SilverBeast

Did you watch him work? The engineer who did mine (and regassed my wifes car):- (i) Pressure tested with dry nitrogen (from a bottle) for around 30-60 mins (ii) Vacuum tested (using a vacuum pump to evacuate) for a similar amount of time (iii) Filled with new refrigerant (bottle on a scale so he can weigh how much has been filled) - Did he put the correct amount for your vehicle in it should be on the front fibre glass panel described above. If he put too much in then the system won't work either as it will be overpressured. (iv) Did he remove the front bumper cover (see picture above) to check drier (as Chris has just asked) - it's the black vertical tube on the left of the radiator in my picture above and needs a plastic cap removing before it can be inspected. The pipes chis is referring to were my problem and not easy to see. You can use a mirror but I found it easier to use a small digital camera (Canon IXUS 80). They are shown in my picture above exposed after the repair (fibre glass front panel off). Below you can see where the dissapear under the front panel below drivers headlight and a couple of shots with the camera looking sideways under the panel. The last one shows a lot of corrosion around the smaller (high pressure) pipe where it clips to the body. Incidently if a pipe is leaking I believe it will cool down without the system on as the refrigerant evaporates, particulary around the leak area. The refrigerant bottle used to fill the system above (about the size of the smallest calor gas bottle that has a handle) had a heating element fastened to it as even removing the amount for my dual zone system would be enough to cool it and allow condensation to form.

I suspect it's a MKI. I believe this is in the centre console underneath the ashtray. Picture below. You may need to make more posts before you can see it as I think you need to do a certain number before you can see pictures in the threads. If it's a MKII (triangular headlights) it's by the drivers right knee. Purple port under bottom of fusebox lid, accessible with the lid closed.

From TIS after reading gregers post looks like it may be this bit. You can probably tell, but it's under the car where the two hand brake cables join the cable coming from the handbrake. The "teeth" will be the thread where it screws onto the end of the thread on the end of the handbrake cable. I would guess his handbrake may not be pulled down to the floor when he let's it off now (though it also does this when the mecahnism in the caliper seizes too!)

No Problem. Nice to meet you.

I live in Otley and am on holiday (at home) this week. If you want to pop over some time I can run a scan for free. I will send you a Personal Message with contact details. Cables are available from ebay here and the free versions of the software are available from the manufacturers site (link to this in the ebay listing). The cable linked to looks the same as the one I got.

I found it difficult toget a puller underneath due to the plastic surround of the cowl. Loosed nut to and wind back up the threads so that it the wiper arm can come up. Then, with the wiper arm lifted from the screen to the "vertical locking position" alternately press and lift the short length of wiper arm under the nut. Press at the end of length of arm near the "hinge" so you can get leverage. Eventually it will pop off. Took me ages the first time. You can also try and rotate it (as if trying to manually move the wipers through the wipe arc) again just using the short length of arm up to the hinge for leverage. Bit of a pig of a job, just make sure when you refit them you don't ovetighten them, and take them off at least once a year so they stay loose. You'll need to anyway to replace the cabin filter. You could also clean up the splines the first time and apply a drop of oil to try and prevent any corrosion forming to make them harder to get off next time! Good luck

The airbag warning light will be for anything in the system. Could do with VAG-COM/VCDS reading. If the OP means that the passenger backrest was tipped forward then I suppose the wiring to the side airbag, which I believe is in the seat back may have been damaged.

TIS is a bit confusing Try Fuse 53 and Fuse 55

I have one of these sat in my garage waiting for me to do the other driveshaft! I also got a repair kit and was able to fix the torque wrench. ebay and the internet makes it so much easier to get/fix things than it used to do. How many cars (and indeed other items) would have been scrapped without them!

On the Galaxy most of the fixings seem to be Hex, Star or Spline drive, when they aren't just nuts/bolts. I have not come across anything get a decent socket set (with the correct adapters) can't remove. You will need a torque wrench anyway if you are replacing driveshafts - just make sure it's goes high enough. The hardest part of that job is turning the extra 90degrees - I used my torque wrench and broke it at about 45degrees and had to use an ordinary socket wrench with some scaffolding pipe to do the rest! Personally I would prefer to use "manual" tools as you can often "feel" when something is wrong (start's binding/stripping) and back off to work on it gently/apply WD40 before jamming/shearing and causing more problems.

My nearside inner was split at last years MOT (approx 90k) but didn't fail as only the outers were classed as a fail at the time. It was replaced by the mechanic I have used for some years but was split again this year (approx 100k miles )so I replaced the whole drive shaft myself. At only £37 for a new one I believe it was worth it as I also had a slight vibration at around 20mph that I thought was due to the driveshaft. By the time you have possibly replaced inner and outer boots, with associated hassle and mess to me it made sense. It did get rid of my vibration, but obvioudly ended up costing more as I also replaced bottom balljoint (which turned out to have a split boot anyway) and had to buy extra tools. It's due for a service again (this weekend's job) so I will be replacing the offside driveshaft/balljoint at the same time as I believe the outer CV boot is split because of the amount of grease around the hub! Unfortunately I believe that the transfer shaft may also be worn as there seems to be a lot of backlash in the drivetrain and will check this while the driveshaft is off. These arenothing like as cheap though!

Most of the time it's easier to take the headlight out, particulary on the drivers side as there is the air intake tube in the wing that feeds the air filter. There are details on taking out the headlight somewhere on the site. The inspection hatches slide (uo or down I can't remember) but get clogged with road dirt over time so may end up coming out instead. You then have the joyous task of cleaning out the muck and getting the hatch back into the groove.

Ring round some mobile air con specialists. You may find they can repair the pipe. They did on mine, though that was more because it was a likely to be a bigger job to replace it. Alternatively, if you can get the pipe from ebay, they can possibly fit that instead for you

Brilliant! Well done. Hope your still feeling that "high" you get when you fix something that the garage tells you cna't be done or is going to be expensive.

Hi mrben, The alternator has a clutch on it so that the pulley can only drive the alternator in one drection. If the pulley tries to drive the alternator in the "wrong" direction the pulley will spin but not turn the alternator. If the clutch fails, then the pulley will drive the alternator in both directions which is a bad thing. The PD TDI diesel engines don't rotate at a constant speed (at least at low speeds) so alternator would be constantly trying to speed up and slow down which varies the tension in the drive belt and cause noise, tensioner jumping an wear as seatkid describes. The alternator will still be charging (which is why the alternator light won't stay on as this only indicates when it isn.t charging) . Hope this makes sense. I have gleaned this information from reading this and other sites over the last year or two. I would suggest that you continue reading all the new technical threads as they are posted, if you have the time, and you will soon see repeat "common" problems and solutions. I haven't experienced this myself (yet! - I just know this is tempting fate) but hopefully will recognise it if it does occur. By doing this I have been able to diagnose and fix wipers, run-on pump brushes and leaking rear wash hose quickly and without having to resort to an (expensive) garage repair. Good luck

I've done both too. You have to have the engine running to meaningfully monitor the sensor outputs, and also if you are logging these while you drive to track down faults.

The wiring changed end of 97 early 98. Can you post a picture of the fuse row you are talking about. Are all the fuses vertical, or are there some horizontal ones underneath the vertical ones?

When I did mine there was a massive build up of (WARNING:- technical term coming up) "crud" inside where the shafts run. I believe there are two bushes inside each "tube", one at the top and one at the bottom. It looked like one tube on both of mine with the gap between the two filled. I scraped all this out and the used some fine emery/sandpaper rolled into a tube with the abrasive on the outside. If you rotate this carefully in the one direction it will try and expand the tube and clean up the "bearing" faces. Be careful you dont turn too hard as it will bind and collapse the emery tube. Rotate the other way will also work once it has been expanded, then eventually it will contract the tube so it can be easily withdrawn. You just want to clean up the surface and not wear it away so take care. I stuffed as much grease as I could between the bearings before inserting the spindles again and checking they rotate freely. Be sure to refit/replace the rubber 'O' rings when you reassemble, particulalry the ones on the wiper arm end or water will still more easily be able to run down and cause the problem to recurr. One of mine is damaged and I didn't have any spares to hand so expect I will need to do them again at some point.

They should all come on when you switch on the ignition (proves the bulbs are working), and the systems do their self checks. Like gregers says most of them will go out after a few seconds - exceptions being oil, alternator and brake fluid level/handbrake (assuming you have the handbrake on!). oil and alternator will go out after you start the engine, handbrake should go out when you .......wait for it........take the handbrake off. Forgot, if you have the bulb check system that will stay on until you press the footbrake (middle pedal, right on auto .... sorry couldn't help myself). Seriously I believe ABS and Airbag lights should operate "normally" or you will fail your MOT from this year (read elsewhere).

I bought one for mine and fitted it 2-3 weeks ago and done about 600miles since (camping holiday towing a trailer). I will use them again. There are details and pictures here - sorry Seatkid it's on the "other" (I believe you called it the Mutineers) Forum. :P It got rid of a minor vibration I had had at around 20mph in any gear since I bought the car. Just be aware the stretch bolt was a 17mm Hex with the new shaft and a 27mm socket on the original. It's due a service and I will probably replace the offside soon as I believe the CV boot is probably split on that side too judging by the amount of grease. I need to get a better 1/2" drive "lever" so I don't break my torque wrench again oing the +90degrees. Unfortunately I think I need the transfer shaft too as there seems to be some backlash at the moment and gear selection is a bit baulky and crunchy unless you change gear if you try to change in anything other than a relaxed fashion.

It may be a "cheap" ebay fuse was fitted. I had a similar issue with a fuse I replaced from a kit bought on ebay in my wife's Rover 214 Si. The wiring in the hatch gaitor had split and shorted - see it's not just Galaxy's - and it melted part of the fuse box, all the wiring from the a connector near the drivers feet along the side of the car to the rear light cluster and the rest of the harness into the hatch. Fuse didn't blow though! Not such a cheap fuse. I had to take a day off work, strip a fusebox and harness out of a car in a scrapyard and from a hatch in a recovery yard - fortunately there is a MG/Rover breakers in Bradford. Worryingly the RAC man took an hour to diagnose the fault as the ECU! and blew all the 15amp fuses in the engine bay, despite my wife telling him it smelt of burning in the cabin and smoke coming from the dash. He didn't notice the molten blue plastic hanging out of the bottom of the dash! It took me about the same time to get the car running after disconnecting the harness to the back of the car, and a lot of that was searching for fuses to replace the ones the RAC man had blown.

Hi snappy, Those clips are to hold the outer 2nd row seatbelts out of the way when in "van" mode. Have a look at this thread for more info on fitting a parcel shelf. You need to buy extra fittings and cut out some pieces in the rear trim panels (next to third row seats) that are over the wheels. I believe these are premarked on inside. Good luck

As it is intermittent I would suspect wiring or low refrigerant levels. I know the Climate system has Hi/Lo pressure switch, on the Manual Aircon it looks like it just has a High Pressure switch (but this may be a Hi/Lo switch) under the front bumper Drivers side (RHD models for international visitors!). In the thread linked above, which is for a 2001 MKII but also with Manual Aircon, the poster found the external temperature switch near this also. I would suggest checking the wiring around this area also. If there is a Hi/Lo switch then if the refrigerant level in the system is marginal then in hot weather it may heat up enough any way for the system presuure to increase marginally and just go above that required or the Lo to kick in and allow the system to run.

(i) Did you clear the fault codes and go for a drive again, as most (all?) don't "self clear"? They may have been hanging around a while. (ii) If you go to the Ross-Tech Site/Wiki there should be more information on the codes. I've never done it myself but I'm sure someone will be along to tell you how.

It's mentioned the link above from alan_131 but (i) Have you made sure the lead has been assigned to one of COM ports 1 to 4 in Windows Device Manager? (ii) That the same number has been set in the software? VAG-COM Version 409.1 or VCDS-Lite Version 1.1, both from Ross-Tech What operating system are you using? Did you install the drivers that came with the lead? I have had had driver issues as I use both VAG-COM/VCDS-Lite lead and VAG-Tacho and they seem to want different versions of the FTDI drivers. The latest versions from FTDI won't neccesarily work depending on your OS