StuartFZR400

i've been looking for over a year for a reasonable price. new restrictions will make prices even higher next year, as they move to a non-solvent paint. £500 seems fair. Everywhere I go, they quote £450 to do the drivers door, simply because they insist on blending into the panels either side of the door to make it seem seemless. They seem to be out to rob yu, as the price barely improves as you add more work, even though the paint will be in the pot.

clear should be best - surely? mine are smoked but seem to suit the colour of my car, as per sig

Are those 3 parts: caliper, caliper mount, and hoses? Can't find them on C&R - whats teh cost for doing the pair?

Does anyone know the correct direction to turn it to wind inward? I tried this a couple months back and it seemed to do nothing in either direction, then all of a sudden went back in. Not pushing my luck, I just popped it on there and then. I only ask, as Im taking them off again this weekend...

Cheers lads and Im sure I will need to refer to this thread in the future. Meanwhile a loose plug was the problem; not sure why as all the others were fine and done to correct torque. Engine now totally quiet once warm, but still sounds rattly (very different noise to taps) on cold start; common on the 16v?!! so im told.

Rob Try your local papers for real cheapo cars, being sold by people who havnt time or knowledge to sell a car. I sold my Mk2 CL for £300, with about 110k miles. Theres an old 1.3 Golf HERE CLICK possibly worth a look. - A Mk3 GOLF. You're just going to have to go and look at a few dogs at that price and find the least worst one. And also at this price, they just want more than £100 to take it off their drive. Check for the usual stuff, blue smoke and all that. Sills will usually be going. Check it on a cold start; auto choke. IMO, she's better off buying a nippy 1.4 Polo and spending more on the car and less on tax/ins

Well Mat, I refused to bend over and take it. A free check turned out the best bet in the end. Being done over at VW Cov doesn't surprise me; they told me it would take 1.5hrs to check an ABS error code; and they'd be willing to throw in a free diagnostic for the rest of teh car. Gee thanks.

Nope, this stays all journey. The first time the car has ever had a sound that does stay. Might get Tempest to have a listen if he's free. Or if you're free any time JIM? No idea what replaced tappets should cost ---- do you?

? Too cheap ? Its been there for about 20 years, this place, and is on an old run down industrial estate. As my friend has been going there for years, the guy let me plug in for free. It was worth the small journey from Warwick direction; considering VW want £89

As there could be a few reasons for the following problem, can anyone list what I could be looking for, in order of 'easiest to check' first? The engine is making a funny, fast, tapping noise and it doesnt go away. It kind of speeds up with the engine revs, but its hard to tell, as the engine/road gets noisy. The noise continues at idel, in neutral, in gear and with the clutch in; so doesnt seem drive-shaft related. Oil level in engine is perfect. Any suggestions? - now I used the word "tapping" but Im hoping its not tappets; not sure what they sound like?!?!?! - with those symptoms, can it be the alternator? or would that noise go away? and is it not engine speed relateD?

There is a place called Volksline in Nuneaton, who will do it for a small price, say a £5.

Agressive Women & Teenagers Ok, that’s it, I am stumped. Typical busy drive into work, gets topped off with a young aggressive woman driver. I am totally fed up with them. Scenario: today I made it in to town on the A38, which is two lanes, at 40mph, but is often a crawl of about 10mph, just like today. Often at traffic lights the right lane splits into 2 for 200yds and then narrows after the lights. For the majority, I never bother with that 3rd lane, as you only hit traffic again 100yds after the lights; bit of a cheeky manoeuvre that gets you no where. However, the last set of lights, most of the traffic has turned off and there is rarely any traffic once you’ve gone past these lights; so in this instance, using the 3rd lane can be useful. Sure enough today, Im almost at the lane split and see lane 3 is empty. The Mk5 Golf Gti moves to one side for me, it should now be a clear run up to the lights. However one of those MG hatchbacks is straddling the two right lanes, I put my nose alongside her car but decide its too tight to pass. Now what – best wait for the lights, nip past her and maybe the next car and slide in well before it narrows to 1 again. Oh I, she seems to be glaring at me. (Don’t worry love, Im not going to scratch my beautiful corrado and gets your car at the same time). Lights go green and I pass her with ease but think better of passing the MPV. Ooooer, she doesn’t want to let me in, ahhh well, she’s going to have to. Hmmm, she’s a better judge of distance than me, that seems a bit close. Not liking the situation, and seeing Im too close to the car infront Im contemplating dropping off the MPV. Looking in my mirror I can see her gesticulating to me, telling me to hurry up – but theres no where to go love, theres 6 cars ahead of us. Whilst in 2nd gear, I decide to let off, completely, meaning the C slows down very quickly. Sure enough she has a hissy fit. Now for the odd bit. She rummages in her bag and picks up her mobile phone – with angry face – and proceeds to make a call, whilst staring at the rear of my car. Who could she be phoning? I’m thinking surely it can’t be plod, I’ve done nothing worng, at all; infact Mk5 Gti even let me past; the third lane is there to be used. So its her that’s in the wrong, committing an offense by using her mobile while driving. Once in the office the penny dropped. We used to have a young lad work with us and he often told tales of being out late, and that if a car cut them up, they’d phone their mates, in close proximity, and get them to join up. For what reason Im not quite sure, as fights were never mentioned, but I got the general idea it was to intimidate people. If that’s what her phone call was for, then I don’t know what to do; at least in this instance I was soon off the road and parked up. But what gets me is that these boy-racer-ladettes seem to be taking the law into their own hands, and even getting it wrong – I never put a foot wrong – it was going to be a legit move. Time to buy a Hummer - LOL

Trust you to find that. What car did they pass at 2:30? I love the guys use of indicator - I presume he knows he's being chased. Also love those wallowy roads.

Interesting little read. I've got a friend and she was thinking of chopping in her beetle for the Sports Smart car ... - anyone know what thats like?

Hi guys, just to clarify those points again, as some of you may have got the wrong idea. The iCN530 was very good in many ways but definately had problems getting a Time to First Fix, either stood outside or in the car. However, some of you in better locations might not have any problems - the best advice is to go test one in a store.*** ___ If the Navman iCN530 got a good signal for me in B'ham, I'd definately keep it, as the route options are better than Garmin. I know I slated the Garmin on page 3, but didn't realise that the Garmin has a stronger signal (which is fundamental to me). The Garmin nuvi range (300,310,310D,350,360,660) and the 'C series' all use the highly sensitive SiRF receiver and have a Time to First Fix specification of 36 seconds and under. From borrowing the 310D, this was true. My small dilema now is choosing between the following, and will simply come down to MY personal preferences; as all of the come with a Euro map, sensitive receiver, 3.5" screen. Its come down to the Garmin: - c510D (Delux) for £250 in Halfords - nuvi 310D (Delux) £300 Halfords - c550 £350 on Amazon The benefits of each: Garmin 310D - Travel assistant (not sure how useful that is) - very slim and can be used on foot - headphone jack for those with aftermarket exhaust (not me) Garmin c550 - the traffic TMC module is built in, and not an extra cable - Text to Speach: ie. speaks the street names - headphone jack for those with aftermarket exhaust (not me) - has an sunlight readable screen (not just anti glare like the 310) x big and bulky (kinda) ? not sure if the TMC is a lifetime subscription??? Garmin c510D - the traffic TMC module is built in, and not an extra cable - has an sunlight readable screen x big and bulky (kinda) ? not sure if the TMC is a lifetime subscription??? Maybe I just like the slimness of the nuvi. The streetpilot c550 seems best equipped but over my original budget. The c510D seems the sensible choice. Maybe the nuvi is a compromise between the two... or not...! All of the nuvi range are the same hardware (except the new 660). Therefore all use the same antenna. However, the 310 and the 360 come with Bluetooth - if thats of any help to you. The higher spec 350 and 360 come with European map and Text-to-speach voice signals, meaning it says the name of the road you need to turn into. The 310D (Delux) seems an awesome package, as you get the European map, bluetooth, and even the Traffic Warning system (TMC) - free subscription. Either way, why not phone their Head office with any queries - thats what I did and they were of a great HELP. As for those Roadangels, I have no idea how good they are. I like the screens and layout. But I have no idea how good the antenna are for signal. They are supposed to be the best for up to date speed camera locations; but thats of no use to me - I tend to slow down in those types of areas anyway - and these systems do not pick up the mobile laser guns like the dedicated systems (normal Roadangel) can. HTH 8) *** Test in Store: funny story - the Leamington Halfords are great and take them outta the glass cases and let you fiddle. The Coventry branch keep them well protected behind security perspex and tell you to stick you fingers through the holes to test the devices.

Right - I've cleaned everything off and the sensors now look like new. But still the light comes on after 10mins of driving. Last option - Vagcom (found a place cheaper). Hope this finds the fault...

Do you live in London Phil? ----- I was testing in Coventry, Birmingham and the countryside of Warwickshire. The Navman did well in Coventry but no where else. Maybe B'ham is a real bummer to get a fix; because when I borrowed the Navman 520 and went to London, it soon got a fix on our return once I turned the thing back on. Location Location Location LOL NB: Im aware that you can buy an additional aerial but couldn't be doing with the hastle, wires and cost.

With more use the Navman was dissapointing, so much so that I have returned it. The important Time to First Fix on this system is terrible and left me stranded and lost in some dodgy residential area. I totally missed the M6 which I was after and ended up slotting through residential stuff once the Navman got a signal. Im therefore 'lost' as to what to buy. But will most likely buy the Garmin on the basis that it seems to live up to the hype that it has a TFF, from cold, of 38 seconds or less. I borrowed a nuvi again and it got a signal in all 4 places I tried whereas the Navman only managed one fix within a reasonable time; it seemed it needed about 5mins and some manouvering around outside to find teh satelites.

I got ahold of my Navman 530 and barely got chance to use it; but from this one off occasion I've got an initial idea; its kinda ok. As you know I was limited on budget and didn't want to spend more than £200. There are a lot of toys out there upto the £300 mark that all seem to do a similar job. I narrowed it down to the Garmin nuvi series and the Navman 520/530. When choosing a sat-nav, in this price range, the only requirements I can put upon them are: 1. does it get a good signal and never loose it. 2. does it have many route options. Some people might also consider Bluetooth and Traffic warning stuff , Euro maps etc. 1. The Garmin 310D got a great signal, even in Brum and even in the house. For some reason the Nav-530 still struggles and took a good 3 mins to get a satelite fix. 2. options; that Garmin doesn't have many, but then again, not many of them do and maybe you need to spend £400 to get those. The best of the bumnch seems to be the Navman 530 with the additional options of: preference for motorways, pref' for urban roads and best of all an Avoid This Area. In hind sight I should've bought a Garmin 300 (for the signal strength) and used common sense; ie turn it on once you're close. Use the 'go via this point' feature to avoid nasty roads. Both the Garmin and Navman seem to be quick to calculate a route and both seem to make a reasonable route path. The Garmin 300 and the Navman 530 are both under £200 and worth a gander. Both also allow the Traffic warning system to be connected as an optional extra. HTH 8)

Nick, can you just confirm if your front arches are rolled out, as the other topic here - CLICK - says that the Bigtartan fella had to roll his out when using 8j wheels - or is that just because they had a low ET (about ET14)? - being a streched 205 tyre, will it mean it just misses? A 215 will not? Great news for Glen if thats not the case.

Dave, the spacer of 25 means you'll miss the inside of the arch - but what about the outer edge??? - but then YOU do say you've got yours rolled out. As for tyre sizes, just have a look at The Tyre Bible to use the calculator, taking that standard is 205/50/15 (from the Wiki). That shows a 205/40-16 giving a 2pmh under-reading; a 205/45 would be better, as Trig said.

Anything that fits for the winter ;) ; check fleabay and ensure you get the correct stud spacing (PCD), number of studs, centre bore hole size and offset (ET). To know what fits, see the Wiki guide at the top of your screen - or CLICK. ps - any chance of just giving a link to that picture; my poor little connection couldn't handle it.

NB: Im sure people on here use bigger wheels than that. Your only concern at the front is fouling the outside edge of the arches and also the inside face of the arch, whne you turn the wheel. Whereas Im sure I've seen people with 9j wheels on here. Maybe thats for the rear, as you dont have the turning issue - just be aware you can foul the suspension with the wrong ET. Maybe you need an negative offset (or just S-P-A-C-E-R-S) ???? dunno ??? ......... Im sure the fronts might foul though :(

The 205 tyre will be nicely streched on that width rim of 8j. I know 7 fits easily with my current set; however the previous set of wheels of 7j had a different offset and missed the arch by about 1mm. As far as I know 8 will fit with the correct offset - for which you give ET 35 which is fairly standard and very close to my 7j's - therefore you're adding 1/2 inch towards the wheelarch; could be close. An aftermarket spacer could easily sort that out though. See the Wiki, General here. And also The Tyre Bible to understand more. The Wiki says a standard 6j wheel should have ET35. Where a 6.5j needs ET33. Therefore you can use the offset calculator to see that "The clearance from stut housing to the inside of the wheel will be 25mm LESS" for an 8j wheel. NOTE: if you decide to increase the width of your tyres (when those Toyos wear out - ie soon) then you could fit a 225 - however make sure you go for a 35 profile (not 40). (Based on the standard 205/50-15) ** Are you able to TRY the wheel on your car before you buy? **

I use Autosol (a white substance like toothpaste) on my standard Corrado exhaust; using a good cotton cloth like old denim. It comes up good and shiny. It simply polishes off the grime and does not wax or protect - not an issue for the pipe. Always used the stuff on polished bike bits - took an age on my polished swing-arm; obviously do NOT rub onto rubber/paint etc as it is an abrasive; even avoid lightly chromed areas too. Pic of my pipe (ooer) in one of my galleries / or just looks like Neils. Being a straight cut its easy to clean too. Being SS, I always have the option to rub down with wet-n-dry then autosol if needed - but it has never come to that, and never will in my ownership.