Ivor_E_Tower

My parents bought their last car, a Volvo 850, at 12 months old. It was first registered in Germany, supplied from the UK, but of British spec to either a member of the armed forces or a diplomat. As has been said, these people get such good tax breaks that they make money doing this. So long as the car is of UK spec, there is no problem, and there should be no problem when you come to sell it on.

No - there is a separate rear centre console into which the dvd player fits - the console itself is NOT standard on "ordinary" Ghia models. There is normally NO rear centre console fitted. :lol:

Much better and cheaper to buy after-market; the TomTom Go system is fully portable from one car to another; can get it for under

Petrol engines run rich from cold, so their fuel consumption is worse than when warm. The fuel also acts to remove oil from the cylinder bores which is why so much wear occurs when they are cold. Diesel, being "heavy oil", doesn't cause this problem, the fuel also acts as lubricants for the pistons in the cylinders. If you are doing loads of short journeys, it's a case of Heads you win, tails you don't loose. :lol:

It is a metal plate designed to be the first thing that hits the ground, to protect other parts of the car - such as an lpg fueltank ;)

Yes, it does sound as if it is working OK - the cold air will not be chilled too much if the ambient air is not too warm; only if you take the car somewhere really hot and leave it so that the interior heats up wll full cooling be given by the aircon. You could try a test by setting the aircon to max cooling. Sounds like the original problem was of insufficient gas, causing the pressure switch to trip out and report a fault.

I still wouldn't worry, there are often "spare" connectors hanging off wiring looms all over the place.

Pressure test is definitely a good idea.

You don't sit at traffic lights with your foot on the brake pedal, by any chance, do you? If so, stop it! Heat from the pads passes into the disc where they are in contact, and causes the warping.

..and the TDI will need a cambelt change at 40,000 miles whereas the 2.3 has chain-drive cam that won't need changing. If you are going to change it again after 2 years or so, the extra cost of the TDI is almost certainly not worth it in your case. However, the TDI will be worth more, percentage-wise, when you come to trade it in, and you may prefer the driving characteristics of a diesel. Have you actually taken both for a drive and seen which you prefer? I do a low annual mileage but prefer diesel as it's better on short journeys, more low-down torque makes town driving less of a drag, and I pay less fuel tax to the chancellor ;)

Probably to clip onto a second cooling fan for cars with larger engines? Does the connector look the same as the one that fits onto your one cooling fan?

Sticky thermostat and possible air lock?

Display matrix flashes for 15 seconds to indicate fault, then behaves as if everything is OK, even if it isn't. Don't be fooled.

In the right-hand side cubby hole alongside the rearmost seats (assuming you don't have VHS multimedia in which case the CD changer isn't fitted as standard).

MAF is Mass Airflow Sensor. Don't know why you have a turbo problem; loose hose somewhere perhaps? or sticking wastegate?

Try measuring the resistance of the screen heaters themselves using a multimeter; IIRC the left and right sides are connected separately, but the 2 earthing wires are almost side-by-side by the clock.

Our kitten doesn't have any indicated jacking points - we just put an arm under his tummy and lift. :lol:

You should be able to get the rad cap pressure tested for free at a local garage - there is a special thing they put it on and pump up, to see at what pressure the spring allows it to open. This will tell you at what pressure your car's system is running. Sounds like you are still having a few problems..... Similarly the garage should be able to connect something up to your car's cooling system to increase the pressure in the system to check for leaks - if the head gasket is still suspect, then they should do this for you for free as part of the investigations into the problems that you are experiencing.

Don't forget that new tyres need to be run in - drive gently for a couple of hundred miles to remove a slippery coating that is used to help ease them out of the mould that they are made in.

Check your fuses (and connector on the rear of the radio) - the switched live has probably blown or fallen off, so it thinks you are always switching on when the ignition is off.

Well done! You have the satisfaction of having done what you could do yourself, and saving a packet over getting a dealer to do the work, plus you now have a system that works. Many congratulations.

Try a VW dealer; the parts must be available separately from somewhere!

..but any difference to the 'box after it was topped up?

Last year we had a spate of auto box problems reported on the forum. There were a number of "contributors" and members who were surprised by these problems, as the Jatco unit is supposed to be very reliable according to those in the trade. You've been very unlucky to have failure at such a low mileage but outside warranty. Mind you, the price for overhaul looks excessive - it looks more like the price of a whole new box. Could be worth looking for one at a scrappies?

No ABS light, skidding (ie locked wheels) = no ABS fitted by the sound of it.