Tempest

Subtle title, eh? What's behind it? Something I completely blew, so I might as well further blow it. A marketing company from Munich has contacted me, inviting me across to berlin next Tuesday (probably can't go because of work committments) to discuss new VW models, also the new Rocco, as I understand it. They've only contacted a few people through the German Sciroccoforum. I blew it, as I was extremely mistrustful of the original email, by posting the email on the German forum. As it contained (in hindsight) a private number of one of the employees of that marketing company, her telephone didn't stop ringing anymore :lol: It turns out, that it's all true though. If this wouldn't be as short notice as it is, then I'm sure I could have made it. Tempest

Cool, so the signature collection schemes run on German forums and here have payed off :-) Tempest

Just in case this proves to be useful to anyone: Leda and Bilstein both can build a bespoke damper (be it a normal or coil-over) to match the characteristics of an existing damper. In my case, as Sachs no longer rebuild their dampers (since their take-over by ZF-Trading), I can send in the damper, the relevant company determines the damping characteristics, and can build a new one based on the determined characteristics :-) Prices compare favourably, too, to buying a brand-new coil-over kit (excluding the cheap coil-over kits, of course ;-) ). Bilstein are a bit cheaper and more importantly, closer to where I live (almost around the corner), so can drop off and collect the dampers in person :-) Tempest

£200 for the labour really isn't bad :-). I wish we had those low low (Asda) prices here in Coventry, where we have to pay at least twice that, and get a bodge-job, too. That's why we're forced to do everything ourselves. Tempest

Whilst on the topic of spott-the-..., i spotted my Rado at the back in one picture, close to the Stealth garage entrance :-) Tempest

Let's put it this way: On my Mk1 Rocco I'm running a Sachs coil-over kit, where the springs hardly have any travel, see picture below (no rubbing !!). On the FK Königsport, even with the Koni dampers fully closed, fitted to my Mk2 Rocco, I still rub on bad camber roads or bad wavey roads despite me having a gap between the tyre and the wheelarch. Others have also commented on the softness of the FK Königsports compared to e.g. Bilstein. Tempest

Over on the German forums, the AK range isn't rated too well, well at least compared to the Königsport coilies, which most Roccos have (my Storm included). the Königsport is IMHO a bit too soft, but that means it's still civilised, I suppose :oops: For the Rado, KWs are the ones to go for, Bilstein's PSS9s, both very expensive. Then again, the KW Variant 1 is sufficient for most. Just my 2 cents. Brock B2s? Yes, I love those, too, got them on my Storm Rocco (15x7) :-) Tempest

VW are a mass producer, let's not forget that. They think in sales volumes of millions. Sad but true, that's where they came from, a producer of the mass-produced Beetle, then the Goof. It's about money making with family-pleasing cars, Passat, Bora, Jetta, etc. Porsche on the other hand have shown how to successfully corner a market segment, despite not mass producing. Their current Porsches still look like the old-time favourite 911! That's good time-less design and its subtle evolution. If I look at the Rocco, the transition from the Mk1 to the Mk2, they could be viewed as 2 totally different cars from a body-point of view (underneath the skin, they were still absolutely identical). Then during the transition on to the Rado the Mk1 Rocco design aspects were taken up again, having realised that the Mk2 Rocco didn't really get accepted design-wise by the public. VW aren't really into designing cars for niches IMHO. They simply buy other brands to do that, Bugatti, Lambo, etc. VW aren't even cheap anymore, what the Volks in VW should refer to. Having to fork out 22K Euros for the entry-level "new Rocco" is a p*ss-take. OK, it might have all sorts of electronic gadgets, that all modern cars have, but do I want them? No, I simply want a car that is handles and drives right without all those electronics, I don't need PS2s on board, I don't need all sorts of funny 3-letter acronyms (electronics only go faulty, see Mercs disastrous "intelligent" brake alert system for fog etc. :lol:), I just want something simple that gives me a huge grin when I drive it, simple yet effective, ... actually like my Mk1 Rocco, hence I'll never sell her :-) Tempest

Either way, to me it's neither a Rocco nor a Rado, as it won't be buil by Karmann, wasn't co-designed with Karmann, unlike all the type 53s (Mk1, Mk2 Rocco and Rado). According to information posted on the German Roccoforum some time ago, those pictures published in all Springer-Verlag news papers (Autobild in D, Autoexpress in GB, etc.) are actually pretty much waht the final car will look like, depsite the rumours that it's only a photochop. This was straight from some high-ranking VW guy :shock: The new "Rocco" (as I refuse to call it that) will be built in Wolfsburg :-( Tempest

Would also suggest to first take the sump pan off, have a good look at the oil (any metall splinters?), then change the pump. That's the most common reason for your symptoms. So, it may not be all that bad, after all :-) Tempest

Well, whilst now talking on G60 sounds in general: I remember the day we were queueing at Harwich port to get onto the ferry for the Karmann event back in September, and this bloke in his Alfa Romeo next to my Rado (Jim at the wheel, revving a bit :lol:), thought it was a V6 engine :lol: I personally do love the overall grunt of the G60 at low revs, threatening sound backed up by nice performance when you do thrash it a little :-) Tempest

Miltek on my G60: Gurgles is what I would call the sound at idle, but quite like that. When giving it some, I honestly don't hear too much, but that could also be due to the CAT and possibly better sound proofing on US-spec Rados, but with the window open, and letting go from the accelerator having revved the engine a bit, it does rasp quite nicely. Not as much as the Powerflow on my Storm Rocco, though :-) Tempest

Yes, spotted that one, as well. Nope :lol: Tempest

Nice article indeed, read it at Smith's, as I'm not subscribing to PVW :lol: VWM wasn't on the shelf at Smith's yet. Tempest

In all honesty, now might be a good time to upgrade to Mk4 Golf rear calipers. No more rear brake seizures :-) I took the opportunity when my rear brakes seized, leading to a failed MOT, despite cleaning and regreasing (of the handbrake lever pin going into the caliper) efforts. Tempest

Thanks for the reply. Tried a contact that Darren from G-Werks had given me, they only service their own shocks :-( They also said that there is no such thing as a generic seal on shocks, every manufacturer uses their own seal, typical ... Tried Hagon, they only service motorcycle shocks, and only their own. Contacted Vince at Stealth, but his contact only services Bilstein, not Sachs. My local MOT garage claimed they could do it (yeah right :lol:), gave me number to contact, as I didn't believe them, and yup, I was right, they, too, can't service my Sachs shocks :cry: Looks bad ... Open for further contacts, folks. Tempest

OK, not for my Rado, but for my favourite toy, my Mk1 Rocco: My Mk1 Rocco has a Sachs Racing coil-over set, where the rear dampers have started to seep a little oil. Having contacted Sachs in Germany as to whether they can service them or whatever, the let me down, saying the dampers in question no longer exist, and they don't service them either. There are also no replacements. Does anyone know any place where I could get the rear dampers serviced, is this at all possible, or can I even do this myself? The dampers, just in case someone has ever seen them before on Mk1 Golfs etc., are painted red, with green springs. The set is rock-hard, and is a bit of a cult coil-over system amongst Mk1 Rocco and Golf drivers (as it really makes the car stick to the street like a plank, making hard cornering a pleasure), hence I'd really want to try eveything to keep them rather than start a potentially disastrous journey of trial and error with new coil-overs by other manufacturers. In a nutshell, my Rocco cannot really give at all, as it would rub on the stretched arches, and the current set-up is just perfect, it hardly gives, no rubbing whatsoever. Here's a picture (look at how tight the wheels sit in those arches - no rubbing!) :-) : Tempest

Strange one that, I noticed that, too, but based on my Coventry postal code, Autotrader still claimed I'm only 32 miles away from said Rado. Tempest

Persanally I wouldn't use Hammerite on place like the above-mentioned scratch. Better to sand down, then apply a coat of Jenolite rust-proof (or similar), primer on top, then the final paint (and clear coat, if the paint is a metallic or perlescent). Tempest

Similar attempts are already going on the German Corradoforum, so that might be a good idea :-) Tempest

Try a Scirocco, now that's a doddle to work on, even compared to a Rado, well a US-spec one with a bl**dy full engine bay, anyway :lol: Rusty nuts and bolts? Yes, love 'm, especially the horrid Allen type :mad: Yes, but make sure you first sand the spot down to bare metal, treat it with some rust protectant (Jenolite or similar), then prime, and repaint. That has kept the rust away on pretty much all of my 3 Karmann type 53s. My Rado did have some more minor rust-spots: Right front wing right next to the headlight, bottom side of doors (stonechips not treated by previous owners), bottom left corner rear windscreen (still needs to be treated, but waiting for a couple of dry summer days), slampanel, battery tray, roof where it slopes down to run gutter of the rear hatch ... just to name a few more points worth checking. Every minor rust spot is very visible on mine, as it's white :lol: Tempest

Good thing to come to this forum, mo_527, welcome :-) Most of the issues around the G-Lader have already been mentioned. I, too, have a G60 rado (albeit a LHD US-spec), based in Coventry, not too far away from B'ham :-) The G-Lader in mine had also been serviced by Jabba, and that was fine by me until I started to notice excessive amounts of oil coming out of the Lader (thanks to the metal sieves that I use on my boost pipes to prevent Lader-debris from getting into the engine and intercooler). A trip down to G-Werks to have the Lader serviced properly sorted that once and for all :-) Although I haven't driven a 16V Rado myself yet, RobyD, who's also on this forum, and lives in Coventry, has taken me for a few trips in his 16V. We've even had some less serious little races :lol: The 1.8 16V (KR-engine code) certainly isn't a bad engine, but I personally think that the Rado is a bit too heavy for it. That engine can do a much better job in Mk2 Sciroccos, where they really fly. The 16V KR-engine is a rev-happy engine, it delivers most of its performance at the top end, whereas the G60 has, as Steve has already mentioned, lots of torque at the lower mid-end of the rev-range. For old farts like me that's just what I like :lol: At the top end, the G60, of course, still happily pulls :-) Other things to consider on Rados are rear wheel brakes liking to seize (but with your low-mileage Rado that won't be an issue too soon yet), the fuel hoses in the G60-engine bay need replacing (that's most likely caused the fire in your mate's G60-engine bay), some senders on the G60-engine can do with replacing, the sunroof may either not tilt or slide or not do both, engine mounts on the G60 can benefit from being replaced (again, 73000 miles might still be OK for some time to come), and that's pretty much it. It is best to have a good read through the buyers' guide here on the forum, and if you then have any further questions, ask them :-) Oh, and start to watch out for new Midlands Meets (Events forum) again in the near future, where I try and get together as many VW-nuts as I can somewhere in the Midlands for a pubmeal and lots of talking about our cars, of course :-) Tempest

I know this may not be useful, as I suspect your Rado is your daily driver: When I had a similar problem with my Mk2 Storm Rocco, I simply left it standing for a few days after I had cleaned up all traces of coolant. After a few days new coolant had appeared, and voila, that guided me right to the culprit (in my case it was the 90°-degree bend pipe at the bottom of the pump). Possibly alos let the engine run for a short while, after you've dried away all coolant, to see where it leaves behind traces. Tempest

I, too, have noticed some indiscrepancies between my loom and the bentley manual wiring diagrams, even though I have a 1990 US-G60. Some parts of the 1991/1992 diagrams apply to mine (e.g. Lambdasensor connections, differences in colour coding of the wires to the ISV, to name 2 examples). The loom has never been changed in mine, so it can't be that. Just for your information, i.e. don't too rigidly stick to the Bentley as far as the wiring diagrams are concerned ;-) Tempest

Erm, know the feeling. Initially I was loathed to the idea of having to take my Rado on a business trip from Tuesday till Thursday this week (well, more so, so that I could take it to G-Werks on the way back to get some new injectors), but boy, did I enjoy every mile even though it was all for business. Today I had to drive the normal company van again, what a difference. Van: thumbs-down big time :lol: Tempest