fendervg

I'm sorted now.

I have spare pins, so that's ok. Hmm - might need to get some small taps then. Will have a look. I have a set of hardened screw extractors but they are slightly too big to fit. Thanks.

Hi Dave - bought a kit off you a few years back that I am now getting around to fitting. A quick question - how long should it take to drill out the old hinge pin? I'm using a 3.5mm HSS-Titanium bit and have tried with both a Dremel and a heavy duty domestic drill, both mains powered, and it seems to be taking ages. Any advice appreciated.

I also rang that crowd and they confirmed that the matting was waterproof and suitable as a door membrane replacement, so might consider it. The real problem is that it will inevitably have to come off again in the future for another repair...

[ATTACH]84086[/ATTACH] This the sorry state my driver's side is in at the moment....[emoji28]

I got the VW ones from Germany for about €50 each. VW items are better IMHO. While Febi/Bilstein/Lemforder manufacture parts for VW and also sell their own versions, the quality of the rubber and the metal in the VAG items appears to be better than the others I've seen. It's not a job you'll want to do again for at least another 80K miles!

@g0ldf1ng3r - looks interesting. Is it waterproof though? Don't see any mention of that, but could have missed it.

Will be doing this soon, door card and handle are off at the moment for repair, so watching this with interest. You should see the state of mine after a few glass and window mech replacements done by others! At leas no one has used silicon sealant in the past! I know from memory that the Mk2 Golf membranes were all one piece with cut-outs for the various parts and had double-sided tape (quite thin and blue IIRC) attached to the edges. I'm considering using double-sided tank tape or butyl. As said, the drain holes are at the bottom and need to be clear to allow the water to run out of the bottom of the door. It doesn't quite make sense when you look at it, but works.

I'd say they are all the same off MkII/III Golfs etc. Should be able to get one from a scrappy's easily enough. They don't come out often so can be seized.

Cheers for the update Goldie.

I think it's a matter of opinion but the general consensus on here seems to be OEM bushes. The other ones seem to cause too much movement in the rear suspension as well as transmitting more vibrations.

I just had mine done with OEM rubber. I would not really recommend poly for the rear axle. It's worth the hassle and expense of fitting the VW ones and they won't need to be done again for a long time. Best of luck with it.

Maybe. There is a special grease that VW recommend. [emoji41] you could have a short somewhere. Start at the motor and work your way back up the loom to the fuse box and you should find it.

Got it yesterday. Great stuff and thanks.

You'll need a press or to make something to get the OEM bushes in and out. There's a special VW tool for it. Poly bushes will go in no problem.

Take the motor out and run it off a 12v battery to check it. You may have over-strained it or it might be weak. If it's struggling against a tough sunroof mechanism it will draw more current and can blow the fuses or burn out. The Mk3 mech is not really a perfect fit for the Corrado - Passat B3/B4 is better. Did you lubricate the mech before fitting it?

@goldie - did you have any luck getting the mats? Cheers.

Sounds like you are well on the road then! I have 288s on the front, MkIV rears and braided lines and use ATE Racing Blue fluid with OEM VW discs and pads. I've found that proper bleeding of everything (callipers, ABS unit, master cylinder) makes the most difference. The 288s have more bite and larger pad area but you still need to put your foot down a fair bit before you notice the improvement. I also tried Ferrodo pads, but they were too dusty and noisy for daily use for me. It seems like you should see a noticeable gain by upgrading to bigger discs and pads then - just don't expect a modern car brake feel. Some say that 312s are much better, but then your are into bigger wheels and more mods.

You'll need a bigger spare as well if you currently have a space saver. Why don't you just refresh the current setup and give the system a pressure bleed before going down the upgrade route? You'd be surprised at the difference that will make. 288s are better, but not that much better. The rears are hardly noticeable as they don't do much work anyway - but an upgrade to MkIV callipers will solve some of the seized handbrake mechanism issues.

Welcome aboard. If you use Tapatalk it's easy to upload pics. Not sure if you have to wait for moderator approval though on your first few. Maybe someone else can help.

Good info there. All VR's are PLUS btw. They changed the height of the suspension on the later cars.

Well, IMHO all types of brake lines need to be inspected regularly. The standard ones are rubber, and will age and expand under pressure and should really be replaced every 3-5 years. The braided ones add some strength by having metal braid around the rubber. So you will probably just have replaced old worn ones with new ones in any case, and will also have bled the system - so that will improve the feel on two counts. Note that the braided ones can still perish underneath the braid and are actually harder to inspect then. A lot of older cars will not have had these items replaced in a while so it's a good precaution to take.

My opinion would be: track car, no ABS required, but if it's a daily keep it working. One day it might save a life, possibly yours.

Yep. That's about par for a late 80s generation car. The foot brake efficiency is a little low and it might be worth changing the fluid and giving it a good pressure bleed. Should be done every couple of years anyways. I've had an Audi Coupe Quattro, MkII, Polo and the VR and there is no way you will get the standard brakes up to the level of modern cars. You just compensate for it when driving.

Did ARZ-Tuning in Germany not have them new for a while? I might have a few knocking around - will keep an eye out.