tony_ack

Common as muck on Corrados, but here are my BBS RCs

Do you hear an echo in here??

£3250 to buy C5 OEM £1500 for Schrick manifold, 268 cams and remap £500 for Climatronic and aircon £500 aside for any repairs in the first 6 months £6k ought to do it :-)

Good luck whatever you decide. I understand where you're coming from - I had a chance to look at an A4 TDI down in London which sounded perfect for what I needed and loaded with optional extras, but I couldn't justify the cost of travelling down there only to find it wasn't what I wanted. 180 miles isn't far to go for the car you want, but it's an awfully long way to go for one you don't. I have heard of people on here asking other members local to cars for sale to check them over for them before they buy, which could be an option. That way you'd only need to pay for a train ticket to Manchester and then the petrol to get you back.

I'd be tempted to do the cosmetic stuff myself (window seals, sunroof and rattles) and then a local VW specialist for the shocks, if you don't want to tackle those yourself. Places like Stealth are first class for engine and other mechanical work, but probably overkill for the sort of stuff you need doing.

Got mine from ebay.de - may be worth having a look on there.

C5 OEM would definitely be the one to go for if I was in the market for a VR6. It's a limited edition Storm as well, and looks fantastic in the flesh. More miles than the one you were looking at, but you're going to struggle to find a better condition car.

Got one sitting in my shed. Both bottom clips and 2 out of 3 top clips intact - in sat snugly under my slam panel, so the missing clip was never an issue. I think it is a (genuine VW) replacement because the grille and badge are in very good condition except for the missing clip. No VR6 badge though! Collect from Intake for £15? Or I'm at my lockup near Endcliffe Park most Saturdays if it's easier?

Also used the B&B kit and used them for a lot of parts generally. My only complaint is that a couple of the rubber seals were a little suspect, but no complaints at all on the plastics. Not that bad a job to do to be honest, if the front end comes off okay. Interestingly I've never had a VW thermostat that runs at 90 degrees - the ones on the MK2 Golfs I fitted always ran at 80, and the Corrado runs at 95.

Is the wiring to the idle valve okay?

yep it's all one piece - guide and cable.

For the mileage and service history it sounds pretty much on the money - no bargain by any means, but provided all is at it seems, a decent price. You're the only one who has seen it, so you are the best judge of whether it is a good 'un or not! Bodywork is key on an older car - the rust may be an issue depending on how bad it is and which arch it's on? Rust at the front of the rears could be some cause for concern if not treated. Noise-wise, the main thing to listen out for is the sound of the VR6 on song when you floor it on the way home :-) But more practically, listen out for rattles from the chains and tensioners as this is a big job. With full VWSH and only 111k miles on the clock, they should be fine, though the original tensioners do tend to wear more than they should. I'd also set some money aside for fixing all the niggles a 17 year old car is bound to have (the sunroof being one of them).

I was lucky and managed to find a replacement 2nd hand Corrado sunroof with the guides intact for £15. If you want to keep it original and replace the sheared guides then you used to be able to get the parts from the dealers. Not cheap at about £100, but I've managed to get 10% discount at Gilders so they may help out a little (I use the Rotherham one as they know what they're doing a bit more, and it's close to work). Sunroof removal is not *that* hard but it is so much easier if you either have a spare repacement unit you can work on off the car, or if the Corrado is stored in the dry, giving you as much time as you need to take apart the sunroof and clean the mech. If you want, I have a spare mech that you can use - broken in exactly the same place as yours, but at least it gives you the chance of repairing one off the car, so you can do a straight swap. The glass moonroof should be a good option, but I didn't go down this route, and finding a replacement that fits isn't always as easy as you may think. I was also worried about getting a colour match on the blind as I have beige headlining.

I got the front end off to see if the MK3 Golf condenser would fit. It fits almost perfectly in terms of size but the pipes are just in completely the wrong place. Even with a bit of bending I can't get the top pipe sit right under the slam panel (the one at the bottom near the crossmember can be made to fit with a little persuasion). It is a shame, because slam panel clearance for the condenser itself is not an issue, and the passenger side brackets line up perfectly. The search continues! Perhaps a standard Corrado condenser is the best option without chopping up my slam panel. The only problem then is getting the mounting brackets, unless anyone here either has some,or can fabricate them?

I also had a faulty resevoir - when I went to Stealth for a remap they found an alternative from the VAG parts catalogue. Not too sure which part they got in the end, but I can check the part no next time I am at the lockup. Think it was off a MK3 or MK4 Golf The Schrick adds a nice bit of low down torque doesn't it? To be honest, I didn't notice the lack of top end too much when the flap wasn't working, but now it is fixed there is a definite difference, accompanied by a slight drop of power when the flap opens. I also got soem 268 cams and remap, and it feels good now. Obviously it's nowhere near the power of the forced induction guys, but I think it's probably as fun as a NA VR6 gets, and more than good enough for me. I also took the trumpet and helmholtz resonator out of the airbox, and it sounds as good as it goes now!

Never done the rear mounts before on a Golf or the Corrado, so I can't help I'm afraid! The juddering is not normal, but you should be able to move off in 2nd. The Halfords socket set has been 50% off as far as I can remember! That aside, it is a cracking piece of kit for the money. You obviouly have a very generous wife - it's my 30th in a couple of months and I'll be lucky to get anything off the missus!

Yeah, maybe retired was the wrong word, as it makes people think I've scrapped her or something! Unfortunately I'm not going to be down that way in the Corrado any time soon - the plan is to take her off the road for a few months over winter, then insure her in the spring. You've probably seen that I've sorted quite a few of the cosmetic issues, but there's always work to do over the winter. I'd definitely get another if I were you... it's hard to imagine life now without a Corrado!

I got one of the last ones earlier this year and it was just shy of £250.

Pah, red. Once you've gone beyond the white which is beyond the red, you know you've cut it pretty fine!

On the other hand I used the dealer today for some bits for the Audi.... £25 for a 2" length of boost pipe, £20 for 1 metre of fuel hose. A whopping 10% discount brought it to just over £40.

It is a bit of a pain unless you have long stick arms. Loosen the door latch mech from the side of the door, attach both of the rods to the clip (obviously you need the door card off), then manoeuvre both the mech and the clip until the clip slides onto the locking latch.

I used ECP once several years ago for an exhaust for my Peugeot 306. I rang up the local branch and told him the Peugeot part number of the current exhaust, but they said they couldn't go off that, and asked for my registration plate instead. I didn't have a problem with this, so I gave it to them, and they ordered the part. My missus went to collect it. As soon as I saw it, it was obvious it was the wrong one. I ended up getting the exhaust from somewhere else, and my missus took the exhaust back (she only worked part time, I was working during ECP's opening hours). She took it back and they charged her a 20% surcharge because we had ordered the wrong part. I rang them to complain but they were admant that it was my fault, despite the fact I had offered to supply the correct part number, and they had used my registration number to match the 'correct' part.

Check for splits on the intake boot... I had a problem on the Golf where I hadn't quite put the boot on correctly. It idled fine, but as soon as I revved the engine, the low pressure in the intake opened a gap between the intake boot and metering head. This meant the air for the engine was drawn through the gap and not over the air flow meter flap in the metering head like it should have been, so fuelling was not increased, thus the engine would not increase revs!

If it came out with the key then you're missing the circlip on the back of th barrel - you shouldn't need a new barrel?

Your wax layer offers protection - clay is a decontaminant and polish removes light scratches/swirls/imperfections/oxidisation Beyond selecting a good, durable wax, improving your washing method is one of single best things you can do to protect your paint. Make sure you're washing by hand with a soft microfibre or lambswool mitt, using one soap bucket, and another bucket to rinse the mitt after each wipe of the car. A grit guard helps in the second bucket. I also invested in a power washer and snow foam lance, which I use as a pre-wash if it's really mucky. The snowfoam clings to the car for 10 minutes or so and loosens the dirt from the paint, making it come off easier when you hand wash. Dry with a good microfibre towel, a waffle towel is a favourite, but make sure it is a little damp, as I always found a slightly damp towel picks up water better. If you get a big towel, then I lay the towel on the car a section at a time, pat down and remove. Not only is it faster than wiping, but it also avoids dragging the towel over the paint. Make sure you wash the top of the car first, and do the bumpers, arches, and bit under the side rub strips last as they are dirtiest. I also like to have a third bucket of soapy water for the wheels. On a full detail, I would go snowfoam, rinse, hand wash, rinse, dry, clay, rinse, dry, polish, wax. Some people use glaze but I never really got the hang of it, but basically glaze is a pre-wax cleanser sometimes with slight cutting properties that can enhance the shine. Claying is recommended every 6 months, though if you've just had a respray, claying will not be needed. Polish when you're paint gets too swirly for you to put up with, and wax whenever water no longer beads on the paint when it rains (anything from 2 weeks to 6 months depending on the climate and quality of wax). BTW I'm not a detailer, so some may have better advice!! ---------- Post added at 12:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 AM ---------- Oh and if you ever drop any of your mitts/cloths/towels on the floor, chuck it in the wash pile and get another - do not keep on using it!!! ---------- Post added at 12:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:21 AM ---------- Oh and if you ever drop any of your mitts/cloths/towels on the floor, chuck it in the wash pile and get another - do not keep on using it!!!