Din85

You might want to check, I know my dad's 1.8 tfsi dsg hatch is limited to towing 1300kg.

Looks nice that :yes:

We tow with a Octavia 4x4, 1.9pd 2006, i find it a very stable car to tow with, very capable even being the 105 bhp model, so the VRS would have no issues. Interestingly the 4x4 seems to have no issue with rear springs, certainly i dont think it needs any assistance, in fact i could do with the towball being slightly lower, im hoping on a big holiday it will sit a little lower with extra stuff in the boot. All in all a fantastic towcar. Our outfit !

I may well find a spare one yes, the reason i wanted to attempt this first though is simply because any used one of a similer age is just as likley to have the same issue in the future, i am hoping that this repair will last a good few years. I was quoted £623 + VAT for a new one with max discount from http://www.thetradepartsspecialists.co.uk/ so still £750 all in. Or £150 + VAT from a volkswagon breaker in Bristol. I will keep my eyes on ebay i think just in case.

Sorry for the multiple posts, my would phone not let me put all the pics on one reply? Anyway, you get the idea, last pic is of my rather messy sealing job... Needed a little extra due to the corroded lid.

Fixed hopefully. OK so my fault was with the n373 valve, intermittent then perminnant. I took the car to work today and took the controller off, dug out the sealant to expose the circuit board. It was heavily corroded, and the lid was corroded, I cleaned the board with contact cleaner, then found the n373 connectors are not soldered but a sprung loaded push fit, the lower joint was corroded and green. I cleaned it up, and tried my best to carefully blob some solder on it, I then looked for any other dodgy looking bits and put a hot iron over them. I then refitted the board and controller, and spot on, no more esp light.

Hmm, been doing a lot of reading.... im now convinced it will be the controller thats defective ! The reason i say this is because upon removal i noticed some of the sealant was lifting around the outer casing, i put some addtional sealant around it as a precaution, but i just came across this thread. http://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=575530&start=0 the outside of mine looks exactly like that (sealant wise). I may take it off again and dig the sealant out and have a look. If not it looks like a new unit

Thanks, i have found a number for haldex controller faults that have had to have the ecu replaced, but as you say, non that state N373 specifically, mine subsiquently came up with more faults earlier after i had removed and refitted the unit, i cleared them but the two origional ones came straight back. I am wondering now if it is simply the ecu part thats gone up the swanny. These where the initial faults. But after today they look like this !

It says a Haldex controller fault, obviously the fault codes are not there but it still had to have the haldex control unit replaced to get the ESP light to go out.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/261825-haldex-controller-question-unbelievable-story/ Thats one .. though it does seem more common on the Audis, i would be willing to bet thats cos there are a damn site more of them on the road.