Hi all,
I am sure this subject has been covered before but thought mine might be different as several causes can trigger the same warning light...this is a 2.0 HDi 110bhp
My car is basically in limp-home mode most of the time, no turbo at the moment with the warning light showing anti-pollution fault.
A diagnostic showed 3 errors:
-glow plugs (believe they have never been changed but surely can't be the explanation!)
-air flow
-turbo pressure
I had some lack power on and off over the last month or two and since I got the anti-pollution light on, a week ago, I had the power on and off for a few days, now no turbo pressure at all.
I checked the pipe from the intercooler to the turbo when accelerating, not changing and can't really see much the rest of the turbo pipes for leaks being at the back of the engine compartment.
The car has 130k miles, is just the turbo being on its way or anything more simple that would trigger the car to limp-home mode?
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hi, i have the choice of 2 company cars and i am unsure which to go for?
the first is an brand new insignia 2.0l cdti exclusive 5 door hatch and the other is a 58 plate mondeo 2.2l tdi titanium with sports kit 5 door hatch.
i travel about 300 mile a week, mostly motorway and i like my comfort, i am 6 foot tall and medium build so i do like plenty of room!
i also have a wife and a baby seat to fit in (when not working)!
-which seats are the comfiest, i like them to be supportive.
-which is the safest?
-what are the main pro's and cons of each?
-anyone drivin them both?
-please can i have your opinions please?
-what would you choose?
ps: they both cost the same in personal contributions?

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OK, I've had my first week with the new arrival, so time to post some first impressions.

Last Saturday I bought a 1999 Golf 1.8T GTI 5dr in Indigo Blue. It's done a few miles (133k), but is a one owner from new car with a very comprehensive service history. I paid £1850 for it which, based on others for sale, is a reasonable price. Neither over the odds or particularly cheap.

It's a tidy car overall. There's the usual front end stone chips consistent with the mileage, and the odd scratch here and there, but more importantly for me, no sign of any body repairs, mismatched paint, uneven panel gaps and so on. It's what I would call an honest car. No attempt had been made to tart anything up for sale, and any imperfections were easy to spot. It has the original manufacturers labels still stuck in the spare wheel well, the full tool kit, warning triangle and first aid kit in the boot, and apart from the service history, has real evidence of having had money spent on it (four matching Michelin Pilots, new looking front pads and discs, invoice for a new £500 air con compressor in the last 12 months etc etc). Overall, it gave a good impression. It even had the full original handbook folder with all contents present and correct, all old MOTs, emergency key wallet and all the other bits.

I picked a few faults when I drove it. There's a slight knock from the front suspensionover sharp bumps which I reckon is the front anti roll bar bushes. My VW tech mate concurs, and reckons some modded parts came out around this year which he will fit when he takes a look at the car. It's also due a service and timing belt imminently (which he's doing for me next week), and perhaps the only potentially serious item, a slight clutch judder particularly when cold.

I will put my hands up and admit that I didn't realise these cars had a DMF on them, but as we haven't looked into this in any detail yet, I'm trying not to draw any expensive conclusions. In any case, my mate recommends converting it to a solid flywheel if we do need to go that route, which makes about a £350 job with his time included. Not the end of the world I suppose. In his opinion, the DMF is completely unnecessary on the petrol engine, and he has done a few solid conversions now without any issue. I can live with it for now in any case.

Finally when returning to idle, the engine would hold at around 1500 RPM for 5 seconds or so before settling to normal speed. On quizzing the seller, he told me he'd cleaned the throttle body out last week (a common issue with the 1.8T), and it had done this ever since. In all other respects, it drove superbly. Tracked arrow straight with very positive steering, pulled like a train, and felt very responsive, and very tight for the mileage. Brakes smooth and reassuring, Nicely specced too. A superb set of Recaro seats, Climatronic, electric sunroof, electric windows all round, electric mirrors, ABS etc etc. All in perfect working order, apart from an intermittently noisy blower motor

Upon getting it home, I dug out my VAG COM, and performed a throttle body adaptation, which is recommended after the throttle body has been disturbed. The idle has been perfect ever since, and part throttle response noticeably crisper. One thing ticked off the list for 5 minutes work. I also took the opportunity to scan all the modules on the car for fault codes. Apart from an intermittent report on the Climatronic module for a fan blower fault (consistent with the motor noise), everything came back "clean". The blower is an easy replacement and not expensive. The other issues still remain until my mate can take a look at the car next week. Had great fun with VAG COM too actually. First time I've used it in anger, and its amazing what you can do with it.

After a week on the commute, I've done a brim to brim calculation at 32.8 mpg (against the computer's reported 34.3) which is not bad considering that included a week of some of the worst traffic I've ever seen on the M3, and a dash down to Southampton and back that was certainly not economy minded. Similar use would have had the Volvo well down into the 20's. The 1.8T engine is very impressive, being flawlessly smooth throughout the rev range, and with a very flat torque curve. It will pull from 1500 RPM without hesitation, yet rev cleanly through its range. At a steady 70 mph cruise, the computer shows well over 40 mpg. It's not the most inspiring sounding thing, and somewhat dull after the lovely Volvo 5 pot, but it is unobtrusive, responsive, and surprisingly frugal. Also easily remappable if I ever decide to go that route :-)

With the Recaros, low noise levels, and the still (to my mind) elegant, beautifully finished mk4 Golf dash, it's a lovely place to be. It has plenty of go, and handles much more neatly than the diesel version we have, with a much more agile feel to the nose, and a very impressive resistance to understeer. The only real fly in the ointment is the gearbox which is notchy and occasionally baulky, particularly on cold oil in the lower gears.

So, not perfect by any means, but seems to be a nice car overall. I will keep you posted what my mate finds when it's up on the ramps for the first time next week. I know it's 10 years old, but it really doesn't look it or feel it to drive. I've also had more positive comments on the car from friends and colleagues in a week than I had in 2 years with the Volvo. Whatever you say about Golfs, people like them.

I will add more as it comes.

Cheers
DP
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My car had been serviced/ valeted by different companies in Ireland prior to be heading away for 6 week break during the summer. On my return, there were what appeared to be greasy hand prints on the panels/ doors/ bonnet and boot. I have been unable to remove them and a subsequent valet failed. The local garage in UK suggested it was suntan lotion as it happened in the summer months. Is there any product on the market that will remove these marks or given the time that has elapsed do the panels need respraying ? I don't imagine it is suntan lotion given you'd rarely be wearing any in the UK, I am more inclined to believe it a substance used by the valet company person thats not been removed at the time of cleaning. Read more

Hi there

I think I've decided to go down a more reliable/conventional route and abandon ideas of Fiat Cromas and Diesel Laguna tourers in favour of yet another Jap barge, this time a Mazda 6.

I've found a 2005 post-facelift 1.8 TS nearby on 47K which I should be able to get for about five and a half grand (need to check up on the service history first).

Is there anything specific I should watch out for on this model? Most of the problems I can find online mention clutch/flywheel probs in the diesels. A few cars seem to have been affected by rust so obviously I'll have a good look around.

Also, if anyone has any experience of real world mpg I'd be interested to hear. My daily 50 mile commute is mostly sub 70 dual carriageway so I'd hope for high 30's??

cheers!

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