Tempest

Right: Where are we going this Thursday? http://www.scirocco2.de/abwesenheitsnotiz.pdf My mate Dirk's note to his colleagues to take over for him at his company :lol: Who are these Mando Diao chaps from Sweden, that are playing for us? http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mando_Diao OK, it's in German, but the discography at the bottom might mean something to some of the more knowledgable here :-) The actual event? 1000 peeps have been invited by VW, including press and TV (Jeremy Clarkson anyone?), some unnamed VIPs (that's us then :lol:). Best of all: I'll be picking up the outstanding parts for my airco-condenser change from someone in Berlin (where these parts are still readily available unlike with my local dealer) :-) She's already got everything including the hard-to-get R12-compatible receiver/drier. Tempest

Your examples are all examples of what I personally no longer like about VW (mass-produced, washed-down looking cars loaded to the brim with useless electronics - all I want is a road-legal go-kart!), but they do indeed still have the design talent, see here (wild streak and all :shock:): That probably will never make it in reality :roll: Let's rephrase that a bit: If VW had been allowed to take all the decisions, the Corrado would look sh*te. Small (Audi TT-like) rear spoiler, pop-up lights and narrow C-pillar anyone (just to name a few things that VW would have forced down our throats, if it hadn't been for Schwebe at Karmann stopping them)? Tempest

I suppose that's the only problem, indeed, as I have a tendency of not wanting to have to rely on a passenger, rather than see for myself when the road is clear. After all, you can't blame a devastating error on your passenger, it's the driver who's still responsible. But indeed, the times I have found that I need to overtake on country roads in the UK in either of my 2 LHD cars are far less than the times I have needed to overtake whilst driving a RHD car on the continent. Well, I for one view Roccos and Rados in that same list of rare cars, where I don't actually care where the steering wheel is. You get used to that anyway. I now regularly switch between my company RHD shed (Escort van), my 2 LHD cars, and the RHD car in my fleet, and never had the problem of hand-in-doorcard whilst changing gears again. It is somehow much more exciting to actually drive a LHD car in the UK, or a RHD car on the continent. You can show off no end in conversation what a brilliant driver you are, as most people are indeed scared of sitting on the "wrong" side of the car :lol: Tempest

Can't say I have noticed any additional problems in getting parts for my LHD US-Corrado, possibly for the US-specific items on my C :lol: Tempest

You can indeed as my garage finally managed to get the front hoses in. However, when I had payed for the bill where it stated "replaced both front brake lines, and fitted supplied braided hoses all round", and when i jacked up the C to start plastering everything in Hammerite followed by underseal layers, I was in vain looking for the second new front brake line. Found the one I failed the MOT on (and had to reinsert grommets, the ABS sensor cabling into its holders, as everything had been done in a rather hurried manner, it seems), but the other side still sported the original line, that I will no doubt fail on next year, apart from the fact that I have payed for its replacement! Well, I'll be back on the phone tomorrow. Just hope they can get that line in there by Tuesday at the latest, as I'll no doubt will have to tidy up things again, and actually wanted to wash the outside and clean the inside, all before the Karmann trip :shock: Garages *gggrrr*. If iI won a million in the lottery, I'd give up my dayjob, so I can finally work on my cars when I need to, and do everything myself on time and to my standards :roll: Tempest

Yeah, good point Stu on the 2-lanes merge into 3-lane roundabout thingy, as I too, observe so many people moving from the right lane into the middle lane (clearly a lane change that requires indicating, judging by the fool-proof roadmarks), whereas I then have to honk my horn when being cut off moving from the left lane into the middle lane (requiring no indicating, as the middle and left lane are both mine judging by the fool-proof roadmarks). Kev's road rules: Too complicated. Tempest's road rules (easier): 1. When I approach with any of my Karmann coupes everyone has to yield and make way (unless it's another Karmann coupe, in which case we have a chat in the middle of the road, holding up traffic :lol:) 2. Anyone caught by me making mistakes or displaying inconsiderate behaviour like not indicating where required, should immediately have their license and car withdrawn in an attempt to rid the roads of morons and their sh*tty bangers 3. Tax payers' money should be used on resurfacing roads, and only when I'm not driving across them, because I hate roadworks. That's it :lol: Tempest

Or drive the extra few miles to a place here in Coventry, that do a 4-wheel alignment for £25 ex VAT. They have already practised on Jim and my Corrado recently :lol: Takes them up to an hour or so to do, which is then not bad for only £25 (that includes tracking, of course). Tempest

Are there 2 different part numbers then? I've been given SVW0605-6P which is for the VW Corrado G60 (A) according to the sticker, all of which I have been able to decipher using their code lists. Neither their website nor any of their agents's websites distinguish between the 2 kits for the G60. What page? I've only found page 91-6-11 illustration 110-00, item number 11, but that picture doen't confirm the existence of 2 types of claipers, i.e. with and without extra brake lines. Illustration 116-50 does show a better picture of how the brake lines and hoses go from the ABS pump to the front calipers, and there you can see the hoses going straight into the calipers. No reference to chassis number on that page. See, why I got confused, unless I got it completely wrong., but I couldn't find a clear piccie of the apparently 2 types of front calipers. The Bentley doesn't mention anything at all. Can begin to see that agent's comments. Take the Rocco, for example: None of that sh*te there. Just get a Goodrich kit, and fit, guess what: It works straight away :-) OK, you do need to drop the rear axle (unlike with the C), but hey, perfect excuse to change the metal, usually rusty tank (all of which I did in one go nearly 3 years ago) :-). Plus that rear axle keeps the dirt and muck away from those pesky highly sensitive union nuts and hose-line connections, as the junction sits on top of the rear axle, well away from road grime :-) Oh well, my C still isn't finished :roll: Yes, I just want my C to finally be trouble-free for a change ;-) I keep on throwing enough money at it. The bill for this repair has yet to come :shock: Tempest

Well, I have been at the garage this morning and as soon as I saw the Goodrich hoses in question (as I had never seen them before, my colleague collected them yesterday and dropped everything plus C off at the garage, as I was out of the office in Kent all day), I immediately aksed them whether they had tried fitting the male end of the longest 2 hoses into the front caliper. They hadn't ! Muppets :lol: Told them that I had upgraded my Mk2 Storm some time ago, and the front Goodrich hoses went straight into the calipers. If I only had had more time before the Karmann trip I would have done all this myself (still wouldn't have flaring and bending tools for the brake lines which I wanted all to be replaced - never been done before on my C in the last 16 years). Hope they get it sorted now. By the time I explained to them how to do it, I could have done it myself. Unfortunately my C was off the bridge again :-( I'll hate to see the final bill for something I could have done myself, if I had had the time. Nearly took time-off from work, but my colleague wasn't too keen, as we've got shedloads of work to do. Strange that, as the Etka doesn't have any detail on this at all, neither does the Bentley :shock: Tempest

Right, since I failed the MOT with my C on a corroded ferrule on one of the short rear brake hoses, and a brake line front right, I decided to bite the bullet and due to time constraints (need the C for the big trip to the Nürburgring and Karmann next Wednesday, and stuck at work until then, no spare time available) let my garage do all the repairs (ouch!!!!!!): New brake lines all round, new hoses bar the 2 rear ones going to the claipers, as they're already braided when I fitted the Mk4 calipers last year. My garage phoned me on my mobile whilst at a customer in Canterbury :roll: saying they can't fit the front hoses, they won't fit. I ordered Goodrich SVW0605-6P, which is deffo the right kit for a G60 (confirmed by both GSF, where I got the kit from, and Goodrich themselves, where my colleague has already chased them up, whilst I was stuck dealing with customers all day today). Expert answers please: Could this be something to do with the fact that mine is LHD, has ABS or what could be the reason (as I need to yet see why the hoses won't fit)? Also: Set-up front: Caliper - brake line - hose - brake line. Is this normal, or does the hose normally attach directly to the caliper (couldn't find any info in either Bentley or Etka), as on my Sciroccos the hose goes straight to the caliper. Front calipers have been changed by previous owner (Scotland) but can't see from invoice whether they're different to what they should be. They look normal to me, when I changed disks and pads last year. As said, need this info urgently, ideally by tomorrow morning, when I go and visit my garage and kick them. Tempest

Correct, that's what we've been invited to come and see and celebrate in Berlin on the 24th August :-) Yeah right. You didn't think VW are gonna keep us sober, now did you ? :lol: Well, I hope not :lol: If they've already invited some Swedish band for some party atmosphere ... Ahhh, what joy to be getting p*ssed with VW's CEO :-) During my last visit in Berlin the VW marketing people said around the 22k Euro for the entry-level "Scirocco", the one with a measley 1.4 liter FSI 170 bhp engine. Tempest

Jaguar drivers, usually middle-aged men, probably with young kids, think they've made it in society. Example this morning in Coventry: Roadworks all over the place, where you expect them least, of course, and usually without forewarning. I was waiting in front of a red traffic light, still able to turn left into a sliproad, when I became aware of the traffic after the traffic light not moving, as there probably were roadworks further ahead (later it turned out that on a dual carriage way they had closed one lane, hence huge tailbacks). I decide that I'm not having this, indicate wanting to go left, it's clear, I nudge forward still indicating, when a Jag pulls up, honking, making aggressive gestures from his airco'ed waggon, to which I simply open my window and give him my full morning-depression: F*ck off, finger, and why he thinks I'm indicating, because I'm a charity or something? At least I indicate, which half of the driving population in this country don't even do anymore! T*ssers, these Jag-people :lol: Tempest

Thanks for the garage details, Stuart. Do they do MOTs, though? I'm not interested really in normal repair garages, as I tend to do all the work on my cars myself. It's just that I need a slightly shall we say more lenient MOT garage, that will do the repairs (if any) as well, for reasonable prices and of high quality (repairs that last, too). Probably have found a good one in Coventry, albeit at the other end of town. I was happy with my own local MOT garage, as I also don't particularly want to have to travel rediculous amounts just for an MOT, plus an MOT garage has to be able to accommodate my Mk1 (very often the bridge has a jack that stands too proud for my Mk1), until they changed some rules (probably set by the b*stard government/VOSA: In the past, I would get a free retest irrespectively of the fault within 2 weeks, yes 2 weeks, allowing me ample time to get the repair done myself. When I failed on a bulging front brake hose on my Storm Rocco some 3 years ago, I simply got a cheap replacement from GSF (£3 instead of £12 which my garage want to charge me!!!), fitted it, passed the MOT, ripped the lot out again, and upgraded all hoses to braided hoses (Goodrich) all round. Now, according to the VOSA poster on display at every MOT station, you're only allowed one day for a retest, and only on a few limited almost negligible items (like a bulb failing here or there), which is really crap for the DIY mechanic with a full-time job :-( You're then literally forced to have the MOT garage do the repairs, and they know this, too!! Hence time for rediculous charges, as the customer/car driver is at the short end of the stick thanks to the government's/VOSA's regulations :-( Anyway, as a silver lining to a big cloud, I have decided to let the MOT station fit braided hoses alround (which I'm getting from GSF), as they'll probably fail me on the other rear one and possibly front ones next year. They're only charging me an extra £20 for the extra work, still hate doing that, but hey, when you've got a full-time job, a trip to Karmann looming on the horizon, and just not enough time, then so be it. I will paste the stuff in Hammerite and grease afterwards, so that these darn things finally stop rotting so quickly. Tempest

Luckily enough you placed the smilies there :lol: , as the Roccos have proven to be the most reliable in my fleet. Turns out the rear drum issue (having failed the MOT on my Mk2 Storm this year due to poor brake performance right rear wheel) was down to GSF having supplied me with the wrong wheel cylinder years ago, so not the Rocco's fault. You hand over the keys to your Mk1 to someone and you get comments like that :lol: Tempest

What is it with MOT tests that I hate? Spent all last week underneath my C looking around for rust or corrosion as the MOT likes to call it. Failed on the right front brake line (didn't think it was THAT corroded when I inspected it, yes the sh*tty spring-type clips at the line-hose junction looked all ratty, but that's the way they look by merely leaving the car standing, as they rust in your hand :mad: ), and the rear left rubber brake hose (thankfully not the braided ones going to my Mk4 calipers, as I fitted those less than a year ago), where a ferrule was too corroded :mad: Well, I didn't get my MOT certificate ;-) Having looked inside the engine bay and following the brake lines (apart from the fact that I don't have a brake line flaring and bending kit anyway :roll:, so would need the garage to bend and flare lines for me), and then looking at my timetable, I'm at work right till we leave for Karmann next Wednesday, off Sunday to bl**dy Tatton Park, it leaves me with too little time to get this done before next Wednesday :mad: Right, how much do you think the garage are going to charge me to have both front brake lines changed and one rear brake hose (not the ones to the calipers, the one before that)? Answers on a postcard to the usual address, and there are prizes up for grabs, just none that you would want :lol: Tempest (slightly miffed)

No worries, mate :-) Just hoping we'll have similar weather to today next Sunday at Tatton. Tempest

Clubs? The "Corrado Club of Great Britain" do all sorts of events, have stands for its members at shows like GTI International, Harewood House (look out for the sail flags - I won't be there, though, as I'll be taking a bunch of Corrado and Scirocco peeps across to Karmann, the birthplace of all our toys and a bit of fun on the Nürburgring), Tatton Park (this upcoming Sunday nr Chester). More here: http://www.corradoclub.org Tempest

Bank transfer (The Co-operative bank do Tipanet transfers for a reasonable £8), or sometimes even cash, rarely Paypal. Best to have a mate in D, who I then refund whenever I see him :-) Tempest

They have supposedly fixed her and passed her on the MOT. I was actually planning on raising the back tonight and testing the brakes again (see, if I can still handturn the wheel by force when the brake is activated). I might take you up on your offer of having another look on Sunday, as I was planmning on taking the Storm anyway (rain forecast = no Mk1 Rocco, I'm afraid), (bridge, hmm, I like bridges :lol:), as I don't trust that place anymore (probably also overtightened the the wheel bearing nut (yes the one with that lovely washer, that you're still suppoosed to be able to move with a screwdriver), if they've done anything at all). I've done the rear brakes 3 years ago (new drums, cylinders, bled brakes every summer bar the last and this one). Tempest

Nope, you didn't miss that, as in fact my colleague also asked the very same question when, clever chap that he is, took a booklet of Trading Standards with him, when he collected my Storm on the same day he had dropped it off in the morning (as he wasn't allowed to watch, which he protested heavily about), and displayed that in a prominent location of his folder holding all my receipts from the MOT last year, repair, and this year's documents. The garage monkeys just claimed that due to me not driving my Storm often enough, the rear drum brake mechanism had seized :crazy: My colleague even asked whether my Storm would fail again next year, and they said "yes", to which he replied, that he thought they'd not done any repairs at all, probably just passed the MOT. They didn't like that! The rear right wheel slips when either the handbrake is pulled or the brake pedal is activated when you turn the wheel with force. I have been able to replicate that at home after the failed MOT. Could have sworn though, that when I tested the brakes prior to my MOT appointment as part of my annual pre-MOT checks, it did not slip ... Tempest

Good, which bit? :lol: Right, activated my account, I'm now down as a confirmed attendee :-) Off planning what best way to go, taking the C after the Karmann event or taking the lazy option, flying. Tempest

Yes, GM have already launched their admittedly tasty-looking Camaro. Now just hoping Pontiac will relaunch the Transam. Erm, sorry, that was all OT :lol: Yes, 'tis true, after somebody on the German Sciroccoforum had received an invite the others who'd attended the meet at VW in Berlin last January were getting slightly nervous, especially as it would seem that not everyone has had their invites for this event taking place in August yet. Hence me hassling Jim to make a detour from work to the airport via my house so I could check my mail, and voila, the "iroc"-logo all splattered over the enevelope with a distinct VW-logo said it all :-) Woohoo !!! Off to Berlin again, Tempelhof Airport, Hangar 2 (where allegedly a few porn-films have been made :lol:) where a big party will start on August 24th, oh and the revealing of a prototype of what VW currently will call the Iroc. Programm: Thursday, 24/8/2006, 20:00 flying dinner and welcome 21:15 Presentation of the new iroc by Dr Wolfgang Bernard, CEO VW, Photoshoot opportunity, dinner (well, I hope there'll be an equally good amount of booze :lol:) 23:00 music by Swedish band "Mando Diao" 24:00 After-show party with club-act Sounds OK. 1 Night at the Grand Hyatt in Berlin :-) Difficult choice. Yes, you did guess it right first (hence my subdued no further posts on this thread once you had posted your guess :lol:, but at the time I wasn't quite sure yet myself, as to whether I had been invited or not), but Jim was there first when I actually received the official invite. :lol: and boy, not very PC :lol: But to answer your original question: Being in the right place at the right time, as so many things in life, I guess ;-). I was and still am a member and moderator of the German Sciroccoforum back in January, when this all started with a first visit to Berlin to talk about the new Rocco :-) Tempest

Yes, I complained about that, too, during the last visit to VW in Berlin back in January (10 VW marketing people listening to 9 Scirocco-nutters about what we like about our Roccos). They assured me that it's a really good engine. Tempest

All will be soon revealed :-) Tempest

More like 3 hours, as we turned up a little after 12, got the first C (Jim's) onto the bridge at around 12:30 or thereabouts, and mine didn't come off till 15:30 or so. They are still a very enthusiastic bunch, happy to tinker with cars. They built their own British Touring car championship car (Team Griffin is what they call themselves), where they laughed a bit at our suspensions and what we rate as top quality (KW, FK, et al), given that on their Race Peugeot 307 each corner costs a cool £5000 :shock: Yes, this was originally my job for the morning, and after a small hooray having managed to undo both locking rings on Jim's front suspension (FK Königsport), the actual adjusting rings would not budge, come hell or high water (copiuos quantities of special WD40 and some brute force). I'll bear that in mind, as I've promised 2 other people in Munich that I would once visit them, and so far not been able to live up to my promise. One of them is the former owner of my Mk1 Rocco, yes, very unusual for a car deal, that after so many years the seller and buyer are still friends :-), given that we only met during the car sale (me flying out to Munich twice). It certainly has, as you may recall that an S4 is the sleeper like looking Audi, the only give-away to its true prowess being that little badge on front and rear "S4" which does spell trouble for many a car: 20VT 4-wheel drive, 6-speed gearbox (where it still pulls like mad in 6th - I've testeed it :-) ). Mind you, the petrol comnsumption is more like petrol guzzling :shock: My business colleague's happy when he exceeds the 20 miles to the gallon barrier ;shock: Tempest