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The Car Thread


MadManMike

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I think I need new engine mounts, cars lumpy when changing gear no matter how smooth I am (progressively got worse over time, and I have no issues in other cars so I know it is not me :P). Whats that stuff people use to fill the mounts with? I was thinking of doing some sort of bodge repair as I cant afford new mounts, nor do I wish to spend any extra money on this car if I can help it

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I think I need new engine mounts, cars lumpy when changing gear no matter how smooth I am (progressively got worse over time, and I have no issues in other cars so I know it is not me :P). Whats that stuff people use to fill the mounts with? I was thinking of doing some sort of bodge repair as I cant afford new mounts, nor do I wish to spend any extra money on this car if I can help it

Tigerseal?

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Try and find what the red powerflex stuff is. That's specially made for diesels. I get a fair bit of vibration through my dogbone mount, and that's the standard yellow powerflex polybush.

I bought a spare set of engine mounts with the intention of DIY polybushing them, but still haven't got round to it! 1000g (enough to do two engine mounts) works out at about £30ish.

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I've been away from TF for a little while, as my laptop threw a tantrum and just wouldn't load it for some reason, every other website was fine, and TF worked if I cleared my cache, but the instant I logged in it wouldn't load again. Weird.

Anyway, hoping I've not missed much, just more of the usual A3/Leon chat I guess? (Hopefully with the odd picture of Bernard that I will have seen over on Retro Rides anyway?)

I had an issue with a bit of the Sciroccos fuel line splitting, and when I went and found some more from my spares department scrap pile to replace it I noticed that the Passat fuel rail I had lying about was fitted with a 4 bar pressure regulator. My car's got a Passat engine, but I fitted an A3 inlet complete with fuel rail, I know A3's use a 3 bar reg, and I didn't think the Passat would have been any different, so I'd fitted the whole manifold/fuel rail/reg together without checking. Turned out I'd been running too little fuel pressure since getting the thing running! The ECU had been adapting to the under fueling impressively well, so my plugs had been a nice colour, meaning I'd thought it was alright. I stuck the 4 bar one in to match my management and hey presto, suddenly under changing conditions when the narrow-band lambda's out of it's depth it's now much smoother, and there's noticeably more torque low down, as well as being much nicer on part throttle. Plus as a bonus it sounds much nicer and happier. What a tit that I didn't check it earlier!

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Tarty Adam: Ignore this post! #stanceyo!

Got some rear camber now! Had fun doing it. All the bolts for the stub axle had rounded out, so I had to heat each one up and get mole grips on to remove them! Replaced them with nice new shiny ones though. :) Anyay, shims are in, camber is set. Looks so much nicer! No crazy poke, also matched the front camber too.

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Need to brush up on my photo skills I think! And also sort that rear valance out!

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Dan, I can't express how much more I like your car now! I really wasn't a fan of how much rear poke you had, and this makes it sit sooo much better. Nice one. Really nice looking A4 now. (not that it wasn't before, just that it's even better now.)

Just been back through and skimmed over what I missed over the last few weeks, and all I've got to say is:

I'd take OEM pads on a road car that's being used as a road car anytime, they're fine, there's zero safety advantage to uprated pads unless your car was built in/before the 80's or you're driving like a willy.

To offer some anecdotal evidence, just a couple of days ago coming home from work I was driving spiritedly, (my car has around a 70% power increase over standard btw), I threw it around a corner as quickly as I considered didn't make me a willy, and waiting for me on the corner exit was a LWB sprinter being towed up hill by a Ford Galaxy! Must have been doing under 10mph. I hit my brakes, which are largish (280mm in 15" wheels) but standard calipers with EBC green stuff and a servo designed when men were real men and worked in coal mines, and it was unthinkable that a woman would drive a sports car anyway (in otherwords, they're crap, and make even a base spec A3's brakes feel amazing) and I didn't kill a single nun, kitten or child. They hauled me up from ~65 to ~5 as quickly as my tyres would allow, no problems, no drama, not a single explosion or massacre, not even a really small one.

On a more serious note though, if my brakes had been hot because I'd been driving hard previously (well, I had, but I like being silky smooth even if it's not as fast as possible, so don't tend to hammer my brakes too much), then I'd have been taking that corner slower to allow for it, and I still wouldn't have crashed, brake fade isn't really a safety issue unless it happens in 1 or 2 stops from sensible (i.e. legal) speeds. The bonus of which is that when you hit the brakes in town, because a kid steps out in front of you and you're brakes are stone cold, as you've only just started your journey, the kid gets to keep on pretending to be a jet plane, rather than actually thinking he's a jet plane because of brain damage.

Also spigot rings were mentioned along with stern words about safety. They're not for safety, and aren't a safety item, they're a fool-proofing item. Spigots aren't load bearing in use, they're just there to locate the wheel centrally while the bolts are done up. Without them you can just do the bolts up carefully and in the correct order to locate the wheel instead, it's fine. A bit of a pain in the arse at the road side in the rain, but perfectly safe.

(Right, that's that off my chest! haha)

Oh, and cool pictures Alex, and Mike, you're car's looking good (but badly needs spacers) and the pictures from whatever that VW/Audi/Scene event was look good, nice shots.

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I also badly need spacers, but typically for my car the only useful ones are £200. I could get thinner ones cheap, but they'd be a bit pointless and not very safe (because less threads for nuts). Very sadz.

On the plus side, I ordered those adjustable Gaz dampers so I can't wait to get those on and do some skidz.

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A3 got me to Basingstoke without blowing up, whopee. Even smashed some cock in a Boxster with 60kg's of luggage and my missus on board. Torque ***.

Went to Prawns last night for dinner and took him out in the car, all is well with him.

Going to Parsons Performance in Brighton with him this morning to pick up gearbox number 7. Yey.

All is good. :)

Edited by Pashley26
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and Mike, you're car's looking good (but badly needs spacers) and the pictures from whatever that VW/Audi/Scene event was look good, nice shots.

Cheers dude! Yeah I agree, the wheels do sit too far in - it's on the list :)

The pics are from GTI Springfest, was a VAG meet and I was on the Secret Seat Society stand. Good day in all, some really nice old skool VW stuff which I'm sure you'd have appreciated.

Dan, car's looking good man. With regards to photography, you just need to process it - those pics are fine, but foreground lighting needs bringing up to bring out the detail on the car.

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I have to own an intergrale one day. My dad had three before I was born :(

Been neglecting the golf a lot recently but spent an hour or so doing a few things. Think I have finally found the source of my knocking noise thank god. The tin sleeve that goes through the rear wishbone bolt appears to be mashed up allowing for some movement. Hopefully that'll cure it :)

Managed to push most of a dent out of the rear quarter thats been there since i got it. Also got a towbar fitted so I can kart my motorbike around.

I seriously need to raise the car up. Got some major scuffs and dents on the underbelly of the car :lol:

Gave it a clean...

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Last couple of times I've washed it (not very often) one particular wheel flakes off :( obviously whoever painted them got fed up with this one. Not sure what I'm gunna do about it.

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EDIT: This is the machine that goes on the bike rack....

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Edited by Duncy H
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