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Over the last few weeks noticed its getting getting more difficult to engage these gears and wonder what the issue is. Its like the clutch is only partially engaged and there is some drag from the flywheel making it hard to shift - cables or DMF worn issues or something else maybe..... Fabby as turned over 150K miles now and I can feel a bit of a knock at idle from the DMF clutch so suspect its this thats the issue. TiA

DIY yes if you like to struggle, its worth it in the end but then again I'm built like that Why dont you have a VRS clutch change party ? Invite the right people from here and get some beers and curry in as a reward? Should all be done in about 5 hours minus the drinking

Sticking brake calipers or thermostat maybe ?

You dont get this issue with oi burners! Not helpful I know but I had a similar issue with a old 88 Gli Cavalier, turned out to be the ecu. She ran great when everything was ok, real smooth but when the issue was present it was all over the place. Good luck

Yeah I had wondered about this, would it that mean that the thremostat stays shut and the water that feeds the radiator (temp sensor) , heater matrix would not get hot enough to produce a good flow of hot air through the cabin? I understand that the engine could overheat as well as there not be a good flow of water around the engine/cooling system or conversely the car would take longer to warm up if the thermostat stuck in the open position but ultimately once up to temp the heater should provide a normal hot charge of air into the cabin.

I recently noticed my heater was more of a cold air mover then a heater and started to investigate..... 1) The hot air flap could be heard moving when the heater control is turned from C to H and back again when H to C where when the engine is warm does give a slight bit of hea but the higher the fan speed the less the heat is produced. 2) The Pollen Filter was checked and is clean-ish and dry. 3) The coolant was up to the correct level but looked brown-ish. I flushed the radiator a couple of times over a week and now the water is clean and have replaced with the right 50/50 mixture of coolant. I have yet to check the pipes to the heater matrix but believe the issue to be a blocked core , as i used radweld after i started to lose coolant back in 2013 and did notice the drop in the heater temperature at the time. However I noticed recently that the car does not get up to 90 deg C as quick as it used to do. In fact it hovers around the 70-80 for a while and now seems to take a 25 minute drive to reach 90 rather then the 10 minutes it used to do, from memory. Is there a way to check the impeller is still doing its job and has not sheared off , I guess I could take the expansion bottle off and rev the car which should increase the flow returning to the bottle or maybe there is another way? TiA

And they reckon a DMF is the way to go as the clatter and vibration from the diesel engine is significantly reduced. Apparently some people who replaced a DMF with a SMF were not impressed with the differences as far as comfort and general running. Almost twenty years and 150K from a DMF I guess its a DMF for me in the spring (!)

Thanks for all the replies, yes I think with the clutch disengaged the idle is fine, its only when engaged the issue is apparent. I dont do any launches as such but sometimes when feeding in second gear from too low a speed I get a squeak , which I guess is clutch related although could be the gearbox mount as well maybe. Any idea how long the clutch/DMF might last before she fails completely and what are my options , another DMF or something simpler? I'm not really into tuning her up but I might be persuaded to get a 180HP remap in the future just for fun , nothing silly just a bit more poke for fun. Not sure if that limits my options re the clutch but will have a look around the forum for advice. TIA

Just thought I would mention it and wondered if anyone has noticed their car have a slight but regular drop in revs at idle? Very minor but coul dbe the sign of something about to go wrong. My thought was maybe its the clutch @149K making a rumble and then I saw a post on camshaft wear at idle mmmmmmm I know its not the right forum but I need a drivers door in silver after I got taken out my a drunk in a old range rover......what a daft **** he is! My third no fault attack on the VRS in just over to years,,,,, what am I a **** magnet Grrrrrrrrrrr

I just cleared my AirBag light with VCDS lite (Free Program) and a Blue OBD II cable from Ebay for £7. Suggest you try this before spending anything more on a bespoke reader , the code I had referred to a lost or intermittent connection to the AB Controller. Good Luck Buddy

Any car is just a collection of parts, replace, upgrade or if you have the room just keep it and get another jalopy to do the daily grind. The engine has to be good for 250k plus but not the turbo, clutch , exhaust etc Saying that I'm almost up to 150K and 18 years and all original so far replaced coil springs, brake discs , radiator, front wind screen , passenger window mech and aux belts but not the cam belt thats well over due and must happen this spring summer ...... good luck with yours buddy!

Poor fuel consumption , check the brake calipers (or the discs after a very short drive). If you end up with a dirty and burnt finger when touching the discs then you have a sticking / seized brake caliper.

PS - I use the car as intended for shopping , runabout , moving me and others around, its a great do it all car but not a racing car. To demonstrate I used to get a average of 70MPG when I commuted 70 miles each way but only on the way back , not the way there !

Thanks for your input, I must say I have used helicoils before and they have done a great job so dont have any reservations about using them here. There does seem to be a difference in price for the new control arm brackets and not sure if there is any difference in quality but there could be hence me wishing to use the original part if possible. The console bushes were replaced a fair while ago granted but as I used Meyle Hd one's they appear to be doing well and bedded in. If I change one I should do the otherside as well for balance and really dont want to be doing that and the L/H bracket etc as well, no doubt I will have to at some point.... The Wishbone arm was replaced due to the MOT tester failing this part as it was badly corroded.....well corroded imo badly I,m not so sure but I like upgrading the Fab where possible so no worries. Spalling , whats that turning , twisting or stripping ?

It look s like the thread has gone on my CAB after the wishbone arm was replaced and torqued up, knocking noise now appearing from the O/S front and on inspecting the bolt it just spins without tightening, oh pooh! I can get a replacement bracket but have also investigated the helicoil option and will probably go down this route as otherwise I will have to replace the console bush's as well and the less effort the better I say. I have sourced a 110mm bolt that may work to hold it together for a few months until the weather improves so will see on day if that ,might help but wondered if anyone has done the work already and aware of anything I need to be wary of. I really dont need another bolt losing ts thread or shearing off when i go to remove the CAB so here's what I intend to do.... Jack up both side of the car and sat the axle stands on max so I have room to work. Remove the Wishbone Arm as per standard procedures. Remove roll bar, torsion bar bolts then the three bolts that hold the CAB onto the car. I have already started cleaning the exposed ends of the bolts and dousing with WD40 and will source a new 100mm bolt from Skoda should the 110mm not work. I'm wondering if there is any other stretch bolts I need to purchase as well but think its only the one the holds the WB arm onto the CAB I need. Thanks for your wisdom.....

My puller cleared the CV Balljoint with the clamp properly adjusted but it was close, if it is binding then yes you will break the tool or strip the threadso ensure you have it adjusted properly. Good Luck, now is the season not to be working outside on cars.

Get the puller, you probably can smack it off with a copper mallet but there aint much swing room in the wheel arch .....get the puller and a breaking bar/torque wrench, I had to put alot of effort to get the CV joint off but then it popped off.....I thought I had broken summit! Dont get the stretch boot , get a normal boot . When you mix , stretch rubber , grease and dirty hands you will be cussing with a stretch. Metal straps do up with mole grips . This was the messiest job have ever done , so also get some cheap gloves and a bowl of hot soapy water ready......ENJOY

I know the feeling when you accidentally screw up and "OwnGoal" your pride and joy. Good experience I guess, you wont make that mistake again. Long live the VRS MK1

Yup ditto by Bergen , although did not get the extra drive nut/washer. I need to get a new hub nut as well.......

BONZA! I finally did the CV boot today, had some spare time and the weather was good for crawling around on the pavement, well it did rain briefly but by that time I was covered in grease and quite warm from wrestling with my greasy boot! I concur with you all dont buy a stretch boot , they are a pain to get on the ball joint when you have grease everywhere! Ii had to use my breaking bar to wind the ball joint off and that took quite a lot of pressure before it pinged off, glad i bought the removal tool as no doubt I would have failed to get the thing off with a hammer. Thanks for your assistance and now I need to re-visit the MOT test station, fingers crossed

hey thanks for the quick response, my plan was to remove the ball joint anyway as I did not intentionally buy a stretch boot. I guess if the larger strap would adapt to the right size it should work but yes was looking for a like for like replacement to save any extra hassle. Third time lucky I guess and yes its a messy job but at least the bolts are now free and easy to remove..... Who needs to go to the gym when you have older car to maintain! PS still waiting for a good day to do the boot, maybe tmrw if it stops pishing it down grrrrr

Cheers for the advice, you cant buy experience but you can certainly listen to the Briskodia gang! I will have another go this weekend if the weather holds and I have a CV ball joint removal tool now , so what can go wrong.......:)

hey thanks for the quick response, my plan was to remove the ball joint anyway as I did not intentionally buy a stretch boot. I guess if the larger strap would adapt to the right size it should work but yes was looking for a like for like replacement to save any extra hassle. Third time lucky I guess and yes its a messy job but at least the bolts are now free and easy to remove..... Who needs to go to the gym when you have older car to maintain!

I've never done a CV boot change before but having attempted to do mine today I noticed that the replacement boot was too dam small for the job...... The boot was a Borg and Beck bcb1002 part supposedly compatible to use on the outer wheel , mine the N/S left outer but the boot looks far too small to fit over the CV joint, not sure if the boot is a stretchy one designed to fit but the steel strap looks way too small to fit over the ball joint anyway, its about 80mm where the old one is about 105mm, not sure if I need to purchase another as I dont want to get my hands dirty a third time ........any ideas please?

Two questions, the first being that when idling the engine has a regular engine judder, its really a minor thing but very regular where the idle revs drop a little then immediately catch up. It's not a misfire just a imbalance of smooth revs , i dipped the clutch and still the same and you cannot detect anything when the car is moving....any ideas , I can do a little video if needs be but wonder if your VRS does the same thing? The idiot driver is a reference to the fact that while parked today some idiot decided to back into the offside wing and in doing so pushed the car about a foot to the side so you can imagine the level of impact. The car now has a more dented wing then before and the driver wants to not bother with the insurance companies....my question is what damage do you think would be done to the panel behind the wing and if this is damaged can it get replaced? I had another idiot run into the back of me a year ago and the body shop did not repair the panel behind the bumper but tbh i'm getting tired of people smashing my shi* up and then wanting a cheap repair job done! I'm also thinking about the possibility of wheel alignment and possible gearbox damage if the wheel took the force of the impact , the car did seem to pull to the left a bit on the short drive home but I have not been out since so your advice would be useful. I rarely use the VRS these days and as only thinking how good she looks with most of the little jobs sorted but now another idiot has changed all that!