villie 0 Posted June 21, 2006 ..... my 'rado!!!!!! as the title says, i am so sick of my ****ing corrado!!!! every since i bought it i've had problems and im now blowing some steam off. it all started 3 months ago..... looking for a nice mk3 gti.... when I saw this. A red 1.8 16vavler. Looked good. Ran ok. and fell in love.... No problems for the first month or so. Then someone decided to put desiel in the tank. For three damn weeks I was under the impression the headgasket had gone. 3 weeks!!! took it down to my local garage. They told me there was desiel in the tank. AFter getting that sorted, i got the car back. It didnt run the same after but still ran. Was driving it hard all week on tesco's 99ron petrol. I was beginning to feel it was getting better. Then last weekend, the PAS went!! PAS fluid was flooding the steering column and leaking into the driver side footwell.... Took the PAS belt off and drove it home. Its been sitting in the garden for the past week. Also found that the wiring under the steering is damn messy.... been chopped and put back together. Everything works as it should be tho which is good. Took it to the garage again. they said the power steering rack had gone.... costing bout £400 to sort out! I AM SICK OF THIS CAR!!! IN THREE MONTHS ITS COST ME £1000+ just to keep it on the road! I'm planning to get rid of it and recoup as much £ as poss from it.... I know it wont be alot but right now its doing my head in I've seen another one. Well I've heard that a dude is selling one. Not got alot of details about it but I WANT A RADO! and now dont have much £ left. I'm not a mechanic and trying to memorise the buying guide on the wiki for when I go to look at the motor. And from the past faults of this one, keep my eye out for things.... GREEN FLUID in the PAS resevoir, the wiring hasnt been all chopped up. I know this car hasn't got MOT or TAX but i've been told it will fly through a MOT. The dude from the garage knows this dude selling the car and said its a good runner. He's gonna be coming with me to view the car tomorrow. I am now weary bout buying another becuase of the faults of this one. Is there anything I should look out for? I'm gonna try and get the dude to put an MOT on it... hopefully if not then i'l be back on here looking for an honest one. Another question, when looking for a rado, why are there so many red ones for sale (mines red). You'l see this car on autotrader soon..... or if anyone's got reasonable offers them pm me. I feel a little better now. Thanks for listening to me complain peeps... :cry: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smee 0 Posted June 21, 2006 Good luck! Hope this one lives up to expectations, I'm off to view a rado tomorrow myself. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phil K 0 Posted June 21, 2006 Mate I know how you feel.. bought mine and drove it in between probelms for 6 months... then it came off the road for 2 years and has cost me over £4.5K to sort out with a new engine and stoopid mechanics that don't know their ar$e from their elbow... it is now sorted and has been fine for 3 months (although an ABS speed sensor has just given me the finger so it's still not fault free :roll: ) Bottom line is I never expected a 10 year old car to be perfect but I certainly didn't expect the problems I had! Parts do fail and it will cost you money to keep it on the road... take it on the chin and put up with it or buy a modern car and enjoy ''low cost'' motoring... Good luck with it anyway :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davidwatsonok 0 Posted June 23, 2006 I'm in the same boat. Love the car to bits but at the end of my tether with the reliability (or lack of). Just can't stretch to a suitable replacement yet (00> MX5) so the GF will have to keep the C running 'til I start my driving school business. I still drive the Scoob though, so all is well :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted June 23, 2006 Diesel in the tank - not the car's fault. Steering rack - General wear and tear. Messy wiring - not the car's fault. So unless there's more you're not telling us, it's not that bad at all. Try and keep it in perspective. It's an old car ;-) It's the same across all marques. My Mum's supposedley reliable toyota blew it's engine at 52,000 miles, she owned it from new. Unless you get a car that's less than 3 years old, there will always be things to fix/replace. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Petros 0 Posted June 23, 2006 Bottom line is I never expected a 10 year old car to be perfect but I certainly didn't expect the problems I had! Parts do fail and it will cost you money to keep it on the road... take it on the chin and put up with it or buy a modern car and enjoy ''low cost'' motoring... Likewise - in 5 months of ownership I've spent as much money on repairs and new parts as I did buying the car. Do I regret it? Every single minute that I'm not behind the wheel, and when I am it's all worthwhile 8) Ran a Mk4 Astra for 3 years before the C and spent a grand total of £450 on servicing and parts. Would I go back? WIF! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
A20 LEE 0 Posted June 23, 2006 all cars are the same. I'm fixing my S3 already, little niggles with big price tags. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trig 0 Posted June 23, 2006 Yup all older cars will have problems, some are more luckier than others. It was my 1 year anniversary of buying my C on Tuesday and in that year i've spent about 2.5-3k, worth it though because I love my car! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lottysvdub 0 Posted June 23, 2006 kevHaywire said It's the same across all marques. My Mum's supposedley reliable toyota blew it's engine at 52,000 miles, she owned it from new. Unless you get a car that's less than 3 years old, there will always be things to fix/replace. _________________ i work in the motortrade and in the last 3 weeks ive had 2 new cars and 1 4x4 have major engine failure in under 3000 miles so i agree you got an old car that needs a lot of tlc mate , my experiance with corrados are there a work in progress you can only improve on a already classic work of art buddy :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted June 23, 2006 Work in progress......yeah, spot on. If you're passionate about the car, and it's hard not to be where Rados are concerned, then it's worth spending a few bob to keep it healthy. Every time I go to the dealer, the staff always look at the car and comment amongst themselves. Simple things like that make the sweat and toil worth it. One VW mechanic I spoke to recently was cursing the MK5 GTI. They seem to have a number of issues, particularly with the electrical systems. Ironically he said he misses working on VR6s as they never go wrong, LOL! I was going to mention chains but thought I'd better of it and let him say his bit! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jazzdevil 0 Posted June 25, 2006 Yup all older cars will have problems, some are more luckier than others. It was my 1 year anniversary of buying my C on Tuesday and in that year i've spent about 2.5-3k, worth it though because I love my car! ...that makes me feel better, i've only parted with 1k (includes £300 worth of new rubber) and my one year anniversary was Thursday. Although seeing the number of posts you've made in the same 12mths i guess you're more committed than me :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JMC 0 Posted June 25, 2006 Don't do it.... Older cars are pretty much always the same. I had about 6 months of grief with mine as I was fixing the things which the previous owner had let slide. I also thought about getting rid of her, on many occasion :( After that it was just general wear and tear, and whenever I could I replaced items with uprated/aftermarket ones where they would make an improvement. Despite the few niggles every now and then, I would be loathe to get rid of her. :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris VR6nos 0 Posted June 25, 2006 Once upon a time, when i was around the same age as you are now, i knew little or nothing about cars but was determined to find out. It's a learning curve which you can enjoy, the things you mentioned are easy enough to fix yourself. The rack is a little awkward but if you don't mind getting oily it's easy to replace. As for the wiring, get your soldering iron out and solder them together propperly, when you have done these things you will not only feel pleased with yourself but you will learn about your car and know those things are done and won't be a problem again, i'd keep it and tinker with it, it'll turn out to be a sorted car that you know well and fall in love with, mark my words. You may have to do similar or harder things to this new car if you get it so think what you want to do. VR6's go wrong the least and G60's seem to go wrong the most. Chris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
veeDuB_Rado 0 Posted June 25, 2006 Very true chris. I don't know bugger all about cars tbh, and what I know now is what I've changed (and messed up :lol:) I know how to change things like the dizzy (yea i know not exactly technical, but I done it myself with some info off here and now I DO know how to do it, I've had a few PM's off people on here asking how to change it because they know I've done it :)) So stick with it, it could be a learning curve for you ;) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
saysomestuff 0 Posted June 25, 2006 Took it to the garage again. they said the power steering rack had gone.... costing bout £400 to sort out! You need to find a new garage mate mine was £254 inc. VAT for a recon unit and fitting. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickVR6 0 Posted June 25, 2006 Wow, this sounds familier. I've now spent more than i paid for the car on it in the 13mnths ive had it, but the fact is i love it, and couldnt afford to get rid of it now. The other half said a few months back, i thought you'd said that you'd fixed ...... now so why are you still fiddling with the car every weekend. BECAUSE ITS A HOBBY! Not just transport, or id have a 2yr old 1.0 polo and door other people instead! I'd say you've been lucky with only problem fault being the rack at the end of the day! Great to here your after another, and ill admit there are good and bad'ns. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
veeDuB_Rado 0 Posted June 25, 2006 BECAUSE ITS A HOBBY! . Exactly! I get people saying to me "Why do you pay so much insurance for that, why not get something cheaper" or somethingalong the lines of that. My reply? "It's a hobby and it keeps me going, I'd NEVER drive a car that I don't enjoy having" I know for a fact I'm gonna have a Rado in my car list for life... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henny 0 Posted June 26, 2006 I've now ploughed about 12K into my 'rados in the couple of years I've had them... and I'd do it again... they've kept me occupied, kept my mind going, entertained me and kept me safe in what could have been a serious accident when someone pulled out in front of and wrote off J-DUB... 8) I originally bought J-DUB 'cos I commute for an hour in the morning and then again in the evening and I wanted a car that was comfortable, nice to drive and quick when I had the opportunity to use it... the fact that it's 15+ years old now and that I can maintain (and modify!) it myself means that I actually SAVED money over a newer car, although that saving tended to be eaten up by yet more modifications... :oops: :lol: Yes, they're frustrating when something goes wrong (like the brakes on H-YYU at the moment! :roll: ) but when they're purring along smoothly or blasting along maniacally, you just can't beat them for the money... 8) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
16vradge 0 Posted June 26, 2006 It's a learning curve which you can enjoy, the things you mentioned are easy enough to fix yourself. The rack is a little awkward but if you don't mind getting oily it's easy to replace. As for the wiring, get your soldering iron out and solder them together properly, when you have done these things you will not only feel pleased with yourself but you will learn about your car and know those things are done and won't be a problem again, i'd keep it and tinker with it, it'll turn out to be a sorted car that you know well and fall in love with, mark my words. You may have to do similar or harder things to this new car if you get it so think what you want to do. Chris Couldn't have said it better. Keep it - fix it yourself. Even if you get one in finer fettle you'll have to take it to the garage everytime things break - and they do break. You'll save money in the long run if you DIY. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.Rich. 0 Posted June 26, 2006 Despite the empty wallet, scraped knuckles and dirty fingers owning a corrado is still really rewarding. The corrado itself is very reliable and would have cost me nothing sofar if i treated it like 'car'. To outsiders (girlfriend / parents) I look like right wierdo spending hours battling against a rusty old bolt and taking pleasure in my victory over it! But it makes me smile when i get it back on the road on a sunday night ready for work on monday and the car feels even better. Even the girlfriend is starting to secretly enjoy the attention you get from strangers, especially since ive chucked some shiney alloys on! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
villie 0 Posted July 20, 2006 Hey all..... after spending all this time in a daze.... in bars.... walkin the empty streets at night and reading through your comments, i've decided to get the car fixed.... question now is...... where the f**k do i get a powersteering rack from?? my mechanic told me £700 for a new one and I AM NOT PAYING THAT MUCH!!! anyone point me in the right direction?? I tooke the car to AVIT, they're the ones who quoted me bout £400..... anybody else know of any other garages in slough? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 2 Posted July 20, 2006 You're not a million miles away from The Phirm in Guildford.. very well regarded VW specialists used by many members in here! Sure they'd be a bit more realistic on their prices! http://www.thephirm.co.uk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Concept-e 0 Posted July 20, 2006 the phirm are awesome, top bunch of lads, highly reccomended!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
villie 0 Posted August 18, 2006 got the car fixed!!!!!! :D a new lease of life for it!!! DRINKS ON ME!!! once i paid of my credit card bill :cry: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
