Kevin Bacon

Paul said 'his' VR6 doesn't give more than 25mpg! Mine averaged 34mpg on the way to and from Stealth (calculated the old fashioned way) with a mixture of hard and moderate driving but I know if I gave the engine death every where I went, I'd struggle to get above 25 too. Kev 94 VR6

They handle a lot better too, a LOT better. Kev 94 VR6

Have you got a part number for the 'correct' plugs as I've got regular Bosch twins in mine. Cheers Kev 94 VR6

Lambda is just another name for the O2 sensor. Any car with a cat has a Lambda/O2 sensor. What colour were the deposits on the spark plug? Black sooty deposits = running rich, grey/light brown deposits = spot on, white deposits = too lean and black oily deposits = burning oil. Cyl no 6 (battery end, front) is usually the first cylinder to show signs of burning. Carbon doesn't flake off the engine and then adhere to the spark plugs I'm sorry to say. All 6 plugs should be the same colour, indicating a healthy engine. Were they all the same except no 1? Kev

Yes it continuosly monitors oxygen content in the exhaust gases and this is done for two reasons:- 1. To protect the cat. Running too rich or too lean will eventually destroy it. 2. Optimum performance and economy. The Motronic management reacts to the resistance differences in the O2 sensor and either weakens or enrichens the mixture accordingly. If the sensor dies, the motronic acts blind and usually loads a 'default' get you home map, which is usually rich. This can give bad running and jerkiness, but mainly when driving. Your problem could be the coil pack although I don't think that will show up on VAG-COM as it's not monitored, as far as I know. You could try unplugging the leads one by one until the faulty pack reveals itself. Kev 94 VR6

The turn2 poly mounts also put vibration into the car at idle but unlike the VT mount, it doesn't fully go away when driving. At the end of the day, if you're going to rip out the VAG soft rubber and replace it with an uprated material, you have to accept a sacrifice in refinement and in my experience, the VT mount offers the best compromise. If you're happy to pootle along at moderate speeds, the stock mounts suffice but if you want the engine to stay still when cornering hard and upchanging to 3rd from 2nd flat out without crunching, then either the turn2 or VT mount is the way to go. VR6 - I'm happy with the combination of the turn2 box mount and VT front but if you go fully VT, any vibrations should cancel eachother out - in theory! Stealth can supply you with the VT mounts. Might be worth trying my car before taking the plunge as VT mounts are expensive as G60ING pointed out. Cheers Kev

Cheers Scott, I'll avoid an accident then!! I might give Brentacre another go as I want to mod my car (mildly) and I don't think AXA will allow any mods. Kev

It might be your O2 sensor but a diag test will tell you for sure. Kev 94 VR6

The grade of poly turn2 use is too stiff in my opinion and it does introduce vibration into the cabin, contrary to their website information. The most noticeable vibration occurs at 4,500 rpm but it isn't unbearable. Starting the engine gives a noticeable jolt too when the engine fires. I've had a radiator fracture because of this in the past. No for me, the Vibratechnics mount is perfect and much better than the turn2 ones imo. Kev 94 VR6

Wouldn't putting fluid at the bottom of the strut cause a hydraulic lock when you tighten the nut down? Anyway, I hate inserts, twice as much work. I'd rather bin them, pay the small difference and get full struts. If you choose Konis - I would - then you can have these rebuilt if and when they wear out. When it comes to brands like Koni, I don't think there is a massive difference in price to be honest. As an idea, the difference in price between a top adjustable rear and a non adjustable rear Koni is about £8 GBP. Cheers Kev

Oh, as for DIY. The turn2 front lower mount is a 10 minute job. The VT one is harder work as it does away with two mounts and uses just the one. You would need to jack the engine up. Tricky. Vince did my mounts whilst doing the clutch, so was a lot easier. Kev

Read my thread in the general section. Don't bother with the turn2 front mount although you can have mine if you want it. I have used a turn2 gearbox mount (rubber) and a Vibratechnics front mount. These two totally eliminate engine slop, introduce NO vibration and improve handling, gearchange and general feel of the car. I really can't recommend this combination enough. You know when you step off the gas and you get a shunt as the engine falls back down on to it's mount? That is now totally gone and you can rev up and come off the gas in a low gear without the usual shunting. Another thing to bear in mind is the risk of the standard bottom front mount collapsing and allowing the engine to hit the bonnet. This is impossible with the turn2 and VT mounts. I just didn't want that happening but the other benefits justify the cost anyway. Vince charged me £95 for the VT front and the turn2 gearbox mount was shipped in at around £20. Cheers Kev

I find 250bhp hard to believe, but don't take that the wrong way. I've driven a 2.0 G60 with cams, charger upgrades, chipped etc etc and that only mustered 238bhp. As 8vG60 says, there is a limit to what the 1.8 can achieve as the exhaust manifold ports are tiny. You need a 16v G60 for serious G Lader power. Having said all that, didn't Mr Jereon Dik muster around 300 bhp from a 1.8 G60 using some of his 'special' parts and a VW motorsport charger? Oh yes, I remember now, he custom made an exhaust manifold with 50mm ports and used a special head which also had 50mm ports. Kev 94 VR6

He he, you think Golf VR6's are quick, try a Corrado VR6! Especially one with VibraTechnics engine mounts :D Sell your valver and get one, you know it makes sense and you won't look back. Kev 94 VR6

It's only when they get heavy you need to change it out. The bite always was a bit vague due to the hydraulic action but a good clutch should start biting at the bottom of the pedal travel. If it bites quite high up the pedal, it's gone beyond it's half-worn point and replacement should be considered, but it won't slip, just give notchy changes. Kev

Brentacre are good and set a BHP limit but you can do anything to your car -except roll cages - you want and it won't increase the premium. The only snag is they are underwritten by Highway and they're shite for paying out if you have an accident. I'm now with AXA direct (Brentacre wanted nearly a grand to insure a VR6) and for such a big player, my premium of £600 comp for a VR6 is hard to beat. Kev 94 VR6

Yeah the 2.9 is not a good idler for some reason but when driving I can't tell the difference to be honest. It's a bigger, more powerful engine, so you have to expect a small trade-off. Still, the Corrado always was meant to be a high performance coupe, where as the Golf is more of a luxury hatch (in standard form), so customers of this car (was the same price as a BMW 3 series don't forget) expected high levels of refinement, hence the 2.9 being de-tuned to 2.8. The Highlines were better still with it's OBD2 motronic. Both are cracking units though and are so successful, the VAG group are dumping the 1.8T in favour of the VR for their high performance models :D Instant grunt and a much better sound track! Kev 94 VR6

You can buy stuff like that direct from Bosch much cheaper than other places. For example, my old BMW 325i needed a new MAF, which from BMW was £450 but direct from Bosch it cost £250. The only snag is you need to get friendly with an independant as I don't think you can buy them unless you're in the trade. Kev 94 VR6

Yeah I've heard that about Optimax too. Hopefully they'll bring 5 star fuel back again (100 octane) but Optimax isn't far off that. Who knows, maybe shell will launch a Optimax 'Plus' in a couple of years! The VR6 loves the stuff :lol: Kev

I've ordered another driver's side arm for the passenger side to see how I get on with that. There's nothing wrong with the D + P setup, it's just that I'm a little concerned that someone might lift the wiper up (valeters, girlfriend, fly posters etc) and not know it won't clear the bonnet. I got the same response as you Andi, none in the country. Apparently it's not just Golf/Corrado owners that are doing the mod. These wipers are so successful they are selling like hot cakes to people across the whole VAG spectrum as a cheap upgrade. Cheers Kev

What do you mean by dim dip? The main headlight (position 2)? surely these must be working otherwise you'd blind people with your full beams all the while! The glovebox light consumes a much smaller wattage than the dipped beams, so unlikely to share that fuse. I believe it shares the dash illumination fuses. Perhaps your glovebox switch is iffy? Cheers Kev

Yeah you can just fit a pressure guage at the main inlet on the metering head (the bigger of the two banjo joints) or flow checking can give a good idea of pressure too. You basically pop each injector into a 1 litre measuring tube, set the metering head to deliver full flow to the injectors (can't remember how you do that) and then switch the pump on with a remote switch (bypassing the pump relay). The injectors should flow a litre over a given time, 4 or 5 seconds I think it is. At the end of the time period, stop turn off the pump and see how much fuel is in each tube. Differences in quantity highlight blocked injectors. If they're all level but less than a litre each, the pump isn't dishing out enough fuel. Cheers Kev

The main pump buzzes a little which is normal, it's when it sounds like it's pumping sand is when it's definitely gone. Mine was actually quiet but it just didn't have enough pressure to meet the engine's fuelling demands at high revs. The only sure way to check it is by pressure testing it. It should deliver at least 75psi (I think). Vince sold a new one for £70 a few years ago but I don't know how much they are now. The 16v is a fickle little beast, I know mine was but I got it running and idling perfectly in the end by replacing all 8 injector seals, the 4 orange plastic injector guide tubes and the 4 brass seats. I also changed all the manifold gaskets, added K star (mine was a 1.8) and had the injectors flow checked and finally a 'Vince' set up. It was sweet after that, never faltered once. After that little lot it kicked out 149bhp and was standard, bar the K star. Cheers Kev

Ooops sorry yes I did get the dates muddled up! Yep still on for the 10th, and possibly the 12th aswell to meet some of the other guys too. Jim, Graham is always cursing and swearing when I'm there! Must be my prescence that brings out the worst in him, LOL! Kev

Jim, exactly right with Vince. He values loyal customers and helps new ones as best he can. He doesn't BS you or waste your time with rubbish parts that won't make a difference. He's not a salesman, he's an enthusiast, which is why I've been frequenting his establishment for 4 years, despite Graham (the old guy) lobbing spanners across the workshop when things don't go his way, LOL! Kev