Alasdair1

Not sure on the MK3 but my 2012 mk2 FL CAYC I think has an auxiliary water pump. From memory its electric. If it has failed or blown a fuse it may explain slight temp rise. The rad fan running after stopping car is on mine due to short runs and failed DPF regen. On mine the idle speed is around 950rpm when regen and drops to 750rpm once completed. If I do a short run and notice the increased idle speed I try to keep going for a longer one till revs drop to normal. If I cant the rad fan comes on after car switched off. Alasdair

Think its a fuel cooler for returning diesel to tank. To remove you will probably have to remove plastic under trim. It may not be it that is leaking but perhaps one of the pipes to or from it. Alasdair

Try penetrating oil instead of wd40 or personally I use a 50/50 mix of ATF and Diesel. Much better at soaking through rust/crud and keep repeating for a good few days. Find WD40 tends to evaporate before it can soak in especially if its seized solid. Once free lubricate as said with lithium grease etc. Alasdair

Same on mine. Rear ride height was slightly off for ages. Only noticed when I broke a spring and discovered two different makes. One original and the other ??? If the yellow one is original it will probably be weaker. Alasdair

The relay is I think marked 645 and is third in from left hand side under steering column but the photo looks like LHD so may be different. Alasdair

That may be the way to go depending on how much they want for the engine. You will probably need vcds to code it etc. You could always take the head off anyway off the old one first as it may be just the gasket. If its cracked either take head of other engine or as you said drop complete engine in. Depending on how many miles the car is done maybe factor in a clutch change at same time depending on condition and if its an internal slave do that as well. On a temp basis you could chuck a bottle of steelhead in and see if it improves. Alasdair

I would change relay and try again. If the grinding noise is still there then its probably a defective starter. Check with the mechanic who did it to see what warranty it has. Most will have 12mnths or 12000 miles so unless you have done major journeys in 7months should be covered. Don't mention you swapped relay and they may replace the starter free of charge but you may still have to pay for labour. Alasdair

It may be possible for dealer to pull up code. Had similar in older volvo. Took v5 to show vin and serial number of radio and they got it for me. If locked one isnt from your car you could always take the original in and explain its to replace it. Alasdair

Thats working out at roughly 1litre per 1000km/650miles!!. At that rate if you are burning it you would definitley have blue grey smoke and I doubt your DPF or CAT would be working anymore or about to fail. Check its not collecting on undertray or perhaps being dumped into intercooler and also make sure the correct oil is being used at service Alasdair

Its possible that the new one is sticking in the flywheel gear due to being slightly different or if flywheel has worn to suit the old starter but perhaps you were unlucky and got a bad one. Think the only way is to remove and as said check on bench. When removed turn engine over by hand and inspect ring gear on flywheel for any damage through starter hole. From memory engines tends to stop at roughly the same point so over time the ring gear gets worn at a certain point. Alasdair

Are you getting blue grey smoke which would point to rings. Maybe a compression test. Another thought would be if its doing short runs and too many failed dpf regens it will over time dilute oil with diesel which may be getting past turbo seals or getting dumped into intercooler. Once oil gets thin it disappears pretty quickly but I would assume car would be smoking badly Alasdair

Not sure on access but it may be possible to disconnect matrix pipes in engine bay and try to clear with garden hose. At least you will be able to tell if water is flowing through it. Dont use to much pressure in case you blow of the hoses on the matrix end. Had similar problems on an old toyota lucida thought matrix was blocked as no heat and losing coolant big time but found its head had cracked and the matrix is where the exhaust gases stuck causing baack pressure. Alasdair

Happend on an old van of mine. Solanoid stuck and starter stayed engaged. My father was driving and didnt notice. Totaled the starter. If the large cable is disconnected it shouldnt turn over but you should here a click as it engages and disengages. If the small cable is disconnected and it starts then its stuck open. I would remove starter and test on bench. plus check there is no voltage at small cable with ignition off in case its permanently live and the fault is in ignition switch or a short somewhere. Alasdair

Maybe try one of the companies that decode radio from serial number on working one Loads on ebay and online like https://radiocodelookup.com/ Alasdair

Made the same mistake myself years ago and it was on the master which was impossible to get to. Found a youtube vid on how to do it. Reckon as said its a generic kit. Must be some designed out there that uses an o ring. In your defence and mine it does look like there should be an o ring fitted as there is a groove. Glad it worked Alasdair

Do the rear springs have any colour paint marks or part numbers. Check that they are the same. They should be replaced in pairs but its not unknown for a broken spring to be replaced that doesnt quite match the other. Alasdair

Maybe better with another original. Have heard that aftermarket radios can interfere with OBD port communication if scanning. Someone on here may know aftermarket units that dont cause problems. Alasdair

Check the battery voltage as well. If its low/failed cell it can cause slow crank and problems with electronic systems etc. Should be 12.6-12.8v with engine off. Check when cranking as well to see what the voltage drops to. Alasdair

If theres oil under car its coming from somewhere. Is it black as in engine oil or clearer as in Gbox oil. All reccomendations re DSG on here seem to point to a get a specialist DSG garage to check it out and not a general garage. Alasdair

If it comes back check the condition of the battery. You mentioned a lazy starter motor but it could be a failing battery. Low voltage causes all manner of false faults on these cars and can ping up warning lights especially when cranking. Alasdair

Cant find the link I watched re replacing seal but the top hat seal has to be pushed hard onto plastic till it clicks in place. You do not use the o ring. Alasdair

I replaced both springs on my MK2 and tightened bolts. I made the mistake of tightening swing arm bolts on one wheel on the ground and the other still jacked up. When the car was lowered the one tightened jacked up was around 20mm higher. Think the bolts have to be tightened with wheels on the ground to make car sit level. Might be worth loosening and retightening. Alasdair

Did the new one come with a new rubber seal. On mine I got a seal kit and it came with two types. An O ring and a top hat seal. I used the top hat seal and didnt need the oring. Think it may be a generic kit that covers different slaves/master Another thing would be that its maybe not pushed far enough in and the spring clip is not holding it firmly. Alasdair

Maybe comfort tyres on rear. Had them on my folks old 1.9tdi fabia and made a bit of difference to ride smoothness and didnt affect handling to much. Not so good if your carrying heavy loads though. Alasdair

My old 1.9tdi and newer 1.6tdi 2012 plate are ok. Seem pretty good on all road conditions. Think the MK4 has torsion beam suspension on rear up to 150hp but the MK2 is multilink so ride is better. Doubt its possible to convert and would hate to think of how much. Alasdair