RobDon's Leon -

[J@mes]

Hi Rob, love the car, I understand your going for the mean/dark look, but the more I look at the above pics, I cannot help but wonder whether your car would look a lot nicer without the headlamp protectors on?!?!?!?!

 

[PhilW]

Not feeling those headlight things at all. Ditch them asap.

 

[tarzan]

really like that look.street racer

 

[RobDon]

They're only for shows'n'stuff but I love them!

 

[Al]

Headlight covers = more weight

If you are serious about track tyres, PM me as we may get discount on 2, 3 or 4 sets (Owen and Willie) sets.

 

[RobDon]

Weight ... they're plastic and weigh nothing!

Track tyres - maybe, depends what they are and the price, they must be fully good for wet road use like the Hankook RS2's and Yokohama AD08's though.

 

[RobDon]

Just spotted Mytyres are now showing these for sale:

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop....Seite=15&rf=1&Transport=P&dsco=110&sowigan=So

£121.79 each inc. shipping for 225/40/18 is a pretty amazing price for such a tyre.

 

[Willie]

Too many gaps and not enought rubber

I don't know anything about these though so might be a good one to go for.

 

[RobDon]

Seriously? They have more rubber on them than pretty much any road tyre, Hankook RS2 included.

More info here: http://www.kumhousa.com/Tire.aspx?id=675dce77-813e-4027-b467-2bea0466bd5c&cat=24

 

[Willie]

They sound good.
What I was comparing them to was perhaps not the type of tyre your comparing them to.

 

[Murdered LCR]

If you ditch them pm me lol , rob where does your front number plate go and how do you attatch it on I have a stick on one as I have the same mesh you have in the front now

 

[RobDon]

It's just to one side, screwed onto the bumper. Stick on ones are illegal so I wanted a proper plate.

 

[RobDon]

SUCCESS!!! I found the source of the rattling/tapping coming from the engine. I thought it might be the carbon canister bracket so I planned to remove it today (I had relocated it to the lower inner wing). Once I got it off I noticed a bolt had backed out of the power steering pulley, upon checking all three bolts I found two were very loose! So I bolted them back in using high strength thread lock - problem solved. EVAP canister is removed now too.

 

[Willie]

Brilliant Rob, it's good to have all the rattles and knocks sorted out in your car.

Did you follow a guide for removing the carbon canister?
Any hints tricks or tips for this?

 

[Ibiza125]

Brilliant Rob, it's good to have all the rattles and knocks sorted out in your car.

Did you follow a guide for removing the carbon canister?
Any hints tricks or tips for this?

I just ripped the bugger out.

 

[RobDon]

Found some guides on VW Vortex in the 1.8T tech section. Fairly easy thing to do. Huge thread about removing stuff like this here:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...ng-up-Engine-bay...Removing-SAI-N249-PCV-EVAP

 

[Phillc]

I removed the carbon canister a few months ago, did you find any blue balls? as i never did i looked where the guide tells you but no balls? also i keep getting the incorrect flow code on vag-com which throws the engine light on, no idea where the system is getting this as its all disconnected and wiring has a cap on it? any idea how to stop this? cars looking good, not sure on the light covers though, you thought of using the spray tint direct on to the lights?

 

[RobDon]

The blue balls are the carbon canister on some VAG models, we got the black thing that is easier to see and remove.

Unless you fit a resistor you'll always get the code and CEL. Fit a 330ohm 10-watt resistor. The only CEL I ever get is for the SAI, improper flow, comes up around once every few weeks, even with a resistor on it.

 

[Murdered LCR]

I have all ways wanted to remove this as all it does is tick , question is what does it do and will it cause any harm in removing it

 

[RobDon]

It collects fuel vapour and sends it back to your intake, an emissions thing. Once removed it doesn't seem to have any effect on the engine, just DON'T block off the hose that goes from the tank to the canister, vent it to atmosphere down into the inner wing. Blocking it off can cause excess back pressure in the fuel system and things will start blowing off.

The official answer is:

An evaporative canister is part of the evaporative system that is within the emission system. Hydrocarbons are a form of pollution that gasoline releases as it evaporates or after is is burned. While fuel is stored inside the tank, fumes build up and are retained inside this canister. The canister contains charcoal that absorbs the hydrocarbons. When the engine is started, a valve opens that allows fresh air to come in and purge the fumes (hydrocarbons) into the air intake and then into the combustion chamber for burning. I understand that more hydrocarbons are released into the atmosphere by leaving your fuel cap off, than what comes out of your tailpipe while the engine runs. If there is a leak anywhere in the evaporative system, such as a bad hose, canister leak or leaving the fuel cap loose, the check engine light will set.