tim-spam

I have experienced a fairly noticeable snake only once. It was a few years ago, and I was towing a twin axled car transporter trailer with a car on the back at the time. I had used this several times before and found it to be extremely stable, but a couple of weeks before the snaking incident, someone else used the trailer and clonked the kerb very heavily, knocking the front nearside wheel out of alignment - it was only after this fault was identified that he owned up! So, after driving the thing through London and getting onto the M1, I accelerated up to around 55mph, and the snaking started quite suddenly and dramatically. I lifted off the accelerator and the snaking stopped at around 45mph. The result was that I had to drive all the way to Newcastle at 45-50 mph instead of the usual 60 mph - not well pleased as you can imagine!

If you start to snake, the last thing you should do is accelerate - this is likely to make things worse, and is one of the myths that lead to unnecessary accidents. A snake is best corrected by holding the steering wheel as still as possible and lifting your foot from the accelerator until the outfit slows to a speed at which it is stable once more. If you are going down hill, you may have to brake, but this should be done as lightly and smoothly as possible. However, the most important thing is to have a correctly matched outfit and the correct nose weight on the trailer / caravan - a stabiliser is also a good idea, but this should not be used in an attempt to correct for a poorly matched outfit. This will make snaking much less likely in the first place.

Were you using 6th gear? This is too high for towing at 60mph (or even 70), as the engine is only turning at around 1700 rpm, which is well below the maximum torque speed of 1900 rpm. In addition, any slowing down slows the engine further, which further reduces the available torque. Using 5th gear, 60 mph equates to around 2000 rpm, which is ideal, and the engine will be much more resistant to slowing down, as any slight reduction in engine revs will tend to increase the available torque.

I have the genuine VAG wiring loom connecting the rear lights to the 7-pin plug on my car's towbar, and this loom incorporates some sort of control relay / unit. On the instructions, it had a symbol that seems to imply that the dashboard warning light does not need to be enabled and is not required, which was somewhat puzzling. When the trailer is plugged in and the indicators are operated, there is no indication that the trailer indicators are working. However, should one of the trailer indicator bulbs be removed, the indicators flash at twice the normal rate (just like when a bulb on the car fails with no trailer in tow), which means that there is, in effect, a warning of indicator failure. I have tried to find out whether or not this meets the legal requirements, but can not seem to get a sensible answer - I would obviously prefer the answer to be 'yes'.

The flow of water through this small bleed hole (if indeed there is one - many stats have a crude check valve that prevents the flow of water when the engine is running, and only allows air to bleed off when the engine is stationary) would probably not be enough for the hose to get 'stinking hot'. This problem sounds more like a lack of circulation or blockage.

Normally, the stat is upstream of the top hose, so the fact that it's getting so hot indicated that the stat is probably open. I would think the most likely cause is a detached water pump impeller or a blockage / airlock somewhere.

The MAF is a hot film type, and contamination will cause a loss of performance as described. In terms of warranty, if you inform them of the fault before the warranty expires, they are obliged to fix it, even if it takes them months to find and fix the fault. But, as I said before, yours are classic MAF failure symptoms, and it is so quick, easy and cheap to replace, there isn't really much to lose. When I changed mine, it cost

Brilliant towcar - very stable and plenty of torque, but mine is a diesel.

As does the Brink - available from Halfords and with a genuine VAG harness to connect into the rear light electrics.

As I said before, 99% certainly MAF. My car had identical symptoms (although maybe not so bad, as the performance was not painfully slow, but the car would accelerate well when the accelerator was pressed, but the performance fell flat from around 2000 rpm to 3000 rpm, and was much more noticeable in the higher gears), and disconnecting the MAF made the performance on a par with milk floats and bicycles. However, the MAF is not a works / doesn't work part - the loss of performance can, and usually is, gradual, and gets steadily worse over time - I noticed mine comparatively early because I tow trailers and caravans fairly frequently. Disconnecting the MAF on earlier cars (Mk 1's) could indeed improve performance, but the later ones (especially the 130's) aren't like that - they depend much more on measuring the actual air mass flow for their basic fuelling and, due to the Stage 3 emissions regulations which the PD engines meet, the 'MAF malfunction' fuelling levels are much lower, hence the drastic reduction in performance when disconnected. Get the MAF changed, and the performance will be restored.

Classic MAF symptoms - 99% sure. As for the rough running, however, the MAF would not cause that. Anyway, tell the dealer that it's the MAF, and get them to change it - performance should then improve to 'as new' levels. By the way, if you don't trust the dealer, mark the old MAF in some way so that you know if they don't change it.

Not really - it depends upon the part concerned. Examples of parts which I always replace in sets (or pairs) include: springs, dampers, tyres (unless due to damage and the other is very good), brake pads / shoes, spark plugs (petrol engine only). Examples of parts which I prefer to change in sets include: tyres, wiper blades, glow plugs, suspension pivot parts. Examples of parts where this is totally unnecessary include: light bulbs (unless changing headlights to give more light), body / trim parts, etc.

Bear in mind that MO4 has a diesel, which will be miles better than a petrol engined Galaxy for economy. 30mpg sounds pretty good to me for a petrol Galaxy.

Meanwhile, back on topic...... Whilst I suppose you could replace dampers and springs one at a time if the part failed early in its life due to damage or faulty components, if the parts are older, or have worn out, they should always be replaced in pairs. As regards springs not wearing, this is not true - they settle in use, and eventually fail due to fatigue. This is why they should also be replaced in pairs.

Have we actually established whether or not the car is an auto? It could simply be a sticking or tired starter solenoid - try giving it a 'clonk' with a socket extension bar or something. If the car then starts, that's your problem. You will then probably need a new starter solenoid, although it could also be a loose connection in the wiring. An auto-electrician would probably be a better bet than Fraud, who would probably change the complete starter motor and charge a fortune. However, if the car is an auto, it could be the inhibitor switch as previously mentioned.

Replacement tyre arrived and fitted - no problems. Now they've bedded in, they really are hugely better than the Dunlops - much quieter, as much grip and traction in the wet as the Dunlops had in the dry, and better still in the dry. If they last 50% better as well, I'll be well pleased.

Some go even better than that. There is someone who I regularly follow on my way to work along a 30mph road with cameras. She always does 35mph and then slows down to 30mph past each camera - nothing unusual about that. However, during the recent snow, there was a little snow on the pavements, but none on the road. So, she drove along at 25mph - OK, so she was a little nervous, and I wasn't late, so not really a problem. BUT, why on earth did she slow down to 20mph past each camera?? At the fourth one (no other traffic, wide road and pavements), I sped up to 30mph and passed with no problem.

As stated before (somewhere), 195/60R16 and 215/55R16 should have a similar outer diameter. You will also probably find that your rims are suitable for both sizes. Whether the rim is steel or alloy makes no difference - it's the diameter and width that counts. It is important to fit reinforced tyres - these may be marked 'reinforced', 'extraload', 'XL', etc. If you look on www.mytires.com, you will find plenty of 215/55R16's available as reinforced tyres, but no 195/60R16's. However, check the load rating of each tyre, and look at the maximum axle weights quoted in your handbook - this will tell you if you have a problem or not.

There are two types of motorist: 1) Those who admit to breaking the speed limit from time to time. 2) Those who lie.

I think the galaxy must surely be different in this area to the Sharan / Alhambra, as I've just change mine and it was easy - literally a 2 minute job, and no need to remove anything other than the trim panel and bulb holder.

As far as I am aware, the Bridgestone ER300 is not a particularly durable tyre, but should be no worse than the Dunlops I have just got rid of - I drive fairly hard, and got 23000 miles out of the Dunlops. However, I am somewhat puzzled by the size of tyre that is fitted to your car - 190/65R16 seems an odd size. The more usual size is 215/55R16, and whatever tyres you have must be reinforced or 'extraload', so perhaps you have the wrong tyres fitted. By the way, I have just replaced my Dunlops with Nokian NRHi's, which apparently should last 50% longer than the Dunlops (we shall see....). However, these are far, far quieter than the Dunlops, and have vastly more grip and traction, especially in the wet, where the Dunlops were pretty hopeless. I would say that just about the only thing going for the Dunlops is availability.

As regards engines for the next generation Sharalhambra, the 2.0 TDI PD engine is soon to be available with 170 bhp - not far short of the 185 bhp 5 cylinder Volvo unit, and almost certainly a good deal less thirsty.

If the car is 3.1/2 years old, it'll be the 115, not the 110.

Or try Eurocarparts.

Just got 4 new tyres fitted - Nokian NRHi's (215/55R16 XL) from mytires.com at