StormVR6

If you are travelling at a certain speed towards Gatso's then it can be triggered for a reason unknown to myself. You will be OK though as the camera is only set in a position to accurately monitor the lines on its own side. It measures the distance your car has travelled between the lines on both pictures taken, thus working out the speed. You may well be on the picture taken (if taken) but the police have no way in working out your speed

With reference to the Slick 50 additive, a test was run on an engine completely drained of oil and only having the Slick 50 added and the engine ran for nearly 4 hours before seizing. Now that is surely a good thing? As for clogging the lines, if this was the case then I would have thought the oil pressure would rise if anything.

I've been using Optimax for nearly 2 years and have had no problems with engine running/performance and believe me I do drive the car very hard sometimes! As Kev has said it also keeps the valves free of deposits as it has a cleaning agent which other fuels lack. I do use an injector cleaner (Wynn's) every 5000 miles or so which helps overall performance and cleanliness. I also use Shell Helix S/Syn which I have always believed to be the best oil for the price (it seems to stay golden for longer than others) and I have also bunged Slick 50 in with it just to give the engine optimal lubrication. Many additives may well be gimicks but if a couple of years down the line your engine kicks the bucket you may look back and think if only I tried so and so it may have prolonged the life. Maybe!

I have found in the past that a small black sprung loaded button (situated on boot/bonnet edges) can sometimes get dirty and cause the alarm to think the car isn't secure. Clean any parts of the sensors/pressure knobs with WD40 which also helps seal the parts against the elements. My alarm after having a "long range receiver" fitted will also be triggered if a microwave is being used within a 20-30ft range! Clifford is not as great as the name suggests but my system has mainly been very good. AWARE: Some car thieves are practising in the "tap, run and return" method which basically has them setting your alarm off time and again over a short period until you get so p***ed off you disarm it only to let the b**tards return and steal your un-alarmed car!

The only way your car would get anywhere near 6.5 seconds is if it had a turbo fitted which I think you would notice! Exhaust mods and ECU re-mapping etc would not give you that sort of increase in power. Mark

I know Scott has said that oil doesn't break down 'til 150C+, this I'm not sure of but surely if the engine is running at such high temperatures for any more than a short period of time then the oils lubrication quality would depreciate leaving more chance of parts (pistons, valves etc) coming into direct contact with casings due to more friction, leading to overheating thus expansion. I'm not sure, but holding a car at high speeds/revs for long periods is not something I would do. An engine likes to be hot but not cooking! Mark

You are indeed right Ice White Socks the manual does state that, although I would be extremely worried if I witnessed such temps on my car! I have had temps of 128C but I was doing in excess of 150mph. The engine can no doubt take such temps but I would think for very short periods of time, and obviously the oil would lose its lubricating properties. I think VW print such figures knowing that the C runs hot anyway and so not to have thousands of owners calling in with overheating probs. Imagine if they stated in the manual that optimal oil temp is 90-110C, C motorway drivers would be freaking out! :lol:

Due to the fact that the MFA MPG is an average over the distance travelled you will not get a precise reading of fuel consumption unless you drive at a steady speed (60mph) for a considerable distance. I took my car to AmD which is about 60 miles from my home, stayed at 60mph for the length of the journey (as well as possible) and ended up with a reading of 38MPG. As I said this is an average so the last few miles could have been running at 40MPG. If you drive with your foot to the floor often then you will get quite disturbing MPG, even so 16-17MPG is not good. I have fitted an Eco-Tec CB-26P to my engine and that combined with the Schrick VSR gives me great MPG (when driving well). There could be a possible fault with the ECU?

I have cured my ignorance by closely inspecting the Bentley manual, for some reason I had always believed the CV joint to be another name for the balljoint (don't ask me why), so when I heard "inner cv" I was none the wiser as to where this would be in the gearbox. Now I have studied the complete axle diagram and understand this is the Inner Constant Velocity Joint which (considering the noise) is a more than feasible reason for the problem. Let he who has never made a prat of himself cast the first stone! I managed to get a brand new aux pump from VW for £55+VAT, not bad eh? They told me they no longer deal in re-con pumps, but for that price I'm wondering if it IS actually re-cons they are selling and not new ones?? Cheers guys Mark

Great help on the pump, invaluable advice yet again. :D Cheers Mark

In reply to your mate with the Alfa, I found after driving a '156 V6' a few times that the traction control was superior to that of the Corrado which in my opinion has pathetic traction control and I have basically had to master throttle control to get the best from the car (especially in the wet). Although this is good practice anyway, albeit cars are graduately being made to control everything for you thus (I believe) taking the skill and excitement away from driving. Anyway sorry to go on, with reference to tyres I have had good experiences with the Goodyear Eagle Ventura tyre for wet conditions and a close second the Bridgestone Potenza SO2, but take them off in the summer or you'll have slicks in around 3 months! Soft? You bet. Mark

Cheers people, No.1 I half expected and 2 I expected so fortunately no shock to the system. I will attempt to change the pump myself (unless somebody has a good reason why I shouldn't) and the gearbox, which is not my forte, can be done by a pro. Is that a specialist job or can I save some cash and let an ordinary Joe carry out the work? Incidently the leak from the pump is excreting from the seam/join running around the unit. Is it not possible to somehow seal this, or is it just plain knackered? Cheers again for any help. :D Mark

You wait all day for a bus and then............. yes today I have had the pleasure of detecting 2 problems with my C. 1st: I seem to be having a slight "clicking" noise coming from what I believe to be the gearbox, it only happens in first gear until mid revs. Maybe worn parts due to first gear extreme acceleration? Who knows? 2nd: I have a coolant leak which looks to being coming from the auxiliary coolant pump, I'm not sure if these are sealed units or if I can repair it. Well there you go anyway, cheers for listening any advice welcome Mark

UPDATE: I've just got off the phone to Vince at Stealth and apparently a part has to be custom built to accompany the Golf kit which is obviously not suitable on it's own. Seems a very plausible reason and hence the extra cash. Strange how a part for the Corrado ends up being far more expensive than any other VW (extreme sarcasm intended).

Mmm yes, I've checked the site for prices and you seem to be right on a price of around £135. :? It look's like I should be getting a 44 row cooler for that sort of price (excl. fittings) which I assume is unnecessary anyway. I'll give Vince at Stealth another call in the morning to confirm what exactly has been ordered. Cheers for pointing that out corradovr6sc :)

Right I've just ordered the mocal kit from Vince at Stealth for a total price of £250 (sound about right?), he's sending it mail order to myself so I'll receive it maybe this week. :D What length of metal strip do I want and I need 4 nut/bolts? :? Cheers Mark

Luckily I have only (so far) been a victim of BBS wheel cap theft and strange scratches on my driver side window which looks like someone has taken a stanley blade and scratched round and round literally hundreds of times. Better the window than the paintwork I suppose. My mother over 6 years back bought a Rover Fastback (yes I know but it was her first "nice" car) and after just a few days some bast**d keyed the drivers side from back to front with extreme force leaving much more than a sprayjob. Jealously is the main reason behind most vandalism to cars, unfortunate but reality.

Cheers Kev, I'll get on to Stealth Racing tomorrow and order the bits and contact you when I have them. Thanks very much for your help. Cheers Mark

I still haven't got around to this yet and would appreciate it if you could tell me the exact unit needed (seems to be a lot of 13row 230mm units available on site given) and if your still offering to lend a hand then I will be more than grateful and drive to your neck of the woods. cheers Mark

KEV: The one I have is the Official VW Corrado Factory Repair Manual (made for VAG technicians), it is actually an American manual made only for the American market, hence the reason that the diagrams are L/H drive and some small differences are present. It covers all of the Corrado models up to 1994 (when I believe the C ceased to be exported to the USA). It is nothing like your average haynes manual and therefore not that useful for a complete beginner. If you want to improve your knowledge of the C and maybe try to undertake more jobs yourself then this manual really is the Corrado "bible", as it contains literally everything from wiring diagrams to error codes/solving (if you happen to own a VAG 1551!).

If I can just elaborate on what ClassicStorm said, the Storm is generally more expensive than the VR6 (unless your lucky) but it is the ultimate Corrado. Ofcourse you can get higher spec models, you could get a higher spec Austin Allegro! This is not the point, in years to come the Storm will become rarer still and be more collectable and therefore more expensive. This is why I paid the extra cash for my Storm knowing it was basically a normal VR6, I wanted to be the owner of a very rare and collectable car and be part of the final batch of one of the best cars ever made. You will always pay over the odd's for special/limited editions of anything. The less there is the more expensive it will be, this applies to everything in life. Just my opinion. :D

KEV: The Bentley Publishers VW manual set me back £99 (bought new from amazon.co.uk). Yes ridiculously expensive but has made its money back several times!

I have seen this car on a motor concept website and curiously it was titled "The New Corrado" and also stated a 0-60 figure of 5.5 seconds and top speed of 250kph with the VR6 engine. The start of things to come??? Surely not!

I have heard of Stealth Racing several times from friends and VW owners and to be honest the main reason I wasn't too keen was only down to my experience at AmD. I literally come to the conclusion that these so called "Experts/Specialists" were just glorified VAG technicians, as incidently was the case with my service at AmD, the chap who carried out the service didn't notice faulty brake hoses even though the disc's and pads were being replaced (had to drive back the 60+ miles next day as it failed MOT), after replacing a faulty fuel gauge the unit was not replaced correctly and the small "arc" cap which fits over the screw was missing. The inlet hose was not re-attached to the inlet manifold (Schrick has to be removed to get to the plugs) and the accelerator cable was adjusted giving me around 20mm gap under the pedal (half throttle).To be presented with a bill for over £800 when the work was not expertly carried out in my books is taking the p**s. Now after getting that off my chest considering the response will give Stealth a try for my next service (next 1000 miles) but if I'm not completely happy then I will read the "VW Corrado Official Factory Repair Manual" (which cost a bloody fortune!) from cover to cover and TRY and do everything myself! :lol:

Hello people, I do do some of my own servicing to a certain extent (oil, coolant, filters etc) but would love to know a honest decent mechanic/specialist for full servicing and large repairs (when and if they happen!). Since owning my beloved Storm I have had a friend's mechanic work on it (rectify ABS faults) who didn't really have experience with the C but was willing. Also the last major service (and fitting of Samco hoses) was performed by AMD who I heard were one of the best in their field. To be honest I thought the work was sloppy considering the price and not professional (I was later told the "technician" who serviced my car was sacked, like I really wanted to hear that!!) So anyway, if anyone has knowledge of the perfect mechanic for my car then please do let me know. I live in Surrey but don't mind travelling if it's worth it. Cheers :)