scarlet_vr6's blackberry!

[KIPVW 0]

Tell me about it John :( :lol:

[scarlet_vr6 0]

In the last year, I have done nothing to my Corrado except drive it and I’ve also been absent from the forum. About a month ago though, that all changed and I’m full of motivation (if not funds!) to get on with it again. I still have so many things I want to do with this car and I hope that some will happen soon :D

 

Over the years I have collected various parts – if I saw trims and so on which were in better condition than the current, then I bought them. I had collected quite a few bits and pieces and then last summer I was lucky to get the vast majority of an interior which is in very good condition. It’s the same standard black cloth with bluey-purple detail as I already had, which I rather like.

 

I wasn’t happy just swapping everything over though! Before any of it went near my car, I wanted it to be thoroughly cleaned. I owe a massive thank you to Guy from TONA Valeting and Detailing for his help with this; I had no idea how to do it all properly so we spent a good day doing this. I now have lots more knowledge, but I’m not sure I have that much more skill!

 

First job was to clean the new seats (front and rear) and this was done with a wet vac extraction machine (the ever smiling Henry ;) ) and a solution comprising Autosmart Biobrisk, Autosmart Brisk Low Foam and Autosmart G101. The seats weren’t particularly dirty, especially the rear ones which look like they have barely been used.

 

Next up for treatment were the door cards and rear cards. The same solution was used for the material parts but applied lightly using a trigger spray and cleaned off with a microfibre. The plastics on the cards were cleaned with G101, agitated, wiped with a microfibre and then dressed with Autosmart Pazzazz. Luckily the sun had his hat on, so everything was left outside to bask and dry :)

 

 

Having done all this, we removed the old interior… all seats and cards and all the trims in the centre tunnel section, so everything around the gear stick and handbrake, right back to the rear seats.

 

 

Next job was to clean the area under the rear seats, seat runners, front seat anchor points and the areas underneath the handbrake and around the gearstick and VAG-COM point. This was conducted with G101 applied with a trigger spray, agitated with an Envy detail brush and wiped down with a microfibre. Tardis was applied on stubborn grease/glue/waxoil marks with a trigger spray and removed with a microfibre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scarlet_vr6 0]

We left the carpet in place, but this was treated to the same wet vac experience as the seats. It seems that something like coffee was spilt in the passenger footwell at some point. That must have happened over 6½ years ago, because it definitely didn’t happen in the time that I’ve owned the car! It took 2 attempts to get rid of it, but it worked! I had never noticed the mark before but it was great seeing it being vacuumed up :)

 

 

All the duplicate trims were then compared to make sure that the better stuff was going back in the car. These were cleaned using the same method as the plastics on the cards, but were dressed with Autosmart Finish.

 

I am lucky that the new leather handbrake handle is in such good condition. My old one is very poor; the stitching along the top is unravelling and the leather is peeling away from the front of the handle near the button. The new gearknob is also pretty good so both of these were cleaned with Gliptone Classic Leather Cleaner. (I love the smell of that stuff so much that I’m almost tempted to sell this interior and buy a leather one…)

 

 

 

 

 

Then the best bit! Putting everything back and marvelling at the difference!! :D The photos don’t really do it justice as the seats look almost grey in them, but they are actually a lovely, deep black now. At some point I need to give the dash, the A-, B- and C-post trims, the headlining and the boot trims a thorough clean but I’m in no rush… I’m too busy enjoying it as it is :D I just need to find a decent air freshener now as Bosun smelled lovely for the first few days, but sadly it has mostly worn off now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally I’d like to recommend TONA Valeting and Detailing. I’m delighted with the results – it has turned out very nice indeed! :dance: :dance:

 

 

Another major update coming soon… 8)

[Yandards 0]

Looks good Fay, nothing quite as satisfying as a damn good clean up like that and seeing it all come together as you hoped.

[KADVR6 0]

cant beat a nice clean interior Fay, plus it smells soooo much nicer after a proper clean.

[Jim 2]

And the beauty of not using the car as a daily means when you get back into the car a week or two later, it's still as immaculate and clean smelling as it was when you did it :) Looks great.. and glad to hear you're still full of enthusiasm for the car and hanging onto it! :)

[scarlet_vr6 0]

So, in my last update a few months ago, I said that there were a few things I wanted to do, and a few things have now happened! I just hadn’t found time to post...

 

The very first thing to do was fix the incredibly irritating rattle from the passenger door! It was only the bar for the interior door handle rattling against the door and that was cured with some felt tape. Whilst I had the door card off and the door membrane peeled back, I decided to remove anything which was trapped in the bottom of the door. This included lots of glass from when the window was broken before I owned the car.

 

 

Next up was a trip to DG for a bit of mechanical tlc. A problem with 1st gear had developed, so Graham kindly sold me his old gearbox which he fitted along with a new clutch. The starter was sticking so this was replaced with a second hand unit too. He also replaced the timing chains, guides and tensioners as this work was long overdue…

 

 

Whilst there, Graham also carried out a service and the headlight switch fuse mod.

 

I also needed to buy 2 new tyres, and having had Pirelli P7000s and P Zero Neros for quite some time, I decided to see what else is available. I did a bit of research, mostly on the tyres thread on here and decided to go for Continental Sport Contact 3s. These are now on the rear, with the intention of wearing the remaining Pirellis out and replacing them with another pair of SC3s.

 

This was all done in October and November last year, and a bit more work (and play!) has been done since then, so there will be another update and some more photos in the next few days… :)

[Jim 2]

Blimey - you really have been going crazy on the car! Looking forward to a spin in it at some point even more now Fay! :)

[scarlet_vr6 0]

Thanks Jim :) Yes, we’ll definitely have to arrange a drive at the next show!

 

 

 

After all that cleaning work on the interior, I realised that the seat mechs hadn’t been cleaned, so a little work with a couple of cocktail sticks, an unused mascara wand and some APC sorted that out quite nicely!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With that work done, it was time for my C to hit the rollers at the Stealth Rolling Road Day. It had been 3.5 years since the last run out on those rollers so I was keen to see if all was still as it should be. Results were

 

corrected power at flywheel

Apr ’08 – 190.2bhp

Nov ’11 – 186.7bhp (it seems one horse is escaping each year!)

 

corrected max engine torque

Apr ’08 – 182.3 lb ft

Nov ’11 – 195.1 lb ft

 

Delighted with the torque gain! 8)

 

 

 

More recently, I had to change a headlight bulb. I realised that in 6.5 years of ownership, I’d never had to change one before (pretty good going, I thought!) and was surprised that it only took me about 10 mins. I was expecting a lot more arguing with awkward clips than that!

 

 

 

As for the Jetta, it has spent a long time off the road without tax or MOT, slowly turning Tornado Pink :( However, it has received a lot of attn recently and is freshly taxed, tested, serviced and has even had a bath and a quick machine polish. Black Wow has done a good job of transforming the very pale grey bumpers and exterior trims…

 

 

 

I was really pleased to get the Jetta back on the road, not just so the Corrado can become my weekend toy again but also because it’s so much fun to drive! It feels so basic compared to the C, and the steering is so heavy, but I’d forgotten just how nippy it is! It definitely makes me smile :)

 

However, after just a week of driving the J, how wonderful to get back into the C! I realised how much I’d been taking my rado for granted again, and that ‘first’ drive was great! The sun was shining, the windows were down, the sunroof was open, the sunglasses were on and the VR and the BMC were singing!! 8) All was right with the world until a 997 Turbo went by in the other direction and completely stole my thunder :lol: I didn’t mind too much though; it was good to hear one at full chat! Roll on the dog days for more sunshine and driving :D

[KIPVW 0]

love the update fay, always nice to read about this kind of progress :) good work kiddo x

[scarlet_vr6 0]

Thank you Kip :D Lots of small steps, but I’m happy with the progress and feel like I’m getting somewhere at last!

 

 

Last Sunday I reached a bit of a milestone in my grand improvement plan for the Corrado; I finally got rid of the horrendous bonnet!

 

About 5 years ago, I think someone poured brake fluid or paint thinner over the bonnet and ever since, the lacquer seems to have been just melting away and the paint fading. It is in an appalling state, but I didn’t want to pay to have it painted, as one day, I hope the whole car will receive that treatment!

 

 

Trying to find a blackberry bonnet in reasonable condition seemed impossible, especially one close to home. A few months ago though, I was offered a straight swap – my old black cloth interior for a blackberry bonnet. Deal done! I had no use for the interior and didn’t think it was worth much because of the condition, so this was ideal!

 

On Sunday, a friend who has a van very kindly helped me collect the bonnet. Conveniently, that afternoon was the monthly VAG meet I attend, so we took the bonnet along. Before we went to the meet, my C was treated to it’s first ever snow foam experience and also all exterior trims, especially the sunroof surround were treated to remove all the mossy stuff which had made my car it’s home!

 

the tea escaped the snow storm but the 944 didn’t quite!

 

I am really touched that so many people (a lot more than in the photos!) at the meet helped fit the bonnet :D As soon as there was the hint of some work to be done and toolkits appearing, everyone was offering to help! This is one of the things that I love so much about going to meets and shows – everyone is so eager to help each other out and their enthusiasm to see progress on someone else’s car is fantastic. Maybe everyone was just sick of seeing such an untidy Corrado at the meet though, especially since I’m normally the sole Corrado representative!!

 

So a swarm of people, some helping, some photographing, one filming and lots encouraging, spent a happy 15 minutes in the pub car park and suddenly I had a dusty but completely purple bonnet on the car! The dust didn’t stand a chance against some quick detailer and a microfibre followed by some sealant though!

 

 

 

What a difference Sunday has made! Yes, the bodywork still needs lots of attention, but the car is so much more presentable now and once the weather is a bit better and the show season is upon us, I plan to treat the car to some paintwork correction and a machine polish.

 

In the meantime, I am so chuffed to have an entirely blackberry bonnet again. Finally!! :dance:

 

 

 

Next job is to clean up and fit the blackberry slam panel I have, so that the whole car is the right colour once more!

 

I owe massive thanks to all my great friends who helped with this, and extra thanks to Nick Horne (horney) for permission to use the photos he took :D

[KIPVW 0]

brilliant! :) the slam panel is an easy job providing all the headlight screws come out, i think it takes about half an hour to remove one if that..

 

bit longer to put one in though with all the cleaning i know you'll want to do as you go lol!

[VWVW 1]

Iam sure that there are 2 screws on either side of the slamp panel that you can only get to by taking the front bumper off. Cant remember for sure. If the bumpers are coming off its best to also support the engine.

[KIPVW 0]

yeah bumper has to be off anyway!

[scarlet_vr6 0]

Spot on Kip! It will take me ages cos I reckon that would be a good time to clean up round the front of the engine bay too :)

 

Luckily, I've taken the headlights out a number of times so those screws won't be a problem. I do need to buy a part that is missing though. I have no idea what it's called, but it's the bar which holds the base of the slam panel and the bumper together... at least I think that's correct... I just know it's missing!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[OllieVR6 0]

Looking good chief! Looks soooooooo much better!

 

I still need to get my ass down to the 'stoke for a meet so you aren't the sole Corrado representative!

[KIPVW 0]

Fay do you mean the metal strip that holds the chin spoiler and bumper togethet which then also bolts that to the lower valance/radiator support?

 

if so they were about £30 new from the dealers last year as i bought one for mw nugget, youl neen all the bolts too.

 

part number is, Reinforcement plate, 535 807 181

& you need 5 Fitted bolts, Self locking part number, N904 338 01

[scarlet_vr6 0]

Thanks Ollie :) Think the meets are going to be on Thursday nights again instead of Sundays, now that the days are getting longer and the show season is round the corner. It's usually on the last Thurs/Sun of each month, so I expect the next meet will be on 29th March and it's held at The Longbridge Mill on the A33.

 

Kip, no that isn't what I mean, although I have a feeling that may be missing too, so thanks for the info! I thought there should be a piece which secures the base of the slam panel? I'm sure that Graham said there is a part missing which runs horizontally, parallel to the bumper and helps tighten the front end up? It's very likely that I misunderstood what Graham was telling me though, and what you have mentioned is exactly what I need!

Edited March 3, 2012 by scarlet_vr6

[lauraJ 0]

Faye I might have to join you in going to one of these meets - as long as you dont mind a hanger on. I must make more of an effort this year to get to meets. Easy enough to say that you will go and then i always forget.

 

I've been reading your updates and you're making great progress! The car looks fab... very jealous :)

[scarlet_vr6 0]

Of course I don't mind, Laura - it would be great to have you there! :) I'll try to remember to drop you a pm a few days before the next meet.

 

Thanks for the compliment too :) Progress is slow but I'm gradually getting there, and I'm over the moon with what has been done recently. Long may it continue!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CazzaVR 0]

Happy days, although the new bonnet lacks the 'character' of the old one :lol:

[Macdaddy 10]

Massive improvement!

 

My favourite colour Rado too................... Funnily enough!

[scarlet_vr6 0]

Happy days, although the new bonnet lacks the 'character' of the old one :lol:

 

it's ok - plenty of other bits of the car have 'character'!!

 

Massive improvement!

 

My favourite colour Rado too................... Funnily enough!

 

thanks :) Definitely the best colour, but no bias here!

[ChrisL 18]

Big improvement. I'm feeling left out with all the work going into Blackberry Corrados at the moment.

[lilfuzzer 1]

Don't worry Chris mine still looks like a harlequin!

 

Liking the cleaning of the dirty greased up areas day. Nice work :)