Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted July 27, 2008 Hi all! Some of you may recognise me from over on UK-MKivs.net where I have been for many moons with my GT TDi Mk4. I have recently moved location and no longer do the miles I did before so I can now justify moving into something a touch more thirsty! I've been looking for a while for the right one to pitch up and I knew I had a few months of dual car ownership so I could fix any faults the Rado came up with before selling the Golf on. I found this. A 1992 VR6 with a 147k on the clock. Everything is standard on it except for the wheels and it is a straight and honest car. It has a few small faults as any 16 year old car would have but over all, I'm happy with my choice! The sound is simply fantastic compared to the tractor and the grin hasn't left my face since I bought her! There are of course a few things wrong with her! The fan doesn't work on no 1 setting and the direction control seems to not work in the slightest unless you want to aim at the windscreen! There is a small clunk when you first pull away, coming from under the car There is a very noticeable wobble in the steering wheel under decleration or cruising at an intermediate speed which sometimes clunks. Ball Joints? The sound system is a complete waste of time! Water temperatures are ok but then oil reaches around 126c when cruising at 80ish. Cobra alarm won't activate with the radiator fans on Key only fits ignition barrel and not the door/boot locks! One of the headlight lenses has a big stone chip in it! Apart from those few niggles, I'm chuffed to bits considering the mileage, age and nature of the type of car! Oh and for anyone who cares, This is the Golf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Philuk 0 Posted July 28, 2008 very nice mate. looks really well with them wheels on! what are they. audi wheels? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted July 28, 2008 Cheers Phil The wheels, as far as I can work out, are off an early A3. I have some RX's to go on when I have decided on the right suspension to fit and lowered it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted July 28, 2008 Brilliant mate, i'm really starting to like the grey ones, infact they seem to look so good in nearly every colour 8) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
was8v 0 Posted July 30, 2008 Sounds like my car when I got it! Grey ones do look mint - get those RX's on it ASAP! :) The fan doesn't work on no 1 setting On mine, the control knob outer plastics had been put back in the wrong order (they have different cut outs in them on the back) meaning the little copper strip wasnt contacting on 1 and 2. May also just need the copper strip bending slightly. and the direction control seems to not work in the slightest unless you want to aim at the windscreen! On mine the flap in the heater box had broken from its mounting. Dash out to get to the heater box and repair flap. You may be lucky and it might just be the cogs on the dial controls that have slipped/broken. There is a small clunk when you first pull away, coming from under the car There is a very noticeable wobble in the steering wheel under decleration or cruising at an intermediate speed which sometimes clunks. Ball Joints? On mine the top mounts were incorrectly assemled (spring plate down the spring and the spring was contacting the body). I've also replaced both wishbones and roll bar links, front engine mount and inner CVs to eliminate clunks and knocks from the front under pulling away andf over uneven surfaces. The sound system is a complete waste of time! Easy enough to swap out! Water temperatures are ok but then oil reaches around 126c when cruising at 80ish. My oil sticks at 120 or so at those speeds, may be perfectly normal. Reached around 135 max on a track day. Cobra alarm won't activate with the radiator fans on Dunno about this - my Toad is fine with the fans, your Cobra may be detecting the voltage drop and thinks theres a fault. Key only fits ignition barrel and not the door/boot locks! Must have had a ignition barrel change at some point. Head off to the scrappy and get a few lock barrels from similar era VWs (mk2/3 golfs etc) to dissassemble and get a variety of sliders. They come apart easily and you can insert the sliders from the scrappy locks into your door lock barrels in an order that lets them sit flat with your ignition key in. Your locks will then work off the ignition key! Or just fix the alarm and live with it! (never need to use the key in the door). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
was8v 0 Posted July 30, 2008 Interesting to see your VR6 with an early spec interior! Yours has vertical vents and early switches. Yours must be a really really early VR6! Mine is a 1992 K also but has the late dash with horizontal dash vents and newer switches. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scarlet_vr6 0 Posted July 30, 2008 That looks lovely, really like that colour. Sounds like you're as pleased with yours as I was when I got mine :D Good choice in the RXs too, mine will hopefully be on this weekend... Golf looks tidy too Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted July 30, 2008 Cheers for all of the replies guys! Was8V, I shall look into all of those things you have suggested. I'm hoping that most of the things are easy fixes. I need to have a look at the radiator, It may be old and gunked up and not operating too efficiently. Water temps in town tend to climb high enough to warrant the fans coming on. I'm sure I own 1 of the less than a few hundred made in the early spec! I like the retro to be fair but did wonder earlier whether or not you could change the older bit for newer bits without changing the entire dash? I'm thinking the fault with the fans and the alarm is the correct one. The immobiliser still comes on but i'm sure the voltage drop is kicking the alarm out of the system! Scarlet, I've got the RX's on the Golf at the moment, but need to get some different tyres to fit and i'm thinking that putting them on will accentuate the stilts looks and seeing as i've just paid for my holiday and this, i'm going to be a bit low on funds to pay for the right (read expensive) suspension! On a side note, I changed the ball joints earlier and found that the clunking and a bit of the wobble has gone. I found out as well that the Audi alloys I have on don't fit over the standard brakes without spacers. So someone in the past has put on non hubcentric spacers and that is certainly not going to help!! I now need shorter bolts to fit my RX's and i'm laughing! Tomorrow, I am going to start the whole claying thing as the paintwork is a bit pants to feel so new pictures will be up of a clean Rado when that is done :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scarlet_vr6 0 Posted July 31, 2008 haha, yes I think you're going to be right about the RXs and stilts look. Mine still has standard suspension so you can judge by the pics I'll be putting up soon :lol: Good to hear you sorted that clunking and some of the wobble. Looking fwd to the post-clay pics, that's a job I really enjoyed doing on mine partly because it made such a difference :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted July 31, 2008 Looking forward to the stilt pics then Scarlet! To be honest, I started the claying process today and it feels a million times better! I started on a second sweep of claying and then promptly ran out of the quick detailer! Carried on with water instead but the clay is still coming up dirty after each section! I then put a bit of that cleaner wax that comes with the clay kit and that is still picking up loads of grime!! It's looking better but still horrible up close! I'm off to the uk-mkivs megameet at billing over the weekend with her so will endeavour to give her another going over tomorrow! I've also got myself a headlight loom upgrade sat here on my desk so will be fitting that tomorrow and trying to clean up some of the dirty brown coolant!!! The list is steadily growing!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vwdeviant 0 Posted August 1, 2008 Another Pearl Ghey Rado by the looks of things! Wierd those A3 alloys suit the car, didn't really rate them on the A3, but the RX's will look loads better. If you have the slider heater controls (should have in an early interior) then it's probably a Cable come undone. For the Lock Barrel issues there's a guide to re-tumbling locks on the Wiki somehwere too! Nice buy there Sean. If you need a local mechanic (from the sounds of thing maybe you don't) try Cris over at Birks Motors in Chinnor Can't recommend him enough (you may see him about in Bicester in either: Met Grey GTi'd Mk1-Caddy, Yellow/Grey Splitie, or a Satin-Black 50's Buick Sled on Hyrdraulics) did all my cars for the last 10yrs (till I moved to London). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted August 3, 2008 Thanks mr deviant! I should bear him in mind incase something decided to get out of my control! I've heard plenty things about people sorting out the barrels so will invest some time in that at some point once I have my busy summer out of the way! I will also look into the vents once I have got back from my Hols! I spent the weekend up at billing and all I can say is that i'm loving the rado more and more! The sound is amazing and truly addictive! I can also add my first spotted too! M Reg VR6 coming out of Silverstone onto the A43 this afternoon heading towards Oxford. I would have played and stayed a bit more with you but I was in convoy with the good lady and would have got myself into the schtum if I had gone off and gone rado spotting! I changed all of the coolant for something less brown and then it decided to dump all of it on Friday evening. Turned out I hadn't quite tightened down a jubilee clip enough! Schoolboy really! I was running perfect on the temperatures as well! Typical! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Veearrhsix 0 Posted August 4, 2008 That's odd - it's a '92 K-reg VR like mine :thumbleft:, but you have the older style interior. Mentioned before... What's going on? :study: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
was8v 0 Posted August 4, 2008 That's odd - it's a '92 K-reg VR like mine :thumbleft:, but you have the older style interior. Mentioned before... What's going on? :study: Mines a 92 K too but has late interior. His must be a really early 92 car, like one of the very first VRs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted August 5, 2008 It was registered on the 25 of October 1992, so that really makes it a 93 car? Does anyone have any figures on how many VR6 rado's there were imported to the uk and when the first one was? On a side note, I fitted the uprated main and dipped beam wiring looms yesterday. The difference is really and honestly night and day! I can see what is on the road at night now and help guide aircraft in! There is far too much rain at the moment to give the ol girl a proper clean!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
was8v 0 Posted August 5, 2008 It was registered on the 25 of October 1992, so that really makes it a 93 car? Does anyone have any figures on how many VR6 rado's there were imported to the uk and when the first one was? On a side note, I fitted the uprated main and dipped beam wiring looms yesterday. The difference is really and honestly night and day! I can see what is on the road at night now and help guide aircraft in! There is far too much rain at the moment to give the ol girl a proper clean!!! Odd mines first registered 30 sept 92, I got the late dash, door cards and black leather recaro interior from the factory. Maybe yours was built before mine and put in a showroom until it was first registered? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted August 5, 2008 My mistake! It was registered 25th September! So unless VW changed the dash in the 5 days between our cars?!?! Any ideas on the numbers? I've searched and can't find any!? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
was8v 0 Posted August 5, 2008 My mistake! It was registered 25th September! So unless VW changed the dash in the 5 days between our cars?!?! Any ideas on the numbers? I've searched and can't find any!? Your car could have stood around for a month or two (in a showroom etc) before being registered, mine may have been built and then registered quickly so thers prob more than 5 days between build dates. I suppose if we were really geeky we could compare chassis numbers that might show how many cars were built between our cars. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted August 5, 2008 Last 4 are 4917! Geek it up? As if!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted August 15, 2008 Well I'm back from my hols! It feels awesome to be back in something a bit more pokey and involving than a 1.2 Panda!! Good as they are at what they do, it's no rado!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted August 21, 2008 Well, another week, another dollar, another update! I've managed to sort out a fair whack on the old girl! Decided it would be an idea to finally get round to giving her a proper wash and a lick or 2 of polish and some wax! Noticed this halfway thro! No wonder the screen doesn't clear that well in the rain! I had simply put it down to crap wipers in the first place! I then decided to give the inside a good clean seeing as I had access to a VAX! Half and half on the drivers seat! :gag: Then I decided to try and clean some of the gumpf from the vents and all of the nooks and crannies! I got carried away and took them off to get in behind!! :gag: :shock: No wonder I kept sneezing in it! Cleaned windscreen vent holes Dirty vents with some sort of "limescale" on them??! Good wash and scrub Cleaner! But not perfect.... Nooks and crannies When I bought the car, I got this rubbish Sony HU which would randomly decide to loose all of its memory whenever it felt like it and only a hard reset would fix it. So the missus to the rescue with an old disused item! It sounds sooo much nicer but I need some decent speakers soon! Decided to get all arty on it's ass this evening so went and took some phots! Later allllll Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Veearrhsix 0 Posted August 23, 2008 You're good with a camera aren't you 8) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted August 23, 2008 Thanks very much! :) I'm in desperate need of a tripod mind! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Philuk 0 Posted August 30, 2008 very nice mate :D looking very good wish i had the go in me to take my vents out! lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted September 3, 2008 They take 2 seconds to pull out fella! Worth it if you keep sneezing!! Did I see your car at E38 over the weekend? Was looking fantastic!! I'm in need of a new radiator, it refuses to stay cool in heavy traffic! Any ideas on what the best route to go down is? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
