Pastymuncher

Rica, No, I can see it now (I think I must have been typing my post while you were editing) - excellent, thank you for your help. Aargh - that part also has multiple part no. options! Anyone able to explain what the various components of the EKTA listings are/mean? Cheers, David

Thank you very much Rica - those are exactly the bits I'm after. I thought it would be easy to work out the part numbers, but the first two diagrams list two options for each of the parts I need. For instance, in the first one, the indicator is item no. 5. But for the right hand side lens, there are two options. The part nos. are the same but one has a B suffix. Whassat mean ? Same goes for the wiper arm bit in the second pic - again its item 5 on the diagram, but there are two part numbers given, this time totally different. Eh? Something to do with the >> numbers given in the middle column, but no idea what they refer to. BTW Rica, the item I'm after on the last pic is item 10, but the list on the right doesn't give details for this bit - I think you need to scroll down. A bit cheeky I know, but if you could let me have that bit, I'd be sorted for me trip to the zoo. Once again, many thanks.

Cheers Gavin and no worries - I know what a hungry nipper sounds like. I understand that VW's prices for C parts are coming down at the moment, but knowing my luck I'd get the dealership with an out of date price list, hence any guidance would be useful (forewarned is forearmed), but the part nos. alone is more than helpful. David

That's right Jim - the clue's in the question :) Thanks for the badge info Gavin - do you still need a chassis number for the other bits as its a Storm (Dec '95)? Any prices would also be useful as I'd prefer new, but if the bits are silly money I'll go on the hunt. Cheers, David

Afternoon. I'm after the part nos. and current dealer prices for the following bits and pieces. If anyone with access to EKTA can help, I would be very grateful (I'm fed up with trying to explain what I need to the VAG parts monkey on a saturday morning - by the time the penny drops, the parts dept has shut!). The bits I need the info. on are as follows: (a) Off-side front indicator lens/unit (not the side repeater). (b) The piece of black plastic trim that covers the mounting bolt on the rear wiper arm, with the little gap in it for the squirter to squirt through. © The piece of black plastic trim that holds the rear of the near side rear panel card in place. Its up next to where the rear seat locking pin slots into place, up near the rear speaker housing. It has a screw going through it which clamps the card in place. (d) "Corrado" and "VR6" rear badges - chrome. Many thanks in advance for any assistance. David

Mine came with A/C installed (by the previous owner) and I use it almost constantly (especially in the winter). I've heard of quotes of between £1000 - £2000 from VAG to have A/C fitted now, but I've no idea what the going rate is to be honest. From what I can see of my install, the compressor is behind and below the glovebox, but the glovebox was not touched. The tray in the dash under the glovebox is now only 2"deep though and a custom blanking plate was inserted using the same black fuzzy felt as the original. The HVAC controls were untouched (save for wiring in the A/C on/off button in the circuit somewhere so that it only comes on when the fan is switched on). The 2 A/C switches were crappy RS jobs stuck into the gear lever plastic surround, but I've installed a LHD corrado A/C switch unit under the cigarette lighter (switch and trim with holes from VAG). Behind the dash something else was done though as I no longer have air flow to the footwells. I understood all RHD corrado's with A/C in effect had an aftermarket A/C fitted - there was no RHD factory option for A/C - the dealer just sent it to Davia to have one stuck in. David

What attracted me to the Corrado? The large magnet I had in my trouser pocket ( I think that's what it was). That and the fact that due to a childhood in which my folks only ever had VWs and Audi's (a spell with a MkII Cortina was cut short due to every journey featuring my brother and I yakking up on the black vinyl "luxury" interior within 2 miles of home), I cannot buy anything that's not German. My first car was a MkI GTI which I had for 9 years, and when it died 5 years ago, I had to have a C. For the money nothing comes close in terms of performance, image/respect, looks, comfort and practicality, etc. Practicality ? Yup, only in a C could you fit me, wife, luggage for 2 weeks away, 2 complete mountain bikes and assorted biking kit (helmets, camelbacks, etc), still have the parcel shelf in place and do 880 miles in a day with ease. Brilliant. The only think I'd replace it with would be a 911(993), but the thing stopping me doing that at the moment is that I'd have to say goodbye to the C, and I can't do it.

I think that this is a very common problem - its the same in my '95 C and my brothers (also a '95). Having looked at it, I think its just the way it's designed, so that the two outer dials are lit using plastic light guides from the central bulb, which results in a loss in brightness. I've had my light guides out and cleaned them, there are no cracks in them, and the bulb is nice and bright, but when you re-assemble the unit, its still the same. Don't worry, you'll soon notice something else to divert your annoyance onto! David

Halfords probably do a glitterball air-freshener for the rearview mirror. Turn the car off and get ready to throw some serious shapes. What happens if you turn it on to constant while its flashing ? Does it flash then? If not, I'd guess at the timer too.

Dazzyvr6 - I've got heated seats and while the controls are up in that area of the dash, they're actually below the set of buttons for the fogs/demister, which still have blanking plates. From memory I think that there are 6 "switches" in two columns of 3. I've got 2 for fogs, 1 demister and hence 3 blanks. The thumbwheels for the heated seats are below. David

Thanks for your replies chaps. My set up looks identical to your photo Rodders, save for the fact that I didn't bother changing the HVAC control trim plate, so mine does not say "AIRconditioned" above the buttons. Mine is also obviously RHD and I think the HVAC unit is configured differently from LHD. In fact I think I could not change the HVAC control trim plate because the graphics for the switches would be wrong as the fan speed control and vent control are switched over for a LHD and VW don't offer a RHD version with "AIRconditioned" written on it. My a/c switch is held in place by a home-made bracket which is attached to the top of the cigarette lighter. It looks exactly as in the photo above but can move about sometimes if I push it too hard, so if I can fix it to where its supposed to be, if that's possible on a LHD car, that would be good. Leavon - my car has blanking plates for the "switches" under the fogs/demister buttons, so I'm not sure anything is supposed to go there normally. The fact that UK cars have their a/c switches anywhere but where the US cars have them makes me think there is a LDH/RHD difference to the HVAC unit which makes RHD fitting there difficult. David

Hello all. Thought it was about time I said hello as I've been reading the forum for a month or so now and very entertaining/useful its been too. I was going to wait until I had some pics of the car to put up, but the weather's been so crap lately it never stays clean. It's a green Storm, so you all know what it looks like anyway. And now the question - the first owner of my C had air con fitted when he got the car. Its an Alpinair system rather than the Daviair one. It has two switches, on/off and max/recirc. The original switches put in by Alpinair were generic push buttons sunk into the plastic gearstick surround. Some time ago I sourced the necessary cigarette lighter trim and VW aircon switch (£70:shock:). The switch had some lugs sticking out of the top which evidently fit into slots on the underside of the HVAC unit resulting in the two buttons sticking out over the cigarette lighter. However, my HVAC didn't appear to have any slots in the right place (and so I made my own bracket out of a piece of al sheet and self-adhesive pads). The stealer said this was because aircon was only factory fitted in the US, so the switch will only slot into the underside of RHD HVAC units - LHD units lack the necessary slots. I just wondered if this is right - do any other aircon owners have the original look VW aircon switch fitted in their dash? When VAG dealers had Daviair ones fitted, where were the switches put? Oh, and my system resulted in the loss of the option to have airflow to the footwells. Not that I would use it often anyway, but is this common? All info gratefully recieved. David

My wife's old F Reg Polo - I put a small scratch on the rear bumper and I'll be paying for that for the rest of my life.

Don't knock them - they can multiply your stationary speed by up to 50%. David

I forgot to add to the Wheels & Tyres section - don't forget to check the condition of the spare. I always forget the obvious ones. David

Ryk, I had my Solitudes reconditioned by Spit and Polish (based in Kent) and am very happy with them - they still look immaculate (or will do when I've washed them). Cost (about 18 months ago) was £50 per wheel inc tyres on/off, valves and balancing. They will collect from the nearest authorised agent to you and turn them round in a week (and some agents will lend you some wheels). If you do get them reconditioned, give them a good dose of normal car polish (Autoglym, etc) before you use them, as this helps keep the crap from sticking and makes cleaning them a doddle. I'd keep the Solitudes, because (a) I'd keep a good Storm as stock as possible (otherwise, given a Storm is a purely cosmetic VR6 variant, you might as well get a non-Storm VR6 if you intend to mod it) and (b) I like them. Cheque? For 2p? Bloody students! David

This looks really useful. Just a few suggestions, so please feel free to ignore if not what you're after. This is based on my experience of late VR6's, so may not be applicable to all models. Re damp carpet in the footwells - if its passenger side (RHD) check that leaves, pine needles etc have not blocked the drains by the bulkhead, as in hard rain the bulkhead area can fill up and overflow into the ventilation intake. Happened to me and was cheap to fix. Check the headlight switch action is smooth and accurate - they run warm and this can make the plastic brittle. If its notchy or wobbly, it could be about to snap inside and a new one is expensive. Used one less so but rare. Alternative is a bottle of superglue and a quiet night in. The standard exhaust is heavy and runs close to the rear axle and so a knocking from the rear on dips/bumps might be fixed with new rubbers. An abs light that refuses to go out may also be due to a faulty ignition switch, or, heaven forbid, a faulty abs pump (expect to pay £750 for a reconditioned one - a new one is over a grand from the stealers). David

Trying to catch a ferry back from France in my standard VR I was mirror to mirror with a mate in his 330i at an indicated 147mph for about 15min. The car was rock solid and my passenger and I were able to hear eachother without shouting. I then noticed the a/c was on, switched it off and the needle started to creep up before a truck on a bend meant leaning on the middle pedal. Back in the UK I then got nailed for momentarily doing 43 in a 30 - argh!

35 (just) at the moment. At 17 - Mum's Passat diesel estate (The Shaggin' Wagon:0-60 in 15 minutes) At 19 - Mk I Golf GTI. Brilliant. Lasted until... At 30 - Current car, Corrado VR6 At 33 - Son arrived, so added 5 door Mk IV Golf GT-TDI to the stable.

Does being 25 still have any magical significance? I know its 10 years ago for me (just!), but when I last asked my broker, I was told that turning 25 no longer has any special significance and the premiums don't drop significantly. Age is but one factor in fixing the premium and its all done on a progressive sliding scale. Just wondered if that's true across the board. While on insurance, I often find that the same insurance proivider will give a lower quote to a new customer than to someone renewing their policy. Its worth checking and refusing to renew and starting from scracth, so long as you can transfer your benefits. If it helps, I'm paying £600 fully comp. with £300 XS with full NCB. David

Re your query about cost of an air-con recharge, I had mine done by a mobile bloke who did it on my drive for £80 about 2 years ago. I've just had a full a/c service (inc leak test, UV dye added, filter change, etc) done at my local stealer and that was nearer £150 from memory. The reason to make sure its kept charged (which some people reccomend you do every 12-18 months) is not only so it cools the air, but because the refrigerant also acts as a lubricant. In particular it lubricates the rubber hoses in the system. This in turn prevents them from drying out and increasing the rate of loss of refrigerant through the hose walls. Therefore the way to a healthy a/c system is to make sure its fully charged and then use it (for at least 30 min/week). I use mine almost constantly, unless full power needed. You can tell if it needs recharging because it doesn't get the air as cold as you would expect and on some systems (mine) a low refrigerant level results in a low hissing noise from the compressor. In the winter its sometimes hard to test this as the outside air coming in is cold anywat and its easy to assume that if the a/c clears the windows super quickly, its OK, but I've found that the ability of the condenser to de-humidify the air is unaffected by a low refrigerant level. So if the seller says it works fine, look at the windows clearing, still ask to see a recent re-charge receipt or build the cost into the sale price. Some a/c engineers leave a tag somewhere on the system giving the date of the re-charge they carried out. David

I agree - My brother replaced his VR6's standard shocks and springs with Eibachs and red Konis. The car now looks completely level (evidently an Eibach trade mark as their kits also do it to a MkII golf, but by lowering the front more than the back). The ride however is awful - I have to have my fillings replaced after every ride, and this is with the Konis on the softest setting. It may go round corners nice and flat, but unless the road is also nice and flat, it is very crashy and noisy (especially as the interior is shaking itself loose). I think about doing just the springs every time I walk to the car and see the huge gap in the rear arch on my stock set up, but once I'm in driving it I decide against it. David

Is the spoiler switch illuminated? I've never seen mine light up in over 4 years and given its location and function I just assumed VW didn't bother. If it is, then my bulb's gone, but thought I'd check before taking it apart. Cheers, David

I would have thought anything done to the brakes to make them non-standard is a definate mod. Also, remember that insurers are not just concerned about safety, but anything that affects their likely exposure. So not just anything relating to the chance of damage occuring, but also anything affecting the cost of repairs may also count as a mod (special paint, wheels, etc.)

Not all mods will result in an increase in premium, but the important thing is that they know about them. From the point of view of covering yourself for third party liability (which can be expensive if you kill or injure someone, and as has been said, is not just for your benefit), because an insurance contract is based on information provided exclusively by one party (the driver), insurance contracts are subject to the legal principle of "uberimma fides" (the most perfect frankness). This allows the insurer to repudiate the contract if there has been any non-disclosure by the insured. Believe me, they will seek to rely on this if they can as it means no pay out. I've heard of claims being refused for non-disclosure of non-standard wheels, even though if you had told them about the wheels the premium would have remained unchanged. I'm not sure about whether having no mods declared instantly makes you illegal for driving while uninsured. It depends on the wording of the policy and whether the insurer has a discretion as to whether the undeclared fact is regarded as material. Is the policy automatically void or just voidable? If the latter then its arguable that only when the insurance company refuses to honour the policy do you become uninsured, unless you knew for a fact that your undisclosed mod would instantly result in refusal (e.g. dropping a jet engine in and covering the bodywork with razorwire).