Stonejag

No, the scuttle cover's still here.

Like I said, for "as OEM as possible" you need the ends off a USA bumper. If you're going to attempt a DIY then please at least put them on at the right distance from the back of the bumper ;)

Correct, the side repeaters are different left to right, as the rear is tapered. Fitting them into a UK bumper tends to look horrible unless you use the recess from a USA bumper, mind. I got mine done during an insurance bumper respray and fitted new front wings with the hole welded up at the same time - handed over the two cut-off ends of a USA bumper and let them get on with it :lol: They ended up cutting out a square around the recess and plastic-welding it in - looks mint, you can only tell it's not a USA bumper as it still has the UK number plate recess. You can buy brand new USA bumpers from VW at 410EUR a pop if you're feeling flush, though! No problems with MOT but I'm using aftermarket tinted repeater lenses (cost a fortune...) and they're a little dark if so'm honest. Need some really bright LED bulbs if you go this route. Hope that helps :) Stone

I was there this year. Awesome trip and highly recommended! Was driving my Mk1 Golf cabby but there were a fair few rados about. Will bung some pics up later on. Highly recommend the Seehotel Vinzenz on the south bank of the lake - just far out enough that it's not too rowdy (Velden gets a little mental...as does Reifnitz) but you can still easily walk into town. I drove from the Channel Tunnel terminus to Frankfurt on the first day and then Frankfurt to Velden on day 2 - long drive (especially at 80 in an auto!) but the scenery is stunning, especiallythrough the Alpine tunnels. Nice to play the "who's off to Wörthersee?" game with passing traffic too, lots of friendly waving going on! Returned up the east side of Germany (overnight stays in Bavaria and Leipzig) so I could fit in a trip to Wolfsburg on the way back - also very worthwhile. Envious of all the folks going this year - when the cars are a bit tidier I'll definitely be back. Enjoy it! Stone

PM sent.

Any chance of a picture? I have no idea where the rest of it goes :lol: Presumably the bay half goes to the pump and the two in-line connectors on the strut turrets but how do the sensors on the back wheels hook in? Need it all working properly at some point, just in case my foolproof method of getting it really hot doesn't turn the light out before my MOT..!

The other reason not to use an adapter is that the socket is quite a loose fit and they keep falling out - at least on my car. Been considering doing this for a while - didn't know it'd been done already! Will have to have a look around. Stone

Hi all, Does anybody know how the ABS loom passes through the firewall into the passenger footwell? Is the hole / grommet big enough to allow the pump's connector to pass through or does it have to be wired in-situ? I've just discovered that my harness is chafed just below the point where it connects to the ABS pump, which may explain why it's only working intermittently and the debug port doesn't work. Trying to decide if it's possible to replace the whole loom (which would be my preference) vs doing a spot repair on what's already there. There may be enough excess length to cut it short and reterminate it but if not I'd have to cut out the bad section and make a few splices. Getting very hacked off with the electrical issues now! Suspect I may end up removing all the braided hose from my engine bay and reverting to the stock gearbox cooler as it's more trouble than its worth. It's already chewed through a brake line and may have contributed to my fan controller fires... Stone

Spotted a late Classic Green on the A1081 (just off M1 J9) on Friday about 1130. Exchanged waves since I was in mine for once :)

It's worth getting pictures of the unit you're going to receive before you fork out. My replacement a couple of years back cost a small fortune and turned out not to include some of the stock unit's mounting points on the rear - this meant my nice DG Autotech fan brackets weren't a straight bolt-on fit and I had to improvise! Next time I've got major works going on I'll probably swap it out for a more accurate reproduction so I can tidy everything up. Stone

Remember the speedo inaccuracy gets worse the higher the reading ;) I have an old sat-nav that logs maximum speed whenever you're driving a route - much more accurate but I imagine it can be quite difficult to explain if you get pulled over! Had mine at 150 indicated with a little bit left but I would have needed quite a lot more road to get any faster. I'd be surprised if it was much over 140 tbh. Stone

Scanned in the one from Autocar - here it is. [link] Stone

Got most of mine fitted now - 100% perfect fit, they snapped straight into the original guides under the car. Just need to do the last few in the bay :)

Worth checking Vag-com for an error on the blue sender - if it's faulty the ECU uses a default value of 70°C which makes the mixture a little too lean to start reliably. You can tell if it's the fault as clearing the fault with the engine running will cause the revs to spike to 2000rpm for a couple of seconds until the fault recurs. The signal's passed through the fan controller so it may be worth giving it a blast of WD40 through the connectors just in case. Stone

Yes, there is. Throttle body gasket: 021 133 073C. Upper-to-lower inlet manifold gasket: 021 133 227J Lower manifold to cylinder head gasket: 021 133 227H I would probably bin the manifold bolts and use fresh ones too - they're all cap head M8x30 (N 0147263). The four on the throttle body are probably ok but listed as M8x25-Z3 "hexagon head bolt (combi)" (N 0903151), whatever that means. Hope that helps :) Stone

I'll have the cup holder, please. PM'd. Stone

Mine's done this for years now - ever since upgrading to 312mm brakes, now I think of it. Always assumed it was normal :lol: I've not yet found a garage that seems to know how to do them 'properly' but they did a reasonable job in 20 minutes with a pressure-bleeder last time. At least, none of the pipes are leaking since they were all replaced...! Stone

The inlet manifold (top and bottom parts) are the same. The only bit that varies between coilpack and dizzy is the plate that covers the timing chains on the right side of the engine bay as you look at it - either it has mounting holes for a distributor or for the coilpack. There is a small difference in manifolds between the 2.8l (AAA code) engine as fitted to Golf, Sharan etc and the 2.9l (ABV) engine as fitted to all Corrados - the 2.9l manifold has a wider plenum in the centre section. Otherwise, all the bits will fit both engines. Stone

Got any autos? Could do with a shifter trim panel if so.

There was an article in Autocar in the last couple of months as well (one of the May issues, perhaps?), when I remember I'll scan it in :) Only tested the 16v, mind, so they won't have had the proper experience :lol: Stone

If you unplug the sensor completely then the ECU should use a default temp of 70ºC - which will give you a very rich mixture until the warmup time elapses. If you have access to VAG-COM then you can double-check it, think the coolant sensor error code is G61. Clearing the codes with the engine running will cause it to rev at around 2000rpm for 2-3 seconds before the ECU decides the fault's recurred and goes back to the default 70º setting. Think the harness is fed to the ECU via the fan controller so it may be worth unplugging it and giving it some contact cleaner on the off-chance. If replacing the sensor, make damn sure you've pushed it all the way home! It's possible for the clip to seat fully into the housing but spread out around the sensor body rather than fit in behind it and hold it in place. If you do this then it will suddenly pop free while you're driving, and all your coolant will spurt out of the hole and strand you in a lay-by for several hours. Ask me how I know... :lol: Stone

They don't just crack, they actually go porous as well. Took mine off after it'd had some K-Seal in the system - in snapped in half on removal and you could see the golden specks of sealant had permeated almost halfway through the wall thickness of the plastic! The plastic ones last well if you buy new - might as well change the thermostat housing while you're at it as it's the same plastic (so probably also getting tired) and not much extra work. Parts were only about £20 when I did mine. Stone

What's it made from? No cavitation sounds like an excellent thing to promote cylinder head life (anyone who's dismantled a VR6 will know what I mean...) Heard one horror story from using 100% glycol - a girl in the states suffered a total loss when her VR sprung a coolant leak while racing, the spot on the track she pulled over on had some fallen leaves on, and that plus the glycol ignited against the exhaust, melted the fuel lines and destroyed the car... So if it's flammable I'd not be keen! Stone

The stock (late cars) immobiliser is easy to diagnose - if the car starts and runs for 2s then cuts out, it's the immobiliser. Reason being that it lets you start the car as normal but then stops it again if it can't read the code within 2s. Usually the reader coil (black plastic ring clipped on the steering lock housing over the ignition barrel) - you can get a new one out of a Mk4 Polo in the scrapyard for a couple of quid. The Polo parts has an extra tab on the connector so won't fit until you shave it off with a sharp knife. Hooks into the immobiliser box (black box with two connectors, about 4x2x1") which is usually located in the dash undertray under the rightmost dash vent. Pig to fit the cable (unless you remove the steering column) but at least the parts are cheap! :)

I would change the ignition switch - sounds like the permanent feed and switched feed may be shorted internally. Mine did this for a little while with a different pair of contacts (permanent live to the radio went off with key out) before starting to cut main power while driving instead...! Easy enough to change with the right tools - best method is to remove the column altogether (grind the heads off the two shear bolts with a Dremel), then remove 2x regular hex-head bolts and one bolt at the base universal joint. Then you can swap the switch at your leisure indoors without having to hang upside-down in the footwell! To remove the small screw holding in the switch, heat a cheap cross-head screwdriver cherry-red and put a 90-degree bend in it approx 1 inch from the end, makes it a lot easier. Reassemble with regular bolts so you don't have to struggle removing the shear bolts again :) Stone