POS Corrado failed its MOT again

[davidwatsonok 0]

Well, another year, another MOT failure for my C I have had this car since 1994 and it has never, not once, passed its MOT 1st time. As it gets older the list of knackered stuff gets longer and the bills get bigger, so after this one I will definately be getting rid. It's not like I haven't looked after it either. FFS, in 2001 I spent over a grand replacing every component on every corner, from struts and dampers through to disks, pads, bearings and even hubs and calipers. It still failed its next MOT, and some of the parts it failed on were only 4 months old :x I've had enough. As much as I still love the looks, the handling is nothing much compared to many of todays cars, and the performance is woeful (1.8 16V) too. Once we've got a few miles out of the latest repairs she will be sold or PX'd against a Mazda MX5 for the G/F to do her hairdressing from, and I shall bid farewell to VW ownership for the forseeable future, as they don't make a single car which interests me any more, and haven't for a long time. I'll still admire everyone elses when I see them on the road, and in time the cost, pain and irritation of owning a C will fade and the memories will be fond, but for now I can't wait to get shut.

[VR6 South 0]

Do you use a main dealer for your MoT's. They tend to be less tolerent.

[davidwatsonok 0]

No. Wouldn't let a main dealer near any of my cars. I have had to correct their bodge-ups on too many cars in the past. £85/hr to have a 16yo screw everything up under the neglectful eye of a single experienced mechanic.

 

I don't want a tollerant MOT tester; I want a reliable, well made car. It has just failed on rear suspension arm bushes, brake hoses and tyres damaged by rubbing (which I admit is my fault for having 17" wheels). These are crucial safety components, and I am glad they picked them up, but want to get shut for a car which doesn't have 3-4 major safety components fail per year. I had to replace the entire hydraulic clutch mechanism just 3 months ago, the rear wing is playing up and the handbrake has been a chocolate fire guard ever since I first owned the car. It fails every single year due to the crappy Girling calipers either seizing, or failing completely.

[VR6 South 0]

I think it's a case of you win some and lose some with a bit of luck thrown in with Corrado ownership. In my 8+ years of ownership and using a number of testing stations, the only failures I have encountered have been top mounts on the front shocks. Everything else has been covered through routine servicing which has never exceded £350. My Polo has cost me more in the two years that it has been with me.

[davidwatsonok 0]

Yup, I've had the top mounts done too, twice :(

[steveo29 0]

mk4 calipers would sort your handbrake for good, theyre pretty cheap now

[Walesy 0]

Shame :(

 

It sounds to me like you may have a bit of a 'Friday afternoon' jobby davidwatsonok, I've always known VW cars to be very strong and reliable :(

 

When you say that parts are failing that have only been on the car for 3 months, that makes me wonder if the parts you're buying aren't OEM parts?..are you using VAG parts or GSF etc?

[bcstudent 0]

the handling is nothing much compared to many of todays cars

 

It has just failed on rear suspension arm bushes

 

Anyone else see a possible link here?! 17'' wheels will also make a 1.8 16v feel slow and upset the handling further.

 

I've had a similar experience to VR6 South; I've MOT'd my Corrado twice in the time I've owned it and it has never needed more than £30 worth of bits and pieces to get through. It's actually been the cheapest car I've ever owned with respect to running costs. I bet there aren't many Corrado owners that can say the same!

[davidwatsonok 0]

The parts I fitted when I did the major renovation were all supplied by GSF, and were all the better of whatever they had available if they had more than one. This was done at about the same time as the head gasket failed for the 3rd time in 5 years, taking out a valve seat in the process forcing the need for a new head. I was quote £1600 for the head, and another £400 to fit it. I ultimately source a Vega remanufactured engine for £1400 and paid £200 for fitting. This was tied in with a new clutch and reconditioning of the gearbox.

 

For what I've spent trying to keep this heap of German poo on the road and looking well, I could have got a Subaru Impreza Spec C WR Limited, and that would have made me smile sooooooooo much more.

[stingman123 0]

"I'll still admire everyone elses when I see them on the road, and in time the cost, pain and irritation of owning a C will fade and the memories will be fond"

 

 

My thoughts exactly when I sold my first Corrado, which was a 1.8 8V, however, I too admired everyone else's Corrado, which turned to envy, the pain never passed you see and now I have a VR6, which is nice.

 

I hope it works out for you and maybe its just me....

 

Good luck M8

[davidwatsonok 0]

In answer to bcstudent, when I initially went ot 17" wheels I was disappointed with the handling, and subsequently did some research which led me to the OZ Superlegerra wheel. Since fitting those the handling was much better than on the OE 15" wheels. The rear suspension arm bushes have been deteriorating for some time, even prior to the fitment of the larger wheels. I was going to do them when I did the overhaul in 2001, but took advice from my local VW specialist whom informed me of how difficult a job it was and so left them in the hope that they would last. They did indeed last another 5 years, and if the interim 5 years had been relatively trouble-free then I would not have any qualms about the need to replace them.

My reference to the handling no longer being up to scratch is I believe justified. 17 years ago the C certainly had the best handling of any FWD car available, and was more than a match for many RWD, and some AWD cars. Chassis design and suspension technology had moved on a long way since then, and cars such as a humble Renault Clio easily outhandle the lumbering bulk of a weighty C, although even the 205GTi from the same generation was as good if not better too. A Ford Focus is now much better than a C for a FWD chassis. My current car (the C is now the G/F's) is a Subaru Impreza WRX PPP fitted with race spec adjustable coilovers and various other chassis/suspension mods to create a car with truly amazing road holding, handling and performance. Getting back in the C after driving that is like jumping from a Ferarri F430 into a Model T.

[bcstudent 0]

That's true....but I suspect you don't live on a racetrack. A well-sorted Corrado is more than capable of keeping with most other front-wheel drive cars, of any age, on the crappy British roads. I think.

 

It also sounds like nothing anyone says is going to change your mind, so it's probably better that you and your Corrado part company before it causes you a nervous breakdown! It's a shame that you've come to despise the car so much.

 

With respect to GSF parts....they're crap. They used to have a good name but they now market mostly bad-quality products. I picked up three new engine mounts from GSF last week for about £90 all in. They're utter shite. The car now vibrates as if the engine was bolted straight to the chassis. I'm only buying genuine from now on.

[davidwatsonok 0]

That's true....but I suspect you don't live on a racetrack.

North Yorkshire police think I think I do :oops: Will be on track in a couple of weeks time, and hopefully another 3-4 times throughout the year, as well as a Euro roadtrip encompassing the 'Ring and Stelvio.

 

Just had a look to see what they're selling for :shock: £850 at the bottom end with some mechanical gremlins. £1300 middle ground and a few delusional hopers asking near £2.5k for 15yo 130k miles+ :?

 

Anybody know what sort of PX usually gets offered. I would have thought at those prices most traders will just palm them off to the auctions for peanuts :cry: