Tempest

Pretty much all said by MusicMan there. The Mk2s were actually quite well rust-proofed, after the rather disastrous results with the Mk1 Rocco. Check around the window seams, too, as I have come across cases where the bottom corners even of the side windows have started to rot. If caught early, still easy to repair, as e.g. side window seals are unlike on the C not glued in and hence easy to remove :-) Do check around the attachment points of the rear axle (the 4 nuts and their studs in particular, as the area around them tends to want to go, if the underseal has not been cared for). Definitely treat a 8V Rocco to a lower strut brace (all A1-chassis cars benefit enormously from a lower strut brace). Other than that, as my predecessors have already said, lovely cars, fast, handle very well in tight cornering, and easy to work on, not to mention, parts are a lot cheaper than C parts. Shame that some of those aspects went missing in the design of the C ... Tempest

OK, if you're so clever, which you clearly claim to be: Here's a deal. Find me someone with a US-spec G60 (needs to be US spec due to extra weight with aircon and all) with a Koni coilover kit, preferably brandnew kit, otherwise it's not really going to comprae to what I'm looking at buying. No further mods done to car's suspension, and oh yes, need to know ride height, as that also determines handling. All I'm trying to state is that it isn't easy to try out suspension. It's not like trying a pair of shoes before you buy. Now chill out, too, mate, or I can get really nasty (as it's you, who's started to lower the tone here, not me!), you just haven't seen me like that yet ;-) Tempest

If I swear, I do it in German, far more effective :-) Sometimes I swear when I get honked at, as IMHO, if I were to honk at everyone else's mistakes and whatnot, I could short the horn :lol: Tempest

Good point that, LuisG, as I'm facing the same dilemma. I don't want to miss out on my aircon, though, so that's the bigger IC out of the window :lol: Although there have been people who've somehow managed to pullt his off (not seen it in the flesh myself, though, so can't judge on how tidy a solution it is). Tempest

Still difficult, as try finding a car that's almost identical to your own. Suspension on a VR6 is totally different than the same suspension on a G60, not to mention how other things are different (like age of bushes, wear and tear, other mods done, etc.). ;-) Tempest

Those special sockets are pretty cool things, alas there's just not enough space on a Corrado cat to get them in (plus your ratchet or breaker bar) to undo the Lambdaprobe. Tempest

Same here, as the Lambda on G60s at least is almost facing upwards, it's difficult to get the sensor out. I used a big 22 mm ring spanner, fed the wiring loom through that to get the spanner to the sensor, and tugged and tugged until it came loose. Tempest

Would be rude not to turn up, since it's on my doorstep :-) Tempest

Unlikely TBH. Seals do go, as they're only rubber things that ultimately perish under the constant rotation of a shaft inside of them :-) Tempest

Yeah, the try-before-you-buy apporach won't exactly work with things like coilies. Which dealer would want to take a set back, once you don't like it, as it's then no longer sellable as brandnew? Facing the same variety decision myself. Have experience with the Sachs and FK Königsports on my 2 Roccos, but that's about it. Tempest

Bearing in mind, who's ultimately behind all this: Porsche boss Wiedeking, Porsche just having increased their shareholding in VW to in excess of 28%. Wiedeking has already made a point that he wants to sell cars at a profit. That excludes projects like the Veyron, Phaeton, Iroc (?). Could this mean more dull cars aimed at the punter/mass market which doesn't give a dam* about cars? Tempest

Whilst in Germany picked up the latest catalogue from Revell. Both new C models are in there, but they're held up by VW :shock: VW need to give approval to Revell first, before they can go into production. Both models, as I've mentioned here before, are based on real cars, belonging to 2 CCG members, who took their Cs to Revell in Bündeto have them completely measured up. The models are 1/18 scale, but as they'll be based on modded Cs, that's where VW might throw a spanner into the works, as VW want to retain their own corporate ID in those models and whatnot. Tempest

OK, if you suspect the fuel pump relay, try shorting it. Does it stay on? Good news is that diagnosing a DX engine is loads easier than G60 or more modern engines, as it's got no nasty electronics :-) I take it that during the first 2 minutes the idel stays constant at somewhere around 950 rpm? Could be that after 2 minutes or so the aux air valve closes and the engine may not get enough air, so idle screw time. But try shorting the fuel pump relay first. When you say the fifth injector works, you've also checked that it stops squirting after the engine has fired (strictly speaking either when the engine's hot it shouldn't even come on, or shut off after 8 seconds - imprinted on the thermotime-switch)? Tempest

Seal shouldn't be that expensive, but you may also wish to replace the metal holder/surround that holds the seal against the engine block. It's just a bit of labour, given the right tools, you can do it yourself, though. Shouldn't have anything to do with the noise from your wheel. Which wheel is it? That wheel should move (no gear engaged, of course) when jacked up, bar the bit of resistance from the disk brakes. Tempest

Is that a DX engine? If so, start checking the fifth injector (does it leak), the thermotime switch driving the 5th injector, auxiliary air valve (should open, then close slowly). Any noises from around the fuel pump underneath rear right ? If loud noises become eminent after some time, it could be the in-tank fuel lift pump that's shot. Just a few ideas, if it is indeed a DX (or other CIS) engine Tempest

Wolfgang gets 6 million Euros for leaving VW by the end of this month, BTW. Pischetsrieder, who's also left, but was fortunate enough to have been given a new 5-year contract back in May, now receives 2 million per annum till November 2012! All he needs to do for that money is merge Scania and Mann lorries, a job that doesn't require more than one day per week, according to some analysts. So, if you were thinking VWs are getting cheaper, forget it, if that's how VW spend their (and ultimately as buyers of their cars your and my) money. Tempest

The oil you're trying to point out to us in those pictures, can you see any trails as to where it is running to (oil leaves a trace)? If you can see a clear path from that pulley in your picture, then you'll have to replace the oil seal behind the pulley (looks like the crankshaft pulley seal that's gone). If the oil is leaking when the engine is running, TBH, I would not drive the car anymore until you het the problem fixed ;-) Tempest

Philips lighting in Germany is using a C for marketing purposes :-) http://www.lighting.philips.com/de_de/consumer/carlighting/1_car_lighting/products_for_car/5_power2night.php?main=de_de_consumer_lighting&parent=89083467512&id=de_de_car_lighting&lang=de Tempest

Slightly tap the two pulleys apart. Had to do the same on mine, when I changed the timing belt on my G60. The whole thing, i.e. crankshaft pulley and polyribbed belt pulley came off as one unit, after I had undone the crankshaft pulley, as the 2 didn't want to separate whilst still on the car. Might want to just remove some of the corrosion from both pulleys so that they re-attache a bit more smoothly, in the hope that they come apart a bit easier next time. Tempest

Hm, too much play in the engine mounts, then? Possibly time for some new ones. But at least you nailed the problem down :-) Tempest

Can't complain with mine. It certainly had more niggles when I got it than my 7 years older Mk2 Storm Rocco, but with time, money and a bit of swearing I got it pretty much to where it's supposed to be in terms of reliability. A bit more than that, as the crankshaft has been upgraded to cope with the higher torques, the valves are sodium filled (like with the 16V KR) for cooling, the head and cam have been strengthened to cope with the extra boost. Tempest

Yeah, it's also C&R where I bought the entire upgrade kit nearly 2 years ago. Apart from those dodgy fine-thread Allen bolts on the carriers (new ones from VW already seem to rust in your hand :lol:), everything went on fine. Tempest

Personally not a big fan of exhaust wrap, as it can trap humidity, leading to corrosion. There are special metal ties for exhaust wrap. Try place like Rallyenuts etc. Tempest

Get a few ISVs from your local scrappie, as new they're quite expensive. I had to go through a few before I had one that offered any improvement. Tempest

OK, some of you might say, who the heck is he? Well, possibly the man behind the Iroc, definitely the man Jim and I had a chance of meeting at the special Iroc launch event in Berlin back in August 2006. Top-boss of the VW-brand, he's been made to leave more or less by Porsche-man Wiedeking. His poisition will be taken over by the same bloke who's taken over from VW top-man Piech, Martin Winterkorn, ex Audi-boss. It's musical chairs at VW. Let's see what happens next, what cars will VW make ... http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,459130,00.html Tempest