fendervg

Strange. It's weird that it lights when you pull the stalk back to flash the lights. I had one that was very dim and then stopped working altogether so I replaced the bulb. I'd be tempted to check and maybe swap out the control relay with a known working one.

I can confirm that. I'm running MkIV rears with the standard Corrado handbrake cables without a problem.

Hmm. Not sure what feeds the little blue bulb, but it's probably the switch in the stalk - afaik this sends current to a relay to turn on the high beams. I'd say take the steering wheel off and remove both stalks and give all the contacts a good clean as well as the switch part of the stalk, also check the multi-plugs connecting them back to the main loom behind the fusebox.

Yeah, I guess you really need to see it in the flesh and check every inch over and judge on the condition, not the miles. Also go through the receipts and history carefully. That's a very early VR with a pre-facelift interior and trim, but the chin spoiler has been replaced with the smaller one, so probably lowered a bit. Will also have a distributor instead of a coil pack.

Cruise control was pretty much standard in the US, and a rare option in the UK and bit more common in Europe. Most automatics would have had it fitted. The spoiler up speeds varied according to market and model years - you can change them by swapping out the control relay with a different one.

I'd ask them to either fix or discount any of the items you have an issue with. The outer window scrapers are often removed and refitted for paint or glass and window mech replacement and are easily bent and hard to get hold of new. At that price I would personally want to see heated leather, but that can be a personal preference. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

Ah ok. Yep, stainless is a good call. The plastic fixings were available from the dealer the last time I needed some, or that kind of stuff is often on the bay if you need a replacement one. They are used in a few other places round the engine bay/slam panel as well, so you might be able to use a less essential one as a replacement while you wait for new ones to arrive.

Sometimes what can happen is that while not broken, the striker part of the handle won't reach far enough to make contact with the metal plate/tab it's supposed to push to release the lock. This happened to me and I was able to fix it by putting a plastic cap on the end of the striker to make it a bit longer. Or you could try repositioning or bending the lock plate a little.

Which screw are you talking about - one of the two on top or the one at the back? They actually screw into a plastic clip that sits in a hole cut in the bodywork. If you can get at them from behind you can use pliers to pry off the plastic clip and it will just lift out - getting access is the hard part though.

It's made by Victorinox, the Swiss Army knife people - I bought it years ago to go with a multi-tool, and have used it lots on everything from coffee machines to the car - it was the only way I could undo the awkward trim screws inside the heater vents. It's incredibly strong, and you can get an extension bars as well - not cheap unfortunately, but you might find better prices or a similar alternative with a bit of searching. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Victorinox-3-0306-Ratchet-Case-Silver/dp/B000MLUB5G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528274602&sr=8-1&keywords=victorinox+ratchet

Yep. I use a miniature ratchet with a Philips hex bit on it to get at those screws - gives that right angle that's needed.

Just take your time, take plenty of pictures and make sure you label everything. Be very careful with any plastic held on with metal screws, as it might break, check that the three stud nuts in the engine bay (bulkhead side) come off before you do anything else - these and the glove box were my biggest problems as one of the studs had seized. You can do it without removing the whole dash, but it's nearly the same amount of labour and clearances are very tight. As said above, replace the seals and felt, reline the flaps in the heater control box, look at the bowden heater control cables and replace if needed, check the heater controls for wear, tidy up and wrap any loose cabling, replace any blow bulbs in the dash, put a fuse on your headlight switch earth, replace the matrix feed and return hoses etc. There's loads of really good guides on the heater matrix replacement procedure - do a search on here or your search engine of choice and you'll find plenty of info. Oh, and don't put a cheap matrix in as replacement - get a good quality Hella or Valeo item or go to the dealer - you won't want to be doing this again in a hurry.

Is this the spring loaded item with a rubber sleeve that slows the throttle return? Long NLA everywhere it seems, and even hard to find second-hand (which will have done the same amount of work as the one you're replacing). I've been looking for a new one for a while, but no look so far.

No, but that's one way of doing it [emoji39] When you get it out (eventually) you'll see some plastic ridges underneath that will have been causing all the trouble - feel free to take a hacksaw or a Dremel to them.

Amen to that.

VAG optional VDO volt and oil pressure auxilliary gauges - should have been fitted at the factory. Oh, and a VW Motorsport VSR (not that I have one, only wishful thinking!)

Is this really worth it unless you have a track car and are burning through discs, or fancy the cosmetics of bigger and vented rears? Having the bearing integral to the disc is admittedly an outdated and awkward way of doing it,but how often do you need to change them? If you fit good discs and pads you'll get plenty of miles out of them, the discs will last for a few pad changes, and the VAG OE bearing lasts for a very long time once properly adjusted. If there is play in them they cam be tightened within tolerances. Besides, the rear brakes do very little unless the car is loaded up, or as above you are on a track.

I don't know about the "tool tray" part - anything you leave on it just slides off and falls into the engine compartment. Did you check Classic Parts and Heritage? I have a vague recollection of seeing these available new somewhere recently...

Are the coilovers the same as stock struts, where you hold the strut in place with a hex key, and then use a hollow or open socket to tighten the nut?

There are two types, a rubber one which tends to last well, and a later plastic part which can crack very easily. I think both are no longer available new, but there should be plenty second hand. I looked into the 42Draft part for my own car, but they couldn't guarantee it would fit a 2.9 UK spec Corrado without modifications as it was made to fit the 2.8 VR from the Golf. Some sites that sell it state that it definitely won't fit, others that it will - on the end I decided not to take a chance due to the cost and import duty. I guess your mileage might vary, or there might be others on here that have it fitted who could help. I think the problem is the location of the strut tower relative to the intake angle, and the custom part metal, so not flexible.

The dealer will have them. The N part code is used for all sorts of fittings that are common across the range. TBH a decent stainless hose clip will work fine there, that hose is for inlet manifold vacuum to the brake booster, not fuel or coolant.

It's supposed to do that I think. Should come on and then go off when ignition is switched on, and will do it again when starting. Is it just on during cranking?

The panel itself is only held on by four screws, two each side. It's unlikely the mechanism broke by removing it as you would simply put the roof into tilt position and undo. It might just have been about to go anyway. Be very careful with the replacement - I've seen them go straight away, so it's best to make sure everything works before going to all the trouble of the labour required to fit it. Often the second hand ones have been left sitting around for so long that the first time you try to retract them the left hand slider/cable stop snaps - which is most likely what has happened to yours, as well as the little wheel breaking. I'd recommend putting it on a bench, removing the panel and then giving everything a really good clean and lube, and then wind the motor manually with an allen key to ensure everything works as it should. If you feel the slightest bit of resistance when retracting the panel, stop immediately and check everything again.

Check for any vacuum leaks on the inlet elbow and manifold, and the PCV tubing.

I think the consensus is that "performance" panel and cone filters do absolutely nothing except give more noise, if that is your thing. For me the jury is still out on the BMC CDA, some claim a proven increase in power and response, some not. I don't think the kind of gains they might give are reliably measurable, unless under extremely controlled conditions. The BMC is not cheap either. OEM airbox and paper filter elements are a good compromise unless running forced induction etc, and even then if you look at fancy factory FI setups, they still mostly use bog standard airboxes and filters.