Stonejag

I've got a Magnex logo stamped into my rear muffler - were they only sold as complete systems or is mine likely to be half-OEM? Hard to tell what was there originally when you only have a sample of one! Sounds fantastic, mind. I'm always getting complimented on engine note and I'm a big fan of the squared-off oval tailpipe shape :) Stone

I've had up to 142 when the cooling system was suffering (that was shortly before my fans seized solid and caught fire, mind...) Normal for mine is 102-110, up to 120odd if I'm really moving along. Planning to fit an external oil cooler next year which should improve things a little - and take some strain off the coolant system - but 96 is perfectly healthy! Stone

It's a very straightforward job and an absolute cash cow for these places which is why they will never reveal how to do it! You have to modify the ECU settings by removing, erasing, reprogramming and replacing the on-board EPROM. Most places put a socket on the PCB so future modifications are just a case of unplugging and erasing / reprogramming the chip rather than having to desolder it every time. Trivial job for anyone with mid-level electronics rework skill and the right tools, but you can't do it over the ODB port, sorry. The hard bit is working out which bits of the EPROM image to twiddle! If anyone was intending to get it done I'd happily do the desoldering / socketing bit for free (making the job cheaper) in exchange for a copy of the chip contents before and after. Would be nice to gradually build up a selection of ROM images remapped for different combinations of mods (BMC CDA, 263/268 cams, charged, turbo'd) as you could get 90% of the way there before hitting the rolling road for the first time... Stone

This thread reads like my shopping list for my respray next year :lol: So far: - Dents/rust all removed! - Remove side mouldings - Welding a strip in to smooth the roof mouldings' slot (leaving the slight depression to stop the rain rolling straight off, into the window switches...) - Audi A6 rear door handles, no locks - Remove and weld up side indicator repeaters - Fit USA bumper markers to use as side repeaters - Smoothed rear seams - rear arches rolled + pulled to match bumper contour - Weld up washer jet holes in the bonnet, cut holes at rear to fit 'clip-on' fan-spray jets from Mk4 Golf (heated ones, natch) - Bonnet prop replaced by gas springs - Side skirts I'm also considering ditching the sunroof mech altogether and welding the panel in...depends how much it annoys me! Would probably need to add some wind deflectors to the front windows if I do this. Aiming for the stock blackberry metallic but with a satin clearcoat :) Corrados look lovely with a bit of matte paint! Stone

They're BK Racing BK166 rims, three used and one brand new (less than 1 mile driven). Tyres are 2x 205/40/17 and 2x 215/40/17, they were approx £150 a pair when I got them. Over 7mm of tread on each. Here's an old pic of my C wearing them :) Nick

As per the title - I'd prefer to be using some wheels I don't care so much about before the snow arrives :) What have you all got? Steel or alloy is fine, but they have to be 5x100, and 16" to clear my 312mm brakes. With winter tyres would be a bonus but not essential. Can swap or px for a set of 5-spoke 17" alloys (with decent tyres) or just cash. Cheers, Stone

Worth a shot :) Thanks anyhow.

It's not just you, I get my night vision wiped out all the time by this lot :( Actually what's worse at the moment is people not understanding how to use their lights correctly - I have a 20 mile commute and see 4-5 offenders every day with - headlights off completely - sidelights only - sidelights and foglights only - headlights off, foglights and daytime running lights on Also 10 or so failed bulbs each trip, mixture of brake lights, tail lights and quite a few headlights. My least favourite is 'ooh, it's a bit dim [headlight bulb gone] so I'll put the fogs on, that'll sort it!' :brickwall: Yes, the C isn't a tall car by any stretch (and mine's lowered to boot) but the height and amount of light coming off some new cars is ridiculous. SUVs are generally the worst offenders, some are so wide you get one headlight in each wing mirror while they're tailgating you and you can't see a thing! Stone

Rocker cover gasket: ETKA separates them by age so I believe -D is for the (later) plastic rocker cover and -B is for the metal rocker cover. Could be wrong though :)

As already stated the carbon canister fits into a circular hole under the airbox (or where the airbox would be if you have a BCM CDA / cone filter instead). From memory the vent line from the tank goes directly into the canister. The second line on the top of the canister goes to the carbon canister valve - a small, usually blue cylinder with a hose barb on each end and a 2-pin harness connector in the middle. Never chased the wiring myself, but the end furthest from the carbon canister is attached to a vacuum line from the top of the head (near the left side of the throttle body). If the canister's been removed this port should be blocked or you'll get a very rough idle. If the connector you've found is the one I think it is, the error is probably the ECU realising the valve's not there - I read somewhere else that it can detect open and short circuits. In a Mk3 removing the valve lights your Check Engine light but we never got one of those ;) Here's a pic of a spare valve I had in the bits box (this is a Golf VR6 one but it looked the same at the autojumble :) Pretty sure they're the same though. Part number 051 133 459A) Although the canisters will all be long since spent they do stop the petrol vapours from the tank vent escaping into the engine bay and getting sucked up by the fans, as you and others will have found! Some people vent them into the air intake via the valve which is probably the least worst thing for you to do - leaving it open lets moisture into the tank and lets petrol vapour out, whereas running it direct to the inlet puts manifold vacuum on the the whole tank which is probably bad. FYI, this pic shows the valve as part 12; it's part number 034 133 517 "solenoid valve". I can't find the canister at the moment but that should give you something to go on! Best, Stone

Any idea if they'll fit over 312s? Could use some winter wheels...

Will they still fit in the melted locks? I find the sob story intriguing - why wasn't it insured for where the fire was? Did he add some dodgy aftermarket bits that caught fire? Inquiring minds want to know... Stone

Yes, it is. No oil pressure when the oil pump's not running :) The ABS light should turn off and back on again when you turn the key and again when you start it. If it doesn't do that it'll most likely be something at the ABS ECU end. Try holding the brake pedal down as you start it - you should get a couple of seconds' pause with the light on, and then feel a clunk from the pedal as the light goes off. If you get an immediate clunk then it's shut off immediately which narrows it down a little... Stone

Handbrake cable flapping? One of the mounts that attaches it to the rear axle fell off mine and it now makes a clonking noise on rough road surfaces that cuts out on smooth tarmac. Need to get an OEM mount in as cable ties can't quite hold it in the right place :( Stone

SSR Reverse Mesh? They're three-piece rims but you can bolt the face onto the back side of the barrel (reversed, see?) to give you a really deep dish at the cost of obscene offset. If they're the same as the ones in the original pic then they've just reversed them on a relatively narrow barrel so it doesn't go too mad. Stone ---------- Post added at 7:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 7:03 PM ---------- Another pic or two. Pretty sure these are they...

If you're on the original engine mounts get them swapped for poly ones, the originals are probably thoroughly compressed by now. Should be good for 20mm, once they're definitely good you can see where you are before you start going mad with the hockey pucks :)

It's evidently not that common or I wouldn't be kicking myself for checking this thread too late and only seeing the edited version! Then again it took me a couple of months of driving around with no driver's door handle to realise you could reach the locking lever from the outside if you did that :lol: Normal suggestion for flat fob batteries is for you to get under the bonnet (with the standard emergency unlock) and just hook up a cheap small gel-cell to give you enough beans to run the door actuators. Stone

Cool, thank you :)

Yeah, that's the bit I meant :) The shelf with the slot for the document wallet that accepts the fusebox cover. Different early and late, or the same? Cheers, Stone

Tried cleaning the connector for the oil temp sensor? Mine reads 20º hotter when it's wet out for some reason :lol: Stone

If they incorporate the corners where the front of the sill meets the wheel arch I'll have them. Pics or part numbers would be good! Stone

There's a webpage for decoding the options here: [link] Mine has some very weird ones: X2B = National sales program Great Britain B0N = Component parts set, complying with vehicle type for Great Britain, various parts C5K = Alloy wheels 9J x 19 ( G0E = 4-speed automatic transmission H1V = Tires 225/45 R17 ( J1L = Battery 280 A (60 Ah) Q1D = Sports front seats (is this standard or Recaro? Mine are standard...) 1AE = Electronic differential lock (EDL/ABS) 1G9 = Space-saving spare wheel for temporary use, radial tire (5-hole) 1MV = Leather steering wheel 3AE = Right exterior mirror: flat, electrically adjustable and heated 3BF = Left exterior mirror: convex, electrically adjustable and heated T6Q = 6-cylinder gasoline engine 2.9 L unit 021.D 3FD = Electric sliding/pop-up sunroof 9BA = W/o additional electric safety package 9HA = Without additional malfunction display 9C2 = Without special headlight activation mode but with "Coming and Leaving Home" function 8GD = Alternator 90A 8RL = 6 speakers (passive) 8TD = Rear fog light for driving on the left 4A3 = Seat heater for front seats separately controlled 8BF = Halogen headlight for driving on the left 8WD = Integrated front fog light 1BA = Standard suspension/shock absorption If you still have your original service schedule it'll be on the ID sticker in the front :) Stone

That's way out. Stock is usually 195/50/15 or 205/50/15 (see here) so using 205/50/16 will make your speedo under-read by 6% or 4.3% respectively. 195/45/16 is much closer - within 2cm of the circumference so your speedo will be within 1% of your true speed depending on which tyres you originally had fitted. Have a play with the visual calculator here and you'll see what I mean. I would stick to 195 widths to avoid too much arch rubbing, then you can use 50% profile for 15" rims, 45% for 16" rims and 40" for 17" rims. I used 205 and 215s on 17" wheels before swapping to 195/45/16 and it made a huge difference - much lighter steering and less understeer. Stone

Been getting an annoying rattling noise from my offside rear suspension recently. Had a look yesterday and the handbrake cable was loose - just seemed to be resting on a bent wire loop, but able to shift up and down - hence the clanking noise. There's a bit of bare thread around M5 in size sticking out of the rear beam that looks like it should have a bracket on it - I think it's parts 17 and 18 in this pic (15 is still fitted). Tried attaching the cable to the beam with a couple of big cable ties but I'm still getting the rattling. Trouble is it's dark so early I can never really see what I'm doing...any tips? From looking at ETKA I can't really tell how it all attaches together. Cheers Stone

You can get 35mpg out of a VR6 if you drive carefully. Trouble is they're so much fun it's almost impossible to resist the temptation :D (one reason I'm adding cruise control...) I average 27, best ever was 36 on a long careful motorway drive and worst is around 18 :oops: I vote VR6, obviously ;) Pretty much bought my car on the strength of the exhaust note and the endless 2nd gear!