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antera309

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Posts posted by antera309

  1. R32 or hand my car over to Stealth

    in General Chat

    Posted

    The 12v VR6 is devastatingly powerful when turbo'd, but with 2wd the mk3 chassis might have trouble coping with all that grunt.

    The R32 is an awesome car, no doubt about it, but the high purchase price won't leave much in the kitty for mods.

    If I was going to build an uber-Golf, I would start with a mk4 4Motion - they are cheap to buy, have 4wd, a close ratio six speed box and the possibilities for power are endless.

    R32 engine? Straight swap.

    Audi TT 225 engine & 'box? Straight swap, with near infinite tuning possibilities in the future.

    or you can turbo or supercharge the existing 2.8 24v lump.

    You'll be spoilt for choice.

  4. 18" RS6 Alloys on a standard highline??

    in General Chat

    Posted

    I ran 8x18" R32 alloys on my cabrio with 215/35/18 tyres. I was running about a 40mm drop and the rear arches had to be rolled to get them on with no rubbing. I also had to cut part of the front wheelarch liners away. Handling was fine, although they did make the ride quality a bit harsh (as you would expect on such low profile tyres). On an 18" wheel anything wider than 8" would definitely be a no-no unless you're prepared to do more extensive arch work.

  6. Anyone else noticed the amount of VR6's 4sale?

    in General Chat

    Posted

    I think they're just too old now to be of interest to the mainstream buyer.

    The mk3 GTI & VR6 have actually stood the test of time very well, just as the mk1 & mk2 GTi did before them. I mean, how many L & M reg Astra GSis, Escort RS2000s, 306 GTi-6s & Renault 19 16Vs do you see about these days? Not many. Compared with LOADS of Golf mk3 GTi/VR6s

    The only non-VW hot hatch that I can think of which has matched the VR6 for longevity is the 90's Honda Civic. You still see quite a few of these.

    Of course, in the VW enthusiasts community, the VR6 will live on for at least another 30 years!

  11. induction

    in Syncro, R32 and 4motion

    Posted

    A CAI (Cold air intake) is the way to go on the R32. These locate the air filter (cone-type) behind the LH front bumper grille where the air is at its most cold & dense. All that shows in the engine bay is the pipe (either pilished aluminium or carbon fibre( connecting the filter to the MAF & throttle body. People have seen 10BHP gains on the '32 with this mod alone.

    The most popular kits are the EIP Tuning one:

    http://www.eiptuning.com/eip/airintakes.html

    and the Carbonio one:

    http://carboniointakes.com/vw/vr6.php

  12. The end of A12 VLO...

    in Members Rides and Event Photos

    Posted

    Don't tell me, let me guess, the Combi driver was on the phone...

    Absolutely gutted for you mate. That was a lovely car...

    Make sure you "play up" the whiplash claim as much as you can - tell the doc you're having nightmares, PTSD, the lot (which might be true anyway) and screw the guy's insurance company senseless. Well done for keeping your cool and not hitting the guy - it only would have damaged your claim.

    Good luck getting it all sorted out and hope you find an equally decent 'dub when the time comes to buy a replacement....

  14. P16 VMR - 2.9 Schrick'd VR

    in Members Rides and Event Photos

    Posted

    Thanks for the advice apd.

    Higher reving N/A suits me better though so will go for the 268's with the BVH. I don't like how anyone can bolt on a charger' date=' prefer the more engineered / individual route. I'd rather spend the cash a charger would set me back on a set of throttle bodies...

    [/quote']

    You've got the right idea.

    While s/c is great for top-end power, having gone both routes, I think that BVH+Schrick+268s is definitely the most "driveable" setup on a VR6. All you need now is a 6-speed close ratio box. Start saving!!

    Lovely looking car, too. Have you thought about colour coding the flat section of the Schrick in red? I reckon that would look awesome!

  19. R32 Buyers guide

    in Syncro, R32 and 4motion

    Posted

    this buyers guide should be similar for buying the 4motion as well as its a similar set up to the R32 ?

    Some of it holds true for the 2.8 4Motion. The problem with the cooling fans, in particular, is common to all Golf mk4s.

    As far as I know, a software update was never required for the 2.8, so no need to worry about that.

    Haldex fluid should be changed every 20k on all 4wd Mk4s.

    The guys on the UK-mkIVs forum compiled a nice list of common faults (for all models) that you can take a look at:

    http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/thread/425656.aspx

  20. nearly 2000 hits and not one person interested :-(

    in General Chat

    Posted

    My cabrio was up for sale for 2 months before it sold, even though the price was very competitive. At the end of the day, modded VRs are a "niche" car and the market for them isn't that large. Stick with it and it will sell eventually.

    A good idea is to put a watch on any cars on ebay that are similar to yours and see what they sell for. This is the best way of determining what sale price is fair.

  22. R32 Buyers guide

    in Syncro, R32 and 4motion

    Posted

    Here are a few pointers for those looking to buy a Golf mk4 R32....

    The R32 was available as a 3-door or a 5-door in the following colours:

    Deep Blue Pearl Effect ("electric blue") = 813 made

    Diamond Black Pearl Effect (similar to Highline "Black Magic") = 755 made

    Reflex Silver Metallic = 615 made

    Indigo Blue Pearl Effect (a dark, navy blue) = 76 made

    Moonlight Blue Pearl Effect (a very dark blue, almost black) = 57 made

    Tornado Red = 44 made

    Grey Anthracite Pearl Effect ("Gunmetal Grey") = 31 made

    Deep blue, Diamond black & Reflex silver are by far the most common colours. Indigo Blue, Moonlight blue & Tornado red are much rarer. Grey Anthracite is extremely rare.

    Climate control, 6-speed 'box, electric windows & mirrors, Gamma stereo with 6-disc in-dash changer, Xenon headlamps, headlamp washers & 1/2 leather / cloth heated seats were all standard. Options were:

    - 1/2 leather / suede heated seats

    - Full leather heated seats

    - Sunroof (electrically operated)

    - VW MFD Sat Nav (with boot-mounted 6 disc CD changer)

    - Cruise control

    - Space-saver spare wheel (otherwise you just get a 12v pump and a can of tyre repair foam)

    VW MFD Sat Nav:

    satnav.jpg

    Instrument cluster on an R32 with factory sat-nav (note full-height central information display):

    fullfis.jpg

    Instrument cluster on an R32 without factory sat nav (central information display only half-height):

    halffis.JPG

    Indicator stalk on a car with cruise control:

    cruise.jpg

    Half leather / cloth seats:

    halfleather2.JPG

    Full leather seats:

    fullleather.jpg

    As standard, the R32 puts out 241BHP @ 6250RPM and 236lb-ft @2800RPM

    At the time of writing, prices range from about £12,000 for tatty & high mileage examples, up to £17000 for complete minters on dealer forecourts. Sellers usually think their R32s are worth more than they actaully are. Buying a 2003 model with 30-40k on the clock privately you should be looking to pay no more than £14,500 (maybe £15k if it has factory sat nav)

    You would have thought that on cars only 4-5 years old, serious problems would be quite rare. Think again. A lot of R32s out there have been run by younger blokes who can't afford to maintan them properly. This seems to be particularly true of the deep blue ones.

    MAF sensor failure is common, resulting in a poor idle, throttle hesitation & lack of power. £400 to put right.

    Failure of the radiator fans is also a common fault. With the climatronic set to "Auto", the radiator fans should run constantly at low speed (almost silent). If they do not turn, or keep alternating between off and high speed (noisy) then the fans are knackered and must be replaced at a cost of £450 (the parts alone are over £200).

    Listen for clonking & clicking noises coming from the suspension as you go over bumps and manouver slowly at full lock. Failure of the front strut top mounts is partcularly common. I'm not sure how much this costs to put right, but I doubt it's cheap.

    Beware of any R32 that has been lowered. This can knacker the diff over time.

    Check that the Haldex oil was changed at 20k, or soon thereafter. This is a £150 job.

    Many UK R32s suffered from a flat spot / hesitation between 2000 & 3000RPM. This was a VW recall item and the fix was to apply the VW 6463 update to the ECU. If the car exhibits jerky acceleration at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle between 2000 & 3000RPM chances are this update hasn't been done. Some dealers will do this update free of charge, even on out-of-warranty cars. See HERE for further information.

    The flat spot should not be an issue on a remapped R32.

    VAG-COM engine controller page on an ECU that has the 6463 update applied (note the 6463 in the "Component" field):

    r32_engine_controller_6463.jpg

    Milltek exhausts are a common mod. These have fatter tailpipes, sound very juicy and increase power a bit (especially in conjunction with an ECU remap). But be aware that there are two versions - one with a resonated centre section and one with a straight-through. The straight-through Milltek is VERY noisy and probably not what you want on a daily driver. You want the one with the resonated centre section. The resonated Milltek costs £600-£700 fitted, so there is money to be saved if you can find an R32 with one already fitted.

    R32s were VERY popular with thieves. There are a lot of previously stolen/recovered ones that are recorded as CAT D. An HPI check is ESSENTIAL. A CAT D record knocks at least £2500 off the value of the car. An HPI check will also show you if the car has any finance still owing. Walk away if it does.

    Vandal damage is also a problem with these. Look for keyscratches and badly repaired panel damage. The deep blue ones seem to incite the most jealousy, unfortunately.

    The interior is standard mk4 stuff, apart from the Konig seats, the fatter steering wheel and a few bits of aluminium trim dotted about the place.. The 1/2 leather seats are very hard-wearing, but the full leather ones can suffer quite badly with bolster wear and unsightly sagging on the seat base.

    Full leather seats showing bolster wear and sagging:

    leatherworn.jpg

    Fuel economy-wise, expect ~28mpg on the motorway and ~22mpg round town, averaging out at about 24-25mpg. Road tax (at the time of writing) is £205 a year.

    I think that covers the main things. The R32 is a devastatingly effective point-to-point car and an almost perfect balance between performance, comfort & practicality. It has all the strengths of the Golf VR6 (lovely noise, exciting power delivery and that "unburstable" feeling), but none of its weaknesses (i.e. poor torque at low revs, lazy gear ratios and traction problems). Find a good one and you'll wonder how you could have ever driven anything else.

    As I said, look at as many as you can before buying. Good luck!

    If anyone else wants to share their experiences buying an R32 or has any further advice, please reply to this thread!

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