seatkid

Problem 2 - Cigarette lighter - likely to be a blown fuse. Problem 3 - A/C light not coming on when pressed - the fan needs to be turned to at least position 1, otherwise likely to be low or no gas in the a/c system. Might just need refilling (~£35 at kwikfit) or it may have a leak. Problem 4 - Do you have manual rear heater controls mounted in the roof lining over and to the left of the passenger seat? IIRC the button on the dash is a master on/off for the rear heater but only comes on when the rear heater fan is turned on on those roof controls.

Hmmm....I think the recall gregs is referring to involves replacing the return spring on the brake pedal for a stronger one. The other recall (as I recall ;) ) involves changing the brake reservoir cap for a different more waterproof one along with a free brake fluid change. Either way, dont get you hopes up too high...

Regarding the non locking rear passenger doors - this may be simply the common "broken wires in door rubber gaitor" - there are 3 threads in the technical FAQ with full details of how to fix these.

AFAIK the fuses for the rear sockets on a late 1998+ model are located in the floor cubbyhole under the drivers seat, tucked neatly under the side. I think there are 2 fuses one for each socket. Mine is a Mk1 1998 model, models before the 1998 change had completely different wiring/fuses/looms etc etc.

Top it up pronto!! 20% wont be doing the tandem pump or injectors any good at all! 5% would be much safer. You should have bobbed in a diesel additve like Millers to ensure the lubricity is brought up to spec, otherwise the damage may already be done. Keeping fingers crossed that the starting problem is not tandem pump wear.....

With the correct tool its easy peasy, without it, its just about impossible - I tried and tried and only ended up damaging the rubber boot :rolleyes: and I'm in the top team for wanting to save money.... I think the laser tool is closer to

Seems all is well and good. Seems another sucker is born every minute...... If it covered it, why wasnt it on the bottle? Its a requirement of the approvals system to have the product marked as such. YOU'VE BEEN FOBBED OFF. Ask them for documentary proof that the exact product code on the bottle is linked to a valid approvals document which they should also let you see. The approvals document is issued from an independent accredited testing company such as TUV. If they cant do this, for whatever reason, demand a replacement oil that does have the approval on the bottle. If they were a decent company they would also compensate you either by refund or vouchers after all the damage might already have been done. 505.01 has additives specially to ensure the oil film does not break down due to the high shear forces found on the injector cams in PD engines. Once the lubricant film is compromised, metal to metal contact scores the specially hardened surfaces. When this happens, rapid wear subsequently occurs. Their website specification makes no claim that it is 505.01 PD compatible.

TBH, your list of faults isnt long - mostly down to gaitor wiring which is a common fault but takes only an hour or so worth of DIY to repair. The rest is not major and certainly can be rectified for very little money if you use the advice available here. This forum is mainly about keeping these cars going for very little money, its not a pimping, bragging or delusional forum like so many other car forums. Theres lots of down to earth technical guides by people who have been there, done the work and passed the knowledge on. The nice thing about this forum is (mostly) everyone respects every one elses opinion, theres no lecturing or censoring of opinions here.(except foul language or insults) We are not perfect, sometimes the advice is a bit iffy but we all learn by our mistakes.

Ethylene Glycol has a sweet smell and taste which is attractive to children and pets and is highly toxic. Drinking ethylene glycol will result in depression followed by heart and breathing difficulty, kidney failure, brain damage and even death. Used antifreeze may also contain metals, such as copper, zinc, and lead. All antifreeze, new and used, must be safely stored in order to avoid tragic consequences. Improperly disposed antifreeze can flow into waterways where it can kill fish and other animals. It can seep through the soil and into the groundwater. Some frequently asked questions include: How hazardous is ordinary antifreeze? Two ounces of ethylene glycol antifreeze can kill a dog, one teaspoon can be lethal to a cat, and two tablespoons can be hazardous to children.

Did you thoroughly inspect the head? - particularly around the valve seats. Some PD engines developed micro cracking in the head - particularly if the engine had been remapped or a tuning box fitted. The micro cracks are difficult to see and have the habit of only opening up when the engine is hot. However,IIRC, the symptoms are excessive system pressure and water loss when hot. Was the head checked to see it wasnt warped and in need of a skim? There have also been cases of leaking heater matrixes c/w damp smell from heater... Check for evidence of leaks at the engine radiator where the end tanks connect to the matrix.

Recently the alarm on my mark 2 galaxy has been going off randomly, and yesterday it did it in the middle of the night, who made these sh1t cars and why?? Probably due to breaks or shorts in the looms located in the door/tailgate gaitors. See Technical FAQs (3 threads) for full details on how to fix. The light on the car door flashes aprox. once a second or a little faster, anyone know what this could be? This is the immobiliser light and when the car is locked and immobilised its normal for this light to flash once a second or so. (Common to all VAG cars) The temp. does'nt get hot for ages and now after thermostat changed the mechanic says it could be sensor as it still takes ages and temp. gauge is fluctuating Its normal for most diesels to take an age to get to temperature, especially in winter. If you have the heater on full it may not even get up to normal temperature at all in deep winter as the diesels are so efficient. Fluctuating gauge - if its dancing about quickly its a wiring fault - if its just drifting up and down it could be a wrongly installed thermostat or a cheap non OE thermostat fitted or simply down to use of heater in this sub zero weather. - THats why an auxillary heater was fitted. the auxillary heater I have disconnected has dramatically improved the fuel as it was constantly on before even when car was stopped eating the fuel up for fun.( Disconnected it because changed 2 plugs on it previously and the 3rd started smoking at 50quid a smack what a fooking rippoff. Yes, they seem to have a record of being unreliable but when working correctly they are great. Mine doesnt use much fuel, and they should turn off when the coolant level reaches a temperature of around 75 deg C (IIRC) - if it doesnt turn off then there may be fault - the coolant may be too cool due to thermostat problems or low ambient temperature/high heater use - a wing fault - some people have been known to deliberately short out the thermoswitch located over the pollen filter to force the unit to run - check this out. If it doesnt turn off when the engine is turned off then there is a wiring fault.... Remember that these units are fitted to high end cars as £1000+ options. The radio aint working, Not much information to go on, if it turns on but gets no stations check the connection to the antenna which is on the rear offside quarter window. the cables in the door were torn and windows did't work. See Tech FAQs regarding door gaitors I have a BSI unit without one relay cos it was burnt out and the mechanic disconnedted it giving room for the excuse it's probably that for everything that goes wrong. No idea what you're talking about with this unknown item The AC does'nt work cos the first time I took it in to garage whe I bought it the mechanic showed me the part on the bottom for AC that had nearly corroded to death so disconnected it. So change the part. You should have inspected the car properly before you bought it if it had so many faults. Radio not working etc should have been obvious. Once sorted though, most owners love their shalaxys!

AFAIK all mk1s MANUALS were fitted with the excellent Ford MT75 box - not certain about the VR6 though Of course the AUTO boxes were Jatco and r3quire completely different oil. Mk2 diesels had VW boxes, dont know if the ford engines or VR6 also had these.

You are probably using Microsoft Internet Explorer? Internet Explorer does not work with this (and many other forum type) websites. Use Firefox, Google Chrome or Opera and you should have full access to the website.

AFAIK it will clear automatically when the pressure switch is correct (i.e. pressure within range). Certainly on my Mk1, no need to clear codes when filling the a/c, it just starts working (and the CC panel stops flashing on start)

Are you sure you dont just have a dicky battery? Check the battery voltage (on the leads, not the terminals) whilst cranking, if it dives well below 10 volts you might have a duff cell. Low voltage during start can give all sorts of problems. If the PATS is intermittently blocking, then it could be the reader coil in the ignition barrel. Do you have the spare key on the same key ring? If so this could confuse the PATS as both chips might be read at the same time leading to a garbled signal.

Correct for Mk1 also.

Why? Cant you just repair it? Broken wires in door rubber gaitor? See Tech FAQ for 3 illustrated guides to repairing. Or you could try GSF car parts if you really want to buy a new one.

Remember that the rear heater is recirculation only and is heating the air from inside the car. If you put your front blower on recirc I expect you'll get similar temperatures at the front. Could be your run on pump is siezed and blocking flow.

I'm pretty sure youre chasing a red herring, AFAIK the alarm will not be activated unless all switches including the bonnet are closed - even though the car is locked. You will note that after locking the car, if you close the bonnet, then the lights will flash indicating the alarm is activated. It is almost certainly faulty wiring in one of the rubber gaitors (doors or tailgate)

Try this VAG catalog You'll have to select a VW Sharan or Seat Alhambra as it has VAG part numbers only.

Check both hoses to the heater matrix are (engine temperature) hot. You can get to these in the engine bay next to the wiper motor. You may want to remove the plastic tray (3 bolts) to get easier access. If they are both hot then it could be a temperature flap problem (manually or electically controlled depdending if you have manual a/c or climate control) otherwise may it just be an air lock at the top of the matrix hoses. (They are the ones behind the arrow in the picture.)

Sainsburys Garages sell H7 bulbs (Unipart - made by GE) for £3.99 You can buy Osram Nightbreakers here for about £12 per pair

I'm surprised. You normally need to have this pipe connected to get full performance, with it disconnected I would expect it to go into limp home mode almost permanently.

Ah pity you didnt mention that earlier! This is the boost pressure feed to the boost sensor located in the ECU. The connector for diagnostics is located in the centre ashtray - pull it out and you will see it underneath going forward. Sorry the MAF sensor didnt sort it. (Dont suppose you'll be able to take it back?) I should have taken more notice of the fact that you said the problem was intermittent, which the MAF sensor wouldnt give. Mea Culpa! Looks now increasingly likey its the fault that Foster says with the boost pipe being blocked or split somewhere else - as he says a few people have said that the ECU end gets all manky probably due to oil contamination from the boost pipework.

Yes, good one, foster. The wastegate on the 90bhp AHU / 1Z is vacuum controlled. Any leaks in the control (small bore) vaccuum pipework generally cause an underboost fault (logged in the ECU). Common to have old vacuum pipes crack/split. The boost pressure is monitored by a pressure sensor located in the ECU. There is a small diameter pipe going from the boost/intercooler pipework at the gearbox end of the engine, behind the engine and through the bulkhead down on the drivers side. Behind the dash it goes to the ECU which is located behind the dash on post 98 models or (IIRC) under the drivers seat (not sure) on pre 98 models. The rubber pipe bit that goes into these early ECUs often goes squidgy and gets blocked internally - leading to overboost faults (again logged). I think there is a detailed explanation and maybe a couple of photos somewhere on the forum regarding this ECU boost sensor pipe.