November 2002
Following on from an earlier post.
I've ust got an Arosa 1.4 TDI PD and note in the handbook that oil with VW 505 01 specification must be used otherwise engine damage could occur. My car has had 2 services and on the invoices it doesn't specify which oil was used. Just say's ZENGOIL which I presume is engine oil with a Z prefix (what ever that is). The price charged was £6.49 a litre which seems too cheap for the correct VW 505 01 oil as I've read on other posts that it should be nearer £10-12 per litre. I'm going to try and find out what oil has been used. Probably get a price for the correct oil from the parts people and compare with the price charged in the service. Although, from past experience I've found that main dealer retail oil is not what is used by the mechanics. They tend to buy oil in bulk so comparing the 2 may not be conclusive. What worries me is if the wrong oil has been used, what damage to the engine could happen/has happenened?
Can anyone reccommend how I find out what oil has been used?
Is VW 505 01 oil synthetic or mineral based? or can it be either?
Can anyone give me an idea of prices paid for the correct oil.
I'll post what I find out.
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Something's finally stopped working on the Skoda!!! Tonight the courtesy light switch on the driver's door ceased to switch. All the other doors work the interior lights correctly, they come on when you unlock the car and go off when you lock it, so it must be the switch operated by the driver's door. However, I can't find the switch, it's not in the hinge panel, nor near the door catch, and it doesn't feel like it's inside the big concertina trunking for the wiring loom to the door. Does anyone know if it's inside the door latch itself? (In a similar way to Vauxhall deadlock connections?) I assume it's either seized or gunked up, is it a case of pulling the door to bits and giving it some WD40? Any Skoda/VW people who've seen this before please?
I wouldn't mind pulling the trim off, I need to fix the crack where I've put my elbow through it... :o) Read more
Seeing as it's been raining rather a lot, I think you might be on to something there! Think I'll ring the dealer in the morning.
If it's a defective switch I can get it done under warranty! :-) Not bad on a 120,000 mile car.
I've bought a 1990 Panda 1000 for my daughter as her first car, as it's appeared a number of times in HJ's column as a reasonable starter car.
One job I think needs doing is replacing a rubber cover on the top of the OSF shock absorber. I believe this also acts as a bump stop?
Does anyone know if this is an MOT fail point? In the Haynes book it looks straight forward to replace with a spring compressor and ball joint splitter; is it so? What size ball joint splitter will I need? Will any of the alignments need resetting when it's reassembled?
After 20+ years it's good to be doing something with cars again, but those days it was the cars that were rusty - now it's me.
Thanks if anyone can advise,
AT
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I had a torn one;I trimmed it so it was even all the way round-it passed MOT's for 3 years after that.
Yesterday I was asked to jump start a motorcycle from my Escort.
This made me wonder if it is safe to jump start a modern car or not. I accept the risks from a possible spike but are there any other dangers I should be aware of.
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I personally wouldn't be so keen to do this now Carl after reading so many warnings of possible ECU damage by Andrew Moorey and other knowledgeable people on this site.
When you read of possible damage by little things such as mobile phones and using the cigar lighter to charge things up with I would only do it as a last resort.
Now in the wifes old car no problems at all with no fancy gizmos to worry about.
Although you are supposed to secure the earth lead from the donor car as far away as possible from the battery to avoid possible explosions from any gases.
alvin
I have noticed before, and was reminded today, that breakdown/windscreen replacement/mobile tyre fitters keep the engines of their vans running whilst they carry out the rescue or repair. Why?
Today, a neighbour had Autoglass round to replace a windscreen. Job took perhaps 25 minutes. He left the engine running on his Transit all the time. Apart from having the radio on (loud of course), there was nothing else to drain the battery.
Chris M Read more
Erm....why does posts keep inserting themselves in the wrong
place?
My previous one should have in reply to Tim's (of course)
but it looks a bit silly where it ended up!
Carole,
If you'd have quoted some, or all of Tim's post ("quote original message" button below) then your reply wouldn't have, as you put it, looked a bit silly.
Has anyone changed oneof these. If so, what sort of a job is it? Read more
Hello
Engine stalls when clutch is depressed. Supposed to be due to blockage in 'throttle housing'. What is the best method to cure this.
Fit new throttle housing?
Clean out blockage?
Any problems in resetting controls if housing is only cleaned out?
Thanks Read more
Hello
This was the VW garage recomendation + also an ex VW mechanic.
I will post the result of fitting a cleaned out, 2nd hand, throttle housing.
Alex
Hi, My girlfriends just just gone to see about a new car for her self. - neither of us no anything about cars!
Its a Ford Classic Cabaret 1.3 CFi 5d with 29k on the clock, he is the only owner, and used it for run around town with disabled wife. he has all the MOT's, and full service history. BUT
There is some rust on the drivers side, on the rear wheel arch. - it looks like its just on the surface.
What would you all say?
Tyhanks
Ry Read more
Simple answer. Do not buy any P-reg car with rust showing. Many good cars are being scrapped without a hint of rust, why buy one to run that is worse than a scrapper.
Unless you are working to restoration standards (and costs!) it is nearly impossible to get rid of this type of rust for any worthwhile period.
MM
Anyone know of a Independant Fiat Specialist in the West Midlands? something like the Andy Gayle of the Fiat world? Surely one must exist??
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In HJ's motoring column in today's torygraph, a couple agreed a trade in on their car and agreed a px with a car dealer. When they went to sign the dealer offered a reduced trade in value. HJ says there was nothing they could do about it because nothing was signed.
Er sorry!? Of course they can do something about it! A verbal contract is as binding as a paper one (and don't let anyone say it isn't!).
An immediate trip to trading standards would have landed the dealer in trouble and possibly forced the dealer to reinstate the status quo.
If people continue to walk away from such situations, dealers will continue to cráp on the public in this way and think they can get away with it. Don't let them. Read more
M.B. Despite your reassurance I have a sneaking feeling that
you had a little smile on your face when you posted
the above not that it matters.>>
On the contrary, like you I know people (three of them) currently going through various stages of dementia. It is really heart breaking and very painful to see them "suffer" in this way.
Browse
Thanks for the info. (The following only applies to tdi pd engines that require fixed 10,000 mile servicing - or so I was told).
I spent ages today on the phone to numerous SEAT dealers, VW dealers, SEAT HQ, VW HQ, Castrol and Millers. The bottom line is total confusion everywhere.
I rang 12 SEAT dealers - all but one (I'll come back to which one)said that VW 505.01 must be (and is)used. Half of those said that this oil is only available in fully synthetic form. The others said its available in both synthetic and part-synthetic form. One said it is mineral oil. But, all stressed that VW505.01 MUST be used. The same applied to the 6 VW dealers I rang. All said that they use VAG sourced oil. This includes the SEAT used Quantum brand (I think this is supplied by Castrol). The VW dealers I spoke to use Castrol. Both HQ's confirmed that 505.01 MUST be used. VW said synthetic must be used, SEAT said "don't know".
I also rang Castrol's technical department and spent about 20 mins chatting with a very helpful guy who explained why this oil must be used. Basically, the camshaft driven injector pumps run at an extremely higher pressure on pump dusse TDi engines than they do on the 'older' design TDi's, and therefore require an oil that will offer a far higher degree of sheer(breakdown)resistance. The VW 501.01 (or higher)spec oils offer this and oils that fail to meet this spec must not be used. He even went as far as to say that engines run on non 505.01 spec oil are a time bomb waiting to go off and WILL be damaged (what!!!). He also said that 505.01 is only availble in synthetic form.
Millers now do an oil that meets the 505.01 spec. It's called XFE PD, but strangely, it's part synthetic and retails for about £20.00.
The SEAT dealer who didn't follow suit with the others was the one who's serviced my car (it would be wouldn't it). They told me that in my car (Arosa 1.4 tdi pd)they used Castrol magnatec. I was told I could use 505.01 but it wasn't neccessary. They also said that a leasing company who uses them to service their Alhambra's won't pay the extra cost for 505.01, so magnatec is also used for those as well. As a side note, the price quoted for 505.01 at all the dealers I spoke to was no more than the price my dealer quoted for magnatec.
This evening I went to the dealer where I purchased my car. They are part of the same group as the dealer who originally supplied and serviced it for the first owner. The car was transfered to them for my purchase.(Incidentley, the dealer I purchased the car from uses the correct oil). I spoke to the General Manager and explained the above re. the use of magnatec. He spoke to the service manager at the dealer who's done the servicing to find out what oil had been used. Although he was aware that 505.01 should be used for PD engines he thought that the 1.4 tdi pd was a non pump dusse engine. He checked the engine code which confirmed it was in fact a pd. He then confirmed that magnatec had been used on both the 10k and 20k service. (Great!!).
As a result, these are the options I've been offered:
1.An oil cange to the correct oil and a free 4th year warranty.
2.A full refund of my money.
3.A brand new car, and I pay the difference.
4.Try to locate another used car of same price, age, mileage etc.
Option 4, apparently, is as likely as finding rocking horse s***, as used 1.4 tdi's are very rare. Option 3 will cost me loads, option 2 leaves me with no car and loads of hassle, option one leaves my with doubt and worry (I planned on keeping this car for a few years).
So there you have it. Sorry about the length of this post,but I feel people ought to be aware of the confusion and the importance of making sure the correct oil is used in your car.