StormVR6

Yes mate I do have a cooler fitted but the only reason I have mentioned the oil being over the MAX level is because that is the only thing I can think of that might have affected performance due to a buggered CAT. There are no faults reported with VAG-COM therefore I'm just clutching at straws really! Yes andy I know that is possible but I have noticed this performance problem for a good few weeks now and yes a RR would do the job but I haven't got the time or the money to do this. I mentioned in a previous post that the C was tested with a GTech Pro and the results were not good! It seems like another trip to Stealth is materializing!

Right OK, cheers mate that confirms my thoughts and I would think 7 weeks is long enough to knacker it! Right now if the CAT is buggered how much power decrease do we think this might cause? The reason I'm starting to get so peeved over this is because only 7 weeks ago I paid out over £2000 on the C and it repays me with performance drops entitling bloody Golf's to cane it past me! Oh if only I could quench the love affair I have for this headache of a car I would gladly give it away.

Yes my ongoing problem of power loss is still ongoing, and today was the final straw. After having some gimp up my ar*e in a Golf V5 I finally approached a roundabout leading onto a dual-carriageway, well the Golf had done the obvious and started to boot it pass me and I thought sod off, well I thought it but it didn't happen! I used to eat V5's alive!! I drained the engine of about half a litre of oil just to get it down to the MAX level due to Stealth being overzealous with the oil can, but am I right in thinking the CAT could be ruined from the overfill because there are still no faults on the VAG-COM and I am now running out of ideas. Please help people before I buy an Austin Allegro and stick a stage 5 turbo on it for a laugh! Cheers MB

This is the 4th year for me now and to be honest most of the paying out has been through choice not necessity. When I bought the car I wanted to keep it in the best condition I could (bodywork & mechanical) and also improve the odd thing (samco hoses etc), also I like to think prevention is better than cure so I have spent money on things before their time has come! In my last job I was fortunate enough to drive many new performance cars and was not impressed by any of them when compared to my older C. The brand new 4 Motion did nothing for me, neither did the brand new Alfa 156 2.5 24v, and neither did the Astra Turbo! All of these new "Sports" cars just felt sterile and without character, and none felt as solid as the C does, also I cant stand the looks of most new cars as they all seem to be slowly converging into one monotonous shape and colour! The Corrado is a good looker, has character, large appeal, raw power (for us VR6 owners :D ) and I believe feels as special as any new counterpart if not more. I wouldn't part with my C for anything out there at the moment because when I am out and about I feel I am driving something special amongst all the humdrum surrounding me!

Oilman your grasp of engine oil properties is very impressive but at the end of the day 0/40 or 5/40 is not advisable for a VR6 for many reasons which I am not prepared to take time jotting down, yes a brand new engine would benefit from a "thinner" oil due to all components being tight but on a older engine I would think a higher grade oil would be more beneficial. All "old" engines are supposedly better on 20w/50 for this reason. And due to the VR6 not having valves etc tightly packed I don't think 0w/40 is needed as friction would be nowhere near as much as on say a new R32 unit which would definately want a lower grade. Just my opinion MB

Hmm I agree, I think 5w/40 will be too thin (esp. on an older engine) I find 10w/40 Shell Oil to be excellent in my engine and it doesn't cost the earth!

Well I had a good weekend, nice long drive with a full tank of Optimax/Injector cleaner and achieved bugger all! Got my brother to test his Gtech Pro thingy on a high end car (my mates' RX-8) and a low end (my brothers' Rover TD) and both returned extremely accurate results regarding 0-60 and power at wheels compared to the manufacturers figures. Mine again returned an average 0-60 time of 7.3 seconds and a power at wheels figure of 124 Bhp !!!!! The last rolling road dynoplot figures were 166.5 Bhp at the wheels. To confirm this drop in power I had a drive out with a mate and his Honda S2000 2-3 months back and wasn't off of his pace by much at all (at certain speeds I kept up with him) and tonight I had to go nearly all out to keep up with a MX-5 !! Now sorry to go on but I checked the oil level yesterday to find it was actually 3-4mm over the MAX level (not good Stealth..thank you), is that enough to get into the cat. and in turn buggering it and slowing the car?? Anymore suggestions or help is very much appreciated cheers MB

Again cheers for the help, yes the weather could well be the factor and is a more than feasible explaination but I dont seem to recall this kind of performance drop over the last 4 summers!! Yes Kev, Vince rewired the probe plug last year as the white wire was somehow "cut" thus improving fuel economy slighty and dropping the almighty spike on the emissions! There doesn't seem to be a trough in acceleration it just doesn't pick up as well as it use to. As I said earlier the standing start performance is definately down from previous results. The VAG-COM is all clear (apart from the intermittent ABS fault!) and only the throttle position looks out at 8.7 although it still ticks over at a smooth 680rpm. Anyway I'm going to stick in some injector cleaner for my long journey this weekend and see what happens. :) Cheers people MB

Cheers for the replies, regarding the VAG-COM test I have tested the car with my own VAG-COM interface (on VAG-COM 409-1) and there were no engine faults reported, although I'm not sure if the "homekit" is as thorough as the real thing. Regarding the CPS, is it cheap to buy and fit just so I don't get too peeved if it isn't the problem!! But a loss of 25Bhp would feel about right. Thanks again MB

Unfortunately I'm away this weekend (and Camberley only down the road from me :( ) but my brother had a Gtech Pro thingy which we tested on my mates RX-8 and it gave near on exact manufacturers figures and when tested on my C returned results of 7-7.5 seconds 0-60!! At a raceday meeting some time back I was getting times of 6.2-6.4???? The car isn't standard and the last rolling road figures were 210Bhp/223lb ft! So you can see why I am concerned!! Cheers anyway mate.

Now I'm not quite sure what or if there is a problem but my '95 Storm seems to be fading slightly in the power department. I had Stealth carry out the cylinder head overhaul/chains/clutch combo (100K finally arrived) along with a service and a few bits around 6-7 weeks back, and in the last month or so have noticed a slight power loss especially noticeable while pushing second gear. Obviously I don't doubt Vince & Co's workmanship but could the work undertaken affect performance at all? I'm definately not imagining things and no I haven't just got used to the car as I've had it for years now. So the only logical thing I can think of is that the engine is maybe starting to put its' feet up and take it a bit easy and it being coincidence regarding the overheal etc? Any help or similar experiences would set my mind at ease! Thanks MB

The previous owner of my C had contacts in the Jordan F1 team, and AMD (who carried out all of the work for prev. owner) told me that the owner and Eddie Irvine drove my C, which I consider good and bad!! I actually collected my C from the Jordan grounds at Silverstone and without realising it had parked my wives Seat in Eddie Jordans space and was told to quickly move it by the receptionist. Well he obviously wasn't using it! :lol:

I thought I was in luck when I saw Briggys' post stating that fuse 21 kept blowing on his car, but unfortunately mine isn't a cigar lighter fault. My interior light, sunrooof, MFA were not working and I located the fuse at fault 21. Although in the manual this apparently runs the central locking as well which strangely enough works! Although my alarm system will bleep 4+4 times after locking (stating an open door/boot problem). The first fuse lasted until this afternoon when the alarm went off because it felt like it, and back to a dead sunroof etc. I tried 2 more fuses which blew instantly. Therefore am I right in thinking the infamous Clifford alarm system has finally taken control of my car (which I knew would be inevitable at some point!!) which may explain the working of the C/L or do I just pay JBCooke this months' mortgage and let him sort it out??!! Cheers for any info MB

Heres a quick piccy showing that apart from the usual stonechips this car is immaculate, no rust and apart from Tar-ox discs the exterior is completely standard, which being a Storm is how I like it! 4 new goodyear tyres. There are many other upgrades on the car including Koni adjustable shocks and a Mocal oil cooler but to name all would take too long!! Vince (Stealth) did advice me to have the chains done (100K is the norm for this job) on the next service but at the moment they are fine. MB

Right OK cheers, I'll elaborate on the details here then, Schrick VSR (fitted by AMD '99), Re-chip and throttle body (AMD), complete set of Samco coolant hoses (fitted by AMD '03), K&N Induction kit, Tar-ox G88 on front, last dynoplot done at AMD ran at 209bhp/223lb ft. Last MOT went straight through apart from emissions which turned out to be a wire loose on the Lambda Probe (fixed by Vince at Stealth on last service). Fully serviced (twice a year since I have owned it), believe me no fault has been left un-repaired on this car. Wheels were refurbished last year. Interior is immaculate. AC, Sunroof, Heated Seats all work perfect. Slight wearing on steering wheel. Car will probably come complete with excellent Alpine setup, and a set of very rare VDO centre console gauges (not fitted). The release bearing is whistling very slightly, but have been told by AMD and Stealth that there is no point taking the car apart just to grease or replace the bearings until the whole clutch needs replacing, motorway driving has obviously led to small chips on the front of car, but when given a good handwash the Storm looks stunning. OK I'm going to stop now as all of a sudden I feel an overwhelming sense of depression!! Again thanks to anyone who can aid me in my lamentable quest! MB

If this post is slightly taking the p*ss then I apologize to the Moderators in advance. Now I haven't put this post in the FOR SALE section because the car isn't (YET) for sale but due to another kid on the way and money not coming in like it use to I may have to sell my beloved storm. I'm not exactly sure how much the car will fetch and therefore this is why I am asking the Corrado people to make me an offer if they are interested in possibly purchasing the car. This would save me time and money by not having to advertise in papers or the colossus Ebay just to get an idea of what the car may be worth!! Basic Details (Storm VR6 95N, Mystic Blue, 96K, FSH (VW, AMD & Stealth ) , Schrick Manifold etc) Seriously this car pulls like a train and runs beautifully, everything works. More details can be given if a sale seems likely. Thanks for any help.

I'd just like to say that I've driven my C very, very hard over the last 2 and a half years and apart from the hall sender unit, a coolant hose and the thermo housing going (amongst small maintenance bits and upgrades) the car has been a rock. I think people forget that a lot of C owners do tend to drive their C hard, or at least a lot harder than you would if you owned a Mondeo/Vectra etc, and the reason is that the C is great fun (unlike previously named cars!) and I'm afraid fun costs money, believe me if I drove a Mondeo/Vectra the same way I drove my C I would expect to be paying out far more for repairs etc. So if the costs are doing your head in then go out and buy a sales rep. car by all means but expect to be completely bored, yes you may have spare cash left over, but to buy what? A new set of mudflaps?! Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones or maybe niggling problems were addressed before I bought the car, but please people don't go all melancholy just because your 10+ year old car is giving you grief!! Do you see many 10+ year old Impreza's/RS's/ M3's/205's about? ......I don't, and Golf's, yeah there are loads still about but VW did make millions compared to half a million Corrado's! MB

Cheers people for your help and advice MB

I've managed to get hold of the VDO centre console gauges for my C. Now my predicament is knowing which bloody part I need to send the oil pressure info to the gauge. I've been told by various people that a pressure switch is all that is needed but surely that is what I already have on the car to illuminate the oil pressure light which I assume only gives on/off info? Prices of £3 - £85 have been given with the info received! Help would be appreciated. Also if anyone knows a decent source who would enjoy fitting the kit (unfortunately Stealth can't fit it in amongst my other jobs!) then do please let me know. Around the Surrey area would be good! Cheers MB

I would just like to express my relief of eventually finding a company that I can fully trust to undertake any kind of work on my car. I know a lot of people on the forum have recommended Stealth as being very good but I also take great pleasure in promoting them as friendly and communicative (unlike other gits I won't name..... oh alright, AMD). I have tried many so-called "specialists" all to no avail. After having had a full service for a very reasonable price I have accepted the offer of an engine re-build, new clutch and timing chains (amongst other jobs) along with next years service, again at a good price. Anyway if anyone is looking for that ideal "mechanic" then Vince at Stealth Racing is the man to talk to. AT LAST, SOMEONE WHO KNOW'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING!!! MB

The answer to the header is quite simply YES, after fitting the kit today I was very keen to take the car out on a drive around town and hard motorway drive. I was extremely impressed with the healthy drop in oil temperature which was on average 20C below norm. This kit is by no means the cheapest upgrade for your Corrado but is second to none for exceptional results and mass improvement. I know this kit has been recommended on other posts but all I can say is GET THIS NOW and basically add life to your engine! Thanks to kevhaywire once again for his customary invaluable advice, cheers mate. Mark

Just a quick moan from me regarding the so-called "VAG Approved" servicing, in my opinion the only reason to bother with the pathetic, presumptuous, smug, innocuous, lackluster, larcenous git behind the service desk (when he eventually gets to the damn desk) is to, for some reason, show the next buyer of your car that you have done your utmost to look after it by having VW carry out the "service". If your going to buy a car intending to keep it for a short period of time and sell it on by all means have the dealer rip you off to provide your service book with that all important VAG stamp, because yes some people do seem to think that without the official dealers stamp the car has obviously been neglected and will no doubt collapse to the ground within a few miles of driving it. On the flip-side you've bought it to keep until you die (yes I'm going to try!) and therefore would like a professional to work on it and not some 17 year old graduated from 'kwik-fit', mmm the stamp won't have the VAG branch code on it but your car will appreciate it far more than a potential buyer would. Sorry to go on :)

It's a bit unfortunate that you live in Canada as I've got spare hoses (samco hoses fitted) but I would think you were looking at about £30 for shipping fees! So therefore you'd be better off buying a new one. Sorry mate!

My main point was just good lubrication, which reduces friction and therefore reduces heat and expansion which in turn reduces wearing of parts. If I'm wrong then so be it.

I was told once, "if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all" ..........................