freemansteve

I think we all know about viscosity Vs spec but it's actually hard to pick up a good brand that doesn't meet VW spec these days. Generally, most products are over-specced for these engines. I'd just stick with the majors and not worry too much! Opie is a good place to start...

Citigo is a VW Up!, so oil spec and all else the same . It's not fussy on oil, just use synth 5/30. Servicing is simple. Early cars did not have plastic wheel arch liners; fuel cap area rusts from the inside, so quite a bit of work to stop and fix.

You're doing the only thing you can - run lots of fresh air through! You don't need the a/c on - it's counter productive because cold air will not carry the fragrance away as easily as warm (or current summer outside air) will do. The heating/cooling system is basically just ducts, and a fan to blow air through heat exchangers, one of which simply gets cold when you power the a/c on.

Is this the same thread that discusses not being able to select 5th? (and a hot bonnet?) Sorry, I know nothing about Glasgow area (though I lived in Durness for a while, which may, comparatively, be like being in Norway!) but if that is the thread, it's possibly something that a decent garage should be able to at least analyse, and quote for, without the expense of a main dealer... (although Skoda may be a tad cheaper than VW)

It's also a major process challenge to get PTFE to adhere to anything for long!

Good research! My 2019 SE-L greentech (or whatever they called them that month!) Has the lowered suspension and came with 16" wheels. I'd call it firm, but I'm used to that feel on quick German cars that I've mostly had in the past. Although these are no more than 'nippy' in town, (read: a bit slow), which suits me these days, the handling is quite pleasing. I can't say it's 'bouncy' though. A bouncy car sounds like it has shot dampers to me (or changed by a previous owner).

Start the car 30 mins after a drive. Lift bonnet onto the stay. Keeping hands and clothes well away, look in gap between the radiator and the engine. At some point, the fan will come on and you will hear it and see it spin. I suspect it works fine - if it did not, sooner or later when driving you'd get a dashboard light on to tell you the coolant is too hot. It will boil if you let it! I think your skills may be in other areas, and so, you may need to get the car checked at a good garage. The philosophy of "wait until the thing goes wrong" is usually the most expensive course of action. For sake of argument, let's say a car is leaking coolant. That could be £5 hose, 10 mins of time, plus a few quid for coolant. If you ignore that, the car could boil dry. If that happens it could seize, and that would be £150 for recovery and £3-4000 to get an engine replaced if you get towed to a dealer...

Ok - it could be slack in the cable linkage between stick and 'box. Worse, it could be selector forks inside the 'box. I'm puzzled by a 'red hot bonnnet' Sure, they get quite hot from the engine and from the sun, but.... Coolant aside, does the radiator fan come on?

14" wheels?

What is meant by 'gear slipping'? Not being able to get into a gear sounds like a clutch problem, but normally that would apply to all gears... it could be a misalignment of the gear linkages. 27 degs is no big deal, probably not relevant to the gear selection thing. It's odd that the windscreen steams up from the outside. Have you checked coolant level? Does the car drip on the ground? But really, this can happen if you run Aircon directly on to the screen, and are stationary, and if it is very humid outside and may be nothing to do with coolant leaking...

Inside, in the dash. I bet it is a right pain to get to! It's not necessarily the bearings though, and it could be that debris has got in from the outside vent and caught in the fan. Is the pollen filter properly in place and in good nick? It may be possible to vacuum the various tubes with the filter removed. I've done that in another car, but not on a Citigo/Up!

Great ! Go for a planet-buster SUV. Just don't expect to get let out at junctions. People hate them! Just sayin'

Why a backwards step? Smart's seats are as high off the ground as many SUV's and have very wide door apertures.... Don't dismiss the idea unless you've actually tried one for "fit"! I do appreciate you may need to carry fridges or dogs in the boot though, and a Smart won't do for that.

BTW, if you need a small and economical car for local driving, and is very easy to get in/out of, try a Smart for size. My Dad liked his mid-size Peugeot, but he was portly, with two very bad knees - he loved being driven in my wife's Smart (at the time), finding it very easy to get into!

It's only on for 2secs though.... I live in a hilly place and really like the feature!

A longshot though! I think we are all hoping it's not the clutch, or even worse, the gearbox

There are well-known Bluetooth incompatibility issues with some iPhone models, it's a feature of them, and probably not a fault on your own phone.

OK, so no longer just a "when in second gear" thing! Have you ruled out the various rubber engine and gearbox mounts being worn? These are crucial on three-pot engines because they wobble quite a lot!

I'm still not following why a clutch issue is only when in second gear (if it is as written in the OP), but happy to have it explained....

The thing is, very bright filament bulbs have a short lifetime compared with standard bulbs, and they are far more prone to failure from thermal or mechanical shock. This means when one bulb fails you can get a bit of a voltage spike and that is more likely to take out a second bulb especially if it's the super-bright type. Sometimes, the spike can take out a fuse as well! If you need better lighting, and don't want to use LEDs (which have their own problems if not OEM on the car), I'd seriously look at getting a pair of twin-headlight units from a breaker or eBay etc. These as a pair, run 4x H7 bulbs, instead of the usual 2x H4 twin-filament bulbs. The pattern is better, and on full-beam, you have twice the light on the road. I have checked my SE-L against a loaner 'cooking' Citigo of the same year, and the twin headlamps are definitely better around the dark lanes of west Cornwall!

So, as I thought, not quite "All the leads have a resistor in them" then, but more a sensing resistor across some of the leads.!

Does a Citigo even have a dual-mass flywheel? I really don't know, but they are common on larger diesels... The explanations you have been given don't stack up to me... Why only 2nd gear or low power if there were a clutch or flywheel problem?

A resistor? Maybe in the data wires (if the leads uses them), but in the power cables? it will surely get pretty hot...

Good point! I must admit my fan is always on "1" or above.... And yes, fuses blow only rarely - usually it's human error, unless it's a headlight bulb that has also blown!

Sounds like you are doing the thinking for your mechanic! Maybe you need to find a better shop....