tim-spam

Well, my ALHAMBRA is now well out of warranty and approaching 40,000 miles. What’s it like? In a word, brilliant - I’ve not regretted buying it for one minute. Now here’s the list of all of the faults I’ve had to have fixed under warranty. None. The only issue I’ve had has been crap dealer service, but now it’s out of warranty I shall be doing all servicing and repairs myself. As for economy, it has averaged low to mid forties mpg, but I generally don’t hang around. I have seen over 60mpg on a couple of very gentle drives and as low as 23 mpg loaded up to the gunwales with the caravan on the back. So, in summary, it’s very comfortable, quick, economical, handles very well and has been completely reliable.

Well, my ALHAMBRA is now well out of warranty and approaching 40,000 miles. What’s it like? In a word, brilliant - I’ve not regretted buying it for one minute. Now here’s the list of all of the faults I’ve had to have fixed under warranty. None. The only issue I’ve had has been crap dealer service, but now it’s out of warranty I shall be doing all servicing and repairs myself. As for economy, it has averaged low to mid forties mpg, but I generally don’t hang around. I have seen over 60mpg on a couple of very gentle drives and as low as 23 mpg loaded up to the gunwales with the caravan on the back. So, in summary, it’s very comfortable, quick, economical, handles very well and has been completely reliable.

Almost certainly the cylinder head gasket starting to leak.

Well, I've recently sold my 2002 Alhambra after 211000 miles. I seem to remember the prophets of doom giving all sorts of dire warnings about the 'inevitable' and expensive cam failures and how crap it was due to the special oil needed, etc. etc. Now we see the same sort of drivel being pumped out about the latest Alhambra. Having just bought a TDI (184) after much research and many test drives, I have to say that it is hugely better than the old model, and according to all the data I have found, much more reliable. In just about all areas it comes out as much better than average (the old model was consistently rated as below average). Just google Alhambra problems and see which models come up. Apart from one or two early issues with the adblue system, there is precious little that has been reported since 2010. By the way, topping up the adblue is a simple DIY job, not much more difficult than topping up the windscreen washer. It is certainly bigger than my old car, but it also has more space for passengers and is overall much more comfortable. However, it is true that there is slightly less space for luggage when compared to the old model with the seats removed - after all, the seats fold rather than disappear. Some of the extra length has also been used to improve safety in case of frontal impact and also improve engine access. As for the way it drives, there really is no comparison. Don't get me wrong - I really liked my old Alhambra, but the new one is just so much better. It's much more refined, slightly more economical and much, much quicker, both on the straights and round corners. I'm not a huge fan of sliding doors, but they do give very good access - mine are electrically powered which is quite nice. Overall, I'm extremely impressed and very pleased with the new model - in my opinion (and that of many others), it is the best MPV out there by some margin.

It could be the alternator pulley - this has a clutch on it that can fail. Easy to change with the right tool.

If it was the MAF, it would happen all the time. 99% it's the turbo vanes.

In a word - no. If you fit cheap driveshafts, you are very likely to still have some wobble, especially at around 20mph in 2nd gear. It may be less than on a worn out driveshaft, but it will get worse over a year or two, and the vibrations may do further damage to the transmission or (more likely) the DMF. Genuine exchange shafts are obviously good, but the price is horrendous. However, if you can find GKN / Spidan shafts, these are the business, but expect to pay up to

Could be a manifold leak, or a vacuum leak.

Trouble is that, due to the agreement with Ford, the Sharan / Alhambra were the only VAG Group cars not to be fully galvanised, and the only ones to have a 6 year body warranty - the rest have 12 years, and if my 1999 Golf is anything to go by, they probably never have any claims against this. This car is completely rust free and looks like staying that way for many years to come. In fact, the whole thing seems to be very durable with the only real issues having been the engine speed sensor, a suspension spring and the left hand transmission mounting. My 2002 Alhambra is still very sound and should last a few more years yet, but is clearly not as well protected as the Golf - when the paint is chipped it will rust, unlike the Golf, which does not. I would imagine that the new Sharan / Alhambra carries the ususal VAG 12 year body warranty and has a fully galvanised body - I'll have to check....

Eurocarparts, VW dealer, Seat dealer, Skoda dealer. Worth trying - unless the dealers are far more expensive, go with one of them.

Pipes fracturing is not particularly common. Far more common is the condensor leaking from the dryer cap - there's a plastic cap on the top which can let water in, which then corrodes the housing around the dryer cap. If you lever out the plastic cap, you will be able to whether or not it's been leaking.

My guess is that the problem will return when the weather gets colder and damper.

For a reliable, long term cure, you'd better plan on a turbo de-coke. There are quite a few pieces to take off, but the job really is not too difficult - if you take it off from below, there are less pieces to remove. As I said before, if you don't fancy stripping the turbo yourself, Midland Turbos will supply an exchange unit for around

My old drop links had flats, but the new Lemforder ones have a 12 point splined recess in the end of the shaft.

It's possible that this is referring to cars with variable service intervals, in which case it will be to VW 506.01. Or, it may simply be that the site is wrong.