sepulchrave

Did you do both driveshafts or just the one? The other one may be a problem as well, did you also replace both wishbone bushes? I must admit to being mildly stumped, although the clunk suggests another driveshaft related problem, have you checked the splines on both stubs as this is a documented but rare problem?

Hello, 00532 can be simply because the battery is not in tiptop condition, 2.8's eat batteries for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Give it a charge and it'll probably be OK. I've had 00532 on and off for years and it's really never been a problem. Go here for complete assistance: http://wiki.ross-tech.com/index.php/Category:Fault_Codes OK?

Sorry, I meant the air distribution box containing the heat exchanger and the heater matrix which is in the car behind the dash, not the air filter housing. Unless you have a leaking matrix which would give you antifreeze mixture in the footwells, then it must be the condensation which forms on the evaporator/ heat exchanger as it chills the air. This should drain as it forms and drips onto the ground under the car through a drain pipe which comes through the bulkhead into the engine bay. You can normally see this dripping when the car is stationary and running with the aircon chilling the air. You must have a blockage causing this condensation to build up in the airbox until it sloshes out under cornering forces, you say it is chilled fresh water so this has to be the problem.

I suspect that your airbox drain is blocked. This sounds like condensation build up in the airbox where the heat exchanger is located. Some idiot may have capped the pipe by mistake during the service (or did it to get you to come back in and charge you loads to fix it :rolleyes: ). The pipe comes through the bulkhead and runs down behind the engine somewhere, should be fairly obvious, just blow through it to test/clear it.

Ok, this is gonna be controversial (because it's expensive) but here goes: Undiagnosed coolant overpressurisation is nearly always caused by porosity/cracking in the head casting, this is particularly so in turbocharged applications. This is why you can easily buy (cheap) pattern head castings for the vast majority of common applications. Good garages know this and send heads for pressure testing even if they're not visibly warped. A sniff test will never pick this problem up. In fact many of these problems only manifest themselves in a particular range of temparatures, heads which pass a pressure test when cold may need to be baked and retested while hot. This is an extremely common phenomenon across the motor trade. Even GSF sells bare head castings for all the turbodiesels, never wondered why? So, when you have exhausted every other possibility and you don't wanna sell the car then whip the head off and get it tested. Remember this: Just because you can't find the problem doesn't mean there isn't one. Also remember: There isn't anything secret going on inside a car engine, they all work the same way, it's just that some go wrong more than others! :rolleyes:

Coxsey, are you absolutely certain that the strut top mounts need replacing? I would be VERY surprised if there's anything wrong with them, many (bad) mechanics do not realise that you must check for play with the weight of the car on the wheels. Occasionally the bearing may seize but it won't produce the wobble you describe. You say the wishbone rear bushes need replacing, I assume you can see that they're both split. This fault alone WOULD produce the wobble you describe. I did one on mine recently and it was completely torn, the middle part fell out when I removed the wishbone. Split rear bushes allow the whole wishbone to move back and forth under cornering/braking/acceleration forces, making the steering/car wobble. You can buy a new pattern wishbone with the bushes pre-installed if you prefer a quick and easy (but more expensive) fix.

Yep, done those as well, the new rear bushes are impossible to refit without a flypress to squeeze 'em in. Recommend you take them to local blacksmith or somesuch and give him a decent drink, note that the moulded arrow on the new bush must point at the cast boss on the wishbone.

Yeah, this website: Have the new driveshaft ready lying next to you. 1. Loosen front driveshaft bolt (37mm) and wheelnuts. 2. Jack car up and support on an axle stand, remove roadwheel. 3. Unbolt bottom balljoint from hub carrier (2 x T45??). 4. Tug strut toward you (HARD!) releasing driveshaft spline from differential. 5. Remove loose hub bolt and old driveshaft. 6. Quickly slide new driveshaft into differential (not much gearbox oil will have escaped). 7. Slide outer spline into hub and finger tighten driveshaft bolt. 8. Use the momentum of the strut/hub/driveshaft assembly to swing it in (HARD) and out until circlip engages in differential. 9. Reverse steps 3, 2 and 1. Done.

It is possible to TIG weld it, but in practice the alloy becomes too brittle and generally cracks after welding. You can get a section made up to the original pattern for less money than the replacement part, it'll be copper based (which it would be if alloy weren't cheaper for the OEM) which is vastly superior for refrigeration applications and much more vibration resistant. In an ideal world you'd get new copper pipes made up for the whole system, replace the lot then you could fill it and forget about it.

Good news. Yes. Yes. No. True. :lol:

You can't tell that way, since they only break down under load!

It's almost certainly the leads, don't do it out of desparation though because then you'll buy cheap useless leads! Plugs should be fine though.

Penny gets a pound that your coilpack and/or HT leads are utterly shot unless they've all been recently replaced. Whip all your sparkplugs out and have a look, it sounds like your engine is running on four cylinders at most (you NEED the special tool (

No professional garage will do that though, it dramatically increases the difficulty and therefore the time taken. The 0.9 hours will be the standard charge for regas, not how long it takes! Chard, are you considering doing this work yourself or simply trying to find out if you're being over quoted?

You cannot leave the aircon rad in place since it is screwed to the radiator itself and one of the aircon pipes needs to be disconnected from it because it passes through the front panel which needs to be removed to gain proper access. The labour sounds reasonable, it's not a fun job.

It would smell rather rich since you have a misfiring cylinder pumping out unburnt mixture throught the exhaust! The fact that VAG-COM is clear simply confirms that your problem is with the HT circuit. Not all HT leads are created equal, you have just proved the old adage: "If you buy cheap, you'll buy twice". :lol:

TimK, are you happy that your strategy released the bearing or did it simply lubricate the strut tunnel top and rubber doughnut sufficiently to make it quiet? I would not be happy spraying solvents/grease onto metalastic components since it may degrade them significantly over time. Forgot to mention unbolting ARB drop link where it attaches to the strut in my description of works above. I soaked the top nuts in penetrant for some days before attempting the job, they are not actually that tight, I also used a Torx key to hold the damper rod since I did not have a 7mm allen key, it fitted snugly. It's also worth mentioning that the moronic MOT tester made me do the work for no reason, since he didn't use the correct procedure when checking for play in the top attachment. Use the search tool for a good link to the VOSA website where you read and print off the amendment to MOT procedure relevant to Sharan/Galaxy/Alhambra introduced in 2005.

No, you must remove the strut completely. I tried to remove the pinch bolt from the hub carrier and the bloody thing sheared (M12 x 1.50) fortunately (or not) it's not tensile so I was able to drill it and chase the threads out. I therefore recommend you leave the hub carrier attached: 1. Undo driveshaft bolt (27mm) 2. Jack up, Remove road wheel, brake caliper (hang to one side on wire) and ABS sensor plug. 3. Undo the two bolts holding the bottom ball joint to the hub carrier and separate. 4. Pop the track rod end. 5. Undo nut on strut top while supporting the weight (~25 kg) 6. Lift out the entire strut assembly complete with hub, carrier and disc still attached, you can rest the driveshaft on the lower wishbone. 7. Now you can hold the spring and undo the second nut retaining the bearing and replace it. Good luck, it's not too difficult if nothing shears!

Don't worry too much about the readings, the fault lies with the physical degradation of the insulator as the coilpack ages. You may be able to see this in the dark as arcing across the casing. However it is more likely that one or more of your HT leads are failing. Change these first, you NEED the special plug cap tool, don't try without.

This is really not the Cat. Sounds like serious mechanical malfunction, detached or holed piston crown, cracked head casting, split liner or something equally catastrophic. I suggest you remove the head whereupon the problem should reveal itself to you.

You didn't replace the valve guides though (not on your list above), so the head is still very second hand. Bent valve stems from timing belt failure sometimes damage their guides, although at 210k they'd be very worn anyway. I think this may be your problem. Partial vacuum in a cylinder while the engine is stopped gradually draws oil past the stem seal and down the valve guide where it slowly pools in that cylinder before being burnt off when you start it. It's not really a serious problem, but on some turbo engines it can pressurise the crankcase while running if the breather isn't up to much.

Mine was leaking from around the Crank Positon Sensor, a new O Ring cured it. It's surprising how much oil it loses over time from even a small leak, it was hard to diagnose since it would only leak when the engine was warmed up and running.

Valve stem seals?

If it's a Mark 1 like mine you can just twist the key twice when you lock it to disable the alarm/immobiliser.

So just drop it off there, get courtesy car and refuse to collect it until all faults are completely rectified under warranty. Watch 'em sort it superfast!