Alasdair1

Cars should eventually warm up to normal temp when idling unless the thermostat is jammed. If theres no coolant in cylinders or exhaust gas in coolant and the bubbles are air then I would think it might be the waterpump. I would check and replace it and see if it helps. It may be that the pump seal is drawing in air or the impeller has failed. Cant think of anywhere else air could be getting into the system unless the pump isn't strong enough to purge it but where did the air come from?? Check the drive belt for the pump as well. Alasdair

Hi there, I got the switch from amazon. https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiQoq3AzNqEAxXdiFAGHXcrDZ4YABAKGgJkZw&ase=2&gclid=CjwKCAiA_5WvBhBAEiwAZtCU7-fUuGIqEA970bsf6t_BV8Pj-7XrQSN02ER_X3r69_BJvt1FE8GzQxoC9HUQAvD_BwE&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAESVuD2ODbQw4voiM65vAWa3YbiVYXjf6CNCjND_0Px7LktYK2qwuOO13_G4GEsn1R_VcWo1rn53PMj1kqyQZz5MjZzZYEgWdlEG3cIXDP20dmuXwCY88Iq&sig=AOD64_2flMrsUwPrEOmTgNnPFhm2FvQavA&ctype=5&q=&nis=4&ved=2ahUKEwjL6aLAzNqEAxXlQkEAHdD_AwYQ9aACKAB6BAgJEBI&adurl= Hope the link works. It was £12-99 delivered. I use amazon prime so came next day. Alasdair

Just about to do exactly the same on the same model myself as got silly quote from local garages as my friendly one retired last year. Bought a cheap bush puller off amazon. Parts arent that expensive. Was going to reuse the wishbones but they look pretty rusty and as everything else on the car is mint just ordered a new pair for £50-00. Got Febi ones as MOT advise reckoned pin might be worn on arms as well as bush. Got new track rod ends plus ball joints and bushes etc for £60-00 so £110 in total plus puller set (cant rember but around £40-00 which hopefully will get used again. Doesn't look too difficult a job. I reckon local garages looked at the age of car and reckoned everything would be seized or rusted solid and quoted accordingly. I reckon if I can do it for £150 in total its not bad plus I get another puller set to add to my collection. Got the parts I needed from Parts in Motion. Dealt with them a few times and so far delivery is good and everything is correct plus prices seem pretty good as well. Might be worth trying it yourself if theres no-one up for the job. Alasdair

Same here, I sprayed it with WD40 and spent ages pushing it in and out. It was pretty stiff to begin and seemed to stick at a certain point but eventually freed off and no trouble since. Alasdair

If I remember the wipers dont work if the bonnet is open on my 58plate mk2. There is a switch somewhere which may have failed or jammed?? I think mine is under the latch mechanism. Its not easy to get to but perhaps a spray of wd40 might solve it Alasdair

Could also be a weak battery. Mine did similar. Random no start with loads of beeps and warning lights. Battery was failing and down on voltage. Would start the car when weather was warm but on cold mornings no hope. New battery and problems solved. Would still check earth points and get battery checked. Alasdair

Thanks, Had a look at the new ones and cant see any marks. Wll mark up old ones first and compare them if I can get them off. Alasdair

Ah never thought of that. May have to try and remove bolts before cutting to check they hopefully match with the new ones. Have sprayed bolts/nuts etc in a mixture of kerosene and oil for now. Will keep spraying for a few days and try again. May have to use the old blow torch as they are very rusty and seized solid. Tyres on rear are not bad but front are getting a bit worn and needing replaced in the near future so will swap front to rear and monitor until I get the alignment checked. Got to do the front track rod ends and probably anti roll bar bushes as well as bottom ball joints so an alignment check would be advisable considering the price of tyres these days. Thanks Alasdair

Hi there finally getting around to replacing rear swing arms on my 58plate 1.9tdi estate. They are in a very sorry state although still passd the MOT but swing arm bushes do look as though they are just holding on and no more and arms look slightly twisted at the top bushing. Looks fairly straight forward but i cant budge the rear ofset adjusting bolts. Plan is to mark them on the old ones and then cut/grind them off and try to drive them back though the bush then replace with new bolts and new arms. If I replace them in the exact postion that they are in will that be ok or should I get alignment done plus is there any other adjustment on the rear suspension apart from the two top bolts? Thanks Alasdair

I had an old toyota lucida with air bag light on. It was the spiral cable that was faulty but the horn still worked. To get it through an MOT I managed to disconnect the crash sensor unit which turned the light off during ignition and afterwards. I disconnected it as mine was going to be very expensive as it was a Japanese import vehicle. If its the cable I think they are £50-£80 for a fabia. I think they are called clock spring cables. The airbag part of the cable probably failed before the horn and whoever had it before may have disabled the airbag system hence why the light doesnt come on Alasdair

Mine did the same. The small screws that held the switch together had failed. I glued it back together but bought a replacement off amazon which wasn't expensive. Think it was around a tenner.

Not sure but the horn power supply might come from a spiral cable spring in steering wheel that does the airbag as well. If its failing the horn stops or the airbag light comes on. This might explain lack of power to relay and horn etc. Not sure how to check it but if messing about disconnect battery and leave for a while so theres no chance the airbag goes off. Alasdair.

I have an 58 1.9tdi and it did the same as well as an old Volvo940. They both started doing it randomly. Foot would go to the floor but pedal wouldn't return. Pulled it up with my foot and seemed to get better especially if I pumped it. Eventually the master cylinder started leaking fluid which I didnt notice as it was been collected on the undertray and then clutch went completely due to low fluid. It was only when it got winched onto the recovery truck the fluid trickled out from underneath. I reckon that the seals were failing and the fluid was pushing past them. Changed it myself which isn't that easy. Its one of those parts that you can see but can't quite reach. If I remeber correctly its a push on snap fitting for the pipe from the reservoir. I am pretty sure there was a rubber sealing grommet that normally sticks in the old one so you don't notice it and the new one didn't come with a replacement. Make sure the grommet is there before you fit it otherwise it will leak. It could also be the slave but mine was the master. Hope it helps Alasdair

Cheers for the info. A quick update. Havent got it apart yet as need the car. Hope to wedge window up tomorrow to keep me going till parts arrive. By the looks of it looking down from above one of the cables came free from the plastic clip and wrapped itself round the cog that the motor fits into which then snapped off the plastic bits the motor fixes to allowing everything in the door to get tangled and drop to the bottom. Motor fell out when I removed the outer door panel. I managed to free the window eventually and got it to slide up the door but reckon need either a complete unit or repair kit. Might just buy one complete for ease as the old one is in such a mess I dont think it would be easy to repair plus not sure if there is anything else damaged and if I drill out all the rivets I reckon it will come out in bits. Any reccomendation on a replacement. There are a few on ebay but not sure re quality. Alasdair

Might be the connection at the back of the dash. Mine kept displaying weird warning lights so removed dash and the connector was slightly loose. Cleaned it up and reconnected it and it was fine. Noticed the dash had been repaired before which I think is a common fault. Mines an 08 1.9tdi You have to disconnect battery etc before the dash is disconnected or it can activate imobilser as the dash I think is coded to car. Yours may have disconnected itself enough to activate imobilser. If this happens then I think you need VCDS to reset it.?? I would remove dash and check connector. If that doesn;t work then it may be the dash that has failed. There are a few companies that can check and repair them but again may need VCDS to reset once refitted Alasdair