StevesTruck

Check your ABS cables, particularly the one that goes down to the driver's front wheel, closely for any damage. Splits can hide on the inside of the curves where the cable bends.

That many sensor errors would make me think that there's a loose multiplug in the engine bay or damaged wiring.

Probably a sensible, if unfortunate, decision if you've got to get someone to do the work. There's a lot of labour involved in building the rear axle up on these, and you can't be sure how good the mount points really are until you drop the axle off.

I'd probably go through all the heater settings and look for something not working (hot/cold standard/recirc various output directions).

My guess, and it is a guess would be one of the heater flaps.

There's a few of the inside of the sump and bottom end on my build thread for my Polo over on clubpolo if that helps? https://www.clubpolo.co.uk/topic/359345-something-modern-6r-16tdi-3dr/?do=findComment&comment=2739562

Ibiza, Polo and Fabia share the hubs. Careful though, there's two sorts. Most fabias use the FSIII calipers so have the carriers built in the hub. The VRS uses a bigger caliper and a different hub. If you're getting them off an Ibiza, its a bit of a lottery which have which brakes.

There's various bits of software that can read the immobiliser PIN via the OBD port. On some more modern stuff, they have to take the clocks out and plug them in.

Hutchinson telecom? 😁

I tend to just go with an OEM supplier. Febi/ATE/TRW, they always work well and are cheaper than the name brands. I used Brembo a lot about 10-15 years ago, but I found they went off in terms of performance over the years, not sure if they became a Eurocarparts label? I tried Eicher a while ago because they were cheap in ECP, took them back off again and chucked them in the bin.

Keep it simple - if it's not leaking it, it's burning it. Check for signs of cross contamination, do a sniffer test (the kits are cheap enough). Did anyone mention it was smoking? It is possible that a joint's getting a bit poor and it's only leaking when it's being pushed hard, so it's work having a good look around all the pipework for any leaks. Does it get hot and/or spin it's fans when it's sat idling in the sun, or if sun's in short supply, idling with the bonnet down and it's nose up against a hedge? If you've still got a/c, does the fan spin when you stick it on full cold?

Pretty much. My daily's have a hard life, my toys get looked after. I'd love to have a preened, polished car that I drive every day, but the reality is they carry tools, materials, do 100 miles most days and get parked in public car parks. That aside, my point is I never heard of a head gasket going on a 1.9TDI or early PD. I've heard it happen on a few of the later ones.

Neither ones perfect, nothing is. I'd avoid the 1.6tdi just because there's no real reason to go for one over a 1.9 or 2.0. The later 1.9's aren't as good as the early ones, my 56 plate had head gasket failure. I still drove it for ages and it died at about 195k. The 2.0's tend to just have a lot of niggly problems. They're a tough old car, but VAG build quality isn't anything like what it was.

Depends a bit what you want from your 2 grand. My personal rule for bangernomics is spend half your budget and keep the other half in reserve for stuff going wrong. Were it me in that price range, I'd probably dodge the VRS and aim for something lower specced. There's nothing in particular wrong with the VRS, they're a nice car, they just tend to lead harder lives, that and the more basic Octavias tend to be owned by old people who are more likely to take stuff to a garage and get everything done that the garage quotes them for. Also, the more basic mk2's are tough old buses that don't mind getting used for things that would probably be more suited to your landrover. I dragged some heavy stuff with mine, carried all kinds of stuff, camped in it, hit some pretty big potholes and even had a couple of fun times doing a bit of fording.

That should self-rectify in about 4 years. 🙃

Or shine a torch down down the neck

I've got 2 of those clamps in the shed 😆

Hope someone's told them the gas terminal at Theddlethorpe got knocked down 3 years ago.

Window motors are always worth grabbing

You can normally get a bleeder on from the back of the wheel when the car's up in the air. But yes, that takes the p***

Any sign of oiliness in the intake?

Any signs of oil in the water or vice versa? Heater working ok?

All the little 12v ones are much of a muchness, don't worry too much about the brand. They make a lot of noise and do the job, albeit a bit slowly. Don't bother with the digital ones, it's just stuff to go wrong on something that's been made as cheaply as possible. The only one I found that was any different was one from Lidl, which was a lot quieter.

It's definitely worth avoiding disturbing the subframe if you can help it, particularly if you're working on the ground. They do have a bit of wiggle in their fitment, so you can mess your alignment up fairly easily. Not a great fan of poly bushes on the consoles myself, I've got them on mine and it's a bit harsh for a daily. If I were doing it again I'd go with the solid rubber bushes off an Ibiza cupra.

Or drop an old screwdriver between the plates of the brake disc and let it sit against the caliper to stop the hub turning while you torque it.