g0ldf1ng3r

once i was happy with the feel of the leather after conditioning i then followed the 'how to' on glyptone site but also took note of advice forum users have posted regarding leather refurb this was such that i used a very tiny amount of G12 cleaner to remove any excess conditioner & then wiped with a clean damp cloth. next a wipe over with some alcohol gel stuff, paying attention to the stitching & any creases as the 'how to' said. then let it dry for a few hours once fully secured on my impromptu stand it was scuffmaster dye time :) 'how to' said to apply first coat neat so very carefully & trying to use a little dye as possible (due to me buying it to do my seats but wanting to practice on the steering wheel first) the gf had got me some of the make up applying sponge wedge things & this helped to get a nice even finish on the first coat. i managed to do the complete first coat using about 4 bottle lids worth of dye, so very little indeed (i simply shook the dye bottle, turned upside down & then upright, took lid off & used what was on the inside of it) the glyptone guide says it is possible to dye the vinyl as well but i cant make up my mind whether to do this or not. i think it might look a bit uneven as there are lots of difficult nooks & crannies to get into (VW emblem for example) i am going to let the first coat soak in for a few days before applying an additional, slightly diluted coat(as per instructions) im rather happy with the way it is turning out so far.....

ok then. unfortunately i didn't think to take any pics before i started the refurb but the wheel didn't seem in too bad condition, mainly just lots of faded speckling of colour, a couple of very small cracks & hard scaly leather on the top section. i was fairly shocked at how dirt came off the wheel using the Glyptone G12 cleaner! i used an old soft toothbrush to apply tiny amounts of cleaner & then dipped the brush in clean water & agitated the cleaner. the G12 really does go a very long way & i was impressed at how well it foamed up & cleaned the areas. i had to change the clean water bowel 3 times during this process after letting it dry overnight i then used a clean jay cloth to gently apply small amounts of the G11 conditioner. Again i was surprised at how far the conditioner would go. it seemed to spread much better and easier than for example the auto glym leather conditioner i have used on my seats previously i let this soak in for several days & only need to apply additional conditioner to the top section of the wheel as the rest felt extremely soft after the first application. it only took a couple of extra tiny amounts of conditioner to get the top section back to very supple. at this point i remembered i wanted pics etc & also needed a way of securing the steering wheel so as to apply the scuffmaster dye....not much long later i had whipped up a small stand which works a treat pics below are after the clean & condition but prior to dye

few updates in past couple of days... i have had confirmation from the person on FB that he has sent my steering wheel for the valver. i must say im quite excited about this as it is another thing off the list to get it back to how it was when i sold it fingers crossed it looks as good in the flesh as it did in the pics but the person said it has never been used so :D the valver has been performing well since i got it back on the road. engine sounds & runs sweet despite me not yet changing oil & plugs etc. alternator is still a little noisey but it is charging the battery ok so its down on the list. valver really doesn't like the tires on the front tho, steering feels very heavy when only moving slowly. i know they are the wrong size for the vehicle but funds are tight & they have loads of tread on them. they are currently 205*50*16 on the BBS RX2's, pretty sure i need to put some 195*45*16 on them. i took some pics of the VR leather steering wheel refurb last night & will put in separate posts below...

nice, thought it was :)

supposed 'advanced' technology as well

i see lol my iphone is great....unless you use it!! seriously considering going back to a £10 model which can make a call or send a txt when i ask it to

looking good is the new one sherry pearl or blackberry?

keh!? ;)

thanks m8. a level of trust has to be given to begin with else nobody would buy from anyone. im sure it will be ok. hoping to get a message to say its been posted some point today

very interesting Jim, i didn't know it was a forum car to be featured

it was my friend yesterday too m8 - i stumbled upon a new & unused early steering wheel for the valver, at a bargain price too :D now im just hoping it arrives as im a little unsure of buying things off FB people

i will ask my friend who has the camper van hire business as im sure he knows a very good one

me too but there are people who have changed switches, motors, cables, cartridges, looms & wiring - all to which the issue has persisted i wonder if its worth getting an auto electrician to do some testing

a good discussion about best options to get us all out of our shared sunroof woe's lol

ha ha ha the plot thickens lol

it does indeed make sense sean thanks just to recap: use a MK3 golf sunroof if leave the moonroof panel it is a straight swap fit - is the moonroof panel the same outline as the rado one then im guessing? if want rado metal lid need to swap the sliders (i have a feeling one of mine is broken on the VR) does the mk3 golf use the standard late rado sunroof motor?

sorry sean, you say you cant use the golf cartridge but then said you used a golf one as a donor - which model pls m8 interesting that the issue persists though, i may just make my interior light cover cut out look better & stick to my 'manual' mod lol

i see. ok thanks Jamie thinki will go through the history folder to see if i can find anything about the new cartridge. i did inspect the channels a few weeks ago & couldn't really see much of the grey scoring that happens as it wears that ive seen mentioned

tidy thanks the one in the VR is an odd fella though as im sure they guy i brought it off got impatient with his mechanic fixing the sunroof & had a brand new cartridge from VW not long before i brought the car off him would i need to change anything else for the golf mk111 to work? eg the motor. or is it a case of remove the old cartridge, swap the metal lid onto the golf cartridge & then reinstall? ive been putting off venturing to fix them as id heard they are a bugger to refit. the Bentley manual has alsorts about a mm drop here & not there etc lol

thanks for the input Jamie when you say MK111 golf mech do you mean the sunroof cartridge itself but then swapping over the original rado top panel? i might need 3 of the buggers if so lol

the house refurb is taking most of my time lately & though i had planned to do some jobs on the rado's during my week off i hadn't anticipated it taking me 4 days to cut my hedges i did get my G11 & G12 & scuffmaster dye from the Glyptone outlet the other week & have made a start on refurb'ing the VR steering wheel from VAG-hag. i couldn't believe the amount of dirt that the cleaner got out of it as it looked very decent indeed prior to starting on it i will put some pics up if i manage to progress it any this week on the note of steering wheels......winner winner chicken dinner ive just managed to get a brand new early style steering wheel from someone on the Corrado Chat facebook page for a steal. just hope it arrives now as i must say im a tad anxious about sending some random from FB a paypal payment but hey ho it will be great as long as it does

good work Jim well done wrestling the engine back in on your own

sounds like some good testing completed m8 id be interested to hear if you find the issue as the sunroof in my VR also works both slide & tilt but sometimes when i press the button nothing happens. then you get back in the car after 2 minutes & it works regreasing with the correct silicone stuff made no difference but ive not tried a new switch as it does work but only when it wants to lol ive made a mod so as i have an easy 'manual' operation for when it doesn't play ball......i cut a small hole in the plastic light cover so i can access the allen key winder ;)

welcome lets see the purchase :)

not heard of those, duly noted thanks