vwsharan4me

Thanks for reassuring me with the tappets...i think the previous oil was very old. I'm thinking of i might have to sell this off as slowly more and more problems are beginning to emerge which is making me suspicious that the previous owner must have known this to get rid of it - just before the mot is due. Last night i was driving and i noticed that in 1st gear, the revs hit almost upto 3k without the mpv hardly moving along as though it has no power left, although when it went into higher gears, the mpv kicked in almost straight away.

Hi chris, i checked the tow light cable, but it seems fine and the grommet is in place. The rubber is around the boot is also okay and i can't smell anything from the vents. The pollen filter has been changed with the service. The good news to be honest is that the smell has subsided and i think the smell issue must have been the heater. Now i don't want to sound like a moaner, but my friend had a look at the mpv. Although he's not an expert mechanic, he said that one of the tappets is making some tapping noise...is this because i have carried out a service due to the vehicle having thick old oil and now its runny, or is this something more sinister? thanks

thanks chris, sorry for the delay in replying. Its late now, but hopefully tomorrow i will check the mentioned things. Oh and yes the mpv does have a towbar, but i don't know what a "lighting cable" looks like or its exact location ;) FYI, the vents at the front are letting no smell in, but i need to know what are the "face level" vents? If these are the front vents, then how could i be getting exhaust fumes through the front?

thank you very much for the warm welcome gregers. can i ask what you mean by the rear hatch? where is it located? Do you have a pic? If by "rear hatch" you mean the car boot, then yes thats definately closed.

Well thank you so much mirez and chris for helping me. I have managed to disconnect the electrical plug for now and the smell has reduced. But the bad news is that some smell is there. Its like exhaust fumes (NO SMOKE!) are getting into the vehicle....By disconnecting the electrical plug, can i safely assume that the heater now can't be the culprit? Also even though the exhaust is not leaking anywhere, is it possible that the fumes are somehow finding their way from the exhaust end into the bodywork? Once again thank u very much vwsharan4me

hi guys, this is my 1st post and i hope some kind soul can help me. I have recently bought a vw sharan 1.9tdi 1999, which so far has been more than a headache. The mpv has been giving off the fumes smell which is coming into the vehicle and has made me and the kids feel sick. Since i never knew what the problem was, i decided to get the cabin, fuel, air, oil filters changed. I also got the engine washed just incase there is any oil spillage. Checked the engine for any leaks as well as the underside of the vehicle for any problems. I thought i was going mad! 8 days later, I thank you guys as I finally find this forum with the issue that has been all along what i now know as the Aux heater, with a mini exhaust. http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/1076/p1010885.jpg Even though this is a ford forum, i'm sure the vw sharan is the same as the galaxy, so i'm hoping someone can answer a few of my questions:- 1. Does the aux/booster heater provide heat for the rear passengers? 2. Is the aux heater needed for winters only or all the time? 3. Can there be any damage or problems if i disconnect it? 4. Where can i disconnect the electrical connection from? i.e. can someone show me a photo of its location? 5. Where is this aux heater glowplug? thank you for helping. vwsharan