Corrado G60 What to expect?
Discussion
I replaced the entire coolant system, but mechanically it was prety ropey,
I just loved it, and the noise of a VR6 was addictive.
Sunroof failed, Heater matrix went (dash out job to repair), blower motor failed, and only ran on fastest setting. Seat tilt cable snapped, and door handle broke internally, making getting in pretty frustrating.
Honestly, you will be taking on a minefeld. the G60 stopped being built in 1992/3 so you are taking on a 20 year old car, so stuff will/ will have failed.
I just loved it, and the noise of a VR6 was addictive.
Sunroof failed, Heater matrix went (dash out job to repair), blower motor failed, and only ran on fastest setting. Seat tilt cable snapped, and door handle broke internally, making getting in pretty frustrating.
Honestly, you will be taking on a minefeld. the G60 stopped being built in 1992/3 so you are taking on a 20 year old car, so stuff will/ will have failed.
Flat6er said:
Honestly, you will be taking on a minefeld. the G60 stopped being built in 1992/3 so you are taking on a 20 year old car, so stuff will/ will have failed.
OR if you buy the right one, you can get a 20 year old car that has had lots of wear and tear items already replaced. It's all about locating a corrado that has been cherished and had niggles dealt with.As an example though, my 1989 corrado has every single electrical item working fine incuiding spoiler, sunroof, seat belts, central locking, windows etc. My brother's 1994 corrado has a duff sunroof, dodgy central locking and a faulty heater control panel. The heater panel in particular is a lot more expensive and hard to fix on post 92 models than it is on early models.
There are a few items like headlights/indicators/wings/bonnets that are different on early models and as a result are a lot harder to find than the later models but on the other hand eg black interior trim for later models are harder to find than early grey items.
Seriously, you are still buying a VW, it's a rare car yes but parts aren't that hard to get nor are they that expensive if you use specialist parts suppliers and are handy with spanners!
dabofoppo said:
1. What should i be looking for? common issues rust etc
Check behind the petrol filler cap. Corrados being hand built don't rot as much as Golfs do, but that one area is the main achilles heel afflicting all Corrados now. Aside from windscreen fitters digging paint away, there aren't really any other signficant rot traps. Just as with any other car, maintenance is key.
dabofoppo said:
2. What are they like as a car to use everyday? fuel economy, Parts etc.
Exclusive. You are extremely unlikely to see another one during your daily commute. You will stand out in a sea of boutique fashion cars and unimaginative silver repmobiles.It's a VW. Which means if you show it some love, it will love you back by not breaking down.
A lot of parts are being obsoleted now, which is ultimately going to push many Corrados to the scrap yards, but whilst they're still around. They're great cars.
dabofoppo said:
3. Should i be worried about the price?
Nope. Only the very best examples fetch more than £3K these days.I recently bought a cheap G60 off of a uni mate, it had suffered from the quite common problem of the crank pulley bolt shearing resulting in the timing slipping and it being a non runner.
I bought a new crank pulley from VW for £34, fitted it, re timed it, serviced and MoT'd it and sold it on for a healthy profit!
It did have a lot of history with it and I mean a lot, all records of charger rebuilds, just about every receipt you could want to see and even the original purchase invoice from VW in 1989 for around £16k.
It had a Stage 4 charger, 68mm puley, SNS chip, mocal oil cooler etc, went pretty well and the charger noise is lovely.
As others have said, the gear change was quite sloppy though.
I bought a new crank pulley from VW for £34, fitted it, re timed it, serviced and MoT'd it and sold it on for a healthy profit!
It did have a lot of history with it and I mean a lot, all records of charger rebuilds, just about every receipt you could want to see and even the original purchase invoice from VW in 1989 for around £16k.
It had a Stage 4 charger, 68mm puley, SNS chip, mocal oil cooler etc, went pretty well and the charger noise is lovely.
As others have said, the gear change was quite sloppy though.
Only if it's not maintained and allowed to become sloppy. It's still the same basic cable shift system used in all current non-DSG VWs.
My VR6 has done over 200,000 miles and the gear change is tight and slick still.... because I've maintained it. No other reason.
Yup, the G60 got a stretch bolt on the crank pulley, which can let go. This should be replaced by a non stretch variety from the MK1 Golf GTI engine (DX code) and that's that one sorted.
The only other things that can 'let go' and affects ALL Corrados, is the diff pins in the gearbox (final drive crown wheel). These are a rivet, but most people replace them with high tensile bolts when ever the gearbox has any work done. E.g. when replacing layshaft bearings (rattling noise at hot idle) and syncro rings (crunching going into 2nd).
My VR6 has done over 200,000 miles and the gear change is tight and slick still.... because I've maintained it. No other reason.
Yup, the G60 got a stretch bolt on the crank pulley, which can let go. This should be replaced by a non stretch variety from the MK1 Golf GTI engine (DX code) and that's that one sorted.
The only other things that can 'let go' and affects ALL Corrados, is the diff pins in the gearbox (final drive crown wheel). These are a rivet, but most people replace them with high tensile bolts when ever the gearbox has any work done. E.g. when replacing layshaft bearings (rattling noise at hot idle) and syncro rings (crunching going into 2nd).
aka_kerrly said:
As the owner of a standard G60 which has been in my family since new it has been supremely reliable for 88k.
It has not had the charger rebuilt, it makes factory boost and is a very happy engine because it has a decent amount of maintenance. This doesn't have to cost a lot, I do regular oil changes, swap the charger pulley belts each year, check that the oil feed+return pipe from the charger to the sump is in good condition - i prefer braided steel hoses.
Wait. What?It has not had the charger rebuilt, it makes factory boost and is a very happy engine because it has a decent amount of maintenance. This doesn't have to cost a lot, I do regular oil changes, swap the charger pulley belts each year, check that the oil feed+return pipe from the charger to the sump is in good condition - i prefer braided steel hoses.
88k w/o a rebuild?
are you mad!?!?!??!
It costs sub £400 to get the 'charger split an serviced, i'd make it a priority to get it done, "unknown quantity" 'chargers are reaching the £500 mark, if you brick a casing or scroll its a big bill, and one that can be avoided IMHO.
JB! said:
Wait. What?
88k w/o a rebuild?
are you mad!?!?!??!
It costs sub £400 to get the 'charger split an serviced, i'd make it a priority to get it done, "unknown quantity" 'chargers are reaching the £500 mark, if you brick a casing or scroll its a big bill, and one that can be avoided IMHO.
I appreciate your concern!88k w/o a rebuild?
are you mad!?!?!??!
It costs sub £400 to get the 'charger split an serviced, i'd make it a priority to get it done, "unknown quantity" 'chargers are reaching the £500 mark, if you brick a casing or scroll its a big bill, and one that can be avoided IMHO.
Given that the car has been owned since new and I know the servicing has been regular and it makes factory boost why pull apart?
I have heard of far more people who have blown superchargers apart after they have been rebuilt by supposed specialists. I have seen first hand evidence of a well known company's effort which went horribly wrong because someone forgot to put the apex seals back in.
As I previously said the majority of failures come from the smaller belt that drives the charger scrolls failing thus the scrolls inside then smash against each other. Mine has been replaced annually without fail.
That said JMR will be getting mine in the winter when I pull the engine out to replace the subframe and do other cleaning/rebuilding.
aka_kerrly said:
JB! said:
Wait. What?
88k w/o a rebuild?
are you mad!?!?!??!
It costs sub £400 to get the 'charger split an serviced, i'd make it a priority to get it done, "unknown quantity" 'chargers are reaching the £500 mark, if you brick a casing or scroll its a big bill, and one that can be avoided IMHO.
I appreciate your concern!88k w/o a rebuild?
are you mad!?!?!??!
It costs sub £400 to get the 'charger split an serviced, i'd make it a priority to get it done, "unknown quantity" 'chargers are reaching the £500 mark, if you brick a casing or scroll its a big bill, and one that can be avoided IMHO.
Given that the car has been owned since new and I know the servicing has been regular and it makes factory boost why pull apart?
I have heard of far more people who have blown superchargers apart after they have been rebuilt by supposed specialists. I have seen first hand evidence of a well known company's effort which went horribly wrong because someone forgot to put the apex seals back in.
As I previously said the majority of failures come from the smaller belt that drives the charger scrolls failing thus the scrolls inside then smash against each other. Mine has been replaced annually without fail.
That said JMR will be getting mine in the winter when I pull the engine out to replace the subframe and do other cleaning/rebuilding.
just worth doing especially as good chargers are getting pricey.
^ Valid point.
It is becoming a problem that the number of G60 specialists is getting smaller and smaller. At one stage Jabba were supposedly the only choice, then there were a few horror stories about people getting chargers back with no apex seals or inferior bearings being used. Then GWerks and Pitstop both of whom are now out of business were the preferred choice.
JMR have been recommended to me by a few G60 owners and a couple of garages which have worked on my car. Getting parts in general to do a rebuild DIY style from Europe and the USA isn't overly hard but I'd be reluctant to crack open my only charger!
It is becoming a problem that the number of G60 specialists is getting smaller and smaller. At one stage Jabba were supposedly the only choice, then there were a few horror stories about people getting chargers back with no apex seals or inferior bearings being used. Then GWerks and Pitstop both of whom are now out of business were the preferred choice.
JMR have been recommended to me by a few G60 owners and a couple of garages which have worked on my car. Getting parts in general to do a rebuild DIY style from Europe and the USA isn't overly hard but I'd be reluctant to crack open my only charger!
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