fendervg

Not today, but yesterday - fitted a 1A in line cartridge fuse to the illumination earth wire from the headlight switch to prevent a faulty switch from starting a dash fire. Nice to have peace of mind now, and a really easy fix - would be a shame to have the Corrado to be lost to a preventable fire after all the blood, sweat and tears.

Good news that yo got it sorted - there's a sliding plastic clip along the back of the fusebox rail that is meant to stop the plugs from falling out. It's often not pushed back into place.

The pin-out should be on a sticker on the radio - but if there's no voltage on the ignition wire, then that's most likely the issue.

I'm confused now - what is meant by "safe" here? Is that not a battery earth? Any VW radios I've seen only have a permanent 12v+ feed from the battery, and the same from the switched ignition (s-cont) when key is turned to position 1. This turns the radio on and off. There is no third 12v wire. It sounds like you might have a faulty connection back to the ignition switch - and the fact that you have a lot of tape there looks like maybe an alarm installer was at it. You'll need to trace that wire all the way back and test. Alternatively, you can fool the radio into thinking it's alive by splitting the battery feed into two and connecting the other to the s-cont on the radio - you can still turn it off using the power button.

As far as I know the seals are attached to the glass and the whole window unit is bonded in to the panel aperture - they can be cut out very carefully, but I would imagine that they would only really fit back into to the original panel as there will be some residue left.

Yeah, hope it works out - I think with car restoration, the rule is that you can repair anything if you have enough money and time as long as the core chassis parts are not rotten through. The problem is that a lot of the car resto shows make it look easy and straightforward but don't really go into the cost, labour and skill required to do it properly.

Rear arches always stayed the same over the production run = according to ETKA the inner rear panel changed at the early/late chassis# break. Yeah those classic panels are not cheap, but considering you get the whole rear quarter, it's not that bad - one problem will be removing and refitting the rear windows as well.

My thoughts exactly!

Wow - some car at a great price! Good luck with sale.

Just over 10 years now - June 2009.

Sometimes the distance between the striker and the latch it has to hit to operate the lock mechanism is to much - this can get worse over time. I've had some success in the past putting a cap or cover over the end of the striker to extend it slightly.

Stick a VR6 into it and that should make the lightness go away! In fairness though - if it seems ok, there shouldn't be a problem. Most owners complain of heavy steering. What are you comparing it against?

Yeah, I don't think the attach feature is working properly since the last set of forum issues - it also won't let me upload a jpg, keeps complaining that it's not a valid file, even though I know I have attached the self-same image to another post before. I sent culshaw another doc I have, so hopefully that might help with the pinout. One thought I had - is it possible that it's code disabled? In that case you need to leave it powered on for a long time before it resets itself.

Sounds like you need a complete replacement handle or the two repair kits then. You should be able to pick up a second-hand handle on here or FB, and then carry out the striker replacements as a precaution before fitting.

Have a look at these and see if they help... I'll also try and PM you another PDF I have with more details on the Gamma in English - it's too large to attach here. Actually, PM me with an email address if you need it - can't attach files to PMs. stromlaufplan_gamma4.pdf

What make stereo is it? IGN+ and BATT+ usually need to be reversed to work an aftermarket unit properly.

This should help: http://www.oemepc.com/vw/part_single/catalog/vw/markt/RDW/modell/COR/year/1992/drive_standart/76/hg_ug/919/subcategory/212000/part_id/3690238/lang/e

Ah ok - yes, that's a different part of the mechanism. From what I remember, a common mod was to use Passat rear handles on a Corrado, to effectively de-lock it. Not really sure about the front handles - I'm thinking if it was easy as simply substituting them, it would be widely documented, and an easy fix as the Passat ones would be easily available. I think the mechanism is considerably different - some of the instructions for the rear handle retrofit involve a fair bit of modification - but I haven't seen a Passat handle in the flesh to be able to compare.

Are these repair kits different to the striker repair kits for a broken handle? I thought that was the most common way for them to break.

Sound - PM sent.

Cool - how does £35 posted sound to you? Cheers.

Hi Jon - master cylinder still available? If so, would you mind checking postage to Dublin, Ireland, or to AL10 9WN (can get it forwarded from there.) Thanks.

You don't need isofix mounts - all standard car seats can be secured properly just with seatbelts - I've had Maxi Cosi baby seats, intermediated, wing backed booster and normal booster in the back of mine for years, with kids that are now 11, 8 and 3, since they were babies. As for the daily questions - depends on what you want. I sue mine as daily, but there is going to be wear and tear, so best not to be too precious about it. The best solution is to have a minter for weekends and another car as a daily. Rust can be stopped, but only with a full bare metal tear down, welding and repsray - so not cheap. Servicing costs are not high, but you will run into more expensive items or ones that hard to find, so be prepared to be off the road for a while - best to have a newer second car. Reliability wise - in 10 years my VR6 has only let me down to the point where it had to be towed twice - both coolant related (one a split hose, the other a leaking rad). Other times it was off the road as I was doing the work myself so it took longer or it took time to locate a part. Be aware that things like brake and clutch master cylinders are nearly impossible to find, and you can be stuck without and MOT/NCT for stupid things like door handle or window regulator. Also if you are in a minor accident (even if not your own fault), the C will often get written off for things like replacement wings, bumpers and lights - all minor common accident parts, but increasingly hard to find. So overall, yes - you can definitely daily a Corrado, but make sure you have a decent second car and don't mind a bit of wear and tear.

It might help to have a picture/link or a part number. Is this the inner window trim that sits on top of the door card? These come apart in two pieces, the lower part that the door card lip clips into and the upper rail, but they were only ever sold as one piece, even though it is possible to disassemble them. I think you are looking at part 33 here: http://www.oemepc.com/vw/part_single/catalog/vw/markt/RDW/modell/COR/year/1995/drive_standart/76/hg_ug/837/subcategory/155000/part_id/3705634/lang/e#sec_33

Looking well!