J.R.

The numbers and the means of measuring/calculating are not worth putting too much store into. I think that was probably very bad English, I can't recall how the word store is used in this context, I meant not worthy of much faith.

Thats brilliant thanks! Looks like I will be biting the bullet and dropping the rear subframe this summer.

Your UK insurance will still be valid for liability to 3rd parties, TBH thats probably all you have anyway if you look at the small print, having informed them of your change of domicile they might cancel the policy though.

Register the vehicle and you can choose from any insurer, if it has a UK MOT done within the last 6 months that will suffice for registration, I got 2 years in the French system before needing a CT test from my one year UK MOT. You do know that you will have to may the malus on your vehicle as if it were a new vehicle, its is charged on first registration in France which does not mean new or first registration, the rate drops when the vehicle is more than 4 years old so it will not be such a bitter pill for you to swallow. Cerise sur le gateau, no more road tax to pay, the longer you keep your vehicle the less the initial tax will be annualised.

They might stop dazzling oncoming motorists but as the driver you won't be able to see diddly squat. After 20 years of trying to work around the issue during which time my eyesight has deteriorated, correct illumination is now very important to me and I bite the bullet now and purchase LHD headlights. The best that yours will give on a LHD setting if it works will be a flat beam beneath the CT cut off limits, you will struggle to discern the right hand verge and oncoming road signs, PàD signs and the important red bornes showing side roads. The delineation between French roads and the ditches is appalling even with correct headlights, you should avoid handicapping yourself.

Forgive me, I forgot about your climate Did you replace the seals and what were the part numbers, I have yet to find a source for them.

Water will not enter the diff through a leaking seal unless the vehicle is submerged. @rbhelle Do you have codes or part numbers for the crown wheel bearings? More importantly did you manage to find a source for the oil seals? @Edguzia Did you mean Haldex "controller" and not "compass"? What do you mean by "the rear reducer"? - differential or exhaust perhaps?

If it is then your driving it around to other garages will be the final nail in the coffin, crankshafts can be reground and fitted with new bearings but the labour costs are so high these days that it usually doesn't get done, mind you a new engine is equally pricey and lots more labour on top, owners who cannot DIY usually end up giving the car to the garage in lieu of payment. There is every chance it could be something else, a loose flywheel sounds like destroyed main bearings.

I am shocked that a dealer would lose their profit margin by removing the undertray and draining the oil via the sump plug when AFAIK 100% of them vacuum out the oil via the dipstick hole. A service by a main dealer does not even have the car on a ramp. Something fishy here but thats nothing new regarding the main dealers.

Use common sense when loading, yes I think you are imagining problems that wont exist with common sense.

I'm surprised that nobody suggested it earlier on, it looks like your problem is the frequent one of broken or fractured wires in the door loop bellows, most likely the drivers door.

People like that, you and I are very very rare these days and thats been the case for at least the last 30 years, I dont think I have come across a single person during that time who had the same passion to learn driven by lack of money that I had and who I should now be turning to for the more difficult jobs as older people did with me back then. When I am no longer able to repair my own vehicle I will accept that it is time for me to stop driving.

I am still struggling to make sense of your description of the attachment points but its not important, they are fixed and it seems a roof box will not have fore and aft adjustment, I am simply trying to say that I think you are imagining a problem (roof box projecting over the rear hatch open position) that will not (IMO) be one in reality having carried lots of long loads on the roof whilst still being able to load and unload large items to and from the rear luggage area.

Thank you once again for your observations.

I could not answer your question but was going to comment on your mechanic and then saw that you had taken the words out of my mouth! He is a keeper, fingers crossed that your car will remain one for a good while yet.

When you checked the cabling did you ensure that the field winding excitation circuit was functioning? I ask because you say they were fine but also that you are pretty new to car repairs. You will probably be able to replace the regulator/brush pack in situ, it is always my choice, if you have the alternator loose with almost enough room to remove it then you certainly will be able to, it will be far cheaper as well. Garages either dont know or care to repair an alternator, its always 'you need a new one", they are very very robust and reliable on VAG vehicles only ever requiring the brushes replacing at higher mileages was they are a wearing part.

Thank you for your valued clinical analysis.

I'm asking you this question as you say that you are new to car repairs, what develops from your answer may save you time and money. Why are you wanting to remove the alternator? Based on what information or tests? OK that was 2 questions!

PCV breather? It's coated with schmoo which is a good indication.

Studs? Mine has rivnuts and the pitch between the front and rear pairs is slightly forward biased from a central equi-distant position between the front and rear attachment points of the roof rails. Maybe 5cm forward bias. When I carry longer stuff projecting at the rear I simply open the rear hatch with care, it will open to a 90° position laying flat against the projecting load, you dont need any more height for loading and unloading. OK you cannot use it as a rainshelter to stand upright beneath unless you are short.

Do you mean press the accelerator pedal to the floor and then press harder to overcome a spring loaded switch under it? Or is it simply the case that the speed limiter is disabled when full throttle is used?

No need from my experience, when I drained mine in error (the start of my self inflicted damage) what came out after 79k miles was as clean and clear as the day it had been filled in the factory, really impressive! I cant say the same for the first and second flushing refills after I had driven 300 miles on autoroutes and A roads 200 of which towing but its testamant to the ruggedness of the diff that it did not seize and has done a further 60k miles albeit with noise/droning.

My pal as a passenger today remarked on the diff drone, he asked me if I had M&S tyres on the rear. I believe that mine is a result oif me driving it dry after making the filling mistake, I do have a new coupling but have yet to fit it because of the grief of moving the engine forward to allow removal, knowing that yours has been resolved by the replacement I will get on and change mine Maybe there will be a second thankyou to Skomaz!

Well done, yes that shield and bracket is what I was referring to, I've never really seen it properly till now, I was working by feel!!!

I'm in a similar position and hold the same view as 'kinell, I have done 60k miles in the last 4 years because of the back and forth removals from the UK but now down to a similar annual mileage and the car has the same on the clock although its had a very hard life. Accidents aside I think its for life although there is a lot of surface rust, I think it was a coastal car in Scotland, maybe even coastguard.