Beyond Help?

Thermostat would be first bet. You don't have an exhaust sniffer for using in the header tank so try that first. Then if it is not the stat then next bet is the pump. If it is not the pump then your going to have to get it sniff tested to make sure the hot exhaust gasses are not getting past the head gasket and into the coolant. A head gasket failure of that type would not cause cross contamination, but possibly could cause water loss.

http://www.sanden.com/support/pdf/sd7servicemanual.pdf should help you see how to remove the clutch and bearing. You can do this on the car but you may need to unbolt the compressor to make room, don't over stress the hoses though! As with all bearings, one you have it out you can measure it and get a replacment. (inner dimension, outer dimension and width)

VW Part number bit of the code above is 7M3 820 803 A. SD7V16-1162 is the manufacturer's part number.

I wish I could suggest something, but a problem like this is very difficult to solve without being there when it happens. Are you loosing ALL the electrics or just the engine?

If it is the clutch bearing that has disintegrated then it will not have got any bits into the system and as long as the inner or outer race has been spinning it can be changed, a new bearing is available for about

Those brake parts are not model specific in the 2001 and onwards models, they are different to the MK1, and the MK1 had two different units used. Can you get the chassis number?

As your car is a 2001 the wiring may or may not be there! Earlier it always is, your cars age sometimes and later models pretty much not. If it is there then it is simply a matter of obtaining the correct stalks and fitting them and turning CC on on the ECU. This involves removing the steering wheel and it's air-bag so it can become a pretty protracted job, needing radio code etc as the battery has to be disconnected.

If you have 3 keys working then why not just take the chips out of them and put them into the keys you want working?

What is your location SimonH?

The induction pipe for the air for the heater goes into the sill, if the heater fails to light because the plug has not go hot enough then any unburnt fuel if vaporised by the hot plug and goes back through the induction pipe and into the car. A new plug should see the problem solved, although the smoke in the car issue seems only to effect fairly new models.

The glow plug is just that, a plug that's tip glows red hot that sits in the combustion chamber, the unit has a fan that draws air in and the fuel metering pump pumps diesel onto the tip of the plug which causes it to ignite and burn. A flame sensor detects the burning fuel and the device remains lit. What is most likely happening in your car is that the glow plug no longer glows hot enough to ignite the fuel. The heater then tries several times to restart but the plug is covered in unburnt fuel which has a cooling effect, there may even be some pooling of fuel in the heater. After a few tries the heater gives up and switches the fan off and shuts down, but the plug is still warm which cases the fuel to evaporate as white 'smoke' and as the highest part of the process is the air inlet pipe, which is located going into the sill, the smoke rises up into the car. Fitting a new glow plug (the new ones are a revised design to run hotter) should solve the problem.

I would check the AC first too, sounds like the compressor clutch bearings, try turning the air-con on and off and see if the noise comes and goes.

There is loads more we need to know to be able to help you. Does it do it first thing in the morning when the engine is cold? What if it has been standing for 20 minutes or more, at what point does it not do this? Is the engine cranking but not firing? Or not cranking? Look at the door LED when it does it, is it flashing really fast?

If the car is on a lift you can change the plug in about 30 minutes.

Give stevie m a shout and he will let you know where you can get a new style glow plug from for the cheapest price.

The turbo is different on a non-PD engine. You may be able to get the nuts off with a half-moon spanner: http://www.lasertools.co.uk/items/sm/3583-3586.jpg http://www.lasertools.co.uk/tools.aspx?cat=134

White smoke from the heater is incomplete combustion due to the glow plug flooding, you need a new glow plug, it is a modified part that runs hotter.

The main problem is the piss-poor position of the booster heater temperature switch, it is in the scuttle panel so the engine heat makes sure it stays switched off if your sitting with the engine idling. For winter why not remove it and put a 3A mini-fuse in the the connector instead, or if your really keen move the switch to the front bumper.

With servicing nowadays everything bar the filters and oil is pretty much check and replace only if required. Strictly speaking you should be also changing the brake fluid and perhaps the coolant depending on the type it has been filled with. The glow plugs do not need changed unless they have failed but at

That is a nice little bit of kit, but does not do nearly as much as VAG-COM. You pays your money and all that.....

No, it is much more expensive than a Halfords gadet! Do you have a laptop or can borrow one? If so I suggest you look for a VAG-COM compatable lead on the net/eBay etc. VAG-COM it a Trademark of Ross-Tech and their web pages will tell you more: http://www.ross-tech.com/

Too far from me then! Is there anyone down that way who can help?

No idea, I have only done it on panels that have been pushed in as anything more creases or stretches the metal. I can try for you and see....