El Dingo

Maybe it's sitting on an industrial estate somewhere with a broken window, a damaged door lock and no seats. :(

...wrong.....try again...... Ha ha ha! Quote: A high-pressure fuel line mounted on the side of the cylinder head, often dubbed common rail, injects fuel straight into the combustion chamber. The shape of the pistons and the clever working of a set of valves make the air tumble, thus creating more efficient combustion. Where FSI engines really impress is their behaviour under part throttle loads. Whereas before, part throttle meant just that, partially strangulating the output by closing a butterfly valve the FSI system can be run with the throttles in a more efficient open position by creating a rich fuel mix directly next to the spark plug and a leaner mix in other parts of the combustion chamber. Unquote. Yes, I know it's not *exactly* throttleless, but it made you bite. :)

...the latest FSI and FSI-T VAG petrol engines are also 'throttle-less'...

All I know is that in a corridor along the A4 between Reading and Slough it's up to 5p per litre more than Shell at the A33 near the M4... This is rip-offs ville around here! There's also a good and cheap Shell station just off the M25 near St. Albans.

From other VAG experience I'd recommend sticking with a brand new manufacturer's part on this one. The VAG part is usually a single piece rubber moulding - the other guys ones can be part rubber, part cork! After all, this isn't a job you want to do twice... :D

And you won't *believe* what she charged Wolfie, Bigjeeze, Gregers, Matt and Matt Jr!

Sounds good - I'm sure you know what to look out for... Steers straight - brakes straight - does the car have ABS (does it work?) - four good tyres (no cracks in the sidewalls) all radials, all the same size (you'd be amazed) - all the electrical gizmos (if any!) work - no major oil/fluid leaksw - no major smoke on the overrun (get one of the kids to look out the back window, while still strapped in of course) - good long test run - any unusual clunks (don't listen to 'they all do that') - structural rust - etc., etc. Since scapping a car became a cost rather than an earner, there are more than enough bad cars on the road, so any kind of history is valuable. Without an MOT the car is essentially worthless. A dealer *must* give you a warranty (on paper, and not just a letter from him). Brake fluid changes are just as important than cam belt changes (IMHO). The crash check is excellent advice (pull up the carpets mid section to look for welds, also look for signs of re-spraying, such as overspray on plastic components, tyres, rubber seals, etc.). Also an HPI check would be nice, but at this value it's probably not worth it. Is it a hatchback? - Make sure the hatch seals are in good condition (exhaust fumes can enter this way). :D

Good tip. Personally, I use rubber lubricant. :lol: I had to replace the vacuum pipe on ours recently, as the original couldn't be cut any shorter, and the pipe was cracked over the entire length. Swapped the good pipe from the pump exhaust to the inlet and found another bit in my garage (a bit of hydraulic pressure hose) to replace the exhaust.

On the PDA, make sure that 'receive all incoming beams' is unchecked in 'settings', 'communication' and 'infra-red'.

How/why will you lose the Gal????? :lol:

No, it couldn't. (Unless it was the 'Birdy Song' or 'Superman'). :D

Note to Wolfie: Proof read the above. (Sniggers, then retires to a safe distance. Hmmm, yes, that's my supper on the table...)

It's tempting to say 'He melted'. IIRC it was the same as TeresaG (*naughty* fun in a Mazda) had - water ingress through the scuttle cover clips???

It was a 2.3 not a diesel. Ha ha ah ah ahahhahahhhahahahahahhahahahahahahhah!!!!!!! ;)

I've got an old 250w one you can have... Trouble is, by the time you've installed all the stuff like new processor and fan, graphics card, extra memory, sound card, three hard drives, USB/Firewire card, USB hub, DVD burner, CD-RW drive, floppy drive (yes I know, why bother), TV card, a new fan to keep it all cool, etc. the thing is up to 500W. :angry:

I wonder what Mk3 parts prices are like? Remember that the 'old' Galaxy is mostly a VAG product - VAG parts are notoriously expensive. Hence the existence of GSF and others. You can often get 'genuine' parts in an OEM box, but, as always, care is needed. Sorry, I have not priced them - mine are still OK (touches wood, kisses rabbit paw, pays lucky whore and helps her put her wooden leg back on).

Hi, This is likely to be an outer CV joint. These units transmits power to the front wheels while allowing the wheels to be steered and the suspension to move - they are a kind of 'universal joint', usually comprising steel balls that run in channels within the joint - power is transmitted via these balls. They cannot be repaired - if this is your problem they must be replaced. With noise from both sides this might not be the problem, unless you are unlucky enough to have both sides gone!

Adrian, some info for your 'friend': http://www.usedcarmart.co.uk/forum/f31-4x4.html Also, Honest John does a car-by-car breakdown at: http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm ...and here: http://www.reviewcentre.com/products31.html. I particularly liked the reviews of the Merc ML. When the reviews are so polarised, you get the feeling something isn't quite right with the ML... :angry:

Does he really need a 4 x 4? Is he going off-road? :angry: For 12k a Disco diesel is OK - except on the road, where there is a serious lack of performance. They aren't the most reliable either... To me, the big question is if the car is going off-road or not. If not, the Shogun is a reasonable choice.

Doh! - Wearing on the outer edge is caused by 'Mini-roundabout syndrome'. Knocking noise could be drop-links, or maybe donuts bouncing off the windscreen? :angry: 'No, you've got the wrong number, this is 91...2!'

Yer *really* *really* young Gregers! My no. 1 was 'Ane olde Ballad to King Henry' by 'Jester on a lute'. At least King Henry thought it was funny, so I suppose that counts as a no. 1. I heard a muslim version of a classic the other day... 'Who put the Ram in the Ramadan-a ding-dong'.

I can't recommend 4 x 4 unless it's an old Audi quattro. And I certainly can't recommend diesel... :angry:

I can't describe how sad this makes me feel. This must be sheer torture for Madeleine's mother. :angry:

Definitely get this car in for a four wheel laser aligment check. Try any ProTyre depot or, if your mate is ever over that way, Micheldever Tyres (just off the A303).

You should try a few tankfulls of Shell V-Power! You'd be amazed at the difference an 'octane' can make... :wacko: