SuperbTWM

Yes, its a bit pointless really as pulling a fuse and then measuring the current re-powers any electronics or modules on that circuit giving you a higher than normal reading. You were right in making sure the car thinks all the doors and bonnet are locked by frigging the locks, you want to turn off any interior alarms and lock the car for a while and wait for everything to go to 'sleep' Then measure on a mV scale across all the fuses with a reliable multimeter. There is a document explaining this somewhere which I will try and dig out. https://forums.tdiclub.com/index.php?threads/tsb-and-matrix-for-battery-drain-issues.254875/ Use the tables at the back to work out current draw from the voltage drop and the size of fuse you were measuring. Good luck

I take it you calculated the current by measuring the voltage drop across the fuses rather than pulling them out?

Best way to bleed the ABS unit is to run it using the VCDS bleeding procedure but before I had VCDS and was in the same situation I first bled each corner, quite a few times I will add, and the thing that finally sorted it for me was bleeding the both the rears and then the fronts in tandem.

Is the rev counter registering a speed? Also check the in tank lift pump is running/pumping. Oil pressure alarm normal after extended period of cranking

Our 2.0 TDCI 150 is Euro 6 and despite it being 4WD and weighing an absolute ton manages to meet the emissions limits without the use of Adblue whereas my Passat does, so you could argue that in that respect it is better. It also manages to regenerate without actually showing any signs of doing so, never increased idle and never smells like burning with fans running. If the exhaust wern't spotless I would be convinced it had been mapped out. I know the 1.6 TDCI engine has a bad rep for killing turbos, i'm not sure if its just this model but for some reason they fitted a strainer to the oil feed so it can block and starve the turbo of oil,(probably caused by lack of maintenance once they fall into the hands of people that don't care as they get older) My Dad currently has a 1.6 Focus and he has removed this gauze/strainer and we also did the same to my sisters Picasso with the same engine. Other than that they havn't missed a beat. Also had the trusty old 2.2 engine in his Freelander 2 which never failed him.

They do have a standard Cam belt. And most people haven’t heard of it, that’s why no preventative measures are taken and they snap 😂 Im not bashing TDCI engines though I don’t think they are too bad, they were used all over the shop including loads of French cars, and I think lack of maintenance causes issues that then gives them a bad name. I don’t think they are as good as VW though. Our 5 year old S max doesn’t start as positively as any VAG diesel I’ve had, sometimes it cranks longer than usual or has a lumpy startup and I’ve heard plenty of others do the same, you can deffo hear the diesel knock/rattle a lot more in Fords as well.

IIRC 1.8 TDCI had a wet belt that could sometimes snap leaving you without oil pressure. So that’s more maintenance and worry rather than just using a chain.

I never said avoid anything?????? Senior moment? 😂 The oil drinking issues were the 2.0 and maybe 1.8 was it not? Either way, it’s worth researching if you want a Vag petrol.

And high oil consumption

At the dealer they were never considered a consumable item I don’t think which is why they don’t come as part of the kit, a bit like how a water pump is like an optional extra to replace. It is wise to change the belt tensioner/damper as they do fail but if it wasn’t leaking oil and you tested it still had its damping abilities, it will probably be fine. Obviously if the seals go you lose the damping effect and the tensioner bounces about and could lead to belt failure. I’m not sure they opted for this kind of tensioner rather than the conventional one. I can’t seem to view your video on my phone but you are probably looking at the chain of it’s a rattle. Never had to touch that side in the past though

Yes, I see your point, they may not even of had gauges on. Number one on their check list could be ‘make sure air con works before you touch it’ and if it doesn’t they stop the job there.

Use the blowers and heat or a cloth like everybody did before air con was pretty much standard equipment I’m not suggesting that is your issue, I was kindly making you aware of the fact so you don’t end up chasing your tail while fault finding. what is strange to me now, is that they didnt do the service. Regardless of the air con working or not, the service should at least consist of removing the old refrigerant and refilling of new refrigerant, therefore making sure it has the correct amount in there. This can be done regardless of whether the air con has any faults. Even if it had a leak, you need to connect the machine up to it and test it under vacuum, or better yet a full pressure test with nitrogen.

Did you replace the hydraulic tensioner? Wasn't quite clear in your first post?

Even reputable aftermarket thermostats I have known people use have been rubbish. Have to go OEM every time or do the job twice.

The car will not let the evaporator get near to freezing temperatures as it will ice up causing no air flow at all. So if you have outside air that is just above freezing coming in how can any condensation form if the evaporator is at the same temperature? Its not physically possible. Thats why in cases where the ambient is low you have to use a dessicant style Dehumidifier, for example: Drying out a garage or other outdoor building

Don't want to teach you to suck eggs but are you aware that the air con will not run at around 5C or below.

you will have to be a bit more specific, there are a lot of engines in that era. Are you looking for a particular size? VW have a repuation from making some good Diesel engines over the years, I don't think they have done as well with Petrol IMO

These days private sellers for sure are not gonna be listing cars for a few thousand on Autotrader, these are now found on the likes of facebook as its easy and free and everybody has a facebook account these days. You do get a lot of lazy idiots though that take 1 picture of the car through the kitchen window and puts 'needs a clean' but there are some genuine sellers. The majority on Autotrader now are trade, so it depends which route you want to go down

If I went away from VAG I would look at a Ford Focus estate. Loads of those about for a decent price and they drive well. I think the petrol engines are OK and the TDCI engines arn't too bad if you stay away from the 1.8

You either want PD pre DPF, or skip straight to the newer CR engines IMO (which probably isn't in your budget depending on the car condition and mileage) you are at risk of buying somebody elses problems otherwise.

Have you checked the elctrical consumer screen to see if its the Aux. heater coming on? If it is the bar will be way over to the right

I was gonna suggest this also, very big consumer. If its up to temperature, battery has enough charge, not doing a regen an there isn't a high electrical load I can't think of anything else that would cause high idle so it may well an issue somewhere either that or your just not giving it chance to warm up and its normal. how long does it idle high for if you don't use stop/start?

I agree in some cases being very heavy can be a disadvantage but in my experience mid size saloons/estates are a lot better on Ice and snow in general than smaller, lighter cars.

Good work @J.R. , you did a good job of diagnosing that one, I bet many garages would have fitted a new clutch kit and slave ylinder first before looking at the Master.

certainly, but it would be interesting, educational, and I know there is a part of him that will want to