Jim

LOL. Post of the year for me so far! Excellent!

Spotted this... might be of interest to anyone needing to buy any expensive bits. Minimum spend £39.99 apparently.. http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/30-off-parts-euro-car-parts/962226

Awesome skills Yan... really wish I had your abilities and motiviation! :)

Seems to work great for me now since it got re-built again by Andi a few weeks back... consistently nice and quick all the time!

I think theres a few areas where it doesn't score as well as I'd hope.. like the space / roominess. Yes there isn't a tonne of room, but it is (for it's size) surprisingly spacious for both people and luggage and fairly comfortable in the back even on a long drive. But yeah - most of it seems fair.

The MK4 wasn't too horrendous though I had some significant expenses in the time I had it: * Cam belt change (ouch) * Exhaust downpipe * New alternator Cam belt was mega pricey but didn't go to dealers for that - had it done at Stealth. Then the exhaust developed a blow which turned out to be at the cat, but the cat was integrated into the exhaust downpipe (like a single piece) so had that replaced with a milltek part which was significantly cheaper than the VW unit but still a stinger. Then the new alternator... and that was only in about 18 months motoring. There were also tonnes of jobs which needed doing (like new bushes needed everywhere) but I just never did them. On the plus side it was a great daily. Economical (53MPG easily achievable), spacious, comfortable as you like - and no matter what anyone says, the torque of a diesel motor always makes for a great drive and the long legged 6 speed box made it quiet on the motorway. Great standard stereo system too!

Just realised the VR needs its MOT this coming month too.. best get it booked in ASAP! :| Fingers crossed it sails through..

ALWAYS wanted one of those!! :) Love them!

I dunno if it's just getting old or what mate but there's just something about a big, practical, wafter. As you know I had that old Merc W124 and it was just superb.. no job was too big in terms of carrying stuff, and you could park it anywhere and not give a crap if some ****head student decided to run over it. And on even the crappest road surfaces it just soaked it all up. Stressless motoring.. comfortable, quiet... superb.

Fecking awesome Kev... exactly the sort of thing I'll be looking for hopefully in the not too distant future! :)

Wouldn't most people insure their cars with layup insurance anyway? I've got my red Corrado (which is now SORN and has an expired MOT) insured for 2,000 miles a year on a classic policy for something like £250. Worth paying for, for peace of mind.

With the greatest respect, most people have and watch a TV or listen to a radio at some point. If you don't make much effort to keep yourself up to date with the news / current affairs, then what exactly are they supposed to do about it? They are funded from tax payer money, and I'm sure a lot of people would be up in arms if they were not doing the most effective wide ranging advertising they could!

You don't really need a picture to know that it's a very good fit I have the medium sized halfords one and, provded you remove the aerial, it's almost like it's designed for the Corrado. Just make sure you use the straps that run underneath and clip together to secure it to the car as when the wind gets up, it will remove itself from the car!

Don't quite see the fascination on the drilled / grooved discs myself, unless you're going to spend real money on some very decent ones. You're really just pouring money away for very little gain. Get the VW discs and then spend some money on very decent pads (like the Ferodo DS's) where you'll really notice the difference.

Welcome aboard! Which colour combo did you end up with? :)

Another vote for genuine discs.. they're quite affordable too - £25/£30 each side I think :)

I just don't want to run it into the ground as a daily. And I want something newer and more comfortable. Bored of the rattles, bored of the quirks. I want to try and get a separation between the Corrado as my hobby and a daily hack. The Corrado is no longer special when I use it every day and is therefore being neglected.

Could quite likely end up as one of those ****ing matches where the garage blame the parts, and the parts manufacturers blame the garage.. I guess the only thing you can do is wait and see how it all pans out :( Sucks mate!

I'd give them the chance to rectify everything.. if stuff is seriously damaged as a result of their neglect, then I'd hope they'd put their hands in their pockets and cover it. And then if they refuse or they start to get funny then look elsewhere. It does sound like they gave it to a youth.. I'm sure the more senior chaps know what they're doing, and I think they're serious given how they treated the problem when you called them!

I know I keep flip-flopping around, but it needs MOT'ing and taxing and just getting sold. The VR now really needs to become my weekend car, and I need a wreck (or something new and comfortable) to tank around in. I'll just need to knuckle down and get it sorted and accept the 16v isn't going to fetch me a lot of money. As much as it'd pain me, I'd even encourage someone to buy it to break it as theres some good bits on it and they'd easily make their money back. (Koni shocks, subwoofer, ARB's, trimsport strut brace, virbratechnics engine mount, borbet C's, 280mm brakes, goodridge hoses, very new injectors, etc...) Interested Andy? :D

Quick updates. Change in my personal circumstances have necessitated some changes. The poor old red Corrado has been garaged, battery disconnected, the MOT just expired and I need to SORN it. Not sure when I'm going to find the love to get it dragged out and sorted out.. :( The VR is my daily but I recently moved house and am not doing as many miles. A few months ago I noticed that there was some whining / chirruping coming from the aux belt side. After a bit of questioning on here I came to the decision it was the aux belt tensioner pulley bearing so I ordered the bearing, bought a vice (!), and following the various guides changed it. No improvement. I then changed the belt itself.. no improvement. When the belt was off I span the alternator pulley (fine), water pump (fine) and then the PAS pump.. hm... seemed to resist a bit more than I expected. Fortunately a very good condition / low mileage one showed up on eBay about a month ago so I bid on / won it and got it posted. The pump hadn't been getting any louder and I kept putting it off.. unfortunately as I said, my circumstances changed (having to move house) and around then the pump started to make some terrible noises.. it kept running and steering seemed OK (got me through my house move) but the noise was like the sound of grinding with a pestle and mortar! Clearly very ill. So this weekend I managed to book 2cc in for a visit and we dutifully set about swapping the pump. One of those rare Corrado jobs where everything just did as it should.. all the bolts came out, the pump came out without a fight, and the new one went back in as it should. A bit of hand priming, then some turning lock to lock and it's absolutely sweet.. no horrid noises. Total cost about £40... £30 for the 2nd hand pump and a tenner or so for some PAS fluid. Superb :) It's hard to describe quite how screwed the old one is.. you almost can't turn it by hand, it's that seized. And when you do turn it, you can get about a quarter of a turn before it jams again.. it's utterly boned! Going forward.. going to let my hammered finances settle over the next few months and then go and see the poor old red car and try get it back on the road again. The VR will need to remain my dependable motor for the time being and sadly I think being a much needed daily and "show" car is generally incompatible.. it all sucks royally. I hope to get back into the more enthusiast side of things as life settles down again!

Welcome! Sounds very nice... and you just can't beat the noise of a supercharged VR6! :) Any pictures to share?

Ah... I'd never heard that. I had heard something, vaguely, about someone spotting it smashed into a lamppost or something and looking wrecked, but when people headed to that spot after hearing those reports it was gone!

Great but this is the second repost on this very subject today alone! Locking! :) http://the-corrado.net/showthread.php?56230-How-many-Corrados-left-in-the-UK

Interesting.. as before, only ever seen one in that colour and it was the one that got nicked.. reeeealy rare! Wonder if it's Ron's old car and it's had an engine conversion to hide what it is / was?