edatelder

Most antifreeze and coolant products on the market are ethylene glycol based with additives to prevent corrosion, lubricate seals and water pumps and aid in heat transfer to the coolant from the metal of the engine. Antifreeze coolant should typically be mixed with water at the ratio of one part antifreeze to one part water. This gives antifreeze protection down to minus 34 degrees and overheating / boil over protection up to 265 degrees. Do not use pure antifreeze in a cooling system without using at least 30 percent water in the mixture. Most antifreeze coolant sold in recent years has been the traditional green coolant which has a life span of two to three years or up to 30,000 miles. Green antifreeze contains silicates, phosphates and borates as corrosion inhibitors to keep the solution alkaline. As long as the solution remains alkaline, corrosion is controlled and the cooling system is protected. Over time corrosion inhibitors are depleted and the corrosion protection is lost, therefore green antifreeze should be changed every two years. Aluminium is especially vulnerable to corrosion and many vehicles have heads, radiators and other aluminium components in the cooling system. If the coolant in an engine cooling system is changed before corrosion inhibitors reach dangerously low levels, corrosion damage is prevented. Long Life Antifreeze An alternative to tradition green antifreeze is a product currently used by many vehicle manufacturers. Orange or Red antifreeze known as long life or extended life antifreeze increases the useful life of engine coolant. Long life antifreeze is also ethylene glycol based. The difference between the two colours is that Orange / Red antifreeze contains a different type of corrosion inhibitor that has a much longer life than silicates, phosphates and borates. Orange / Red antifreeze contains organic acids that protect engine parts from corrosion. Green antifreeze does not mix with long life antifreeze. Never mix the two colours in a cooling system. The organic acids in orange types will cause precipitation of silicates in the green type and corrosion protection is greatly reduced. Orange type antifreezes are suitable for up to five years or 100,000 miles. They can also be used in many older vehicles if all of the green antifreeze is flushed from the system and is replaced with the orange / red antifreeze. The lifespan of long life antifreeze is about four years or 60,000 miles in older cars. If you have doubts about switching from the green type of antifreeze to long life antifreeze, contact you retailer or car dealer and ask about compatibility with your cooling system. You can also contact Tetrosyl by email for further advice and technical support. The level of protection of the coolant has little relevance to the corrosion protection. An antifreeze tester may show adequate frost protection but cannot test for corrosion protection which is depleted over time. Change your coolant mix on a schedule based on the colour of the antifreeze you are using. Severe corrosion to engine and cooling system components can occur with resulting expensive repairs

Orange is the new spec antifreeze and it lasts 10 years. The old colour was green and it lasted only 3 years.

The matrix is the heat exchanger within the dashboard area where the heat from the water is transferred to the air blowing through it. It's like another radiator. Due to the small bore pipes within them they can get blocked.

In this weather I don't think you need the air con compressor! Set the the climate cotrol or temp control to 22 deg C and drive for asbout 15 minutes or 10 miles. Does it get warm then?

As you say, most of it comes down to money. And time. 4 and 5, the rebalancing and exhaust are worth doing as they could save you much more expense in future, e.g. new tyres and the exhaust dropping off on the motorway.

And fuse no 8

See Auxilliary heater FAQ

Can anybody tell me what two things I've found in my '04 TDi are? They look like a red torchbulb in a bulb holder only the glass(?) is small and an opaque dull red. There's one under the driver's seat in the well under the seat and there's one at the back, behind the n/s light cluster, next to the sounder for the parking sensors. They have a brown wire to them.

The snowflakes are warnings of possible black ice on the road. When the temp drops to 3 deg C and then 0 deg C they come on and give an audible warning for a few seconds.

The diesel engine is very efficient and takes a long time to warm up.

To the eberspacher auxilliary heater under the car near the rear passenger door.

Check the mini exhaust is still attached too.

Could it be the smell of screenwasher fluid? Check the carpets for wetness particulary in the front passenger side.

The .pdf doc says 12 & 3. Try those.

Pirrelli, Michelin and Goodyear are expensive. Firestone TZ200 or Dunlop SP 2020 are cheaper. Then there are even cheaper [poorer?] tyres. Check out www.etyres.co.uk for comparitive prices. But with fuel at

See this thread side lights You can either take out the the whole headlight unit using a long torx screwdriver or open up the sliding door in the top of the wheel and squeeze your hand in, rotate the plastic bulb holder 90 degrees and pull it out - change bulb - and replace by turning it 90 degrees in the opposite direction.

They do say that raw petrol on the cat ruins it. Why not wait until the MOT test to see what emissions you have. No point in spending money too early.

Yes, the brake light switch fault leads to no lights and the "engine workshop" warning. Change it.

Check the fuses for the main beam too

Welcome to the site. You should not have done anything "wrongly" resulting in increased fuel consumption. It's hard to judge mpg around town. You may have more or less traffic, queueing, traffic lights, etc. 35 is not bad. I get 54 mpg but that includes all types of driving. The oil and filter are easy to do. Buy the right type of filter. Probably a paper element, not a twist on canisiter type. The plastic cover (found under the removable engine cover) should be able to be removed by hand or use a cloth or rubber gloves. Do not overtighten it when putting it back. The sump plug is a hex nut facing backwards at the back of the sump. You may need to jack the car up to remove the engine undertray and to have easier access to the sump plug.

Check out etyres.co.uk for the prices for the size you require in reinforced. A popular one is Dunlop 2020.

I used small connector blocks to join the wires together. Quick and no need to solder. Just use one con block per wire and use a small screwdriver to tighten it up.

It's a coolant pump which keeps running for a while after switching off to stop local hot spots forming e.g. in turbo. It's perfectly normal and should go off after a few minutes.

Both edges of both tyres suggests underinflation. I always use 44 psi and dont have the problem.

Remember to check the oil level again after running for a few minutes and letting it drain back down the cylindrers for an hour so. Overnight even. May need topping up a little more to reach the MAX mark on the dipstick.