rwtomkins

Blimey, I'd no idea, I'm still tucked up in bed at 6am. Better check my anti-freeze...

Thanks for the good news, fredt. Could get a bit parky with the aircon running full blast in January.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but if you're supposed to run the aircon 30 minutes a month to stop the seals drying out, what are you supposed to do in winter when it's too cold for the aircon to come on (even if you could bear the low temperature)? Is the answer that the aircon runs even when the heater's on, to help dry out the air? No problems yet with my 10-month old TDI but it's only done about 3,000 miles. Mind you, I've never been very impressed with the aircon's effectiveness. Wish I'd ordered dual A/C - but then again, perhaps that's just doubling the chances of a problem!

Jeff115, you must live a helluva long way north if your aux heater is cutting in at this time of year. If I remember right from the previous strings, it's only supposed to cut in when the outside temperature falls below 7 degrees centigrade (brrr). Btw, there was a lot of moaning in the previous strings (too much of it from me) about the annoying clicking noise that comes from the aux heater fuel pump when the aux heater cuts in. However, you only mention the lovely jet engine noise that comes from the aux heater itself. I'd be very interested to know if you don't get the clicking noise, because that might imply Ford's found a way to stifle it.

To elaborate slightly on that, I believe the back can be made warmer than the front in winter, when you're using the heater, but it can't be made cooler than the front in summer, when you're using the A/C (unless you have dual A/C).

I bought the TIS disk from someone on this site a few months ago but I can't say I'm all that impressed. Maybe I'm hitting the wrong buttons but I can never seem to find what I want. For example can anyone tell me how I find something as simple as what's involved in changing the oil & filter on a 2002 1.9TDI? Am I right in thinking this model isn't covered by the Haynes manual, either?

If anyone wants to hear the end of my oil overfill saga (see earlier this thread), here goes: The oil level turned out to be 2cm, or 3/4, over the max mark on the dipstick - this in spite of a warning on the oil filler cap in vivid red letters that any overfill could damage the catalytic converter. I didn't want to drive the car back to the dealer who changed the oil for fear of doing more damage so on Saturday I went to the local hardware store, bought a piece of plastic tubing, stuck it down the dipstick hole and sucked the excess oil out. It didn't half taste funny. Anyway, it turned out there was just short of 1 litre of excess oil over the diesel engine's normal 4.5 litre capacity (including filter). So not only had they just chucked in the whole of the 5-litre can I gave them, but also left in 1/2 litre of the old oil. No wonder it was grimy. I phoned the AA's technical services and told them I'd done 5 miles in heavy urban traffic with the excess oil in. They said cats were much hardier than people gave them credit for and not to worry, it was highly unlikely any damage had been done. Then this morning I phoned Ford's technical services people on a premium

Here's a piece of advice: whenever a dealer changes your oil, check the dipstick level before you drive away. Just like S A Intruder reports on the Temperature Gauge thread, I took my 1.9TDI into a dealer called Rapid Fit on Holloway Road, London N7 (part of the Dagenham Motors group) just for an oil change and they couldn't even get that right - when I got home, I found the oil level about an inch above the max mark. Now I've got to take it all the way back on Saturday to get it drained and it'll probably blow up on the way or cause some horrible damage that will only become apparent in three years' time. (The handbook says NEVER drive with the oil level above the max mark.) Seriously, anyone know what problems overfilling can cause? I have an idea the catalytic converter is at risk but - embarrassing confession of the week - I don't even know if diesels are fitted with catalytic converters. By the way, the oil still looks very grimey even after the oil change but the dealer says that's a characteristic of diesels, you can never get them clean except with a 20-minute flush. I'm inclined to believe him but go on, tell me I'm a mug.

Have just decorated the front N/S alloy wheel of my nearly-new 1.9TDI Ghia by lacerating it against a kerbstone. Can this sort of damage be fixed? If so, by whom and how do they do it? Any recommendations near central London? It's ruinously expensive, I presume.

Thanks very much for that, Ivor E Tower. From what you say, and the info on the parallel "Oil & Filter Change" thread, it's not really practical to change your own oil without a ramp unless you have a good jack and plenty of axle stands, which I don't. I phoned the local Ford dealer, the Dagenham Motors branch at Highbury Corner in Islington, London N1, and asked them if they'd do an oil change. They quoted

These threads about oil have left me so confused about what to put in my 6-month-old 1.9 TDI I've decided to do my own oil changes using the Ford product specified in the owner's manual. Any comments on whether this is the best option if you don't mind getting your hands dirty? How easy/difficult is it if you don't have access to a ramp? I don't think an annual oil change is frequent enough and I'm going to do it at least every 6 months - the local garage owner I spoke to on holiday in Aberdovey, north Wales, last week said he changed the oil in his diesel Galaxy every 1,000 miles! Any comments on best interval between oil changes?

yes, i had the same experience at the dealer - they seem completely oblivious to the problem and anyway there's nothing they could do about it even if they wanted to because its obviously a design fault. like grifjl says, ford can't be serious. one day i'll get around to writing to them about it - but probably not until next winter, when the mornings turn cold and the clicking starts driving me nuts again... by the way, anyone tuning in to this problem for the first time should definitely read the posts on the old website (same headline) for a full explanation. at least it's a comfort to know all TDI owners have the same problem

i think it's true to say that this annoying clicking noise can last a lot longer than 5-10mins - in fact, as long as the outside temperature remains below 5 degrees C, it stays on forever, driving noise-sensitive people like me completely nuts. if anyone knows of a cure (short of having my ears surgically removed) i'd be very pleased to hear it