TomB

rosswalker, cheers, at least it's good to know they go the other way! Suprisingly it didn't fail the MOT on the tyres...only on the brakes. :-) Time for some fun this weekend... Cheers, Tom

The Maza centre bore is 3mm smaller than that of the Golf unfortunately. gradeAfailure, if they were a set of mint alloys that I really wanted for mine, then I'd consider that, but it's just some tatty steelies that came from my Mum's MX5. I'm helping a friend do up a tatty 1.3 Mk2 as a cheap runabout for his good lady, and was idly wondering if we had to go to the expense of getting new tyres when it inevitably fails the MOT :-). It's been stood in a car park for 18 months, and so the rubber isn't in the best nick, however, as part worn tyres from the srappy are only £10, I think that's the best option... 8) Cheers again for your help, Tom

gradeAfailure, thanks for that. That unfortunately means that the Mazda wheels will not fit. :roll: Oh well, back to eBay :-) Thanks again, Tom

andyVR6, they'll let you get your own stuff if the car's in the general yard, but they can be expensive on anything you declare... Cheers, Tom

Just to resurect this post with a similar question :-) the rusty wheels have been replaced, however, I think they might fit on a Mk2 Golf (not mine). Can anyone with ETKA confirm the the centre bore for a Mk2 please? Cheers, Tom

andyVR6, there was a 1.8 valver in Simpson's Salvage, Stamford Bridge about a month back. I'm not sure if they still have it, but it might be worth giving them a bell. Cheers, Tom

Welcome aboard man.

Welcome to the forum mate.

Man, that's bad. I'd take the Fix Or Repair Daily saloon driving git to the cleaners for busting up your 'rado. Cheesy as it sounds though, I'm glad you're alright and walked away at the end of the day. Cheers, Tom P.S There's a thread on here somewhere about various write-offs/accidents people have had, I'd add those pics to it as a warning :-)

Well, no reported offences for me yet! The search up the top is fun :-)

chubbybrown, if you're willing to buy 1000l at a time, then you can buy biodiesel and have it delivered... http://www.bulldogbiofuels.com/biodiesel G60Jet, I use a blend of 80% recycled vegetable oil in my Golf, and it prefers it to the stuff from the pump. I found that in the 1.8 valver, there was very little difference between running on 95 and 97RON tbh, even though it was specified to run on '98. I never put Optimax in as it was too pricey! Cheers, Tom

Do you have an uprated headlight loom? I only ask because that was once the cause of a repeated flat battery, as the relay in it was faulty and would randomly turn on the headlights and flatten the battery. It was only when I caught it happening once that I worked it out... Good luck, Tom

Could it be your ignition switch on the way out? Does the rev counter jump erratically when you turn the key but it refuses to fire? Cheers, Tom

I'm agreeing with Phil K here, I'm sure it was more along the 7-8 second line than 10. Ultimately, you also have to consider relative weights as well, as I'm guessing that the Cupra with all of its safety kit (airbags, pah! :-) ) will weight in a couple of hundred KGs more than a 'rado. My first 'rado was a 2l 16v and I loved it, it was chuckable, fun, and not slow by any stretch... Cheers, Tom

I was when I owned one. Probably to do with the fact that it was unexciting dross. :-)

It all depends who you're trying to sell to tbh. An enthusiast (who is the most likely person to be looking at your car) will probably appreciate the subtle mods you have made to compliment the car. Someone who just thinks 'that looks nice' may well be put off by modifications, but then they probably wouldn't be serious about buying anyway. Wheels tend to be a very personal choice, so perhaps it's worth return to a set of speedlines (if you can get the brakes under them that is :-) ). Keep it modified, as there's nothing there that doesn't compliment the car IMO. Cheers, Tom

Welcome aboard.

Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out :-) Seriously though, best of luck with it, it sounds like a nightmare. Could you get anywhere by starting to write letters to the CE of the Insurance company? I've found this to be most effective in getting resulting the past, especially with a good smattering of the words 'dissapointed' 'let-down' & 'unlikely to ever use your sevices again.' Cheers, Tom

Perhaps this should be in Drivetrain, but I shall leave that up to the Mods... I should be on my way back from France at the moment, but I had a bit of a breakdown in the Golf on the M20 at about 7am this morning. It kept popping out of 5th Gear, then lost a few gears as I pulled into the Services at Jn 8, and then resolutely refused to give me 2nd, 3rd and 5th (I think). An investigation with the help of the RAC revealed that it would only be persuaded with applications of force from clutch foot & left arm. It then made like the brakes were jammed on when trying to engage Reverse & 1st until I gave it an awful lot of right foot, and even so, it was juddering like something with St. Vitus Dance. Once I finally got it moving, it smoothed out, and only popped out of 5th a couple of times.... Apparently it's a 5 gear VW trait to lose gearbox oil from the driveshaft seals, and the level should get topped up at services but often doesn't. 5th Gear is the first to suffer, and runs 'dry' leading to gearbox issues. In my case, part of the cogs had jammed part of the other cogs (1st & reverse) and it was only when brutal with the accelerator that I mangled the loose metal and got the gears to mesh. I may however have FUBARed my gearbox, (I'm not going to know for a couple of weeks if it's going to blow copmpletely) so I recommend checking your gearbox oil (or making sure the garage have) as soon as possible. Not sure if it's the same on the Corrado as the Mk2, but as it's apparently a VW trait, so best to check perhaps? Cheers, Tom

Bucket of arse. However, there's no doubt that people will buy it.

Could be your ignition switch mate, there's a how to guide about I think if you have the part. To check it though, you need a 1m long piece of thick-ish wire to run between the starter motor (you need to remove the connection first) and the positive terminal of the battery. Cheers, Tom

Welcome aboard! That sounds like a good starting list of problems to fix :-)

Just a thought, but do you have a second, perhaps previously unknown about, mechanical immobiliser in addition to your electronic one? I only as, as the sympton of it dying when letting the clutch out, is exactly what happened to me on my old valver. Turned out to be a mechanical immob under the gear stick surround, and every time I depressed the clutch pedal, the frayed wire stretched and kicked in the immobiliser... Good luck with it mate, Tom

Finally got the new aerial plumbed in to the back of the radio in the Golf....after THREE FRELLING HOURS with a piece of string and a coathanger. Then I got to put the dashboard back together... On the plus side, I now have a working stereo for the first time in months...

I think it looks better than standard TBH, but I've been at work sine half eight this morning, and only just got in, so I'm probably not thinking straight...