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kempj1

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Everything posted by kempj1

  1. Any ideas? Bust relay? faulty earth? short circuit? something come undone? I think it's relay 6 that controls the blinkers, but removing that makes no difference. So it may be a short that's providing power from elsewhere. Dunno. Ignition switch? (that was a recurring problem on my old GTi as the fusebox began to rust) Probably will have to get VW to look at most mechanics don't enjoy this sort of problem. Is this the sort of thing a VAG COM scan can help with?
  2. Please help. Our VR6 was stalled by my wife this morning and suddenly started behaving very strangely. All indicators are lit continuously (not flashing). The immobiliser is no longer working (car can be started without using the immob thing). And the doors lock each time the engine is started. What's going on??!!
  3. Well done on the mot. Well I took mine for a spin late last night and the caliper had loosened itself off. It was a bit frosty in the night though so maybe this freeze/thaw thing has something to do with it. I will not be using the handbrake for a few months though. 39mpg on my way to work this morning, so I think it's fairly safe to say that nothing is binding. I put a road atlas over the handbrake lever :-)
  4. Cheers for getting back Shail. Well it made it through winter (down to -15 now and again) but it started locking up when spring started. Maybe it is similar though. When the water's frozen it can't leak in but then it leaks in when the warmer weather comes. Maybe takes some dirt with it. Come to think of it, the underside of my car must be covered in $hit. I spoke to my mechanic. He reckons he can un lock it and if I don't use the handbrake it'll be fine. Until the mot. At which point is it feasible to only connect one rear brake to the handbrake? Anyone know if that would pass an mot? (I know
  5. Morning team, My 1997 more or less standard Golf VR6 has the same problem 6 months ago. This OEM caliper is less than a year old and is sticking. It happened in exactly the same way as last time. First of all the handbrake seems to develop a bit of play in it - the lever becomes loose for an inch or so before it actually tightens up and applies properly. Even when it applies it feels spongy. The brakes still work fine at this point - no imbalance perceptable at all. Then I have to apply the handbrake hard on a hill and pull it on properly. And that's it. Rear caliper locked. Do you think I'
  6. Thanks My licence is UK though, so I hope that there may be some kind of get out. I think I'll have to pay though :-) They sent me photos. I was doing 109 in an 80. or 65 in a 50 in mph. bugger! One thing I can recommend though is following an HGV. These boys rip it though the twisty roads and know exactly where the cams are. We did this on the way back and it was quite useful. They don't go fast on the straights, but that's alright - good for the fuel consumption :-)
  7. Hello folks, We moved to Sweden a year ago, and are currently back in the UK for a holiday. The VR6 has officially been exported, and is now wearing Swedish plates. Our journey back to the UK, travelling across Norway, has thrown up a couple of questions. Incidentally, I am still using a UK licence. I've noticed a few Scandinavians writing on this site, but these questions are definitely open to everyone. Do the road toll companies in Norway have international remit? Can they track people down in other countries and fine them? And similarly, Speed Cameras - can the Norwegians nail me for speed
  8. Thanks for the advice lads. I think I might just go for the VW bulbs. I'm in Sweden and VW dealers are easier to find than LEDs. Found a good guide to fitting the dash bulbs on this VR6OC. Lost the link now but here's a bit of the content: Clocks are easy to remove as there are no drive cables Remove the ABS/Airbag light unit - prize out with blade Push plunger on side of lighting switch to release and expose screw Remove trim on left of clocks to expose second screw Remove both screws securing binnacle surround Drop steering wheel column on adjuster to allow withdrawal of binnacle surround Re
  9. That sounds good - probably cheaper & easier than replacing the actual bulbs. If you could find the thread that would be great. I'm not sure what voltage LEDs are usually, or where to get them, but I suppose you could wire several of them in series to divide the voltage...
  10. Hello folks, so for 2 years I have been driving around with the rev counter lit perfectly and the speedo lit dimly - only one of the 2 lights in the dash were working. Last night the remaining lamp blew. How are these replaced? Has anyone had a similar problem and put in their own DIY solution? Any tips would be well received. BTW my VR is now on Sweden and has been running faultlessly other than this. Starts 1st time at -15 ;-)
  11. Phil, I have a 97 5dr too. I went for koni top adjustables on the front and oem sachs/boge on the back. I thik it's made a good difference, especially when you can stiffen the front end when you feel like it. I'm living in Sweden now and in the winter it's on soft setting most of the time. When I get my summer tyres on though, it'll be set to 1/4 turn from max stiffness. I didn't go for a stiffer rear ARB yet, just sorted the camber settings on the front to make the nose grip more. -1degree40sec makes a big difference. BTW I am running original springs because I did not want to loose any ride
  12. when you get it done give it 1 degree -ve on each side, of maybe even -1.5 => will make it more lively
  13. Big firm - threaten them with legal action? You deserve more than just getting them to fix the problem they created...
  14. That's pretty impressive mate - I obviously don't cane it as hard as you I hit mad speeds most mornings but I can go for miles without really using my brakes properly, but then every now and again when it's time to get everything mad hot they come in very handy. Down the Hartside Pass at full whack for example http://www.visitcumbria.com/pen/hartside.htm
  15. If the disks are less than a year old then leave them be You went through a set of pads in less than a year?! sheeeet you musy have a hefty right foot!
  16. It's not the octane that helps it's the additives in the fuel itself. Optimax has quite a few additives, and some of them help boost the octane level. The combination of higher octane and additives helps the fuel burn a bit cleaner, and may improve efficiancy slightly. All petrols have additives which are there to help keep the engine clean and the fuel burning cleanly. General advice is to run predominantly on one fuel for a few thousnad miles and then switch to a different brand. The use of one particular fuel will maximise the benefits of the additives in that fuel. By switching to a diff
  17. Howdee, if you're going to the trouble of replacing pads, you should definitely replace the discs too. It's best to do this becasue the new pad will be nice and flat faced, but the old disc will be slightly grooved and the two will not mate properly. May even lead to imbalance from left to right - there's no way of knowing. If you have new pads AND discs you will have nice even braking from the start. If your rears don't need replacing just leave them as is. I have fast road pads on the front and regular pads on the rear. The rear pads never get as hot as the front ones, so it's not so importa
  18. If it's a mk3 or newer then The German Motor Company in Wandsworth have done several jobs for me. They are cheaper but have bags of experience. Good luck...
  19. VW dealer - Morden VW. As usual they are pricey, but they did a good job when fixing my golf at Christmas.
  20. Front wheel alignment. What'll give me a grippy front end without shredding my tyres? Anyon't thoughts or experiences with messing about with this / messing this up would be greatly appreciated. I was thinking -1.5 degrees Camber, zero toe. What would a little toe-in do handling wise? I think it'll even the tyre wear out a bit while running -ve camber. I don't want toe out - sure it'll feel more lively, but it's really asking for some regular tyre replacement. (m)
  21. I'm kind of looking forward to winter, but I need to know what shape & size wheels will fit. 15" if possible. I was hoping that some wheels of a common Swedish car (volvo or saab?) woudl fit - then I can hunt some down on eBay or equivalent...
  22. I haven't been on this site for a while - glad to see the banter flying as usual! Got the car tested, just needed a new tie rod. They test the cars hard here - they have a suspension rig that shakes them about, a braking rig that compares stopping power from one side to the other, front to rear, etc. Got my new registration, and now preparing for the harsh winter. Trust me the weather here is *awesome* right now. However, I need a secon set of wheels & studded tyres for the winter. I don't care if the rolling radius changes / gearing changes, etc. If I know what will fit then I can snap u
  23. kempj1

    10.6 mpg

    Spindat-Dub - don't worry about it hitting 110 on the motorway. If you are concerned about the temp while cruising (or flooting it) at very high speeds then a good bet for you is a low-temp thermostat. I have one of these (Neuspeed 160degF) and now the temp never hits 110, even when cruising at a consistant 130mph+ At about 100mph the temp never goes above 100degC. The only reason that mine got so hot so quickly is becasue I was driving it very hard up a twisty fellside pass mainly using 2nd & 3rd gears. This is where an oil cooler would come in very handy I reckon. And on the 'ring too.
  24. kempj1

    10.6 mpg

    Glad to hear the 'ringers' had fun in Germany over Easter - I was up in Cumbria. It's the first time I've had a chance to rag my VR6 properly up the Hartside pass in warm dry conditions. Now I understand why VR6 people bang on about aftermarket oil coolers. I've been up there in winter and in the wet, and the oil temperature hasn't risen to 110 degrees on those runs. Cruising between 120-130mph the oil temp is about 106. But 5 miles of mainly 2nd and 3rd gear red line cainage (I averaged 10.6 mpg!) and the oil temp went from 96 at the start to 118 at the top. Not that I'm worried about the o
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