Mystic Rado

Word of warning, take a look at this. Fitting HIDs in standard halogen reflectors is problematic. You can get a lot of glare and a very uneven beam pattern. I had a hids4u.co.uk set fitted to my 'rado and the results were pretty awful, lots of light but in the wrong place. It's alll about the optics of the headlight and the exact position of the light source. Halogen reflectors and projectors are designed to work with halogen bulbs, the light source in an HID bulb is a larger area and may be in a different place, plus there's more light in the first place. You may get acceptable results, you may not, but it depends on the headlight, the kit and how they interact. With an H4 conversion you need some sort of shield on the bulb or you'll get massive glare - google Casper Shield if you want to see what I mean - the hids4u kit comes with shields but doesn't seem to work well with the corrado lights, possibly because the end shield is much larger than an original H4 bulb and basically blocks the hole in the centre of the shield thing inside the reflector completely. Halogen projectors, as fitted to angel eyes, are better but still not as good as a dedicated HID projector which is designed to work properly with HID bulbs. I think it's all complex enough to mean that just because a certain kit doesn't work well on the Corrado that another different kit won't give better results btw. I'd be very wary of glare and the two pics at the top, viewed at full size, do look glarey to me, but photos can be misleading. What I'm saying is that a kit might work well with a headlight on one car and not give good results on a different car with a different headlight design. I'm going to retrofit proper HID projectors - the type used in the BMW E46 to my stock reflectors - initially with the stock lens then, if necessary, some sort of fabricated clear or part clear lens. I'm not saying that kits won't work, but be aware that it's not necessarily an open and shut case and, if the video linked to above is right, they may be considered illegal. Hope that makes some sense. If you've been in a car equipped with HIDs as stock, you'll know that they're amazing, but also that there's a really distinct cut off line between light and dark thanks to the projector design. Sorry if that sounds pessimistic, but it's a bit of what I learned when I was trying to work out why the HID kit I fitted was so disappointing :?

Didn't they make the 2.0 8v Corrado right at the end of its lifespan? I can't imagine that's exactly fast, though it's like the bastard child of the family that no-one ever mentions. The boss fella at Awesome GTi didn't even know they existed... :wink:

I can still remember when I were only 65 though, impetuous I was. I'd drink two pints a night sometimes and once clocked over 65 mph on motorway. Admittedly I've calmed down a bit now :-)

Yeah, but... take the blinkers off and really go over the VR with a fine-toothed comb. I seem to remember your valver was plagued with small but expensive problems and you don't want the same thing happening again. Especially with the engine, cos they are expensive things to fix, chains etc. Thing is, you don't have to buy this particular VR6 unless it's the right car at the right price. There'll be another one along in a minute, so it might be better to be patient and make sure it's the one you really want rather than diving into it and repenting at leisure. Sorry to be cautious, but I'm guessing you don't want to find yourself throwing a load more money into another 'rado again. If it's pukka and the right price and you can afford to do it, why not? But if your valver's sorted, you could always drive it and enjoy it for a while and then get a VR6 somewhere down the line if you still want to. Jeez, I must be getting old. I've turned into the voice of reason :roll:

Less preload then? Fwiw, I'm very happy with my H&Rs and would buy them again. I've not found the lack of damping adjustment an issue because the damping seems to be spot on as standard.

I think the first H&Rs listed are for non-VR6 and the Plus ones are for the VR6, though I might be making that up. Fwiw I have H&R coilovers fitted and they feel spot on to me with about 40mm lower than standard, or more given that standard on later VR6s looks like comedy stilts. The ride feels pretty good to me, much more controlled than the Koni/Eibach combo that was on the car when I got it - that was probably a bit tired mind - and not crashy over bumps etc. I don't have a lot of Corrado experience to compare with, but it's a lot more supple than my Mk 2 GTi which has Koni / Eibachs and poly bushes all round. I kind of went with the theory that if the damping's right to start with then it doesn't need adjusting and to me it all feels good - not too firm, not too soft. The Konis on my Golf are top adjustable, but I've probably adjusted them maybe three or four times in as many years. But anyway, the H&R coilovers don't feel harsh to me. Maybe if you slammed the car theyd be harder, but at a modest sort of drop they're just supple and controlled. You can feel the road, but it's not annoying. Mind you, my GTi's a bit crashy, so that may be a relative thing :roll:

Eventually there will be just the one Corrado left in the UK. It'll be a mint Storm with 20 miles on it, bought by a middle-aged enthusiast and stored in a hermetically-sealed garage with its own butler, masseuse and care assistants. He wouldn't sell it, but if he did, the price would be in six figures... ... then someone'll forget to stub out a cigarette, the blaze will rip through the oxygen-rich environment and that'll be it, forever. You'll find the odd fake on eBay - Corsas with lookalike bodykits, but there will be no more Corrados, ever. Old men'll gawp at video clips on youtube and mutter on about how they used to have one, wish they'd never sold it etc. The end. You know it's coming ;-)

It's a strange forum anyway, frequented mostly by IT consultants who blow thousands on the latest, most expensive bike, then sell it two months later and do the same all over again :? Don't really do Schadenfreude myself, I tend to think that delighting in other people's misfortune means that fate normally makes a note and come back to bite you on the arse. The 'shed' comment annoyed me though.

I probably shouldn't post this but... http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/read.php?f=2&i=2811953&t=2811953 Hope it wasn't anyone here. Fwiw, the twot who says that all Corrados are 'sheds' only passed his driving test a few months ago and thinks that an MX5 is the height of motoring good taste, go figure...

Oh, and yes you can get a mountain bike frame - full suss or hardtail - or two in the back of a 'rado. For me it's a both wheels off job, but with the rear seats folded forward it's fine. Won't fit in the boot though.

I've got a tuned modded 88 Mark 2 GTi and a 95 VR6 'rado and they're completely different experiences. The Golf's much more of a point and squirt go-kart - lowered suspension, poly bushes, TSR head, cams, branch manifold, chip, Jetex SS - but kind of noisy and visceral, plus not the most comfortable car on long trips. Very practical though, fold down the back seats and there's a load of space. You do need to take the wheels off your mountain bike though :-) Goes like stink too, imo eight-valve mark 2s are nicer for everyday driving, though I guess mine has a similar top-end kick to a standard 16-valver. The 'rado's heavier, smoother, more sophisticated, handles nicely (now) and is much more relaxing on longer journeys. Less practical, harder to park cos of visibility. The VR6 doesn't actually use much more petrol than the Mk2, less on motorways in fact. Mark 2 Golf bits are generally way cheaper than 'rado spares and easier to come by, simply cos there are lots more of them around. But against that it's an old car now and getting harder to find decent ones. Corrado bits are pricey, though you can often find them cheap on here or on eBay. I'd try driving a few and see what you think. I was expecting the Corrado to be more Golf-like than it actually is, but mine anyway, have quite different personalities. The GiT is kind of more git-like and aggressive, likes being thrashed. The 'rado is smoother but still handles nicely and is fast as when you rev it. The noise it makes at full chat is unbelievable as well :-) To be honest, this is a Corrado forum so it's no surprise that people are recommending the C. I'm going to disagree though, I think a good, sound Mk 2 is arguably a more practical day to day proposition. I've no idea where you got the idea that Mk 2s are fragile btw. Yes, things fail, but that's old cars for you. The parts are cheap when they do go and stuff is usually basic enough to fix easily. 'Completely reliable'? You'd probably be best with a Mk3 but they've always looked horrid to me :| Ooops, I'm a traitor to my 'rado, but there you go...

I dunno, I can only go by my experience of fitting Powerflex bushes to my Mark 2 Golf as I said before. With the Koni/Eibach combination the handling is fantastic, but the ride is harsh compared to how it was before. It's fine and very tight on smooth roads, on bumpy B roads you feel every bump, though it's controlled at the same time and brilliant to drive for short blasts. I don't know if a heavier car like a 'rado would be different though. I had a chat with Awesome GTi about it and they said, pretty reasonably, that it's a very subjective thing and what one person finds acceptable, someone else might think is completely out of order. The other thing to bear in mind is that when people fit poly bushes, they're usually replacing totally wasted standard rubbers that have been on the car for tens of thousands of miles, so they probably feel disproportionately better and just fitting new OE bushes would have been a big improvement anyway. That's upgrades for you, if you replace something trashed with something new, it'll feel better, no surprises really. I'd try and blag a ride in a car with a similar spec to yours with Powerflexes fitted and see what you make of it, but bear in mind that the suspension and wheels make a difference too. And some poly bushes are harsher than others too?

First thing I'd say is don't be tempted to fit poly bushes if you want to retain any level of ride comfort. It makes a huge difference to compliancy and also road noise transmission. I went through this process on my Mk 2 GiT 1. With worn standard bushes and Koni/Eibachs it was comfortablle but a bit loose, in fact surprisingly good ride. 2. Changed front bushes to urethane and ride quality deteriorated noticeably plus more road noise. Go-kart handling. 3. Changed rear bushes for urethane = twitchier/more direct feel, crashingly hard ride quality. The thing that actually improved the steering response most was changing the steering rack cos it was shagged, but that's another story. The end result is go kart handling but loads of road nosise and crashing over speed humps etc. It's fun but tiring for long journeys. I don't want the C to go the same way, so fitted H&R coilovers and standard rubber bushings - the ride is lovely now, firm but well damped and still fine over speed bumps and on crap road surfaces. Really nice. Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is don't be tempted to fit polys unless you want things even crashier. Plus a big thumbs up for H&Rs, saved a bit on mine by buying from a German eBay shop btw. Not cheap, but cheaper :-)

What's a scirocco? [runs]

Na, I think one of the best things about the 'rado is just that most people have no flippin' idea what they are. People who do recognise them know that they're something special and a bit understated, those who don't just don't. I love that about it. It's sort of stealth fast, which is classy. Compare and contrast to, say, a Scooby, which is about as stealthy as the US army invading a small middle eastern state. I had a Mark 2 Golf GTi before and people generally knew what it was and all its image baggage, but you don't really get that with the corrado. People who know what it is tend to respect it, some people recognise that it has nice lines, but most people don't know and don't care. I suppose it depends whether you want to be noticed or not really...

Yeah. I'd agree and I own a Storm :-) It is kind of a nice thing, especially in blue and at the right price, but I don't think there are a lot of rational reasons to own one over a comparable non-Storm and some pretty good financial ones not to. I like mine a lot, but coming to it from a pretty well-modded Mk 2 GTi, it took a fair few tweaks to get it feeling right and I don't think I'd be happy with an un-modded C. I mean, look at that ride height for starters ;-)

On the plus side, he seems to have replaced a fair few drivetrain bits, but then at that price I'd expect everything to be sorted. Ultimately I think it depends a bit on why you want a Storm. In the end it is just a well-specced VR6 with a unique badge and, in the case of the mystic blue ones, a unique to only 250 Storms colour and you can buy a non-Storm VR6 that'll perform just the same. I bought mine principally because I loved the colour, but I could have found a non-Storm for less. Because I work from home and have a trashed rundabout as well, I don't expect to put huge mileage on it, though I guess that's only really a concern if you're worried about depreciation. Mine has H&R coilovers, a Magnex, a Dieselgeek quickshift and a Neuspeed ARB, which for a standard spec fascist are all probably a no, no. Then again it drives a lot better like that and, if it comes down to it and I was going to sell the car, I suppose I could always put it back to standard and eBay the bits to cover some of the cost. I certainly wouldn't mess with it cosmetically or fit anything that's not easily reversible, but then I probably wouldn't anyway. Ultimately I think Storms are one of those things that are worth what people are prepared to pay for them. They have a perceived higher value than a normal VR6, but realistically, what you get for that is a potentially higher resale value - as long as you don't go mad on the mileage - a nice badge and an rare colour for the blue ones, if that makes sense.

They're slightly cheaper from a main dealer than the German fella. Around 25 quid inc VAT, I think, but there's not much in it. There are, apparently, several C leather gear knobs listed, which confused the dealer a bit. Then he apologised for it being so expensive, I was quite happy really. A few months of Corrado ownership and I've started regarding anything less than three figures as being a bit of a bargain. Is that sad or just a sympton of Corrado ownership. What, only 25 quid... a snip :roll:

The major issue with the sunroof isn't that it leaks, it's that the mechanism breaks. Quite often the roof will tilt but won't slide and it's fiddly and potentially un-cheap to fix :-( If you have a look at the knowledge base thing there's a load of good info on there including a buying guide under the 'general info' bit. Just - well, a few months back - bought a VR6 after running a Mk2 GTi for ages. My advice is to spend some time getting familiar with the common problems cos some of them are expensive to fix, some aren't. Like the heater sometimes runs only on the fourth setting, but you can sort that out with a 70 pence thermal fuse from Maplins. This is a brilliant forum btw. People are really friendly and knowledgable.

I thought the Angel Eyes ran two H7s, one for dip and one for main. Surely the seller should know what bulbs the lights use anyway? Stock Corrado lights are as above, 2xH4 and 2xH3.

1. You'll have to take the headlight units out of the car to change the reflectors if that's what you mean. 2. You can get the adjuster bits from VW still. Taking the lights out is a five-minute job btw. Two crossheads at the front tabs and one down a deep, dark hole further back in the middle of the headlight - that's the one that sometimes rusts up apparently, but mine were fine. Whatever you do, don't try to clean or rub the chrome stuff on the reflectors, it's super fragile and will just come off, don't touch it :-)

So all you changed was the main beam bulb, the H3 one, and now it doesn't work at all? No sidelight, no dip, no main beam even on the H4 side, nothing? Do you have an uprated wiring loom fitted, one that takes the power direct from the battery and is triggered by relays? If you do, check and see if there's a separate fuse that might have blown. I'd go back to square one, maybe even fit new bulbs just in case they've blown or are faulty, which would be unlucky, but sometimes happened. Check all the connections inside the headlight. Make sure the four pin connector is attached properly. If you can be arsed, you could always take the drivers side light off and try plugging it into the passenger side wiring - I'm assuming the connections are the same way round for both - which at least will tell you if power is reaching the connector. If there's juice reaching the light, at least you know that the fault's inside the headlight/ bulbs. Or use a multimeter to check whether your're getting power at the plug. If there's no power reaching the connector, then at least you know the fault is further back - fuse / wiring / loose connection - and can look for the problem. If you're going to do the headlight swap over, you might want to check that the wiring on the inside of the headlight plug is in the same place on both sides - just open the big round cover on the back of the headlight housing and you can see the wires inside and the position they're in. You got my sympathy mate, I bloody hate electrics :-(

Yeah, I'd agree with that. If you do a forum search, someone's posted the correct VAG part numbers for the four-terminal connectors and you can order them in from VW. If you leave the headlight open or not properly sealed you're likely to get condensation problems / dirt getting into the headlight housing. Erm... this thread: http://the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39093&highlight=headlight+loom Those part numbers are still current and the prices are about right too, so you'd be looking at about a tenner for the OE plugs new. I don't think anyone's going to begrudge you making a reasonable profit if you're making a good quality product. I'd rather pay an extra tenner and keep the headlight properly sealed for a start. Seems to me that the real problem with a plug and play solution is where you take the signal feed from the relay from. In and ideal world you'd use the other half of a four-terminal socket plugged into one of the original headlight plugs, but you'd have to butcher and old headlight housing to get one, which is fine for a one off, but not so good if you're producing a few. Anyway, just a thought.

I'm just making up my own loom - the eBay ones look manky, all unsealed crimps etc - using the OE headlight connector plugs, which you can get from VW still, soldered/heat shrunk connectors and decent 40a relays. I ran a high power loom on a mark 2 GTi for around five years and it's a bit easier to make those plug and play what with them using standard H4 headlight connectors rather than the four-plug 'rado light thing on the C. Based on my GTi experience, I reckon the crucial thing is to use quality components and make everything as water resistant as possible, especially relays and fuseholders. I'm considering potting the relays on this one to keep them as water-tight as possible. Don't fancy standard crimps either. Gonna solder and heatshrink or maybe use the heat-shrinkable crimps you can get for more reliable connections then solder it into the standard headlight loom to trigger the relays and use convoluted tubing stuff to protect the wiring from heat and abrasion. The loom I had on the GTi was a professionally made thing from BRM and mostly really well made, but the weak points were the exposed connections on the fuse holders, the relays and where it connected to the original bulb holder. You really don't want your lights copping out on you in the middle of nowhere.

Have a near identical problem with my gf's Mark 2 GTi - symptoms sound similar to yours. Tapping at low speeds that turns into a juddering at higher speeds especially on uneven roads and when you come off the throttle, can feel the knocking through the pedals and also the gearstick if you rest your hand on it lightly. It sounds worse than your noise though. It only happens when the car gets really hot. I'm thinking CV joint, inner one is knackered and when it heats up and expands something's catching so it doesn't move smoothly. Anyway, car is with my local garage and they're taking a look tomorrow, so I'll post back. It doesn't knock on full lock btw. I'll get them to check the ARB as well, cheers for that. It's doing my head in as it's my old car and I gave it to her when I bought the 'rado and now she doesn't trust the car etc :-(