BobNandra

Thanks Brian. How broken is this forum? We can still post and check posts ? This forum is full of good info.. I have a new clockspring on order and concur it must be this at fault. Even though it tests ok. I will see what resistance the the new and old one are and report back.. Thank you..

Thanks Brian. How broken is this forum? We can still post and check posts ? This forum is full of good info.. I have a new clockspring on order and concur it must be this at fault. Even though it tests ok. I will see what resistance the the new and old one are and report back.. Thank you..

Thanks Brian. How broken is this forum? We can still post and check posts ? This forum is full of good info.. I have a new clockspring on order and concur it must be this at fault. Even though it tests ok. I will see what resistance the the new and old one are and report back.. Thank you..

Ok. So update. I finally got round to opening up the steering wheel. The new clock spring I bought was the wrong one for this vehicle. £30. I must have a MK1 car.. (2000 plate). On removing the clock spring, it has tracks on the bottom side for the horn and non detachable wires on either side of the clock spring for the airbag. I've done a continuity test on the clock spring AFTER REMOVING the AIRBAG and it tests ok. So now I am really confused. It looks ok. But this is odd because before I was able to clear the fault, move the steering wheel and error would come back. But the spring wire tests ok.. The clock spring has Ford and VW logo on it. Part no. 7M0959653 And 95VW14A664AA It's £120 from dealer and there are only two left in the country. I don't know what to do especially as it test ok, but the steering wheel movement test suggests it is the clock spring.. How often can the fault be the airbag itself. I can't test it (NEVER apply any test voltage from meter to airbag. It will explode and kill you..!!) Any suggestions people.. Thanks..

Gents, Can you please help me with the Airbag light on. I checked the error with a LAUNCH diagnostics tool. I got the following; 00588 Airbag igniter,Driver side(N95) 00532 Supply voltage B+ (Short to ground) After clearing error I only get the first error now 00588. If I turn the steering wheel to a different position, i can sometimes clear the error but on moving the steering wheel, the error comes back and light comes on. Would you concur it is the Airbag clock spring/slip ring ? I have seen on eBay a number of these second hand for about £15, I was gonna get one and try it out. However there are so many and fit so many vehicles. Most have the part no.1J0959653 followed by B or C or D or E. My question is, are they all the same with the letter indicating a later and thus newer model, or do I have to go with an exact part number ? Buying a later version would mean less used version I suppose? Thanks in advance for your help. Bob.

Key fob light flashes but vehicle doors do not open or lock consistently? You change the batteries and the Key Fob Seems to work OK for about a 2 days and then same symptoms again ? The following is how I repaired my Key Fobs. WARNING. When taking the Key Blade away from the Remote Key Fob, make sure you do not loose the small black block which is just held in place in the Key Blade section. Loosing this will result in your car NOT starting. This is part of the immobiliser and is easily lost. This is what to try first to fix the simplest fault before going out and buying a new remote key fob. When there is a loose fitting connection, such as where batteries have just a touching connection, or a flexible metal connector just touches the circuit board to make a full connection, oxides build up. The second issue is what happened in my two key fobs. You need to simply remove the oxide and sometimes re-tension the metal clips with a nose plier or a thin blade screwdriver. You will see on the circuit board, there are scratches from the flexible connector coming from the battery section. Using a thin blade screwdriver, or fine sandpaper, rough up the silver connection point on the circuit board. Then using a thin blade screwdriver, or nose pliers, gently lift up the connector on the battery side. You may need to do the same to the middle battery connector. Reassemble key and test on your car.... (I am having issues uploading pictures but will load them asap.) Bob.

No Suggestions anyone ??!!! Not to worry, Problem Sorted. Although Relay no. 30 was powering up, it was in fact faulty. the usual Dry joints. I opened up the relay and resoldered all the connections. Problem sorted. However, a new Relay cost

FYI: the car turns over OK, just does not fire up. Checked Relay 30 works OK.

Been having intermittent starting problems with my Seat Alhambra. 2.0 Ltr Petrol 4cyl Alhambra. Now it won't start at all. I have always had a better response and answers from this site than other SEAT Specific sites therefore have come for help here again. So here goes. I have done the following; - Replaced the Coil with New one. Still faulty. (This car has one coil feeding the Distributor unlike the Ford which has two). - There is 12V at the primary connector of the coil. The coil checks out OK. - Checked for voltage at the connector which goes into the IPS (Ignition Pulse Sensor), which is housed inside the distributor. There is no voltage here !! The IPS unit itself is OK. After struggling for two days and by chance, checking the IPS connector again, there was suddenly 12V. I connected it and the car started !! Only two times, then failed again. Voltage is missing again. I do note on the DMM (Digital Multi Meter), after a successful start and then NO start, the IPS connector has a decaying voltage from about 0.25v down to 0.00 which indicates where ever the IPS connector is connected, it is a solid connection and is slowly discharging, probably a capacitor or other device. - Does anyone know where the IPS connector wiring comes from? - I can't see the ECU anywhere, does anyone know where it is in this car assuming the IPS wiring comes from the ECU? - Anyone have any ideas? Suggestions ? Where to look next ? I don't have a Diagnostic Tool and don't know how useful it would be in this situation. I have order a Service CD which I am hoping will have wiring diagrams. My Ford Haynes manual is too Ford Specific in respect of wiring diagrams and varies wildly. There is no Haynes Manual for my Alhambra.. Any help greatly appreciated.. Many Thanks - Bob.

I thought I would share some photos on my Window Regulator problem (aka Window Lifter in parts Catalog at VW). The window went all the way down but would not go back up at all. This happened in the evening. I opened the door panel and tried to remove the regulator under flood light so I could push the window up, but the Torx screws were all the way down hidden behind the bottom metal door panel. I had to remove the steel wire from the top of the pulley wheel and detach the metal clamp holding the window. I managed to unclip the right side window clamp from the plastic slider, but not able to detach the left one. After a lot of pushing and tugging, I finally pushed the regulator up and got to the torx screw clamps holding the window, pushed the window up and tapped into position ready for new regulator. On inspection of the regulator, I saw why I was not able to lift the window up at all. I pre-ordered a Window Regulator from VW for the MK1/MK2 model for £60, without the motor, on day 2, before trying to get to the regulator again on the third day. ( I gave up on day one due to poor light ). On inspection I found the steel wire was at fault and instead of buying a complete new regulator, I should have bought a Wire Repair kit off the internet. Ebay are selling a kit for £17. Oh well, lesson learned for when the left side window goes now, but this post is for all you out there who have yet to have this problem and may want to save some money. The photos are self-explainatory. The last photo shows the steel wire has unthreaded and jammed under the Green wheel, preventing the window from going up. Bob.

Can someone please tell me the power in watts of my current OEM speakers fitted in the mkii galaxy. I want to replace them as I have the door panel off and they are damaged. My owner's manual tells me the output from the stereo is 4x20 watts for each of the 4 speakers. 20w each. However, when I look up 17cm speakers, they seem to start at about 150w,generally speaking. Usually 170w. If I put in 170w speakers, will the sound be any good or will the stereo drive the speakers at all? I do NOT want to install an amp. Thank you.

I did note when the window goes up 2cm, it pulls away from the back of the door, as if the front slider has seized. I will have another look, but I don't know how to get the window to rise up to get to the torx window screws. The motor is working. I've seen repair kits which are just the plastic sliders, spools and cables on ebay. Anyone know if they are worth getting? About £15. That is if they are able to go into the regulator.

I had this problem of seizing wiper spindles. I took them apart and greased them up and refitted. After about 9 months, they seized again. So I took them out and tried again. However, this time I could not take the spindles out and managed to break the spindle housing side metal plate. The spindle would just not come out. I had to buy a new complete wiper assembly. I think it was about £180. In my Honest Opinion, and from my experience, you might as well get a new assembly, as you will probably do this all over again and it will be more time wasted. As they say, “Time is money” Also, doing the same repair again and again to keep a worn part going is a false economy and very time consuming, but hey, that’s just my opinion. Bob.

Hi all. My electric front window is stuck fully open. Have removed door panel and tried to move window up by hand but it is is stuck fast. Powering window and trying to close it, only moves the window up 2cm or back fully down. I can't get to the screws which are clamping onto the window since it will not move up. Questions; - does the regulator have a by-pass mechanism to disengage the motor to allow the window to go up? - from the symptoms, is this a regulator problem or a motor problem? Is this a common problem and usually the regulator? - if there is no by-pass, do I have to cut the steel wires to get the window to move up which means I will have destroyed the regulator and will need a new one for definate? - is the price the same for a new regulator at VW & FORD? Thanks all. Bob.

Same problem again !! I have a 2001 Seat Alhambra. I initially put up this post in 2006 when the coil failed, which means the original coil failed after about 5 years. I replaced the coil with an after market one; BERU , made in Germany. Now it is 2011, and amazingly, THE COIL HAS BLOWN AGAIN. After exactly 5 years !!! Again, the case was craked as per the pictures I posted before. What can we conclude from this? These coils are designed to last for about 5 years, or rather, they only seem to last for about 5 years. It does not matter if it is an original or an after market. This time I replaced it with an original. cost me

This post will show how I recently repaired my Rear Tailgate and High Brake Light. There are other Posts with similar detail, but this Post will show how to repair with pictures. Please procedure at your own risk. I expect you to be qualified and have good knowledge and experience in electronics and electrical matters and expect you to observe all safety procedures before proceeding. If you do not have the necessary skills to carry out these procedures, please refer to a qualified and experienced person. That's the legals out of the way.. When you lift the tailgate, the bundle of wires which are located at the top right of the tailgate, will flex. Over the years, the flexing of this bundle of wires will result in the fracture and eventual breaking of a number of wires. In my case, the Rear High Brake Light stopped working after 3 years. This weekend, I was working away from home and the tailgate stopped working. With alot of equipment in the back, I resorted to getting it all out by removing the rear seats. Like most other users, I always unlock the rear tailgate using the remote key fob and this led to the rear lock seizing due to lack of use. I was not able to put the key in or turn it. Had I been able to do this, there is a failsafe facility to open the tailgate in case of power loss. This is detailed in the user manual. Ok, here we go; 1. Before you can repair the tailgate, you need to open it. You will need to use the Key. If the key will not go in, or will not turn, you will need to use some lubrication such as WD40. It is a good idea to place a cloth under the lock, on the rear bumper, to take up the excess WD40. Spray the WD40 into the Lock Barrel by holding the lock's flap open. Insert key as far as it will go and then use an 'in and out' action repeatedly for a few seconds, (about 10 seconds). Spray more WD40 into the lock and repeat the 'in and out' action until the key is all the way in. Now if your lock was like mine, it would not move left or right. Repeat the WD40 process and then repeatedly try turning the barrel left and right. It will finally start to move and you will be able to lock and unlock the main doors. This took me about 30 minutes. 2. Once you have reached this stage, you should be able to try the 'Power Failure Tailgate Opening Procedure'. Turn the key left until it stops. The Doors will unlock and the windows will start to go down. Now, using measured, but Firm pressure, continue turning the key to the left. You should be able to turn the key to 90 degrees. What you are doing is using the barrel to push against the internal locking mechanism which is normally pulled by the solenoid when you lift the tailgate handle, but as there is no power, the solenoid will not energise and pull the locking mechanism. When the key has gone to 90 degrees, hold it there and lift the tailgate. If you feel you can't move it, try loosening the lock again with a left and right movement of the barrel and some more WD40. There should not really be any need to cut the back panel to get at the mechanism. Picture of Key at 45 degrees unlock position and at 90 degrees Emergency Tailgate open Position. These pictures show the locking mechanism from the inside. On the left side is where the barrel is. You should see it has a striking part which when you turn the key left, will touch the locking mechanism. This is the Left 45 Degree position. You need to add more pressure to move the heavy solenoid section so turn the key to 90 Degrees. Remember you are looking at the lock from the inside, so when you turn the key left, looking from inside, the striking part moves from left to right. From the key side it moves from right to left. 3. Once you have opened the tailgate, locate the bundle of wires which can be found covered at the top right of the tailgate. Insert a flat screwdriver and pull down. You may need to do this on both sides of this covering to get it loose. Once this is open, pull down and you should see the bundle of wires covered in tape. You may even see the broken wires straight away. Cut the insulation tape to get a better look at the wires. You may want to take out the necessary fuses or just disconnect the battery so the fuses don't pop if any of the live wires touch the chassis. Locate both ends of the wire and remove a small part of the wires insulation with a wire trimmer. You may see other wires which are about to break. Cut them and treat them now as you are going to with the other broken wires. Add solder to the wires (tinning the wires). Get Sections of new wire, the same colour if possible and cut a small length. Tin the new wire at both ends. Joing the new wire to the old wire as shown; Instead of insulation tape, I have used Wire Shrink wrap. This is a long section of tubular rubber, which shrinks when heat is applied either with a hair dryer or the soldering iron. Once you have soldered all the necessary wires and added the shrink tubing, heat the tubing so it shrinks to the size of the wire and hey presto, a perfectly insulated wire. Cut more shrink tubing and put onto the wire again. This is necessary to cover the other side of the wire once it has been soldered. Reconnect the battery/fuses and test the tailgate or any other part that has malfunctioned. This applies to the Lock, High Brake Light, Rear Wiper unit, other lights. If all is working OK, bind the wires with new insulation tape and reassemble wire covering. It should be noted, there may be more broken wires on the otherside of the wire covering. Open this and check. To get better access to the wires, I had to remove Trim from the back pillar and the tailgate so the bundle of wires could move further and freely. You may get away without doing this. Thanks and keep up the good work. I have found this forum to be the best for information on my Seat Alhambra which is a Clone of the Galaxy and Sharan. I hope my contribution will be helpful and if it is, please leave me a message here or the e-mail contact address below. It is always nice to hear from people this may have helped. Bob. (E-Mail Contact) PS. The replacement wires and Shrink tubing I obtained from Maplins Electronics. Try and get the tubing that fits the wires comfortably so that when it is heated, it shrinks to a tight snug fit and does not move.

I decided to open the other side of the bumper cover. I now know the plastic piece I am looking for is part of the bumper cover. It locates the bumper with the frame of the vehicle and holds the cover in place. A dealer bumper is

Hi, On my Seat Alhambra 1999, Galaxy Clone, I've managed to catch the bottom of my near side bumper and pulled it away from the body. A peice of plasic was then dangling down which has now dropped off. i should have secured before it fell off. The front bumper cover is now just flapping about. Now I am trying to find another peice. the dealer does not know what part it is and it does not show up on the schematics. I am wondering if the black peice of plasic is part of the bumper cover, it goes on the inside of the bumper cover corner and attaches to the under-wheel arch with 3 screws. Does anyone know if the bumper cover has these plasic inserts, which I suspect are glued in? I am trying not to buy another bumper cover and the additional cost of getting it sprayed. Thanks - Help appreciated. Bob.

Details pictures of burnt coil and labelled connection points for testing.

PROBLEM SORTED.. I suspected the coil. I did the classic test of removing the centre distributor cable, holding the cable with INSULATED pliers, held it close to an earth point, while someone cranked the engine. No spark was visible. So now the problem is either the coil or the ECU. On 2ltr models, Ford and VW, the switching for the coil comes from the ECU. So the problem is either

Using a multi meter. When I said it is open circuit, I meant I think it is blown, or the resistance is too high to measure. I set the meter to 20K Ohms and lower. On the connctor which goes into the coil, the black wire has 12V when the ignition is switched on, and 1V when it is switched off.

I have had a look at the coil. I have a completed circuit on the coil between the two outer pins, so I am assuming this is the Primary winding. So this must mean the middle pin and the HT lead is the secondary winding. I have an open circuit on this winding. So would I be correct in assuming the secondary coil is open circuit or just a high resistance? Bob

I have an Alhambra, the poor cousin of the Galaxy! I am having troble with it starting. I went to start it and it would not. I noticed as I crancked the engine, I heard beeping. Five beeps to be exact. This kept happening each time I tried starting it. I have never heard the beeps before. Could these beeps be an error code? I asked the Alhambra Garage, but they said this is not the case. I then used the spare Key, I got the same condition but the beeping has now stopped. When I use the old key again, the beeping is no longer heard. Have I corrected the Immobiliser ? The LED on the door seems to be OK. ie, it is not flashing rapidly, but goes out when I turn the key. Anyway, I checked for a spark at the plugs but got nothing. How do I check if the coil is OK. There seems to be only one coil. I asked the garage and a new coil is