tim-spam

The VAG 6-speed gearboxes tend to be a bit 'crunchy' when cold, but also seem to last the course very well. So, basically, I do not think you need to worry too much.

Is the metering pump part of the heater unit? If it isn't, and the smoke is due to over-fuelling, then changing the heater unit may not cure the problem. The auxilliary heater in my Alhambra seems to work really well, and never produces more than a faint whiff of smoke - hope it stays like this!

30mph is too low to be using 6th - 900 rpm! You should aim to keep the revs over 1300 - 1400, otherwise you will be labouring the engine, increasing its wear rate and using more fuel. I wouldn't let anyone drive my car if I thought they were going to abuse the engine like that!

Even if you go to VW, you only pay

Basically, I don't think we have a clue what you're on about. Are you talking about the noise insulation material, or the structural part of the bodyshell? If it's the latter, it's definitely not removeable.

Just a quick follow-up. My rear wiper blade from Halfords with the springs reversed didn't work perfectly for very long, so I went to VW and bought a genuine Sharan rear wiper blade for around a fiver. Now this does work perfectly, and wipes about as much of the rear window as possible. Well pleased.

The correct size of tyre is 215/55 x 16, so yours (215/60) will be slightly too large in tread diameter, which may make the car react more to cambers. As well as checking the camber and toe settings (front and rear), the caster angle could also have been knocked out of true. Another thing to check is the weight on each wheel - if, for example, the right front or left rear spring was settled / bent / broken, the weight on the left front wheel would be higher. this would cause the car to pull to the left.

Kerbing damage is a strong possibility - after all, this is likely to affect the nearside tyre more than the offside. Do you regularly park against a sharp kerb?

If the brakes are working OK on the first application, the vacuum pump is (and the old one almost certainly was) working. Your problem is almost definitely a leak, and your dealer has unnecessarily replaced the vacuum pump. On another point, a K&N air filter is not a very good idea, as it could lead to contamination of the MAF. It will add nothing to the performance of the engine.

If the oil pressure warning light comes on at more than around 1500 rpm, declutch, signal left, pull over ASAP and switch off. You may then be able to save the engine, depending upon the reason for the low oil pressure. A good friend of mine followed this procedure whilst hammering up the M1 some years ago, when his oil pump drive failed - a replacement oil pump and drive chain was all that was required. Had he kept going, a new or re-built engine would have been required.

If it's only on acceleration, it's likely to be CV joints. Engine mountings is another possibility.

No need at all. Just plug in the new one and all should be fine.

In terms of reliability and customer satisfaction, only the Espace is worse than the C8. As far as the dealer is concerned, their performance is simply not good enough - they obviously have not tried everything, because if they had, the problem would have been sorted!

I think you'll find the W reg car will be a Mk 1, and will therefore not have the 115 bhp engine - probably has the older 110 bhp engine.

For the AUY engine, they charge around

Pre-facelift - 60,000 miles. PD engine - 40,000 miles.

Since when did the diesel tank need to be drained to change the glow plug in the heater ???!!!

Apparently, some do and it's not considered to be a problem so long as it's not too bad and doesn't do it when hot.

For the record, my PD engine consumes Castrol TXT 505.01 at the rate of around 4000 - 5000 miles per litre, which I reckon is perfectly acceptable. As far as industrial turbocharged diesel engines are concerned, an oil consumption of up to 0.2% of fuel consumed is considered good, and 0.1% is considered to be excellent. On a PD engine, 0.2% of fuel used would be around 4400 miles per litre. All engines consume oil, but they also put impurities into the oil. For example, my wife's Mercedes 190D never requires topping up between oil changes (every 6000 miles) - this is because the rate of consumption is roughly equal to the rate of contamination. The Alhambra does require topping up between oil changes because the rate of consumption is slightly higher, the rate of contamination is lower (it takes far longer for the oil to turn black in the Alhambra than in the Merc) and the period between oil changes is longer. In addition, the Merc is used for more short trips, and this tends to increase the rate of contamination. Most manufacturers (even the Japanese) quote a maximum oil consumption of 1000 miles per litre, and as engines get cleaner, sumps get smaller and oil change intervals get longer, it is becoming more common for top-ups to be required between oil changes.

I litre every 10,000 to 12,000 miles is very low consumption indeed.

16mm open ended spanner and a 4mm or 6mm (I can't remember which) drill to lock the tensioner in position whilst changine the belt.

Could be the rears this time?

Their response was: Thank you for your further e-mail and for providing the details, as requested. I have investigated your comments with our Parts Department and it has been confirmed that the correct part number for the rear brake pads of your SEAT Alhambra is different from the one you have been provided. I have contacted Gary at Premier Garage in Stoke and he has advised that the parts originally supplied to you were incorrect and that you have since been refunded for costs incurred. He has apologised profusely for this mistake, as in fact he sourced the parts under the wheel size of your vehicle instead of using the relevant engine code, he hopes you were not too inconvenienced by this error. In order to avoid any future misunderstanding, we will make sure to remind our dealership network of the correct procedure for identifying these parts, by using the engine code of the vehicle. Following on your comments, I have also contacted our Warranty and Technical Departments, and they have confirmed that at time of manufacture your Alhambra was fitted with 16" steel wheel and matching callipers and discs, therefore, it was built within manufacturer's specifications. I hope this will put your mind at rest regarding the safety aspects of your vehicle. I appreciate that this whole ordeal has been disappointing for you and would like to apologise once again for the inconvenience you incurred. Thank you for taking the time to write to us with your concerns, I hope that the information provided will be of use to you. My response to the above was: Thank you for your email concerning the problems experienced with obtaining the correct brake pads for my vehicle. The only thing I would add is that the VW dealership made exactly the same error, which leads me to suspect that there is an anomaly between the chassis number and brake specification. I would have thought that the engine code should have been identifiable from the chassis number and not really necessary to order the correct brake parts. However, I now know that brake parts for my Alhambra need to be specified for a vehicle with 15" wheels, even though it was supplied with 16" wheels. I do not consider that the Parts Department at Premier Stoke to be principally to blame in this matter, and I would suggest that your parts supply system should be updated so that the correct parts can in future be supplied against the chassis number.

Your wife has a throttle pedal ??!!!!

If the power loss is caused by the MAF, it will not reset itself when the engine is stopped and re-started. This topic has been covered before fairly recently - try a search, and you should find plenty of help.