Jim R

Hi Dont use LHD lights, The bulb holders (built in to the reflectors) hold the bulbs at a differnt angle to RHD ones, it's not just the reflectors that alter the beam, I know I tried it!

Thanks, that definately will help, I will try this first but I don't know if I will have enough room under the car to raotate it, were you working on a ramp?. Jim

The box has gone , I have got a new genuine vw one, figured the original lasted for 14 years and I don't intend doing this again,the rest of the system is powerflow with lifetime guarantee. Cutting it up wasn't something I had thought of but makes sense, how are you going to get the replacement in though? I wil be interested to know how u get on.

Can anyone advise me on the replacement of the downpipe on my 16V, does the subframe have to be lowered for clearance or will it be possible to do with it in place, it doesn't look like there is much room to clear the steering rack. If the subframe has to be lowered is this a major pain, how many bolts will have to be undone to allow it to be lowered enough. I don't have access to a four post ramp and will be doing this using axle stands. Should I admit defeat and take it to a garage or is it not as bad as it looks? thanks

I always use Optimax or Super unleaded if Optimax is not available in my 16V, you could fit Kstar if you want to run on unleaded, I personally don't think it is worth the expense. Some will run ok on regular unleaded some won't but it isn't high enough octane, it may be worth a try, if it pinks you will soon know about it, try Optimax, it seems to do what it says on the tin!!

Inverurie, Just North of Aberdeen

Probably battery would need to be charged a good bit longer, especially if it was totally drained, I had a similar problem, turned out to be the connection from the battery to the alternator, it was old and worn and as a result the battery wasn't getting full charge, the place I got it tested put my battery on charge for 48 hrs!! in order to get it fully charged again (the gave me a replacement to keep me going). I changed the wire and put a new earth lead from battery to body while I was at it, no probs since.

Had a cambelt tensioner sieze on my 16V a few years ago, I was idling in traffic too!. Had the head rebuilt (2 bent valves) and refitted only to find that the contact between valves and pistons had caused some damage to the big ends, something you may have to look out for, the engine died a few miles later (symptoms were a knocking noise which got worse then seized). Fitted a new engine, kept the old one, may take it to bits for spares, the head had only done about 150miles after the rebuild so will come in handy eventually!!!

6 1/2 YEARS

Bad design i'm afraid, the control flaps are operated by plastic cogs, they get worn and jump out of place, I replaced mine as the tabs that hold them in place had either bent or broken, the cable operates one cog which in turn turns the one fixed to the flap, they just need to jump one tooth and the flaps wont work correctly, even with the new ones fitted it still seemed a bit loose so I modified it by jamming a piece of white plastic plumbing pipe between the cog and the tunnel. This stops the cog twisting as the lever/knob is operated and it now holds the thing in place. I used to have to shove it back in place quite regularly, it has been fine for ages. The downside is Volkswagen may not have any left as they only listed one or two and I think they were going to be discontinued !! part number for one of them is 192 819 268 not sure about the other one I would need to find an old one to check. They are located behind the lower panels as sc16v said, (follow the cables) you may just need to push yours back in but you will have to realign them, if you look on the face of the cogs you will see indent that matches the other cog. Hope this helps, sorry for the long winded explanation. The mod will make sense as you look at the arrangement.

could be your power steering belt needs tightening? Do you feel anything through the steering wheel when it is making the noise?

yeah pretty heavy but just bloody awkward to get out, there isn't a lot of room to spare, as I said it took me as while I had the gearbox off the engine but took a while to get it out of the car, but I was on my own, once I had done it I felt well chuffed

Don't know about the black diamond clutch, but you would be best to get a manual, I figured it out mysely as I did an engine change a couple of years ago and I have done plenty of driveshaft repairs in the past, you might find the Lindsey Porter Manual that covers all Golf Polo Vento Jetta Corrado Scirocco helpful I got mine from Halfords and it cost about £13 ish, there is a chapter titled VR6 Engines Transmission removal, installation, just be methodical label things lay everthing out neatly or put things in plastic bags to keep them free from grit (driveshaft hubs etc) draw diagrams, just looking at the manual over the page is a section on clutch fitting so I would recommend it, at least it will give you an idea of what to expect, hope this helps

Yes the noise went away totally, sounds like you need an upgraded kit to handle the quick changes 8) don't know how easy the job is on a VR though, should be easy enough just lots of bits to take off, certainly the time to change the mounts. I did it in an afternoon, reading some of the posts re garage repair bills, you will save enough cash to cover the cost of either the mounts or the clutch kit or even both, food for thought, I wouldn't let a garage near my car

My clutch made a very strange noise too a sort of groaning hard to describe noise, it didn't slip though it sounded as if it should have!, I put up with it for a year or. I replaced the clutch myself, I have a 16V and found it a bit of a struggle on my own (axle stands, trolley jacks etc) if you have a mate to help you should be ok, the gearbox is heavy watch fingers! and only seemed to come out one way, downwards at an angle. Use a good quality kit I used a sachs and remember to degrease the clutch plate with brake cleaner before you assemble it, you will also need an allignment tool (cheapish) Hope this helps