk: Cheers folks Chris

I guess the logic should be to either avoid any moisture in the seal from freezing or help it defrost (apply alcohol based product) or stop moisture from accumulating (apply oil or wax based product). Chris

I had to have my screen replaced last year and it was a total horror show around the edge. I strongly advocate spending the excess cost of having the screen removed, then get the edges sorted by a bodyshop with a trailer and have a nice new top quality screen refitted. Autoglass in Sandiacre got me a pucker Saint Gobain and were lucky enough to be able to reuse my existing well fitting rubber seal. More modern bendy seals can fit well too, though look non standard. Good luck :)

Squirt de icer all round and retire with a cup of tea. Try again in 10mins :)

it looks like a little black top hat, and has the switch itself in the top hat assembly - if i recall correctly, it all gets replaced if you buy a new one, so don't bother trying to remove the switch from the black plastic housing.

I love(d - sob!) my Mk2 Golf 16v, with all of those revs, albeit it only the 1.8 not the 2 litre. Wind it up to 5k rpm or more and whizz along the motorway is a great way to fly - you can real feel the engine breathing fast and hard! I'd love to try a valver in a Corrado chassis - I bet it's great fun around the bends, with more control and slide than the mildly terrifying bodyroll of my old golfy... The VR6 is the only C I know, though I'm assured the handling of the lighter front end makes for a more nibble car, as someone said above.

probably, yes. it takes miles of driving for a VR to reset itself nicely after loosing the battery connection. Search for articles by RW1 and look for the key word VAGCOM. Basically if you have disconnected then your best bet is to disconnect again, then once you reconnect, follow Chris / RW1's instructions on how to reset. Sorry, I would link the wiki article but I'm on my mobile... good luck! Chris

if you buy new from the dealers, I'd appreciate the product codes and a current price - cheers :)

If you like black front badges: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Front-black-grill-badge-emblem-VW-Golf-MK2-MK3-Jetta-Transporter-Genuine-VW-/250911577930?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3a6b7ed74a This looks right for the front, judging by the part code they quote: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEWCHROME-PATTERN-VW-GRILLE-BADGE-GOLF-MK2-MK3-POLO-6N-TRANSPORTER-T4-CODDY-/220918092249?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item336fbe91d9 Now I think about it, I reckon my new rear badge came from Greece a couple of years ago! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-GOLF-MK2-VW-REAR-BADGE-CHROME-/300431633925?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item45f31eee05 ...I haven't had one of these from a UK VW dealer since about 2003. Good luck! :D

Here's my old Corrado rear badge held up against a Mk2 Golf badge which I fitted. You might be able to retain the black cup to keep it looking genuine, but I can't remember if I used the new wedge shaped one because the mounting lugs were too long on the new badge, or something like that. You also need the blue grommets / expanders, which get damaged by fitting as they push into the sheet metal. They usually come with these on a new item (if you can source one) but do remember to grab the used ones just in case they are good condition, if you end up at a scrap yard. The front badge is identical fitment to a Mk2 - just raid that scrap yard! [ATTACH=CONFIG]50906[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]50908[/ATTACH] part code for the new Mk2 rear badge is 191 853 601 G. The original flatter badge has 357 853 601 and 357 853 601 B stamped on the back (I assume one code is the badge and the other code is the black mounting). I believe 357 makes it a Corrado item. 191 is "A2" (Mk2) Golf-series numbering I think. [ATTACH=CONFIG]50907[/ATTACH] part code is 191 853 601 H for the worn silver item I've got. the Mk2 black badge was definately a straight swap, just push out from the centre of the grill.

Check the diametre and fitting before you buy, but i'm 99% sure the rear central round vw badge is the same fitment as a mk2 golf item, which should make it more common and cheaper. The only difference is the corrado item is the same thickness all rounds whereas the mk2 item is thicker on the lower edge, but nobody but a concourse judge will notice ;) I will go and dig out my old corrado badge and take a pic of my mk2 badge in situ. the main central vw badge is also definately late mk2 golf spec. My white car has a black badge of a mk2 16v, which looks much nicer than the silver in the black grill on a white car :D ..i'll go find some codes and pics.