tony_ack

Setup mode 'tells' the ECU not to compensate for the increased idle/CO when you're fettling with them. To be honest, it's just one of those things I've heard you need to do before the CO/idle. It could just be some OCD ritual like standing up, patting your head, turning around 360 degrees and sitting down to make sure the gods of chance bless your lucky lottery ticket because you won a tenner the first time you did it. i.e. absolutely no relevance to the task in hand, but then there's no proof that not doing doesn't negate the effect! (not that I do this btw, nor am I superstitious in any way!) Or it could (more likely) be perfectly legitimate, but no-one actually knows the exact procedure (I'll rev it 4 times to 4k rpm *just* in case). I've read different methods of entering setup mode in different places. With the 8v exhaust, I found the OEM one a touch on the boomy side but in a nice way (certainly better than the DTM rude boy exhaust that was on when I first got it). There's also a nice rasp on the VAG exhaust when you go through about 3-4k rpm under full throttle, especially in 3rd. There's no such rasp on the 16v unfortunately, but it makes up for that when it comes on cam :-)

Doesn't quite look like the right one, unless it's at a funny angle? Here's a pic from a well-known parts catalogue software programme If it is the right one, then a fiver posted would be great!

If up to temperature, and in set up mode timing will jump to about 20deg BTDC iirc when you reconnect the blue temp sender - hence the surge in revs Another way to get into setup mode is to disconnect the blue temp sender with the engine running and rev cleanly through 3k 3 times. To be honest, even at idle, you get a bit of a surge from removing/reconnecting the temp sender, as long as it is working. I'm all for keeping costs down, but it *does* make sense to replace it, regardless. That and the MAF are the two most common issues with a Digi. With the MPG, the calculation is done off the speedo sensor and the vac sensor on the back of the clocks (runs to the inlet manifold). The Digi II ECU has a fuel shut off command if rpm 1250> and throttle is closed, so you do get 99.9mpg if coasting and you reset the MFA!

Hard to explain what this one is! It's the piece of black trim that sits over the rear of the rear door card, and that the seat belt and top-rear screw for the door card runs through. Part no is 535868528 Please let me know if you have one spare! Ta

Oops... forgot to finish the tailgate update! It took me about 6 hours to swap in total... I could probably have done it quicker, but I spent quite a long time swapping bits over from the old tailgate to new - making sure everything was put in exactly right. You have to remove a surprisingly large amount of your interior at the rear to do the swap! Boot carpets, parcel shelf supports, rear headlining support and c-pillar trims all had to come out to get access to the bolts and wiring. And what I learnt... -The tailgate is heavy. Really heavy. Three people-heavy -Taking out the circlip is the easiest way to remove the hydraulic struts! -When putting the new tailgate on, those pesky bolts just won't go in without 15 minutes of fiddling around -Check and check again that the wiper washer pipe is connected -Lining up panels to get the correct gaps is a nightmare when you can only adjust when the panel is open Some pics of my day...

I've gone for the same gliptone's scuffmaster kit.

Just getting started with mine... same colour, same kit! I'm doing the gear gaitor first... a nice small bit to get started. How long did you leave between coats of dye? Did you thin the dye or just use it all neat? How many coats did you need roughly?

Do Jetex still do pollen filters? I tried the link in the blower cover gasket wiki, but it seems to be an old page on the Jetex site. I can't find any info on the main site.

VW still sell black ones, not sure about grey ones. Definitely no beige ones! £25...

Agreed... there are far too many 'why?' cars out there at the moment. I'm one of three kids, and I don't remember my parents needing a Land Rover 90 or Space Cruiser, even when we were all in our teens (a good old 5 door MK2 Golf GTI sufficed!) Though in the good old classification system, where would a FWD 2+2 coupe fit in? :-) I also think part of the need for the scrappage scheme was due to the scourge of galvanised body shells - those pesky cars from the 90s just wouldn't rot quick enough.

Wasn't the scrappage scheme meant to 'fix' this? i.e. getting rid of the huge surplus of 'old bangers' clogging up the market, so that the car industry could continue to churn out millions of new cars and not have to adapt to a changing market/environment/world?

Well the car has been running well for a couple of weeks so I couldn't resist tinkering! I have had a replacement tailgate sitting in my living room for several months and I decided that with free weekends becoming something of a premium, I would fit it today (I actually booked it into my diary 2 weeks ago!) I got the tailgate from Phat, and it was pretty tidy, except for some light rust where they ALL go, around the number plate lights. I wire brush-drilled out all the rust I could, and followed up with the dremmel in hard to reach places. I treated with Kurust, cleaned and primered. Unfortunately the rust needed grinding beyond the plinth - only about 1sq cm, but enough to make touching the paint up a nightmare! I ended up spraying the whole rear panel below the spoiler and blended into the existing paint on the corner. The colour was from paints4u who I've used before and are always a pretty close match. I lacquered, let it harden, then went over with some 2000 grit to smooth the finish, followed by an hour or so with the DA polisher. I was very pleased with the results - the colour match is spot on. I looked around trying to find the blend lines, and keep thinking I have, only to realise it's just the metallic effect, and the 'line' moves, when I change position. That's the way it stayed for a couple of months. I've not had much free time to fit it - it really takes a day to do. I did one on the MK2 a while ago and don't remember the job too fondly! This week though I started to do the finishing touches New number plate lights from VW (plinth is a grind/sand down and respray, but I need another one really as there's a small hole due to the rust) Also took out the boot lock... I'll be needing to swap mine in!

Hate buying crap stuff off e-Bay. I try to avoid anything with 'Mint' or 'Rare' in the description. And I'd rather someone charged a little more postage to make sure it arrives. Surprisingly a lot of later MK2 GTIs have PAS - certainly most of the ones I've seen - and it's not completely uncommon on earlier ones either! Electric mirrors are much harder to find... I think you *can* do the thermostat without removing the PAS pump by removing the bottom bracket, then loosening the bolts and tensioners, but it may be a squeeze. The ECU always uses the water temp, never the oil temp - the reading comes from the (in)famous blue temperature sender on top of the pipe going into the head.

I was planning to put the Pyles in today to see how they behaved, but I got hung up on swapping the tailgate. I've found the manual for the headunit, so I'm going to have a read through that too. Plan is... Try the Pyles first and try to adjust the sound output on the HU If it's still pants, then try some new speakers (Pioneers seem a good shout) If the HU can't cope with the new speakers, then try an amp (how much are you looking for mimjed?) ---------- Post added at 07:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:36 PM ---------- Forgot to mention, I found this when the boot was stripped out earlier: Any idea what it is? Something useful, or a non-standard connector for something? It was accompanied by a L/R coax

Think it's bad here? I've just been on German e-Bay in a quest for beige interior plastics... All from the same (deluded?) guy http://cgi.ebay.de/VW-Corrado-G60-VR6-Beige-Verkleidung-Mitteltunnel-/250811245473?pt=Autoteile_Zubeh%C3%B6r&hash=item3a6583e3a1#ht_1278wt_1026 http://cgi.ebay.de/VW-Corrado-VR6-G60-16V-beige-Hutablagenhalter-/220785350713?pt=Autoteile_Zubeh%C3%B6r&hash=item3367d51839#ht_3196wt_1139 http://cgi.ebay.de/VW-Corrado-G60-16V-VR6-Beige-Verkleidung-Heckklappe-/250811244901?pt=Autoteile_Zubeh%C3%B6r&hash=item3a6583e165#ht_1239wt_1026

Thanks for the answers so far Andy - it looks like a neat install, however I also need to keep my back seat as well due to our baby daughter! I also am a little reluctant to cut holes in the door cards - they're beige leather and hard to replace. It may seem a little picky now, but having spent almost a year trying to find replacement original door cards for a 25 year old Golf, to replace the ones with speaker holes cut in them, I don't want to go through the same again! mimjed - the amp may be an option, though to be honest I've no idea about the price of them. I've heard Hifonics are a good make, though I don't want to break the bank! Would it fit behind the passenger rear door card? Pete - I had the radio on yesterday on the way home (normal FM as I don't have a DAB aeriel) and the sound was surprisingly good, even when I cranked it up a little. I've since learnt that the Woodstock has seperate sound configs for the different sources, so I'm thinking that the SD card source (MP3) may not be configured properly, but the one on the radio is better. It also has fairly good reviews, even if it is a little long in the tooth now, so I'm inclined to keep it in. I've also been looking at Dynamat too - it seems a good option in reducing both vibration and road noise and I think must be the first thing I look at doing before spending anything anywhere else. It's expensive stuff, so I don't want to go mad with it, so what are the best places to soundproof? The doors obviously, anywhere else? How much will I need? I've remembered that I've got some Pyle speakers (yellow) too left over from the Golf - dash tweeters and 13cm components. Reviews aren't great on these frankly, but would they offer an improvement on the stock speakers? May be a reasonable short-term upgrade while I consider better options?

Get the body sorted - people who appreciate the value of the conversion may be willing to pay what you want, but there aren't many of those about who are looking to buy. Bodywork issues are very visible and tend to stick in a buyer's mind, whereas they're less likely to worry about mechanical niggles. To a buyer, £5000 may be fairly reasonable for your spec of car with good bodywork, £4200 for your spec of car with a rusty arch is not. Maybe it's not quite as applicable in your case, as it's more of a specialist car with the conversion, but to be honest I wouldn't just rely on enthusiast forums to sell your car - try the local classifieds too. Chances are that there won't be any more for sale other than yours in the local paper, and people who may like the Corrado but not know much about them may not realise how much of a bargain they are until they see one for sale. ---------- Post added at 03:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:48 PM ---------- oh yeah, that's pretty much what Kev said!

The Corrado has gotten off pretty lightly compared to my previous cars I've had at my house. My old Pug 306 had two massive dents put in the bonnet (on seperate occasions), the wing mirrors were kicked off, and a gang tag was 'etched' into the rear window My first MK2 Golf had a deep scratch put in it down to the primer on one of the doors My last MK2 Golf had a scratch put in down to the colour coat from the front of the passenger door, all the way up to the rear light cluster, and another time someone attempted to kick the wing mirror off (fail - they just pushed it back and left a muddy footprint) All in the space of 3 years Never managed to catch anyone, though the main ne'r-do-well on the street was kicked out in November and is now in a homeless shelter. Coincidentally, the last attempted damage (the wing mirror on the Golf) was in... November, nothing since then! Might be something to do with the fact I got him his criminal record started a couple of years ago for reporting him for kicking the neighbour's fence in and attempting to break into their house.

My head unit is a Blaupunkt Woodstock DAB 54. I like the design and functions, but the sound in the Corrado with the original VW speakers isn't great (it sounded fine in my old MK2 with better speakers). I'm considering upgrading the speakers and possibly getting an amp. I don't want a sub really as the car is a daily and I need all my boot space and spare wheel. I'm not looking for monster sound, just something that sounds half decent and doesn't distort too much at higher volumes. I'm also more than willing to invest in sound deadening to improve quality. Is the headunit I have a good base to start with? I'm sure it's capable of more with better speakers and would like to keep it if possible, but on the other hand I don't want to spend money on upgrading the rest of the system, just to realise it is being let down by the source.

The coolant leak sounds like it is coming from the pipe between the oil cooler and the crack pipe. Access down there is incredibly tight due to the front engine mount and the radiator getting in the way. You can try to replace the pipe by getting under the car, but it won't be easy. I replaced the crack pipe on mine a couple of months ago, and took off the whole front end off to do it, which gives all the access you need, but there are other problems associated with this (e.g. possible seized bumper bolts). I ended up replacing the crack pipe, thermostat housing and thermostat on mine, but then the water pump started leaking a week later and the radiator too, so I had to replace those as well. Because I had fixed one leak, the system was up to pressure, and the next weakest component failed. If you opt to take off the front end for better acces, I would definitely do the thermostat housing, thermostat and crack pipe at the same time.

I've now lost faith in wheel alignment specialists. I took it in a week ago to get done - the guy there liked to talk but said some weird stuff. His best quote was 'all the suspension is connected - if you adjust the front, it moves the back'. I think I know what he was trying to say, but he still sounded numb. The first problem is that he said the car being lowered would be a problem, so I just told him to use the normal settings, but to set the camber to -0.8 degrees. The camber was way out as suspected, and the machine told him he needed a special tool to adjust. He wasn't going to do it until I told him it was just a couple of 18mm bolts on each side. As soon as he loosened the bolts, the camber slipped to full negative, and with the weight of the car still on the wheels, he couldn't push the wheels in to were they should have been. I told him the only way he could do it would be to lift the car in that case, and go for a 'best guess', then re-measure when the car was on its wheels again. His jacking technique left a lot to be desired - a load of rubber bricks under the sill, and the opposite ramp kept catching the rear chassis leg when it was jacked up. He got lucky with the first wheel, but the second wheel was out, and he had to do it again. The second time, it was out at first, then fell spot on when the car bounced a little, so he took the plaudits for that. I told him that the other side may need bouncing too then to make sure it settled at the right value, but he couldn't see a problem, as the other side had been right when he measured it (even though he hadn't bounced it). He then did the toe, and realised he'd forgot to tighten the strut>hub bolts on one side, so tightened those... knocking the camber on that wheel out again. Even when he did tighten it I'm sure it wasn't tight enough as he could barely get any leverage, and he was using a standard size 1/2" drive ratchett. When I told him it needed to be tightened to 85lb/ft, he said he just did them 'FT' and it would be fine. He reset the camber on the side he'd knocked out - it wasn't perfect but close enough. I backed it off the ramp and tested the steering lock-to-lock... sure enough I had exactly the same problem as I'd had with Dexel - something stopped the rack when turning to the left. I told the guy and he kind of just shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what to do. I said it was probably the rubber gaiter on the rack catching as it had been twisted. He had a look under the car, and said he could see the gaiter and it was fine! I had a look myself, and couldn't see anything as the wishbone was in the way - then I realised he was talking about the CV boot! He kind of just left me to it, and I went under the car myself. I could feel the gaiter and it was split - probably by the numpties at Dexel. So I just broke it free as I didn't have the tools to loosen it there and then. So now I need a new gaiter. Best thing about it all is that the steering wheel isn't straight, and the car seems to pull to the left slightly still! And after a week, the right wheel looks like it has too much camber again.

You should see the pile of stuff waiting to go on my Corrado!

Ha.. mine's up for 99p (okay, no Storm badge), maybe I'm missing a trick!

Wow... this has really turned into a debate of 'where the Corrado is at' in terms of price and status. A few things to think about.. -Regarding prices - there's only so much money you can expect someone to pay for a Corrado at the moment, no matter how 'mint' it is. As has been stated, the newest ones are 16 years old. At the top end of the price scale, they're not new enough to be a good used proposition to the casual second hand buyer - £5000 can get you a lot of good (and newer) car. But they're not old enough to be classics in the way the MK1 and even MK2 Golfs are regarded. MK2 Golfs, XR3is, Audi Quattros and the like are booming at the moment due to the recent interest in the retro '80s (though MK2 prices are suffering somewhat due to the fact there are still plenty around). Retro '80s is slowly giving way to 'Cool '90s' and in a few years time, Corrado's may be collector's items. -The Corrado was never quite exclusive enough to hold its price in the way a Ferrari, Porsche or even Escort Cosworth has. There are too many around, yet it now appeals to only a niche market. -The Corrado body appears to have a few problem areas, not least the fuel filler and the rear sills/arches, which are quite hard to detect. Spending a lot of money on a car based on a single viewing, is a bit of a punt - maybe worth it for say £3k, but a bit of a risk at £5k. -A car that is at least 16 years old is going to have some problems no matter whether it is priced at £1k or £5k. You could have the history showing the chains, water pump, clutch, cylinder head, rear calipers and suspension have been replaced in the last 10000 miles, but you could drive it away and the crack pipe could burst. I drive my car daily, and it has over 200k on the clock. It's quite liberating to be honest - I keep on top of maintenance, make it look tidy, and fix any problems as they come up, and it feels to me like a 'sorted' car. But because of the mileage I don't feel like I have to nurse it all the time and wrap it in cotton wool, I can enjoy it. I didn't pay a lot for it, so I'm not trying to protect an investment. If anything happened to it, I'd be gutted, but that's life - I would either reshell the good bits if I wanted to keep a Corrado, or break and move on if it was beyond repair.

Throttle body... sensors??! It's a very simple throttle linkage - the throttle movement directly opens the butterfly in the throttle body. Fully closed activates the idle switch, fully open activates the WOT switch. It wouldn't hurt to get yourself a can of carb cleaner, take apart the intake system and throttle body, and give it all a good clean. The cable could be sticking too. If your missus is willing, get her to slowly and smoothly apply the throttle in the car with the engine switched off to check for smooth movement of the mech on the throttle body. Otherwise Digis should be pretty smooth and effortless to drive in traffic - maybe the car could do with a tune, or there could be an issue with the ISV (though unlikely if you get a smooth drive in gear on idle - no throttle).