Torq

Well, I got a set of ebay parking sensors and went to fit them today. Took the bumper off only to be faced with lots of steel! I thought (incorrectly) that there would be plastic impact absorbing inserts, not a dirty big steel girder, or at least there would be holes in the steel for fitting the sensors. So.. to those who have fitted sensors... how? Or am I looking at getting the big drill out and the carbide cutters? Thanks. Torq

Hi Guys, weather permitting, tomorrow I'm going to replace my inner cv joints and rebuid my siezed freewheeling alternator pulley. No, that's not a typo, I'm going to REBUILD the pulley! You see, being the mizer that I am, I hate spending money on parts that can be repaired. I've pulled apart a 4 rib pulley from a Passat and it's made up of a set of spring loaded ramped rollers, simple to repair. Very similar technology can be found in the starter clutch of nearly every 70's big Japanese motorbike. So all going well, the alhambra will be the same and I'll have a write up with pics in the next few days! Torq

Oh well, it'll be out with the soldering iron, multimeter and stanley knife this weekend so. Many thanks Torq. P.S. What button combination did I press to get the windows open?

Hi Guys, as it says in the title. Some days the remote will lock and unlock the drivers door, others it will either lock or unlock but not both. The LED on the drivers door has never lit up in the 3 months I have the car. One day, to my surprise, the remote opened all the windows as I was running back to the car in torrential rain. Maybe it saw I was getting wet and thought I'd dive through the window instead of using the door! Any suggestions on the hit and miss operation of the drivers door and the lack of led? Incidentally led on the keyfob works. Reprogramme the fob perhaps? Thanks. Torq

Hi Guys, just wondering if anyone has retrofitted parking sensors to their Galaxy/Alhambra/Sharan? I want to do this to mine but I want to go down the OEM route and not aftermarket. Thanks. Torq

Update. Got her up to 49mpg over a week of slow driving but 46mpg seems to be the average now at a constant 110kph. I'm now thinking I'll keep her, but my head has been turned by a 02 320d touring with full leather and all the bells and whistles for about

Ooowwwww! That stings!! I do have a bit of goodish news. I've managed an average for the past 2 days of 46.1mpg, that's by reducing my speed from 120kph to 110kph (150 to 200rpm) on the cruise control and accelerating very slowly all on my daily commute. It's costing me an extra 5+ minutes each way, it's definitely giving an improvement on the motorway but it's still going to be crap around town. But 46mpg isn't 65 or even 57mpg. Dieseldogg, what model is yours? Thanks. Torq. P.S. I've found a cheap 2004 megane estate, if it's still available and it doesn't snow too heavily I'll be making a trip north to buy it on Monday.

Now you've got me thinking.... wonder is the timing out!! Once had a petrol astra that had jumped a couple of teeth (valve timing, not injector) it would just about start but run really roughly. Ran diagnostics etc and only found the problem by trial and error. So is the injector cam driven by the same belt as the valve camshaft and could she be running a tooth out since the timing belt was changed 25k ago...... interesting. Torq Update Question. Sorry these VW AUY engines are new to me. Are the valves bucket and shimm and the injectors opened by rocker arms off the valve camshaft?

Tyre presures are bang on. It was oil serviced very regularly but what you are saying about the oil type may ring true. At idle she is not smooth, there is a slight lumpiness and it could be what you say about a worn injector pump. If she's giving a wrong mix at idle she's bound to be out at higher revs. There's a lot to be said for common rail engines over mechanical injection, my 2.8hdi citroen relay van and the (regretfully sold)320d touring, both common rails were silky smooth! Torq. P.S. Apart from the fuel economy issue, (and not having 150bhp) she's the highest spec'ed car I've ever owned.

How I hate posts like yours :) I dream of 50mpg again! Last week over 250miles, (120 motorway and the rest urban) the average was a very disappointing 36.4mpg. Am I missing something, do I have an underlying problem with the car that I just can't see? Thanks. Torq

New discs fitted front and back 1.5K miles ago. All calipers floating freely and plenty of copper grease in the right places. I'm not even getting 40mpg anymore! Torq

Nope, the onboard is actually being optimistic! I check the MPG by the fill and calculate against distance method every week Aircon and the aux heater are off. Cruise contol is always used on the motorway and set to 72mph give or take or at 2.3K rpm. It's poor on the motorway but any sort of around town driving absolutely destroys the little economy it has! Tyre pressures are also correct so am I missing something totaly obvious?? The one thing I can think of is that the idle is not totally smooth so maybe there is an issue with an injector, the maf, egr? Something like that. The car passed the Irish equivalent of the MOT last week and the emissions were well within limits. At this point I'm considering a 106bhp 1.5dci megane tourer. Big boot and 60mpg. Torq

She's still rubbish!! Only got 38.5Mpg over the last 450 miles. Looks like it's goodbye to the Alhambra! Torq

The jury is out at the moment! I've done the filters, cleaned the injectors and put in the lighter/thinner oil but haven't done enough driving yet to be able to give an answer yet. I've also got the issue of stripped threads on the sump drain which plumbers tape is holding together at the moment. There is also a good vibration at 120Kph (75mph) which is down to worn inner cv joints (next on the repair list) and I'm wondering if they are also sapping power and causing a reduction in mpg. I dream of 50mpg days again, if I can't get her up to at least 45mg then she's going back on the market! Torq P.S. Is your frugal Galaxy a 115bhp?

Oh the fun I'm having with this Alhambra!! I've got the blown bulb warning on my electronic display every time I turn the ignition on. But I've checked every external bulb and all are working. Any suggestions?? Thanks again. Torq

Hi Guys, after regular oil changes by the previous owner the sump threads on my 01 Alhambra are well and truely damaged and there is a small oil leak which I'll be sorting asap. But in the mean time it has brought to my attention another issue. I dont seem to have a low oil pressure warning light! The car is a 02 Alhambra 1.9tdi with the onboard computer display and checking the user manual I can't see any reference to a warning light just to the oil temperature gauge. The car also has a low level indicator in the sump but when I had the oil drained and put on the ignition (but not running!) there was no indication that the sump was dry or that ther was no oil pressure. Anyone any ideas where the pressure warning light should be or should it pop up on the display like a blown bulb or check brakepads warning? Thanks. Torq

Hi Guys, I need a sump for a 02 1.9 TDi Alhambra AUY engine. The part number in Vagcat is 038103603C (diesel sump) but the only one I can find on ebay is the 038103603N (petrol sump). The petrol sump seems to be used on a lot of the vag 1.9 diesel engines but not on the Alhambra/Sharan or Galaxy. Anyone know the difference and can I stick one on my Alhambra?? Thanks! Torq

Hi Guys, Got a set of filters and the 5W30 oil yesterday. Will be changing oil and diesel filters at the weekend, but did the air filter yesterday. I've never seen such a dirty air filter in my life, it had leaves, dead insects and snails on it!! Now to see if it makes any difference. WIll be getting the injector cleaner on saturday too. I've noticed that the idle is ever so slightly rough, so if the injectors are dirty causing this then they can't be performing to their optimum and hopefully the service and clean inijectors will sort that. Torq

Thanks again guys. She is due a service and she'll be getting all filters as I reckon the previous owner was fastidious with his oil and iol filter changes but I'd bet the fuel and air were never changed. I'm in Ireland so the choice of fuels is not great, most people (myself included) go with the cheapest available as price can vary by 7c per litre depending on where you go. On one occasion I was bringing a van that I'd just rebuilt the engine on for a DOE test, and it smoked like a trooper. I thought the turbo seals had gone so I swapped the turbo but it was still the same, a bloke in a garage advised me too try LiquiMoloy diesel cleaner not by putting it in the tank but filling the diesel filter with it. It worked superbly and the smoke was gone in minutes so I reckon I'll give it a go. And.... I'm driving like a pensioner on a sunday with my eye constantly on the realtime mpg readout. But it's the urban driving that kills the mpg, 130miles of carefull economic driving will be negated by a couple of miles around town. Thanks. Torq

Hi Matt, thanks for the reply, your daily drive is about the same distance as mine and at the same speeds give or take a couple of mph.I've started driving more conservatively, no more powering down the sliproads or blasting for 70 to 90 in 6th. If you are getting that kind of economy then it looks like a remap may be the way to go for my car, I'd be happy to get back to the high 40's. Thanks. Torq.

Hi Guys, I've just bought a 2002 Seat Alhambra 1.9tdi (AUY engine code, 115bhp) and do around 450 to 500 mostly motorway miles a week. Previous to this I had a 03 BMW E46 320d touring but it wasn't big enough for the growing family! I was used to its 50+ mpg, super performance and great handling, now I don't expect the alhambra to measure up to the beemer except in boot space where it wins hands down but I'm really disappointed in the fuel economy. I'm coming in at 41.9mpg and it's just not high enough for me. Has anyone had a remap to increase mpg? If so what's the gain? Many thanks. Torq