J.R.

Have the fault codes read by something decent like VCDS or a Snap -On multi-marque diagnostic tester. You might as well ring a premium rate fortune teller as asking on a forum with no other details to go on.

Biological washing powder, wet the stain, sprinkle it on, work it in with a scrubbing brush then wet n dry vac it out. Other than that I use spot cleaning fluid given to me by a neighbour who is a carpet cleaner, I have a car valeting machine but also a Betterwear carpet cleaning plastic squeezy bottle thing that has a sponge applicator surrounded by brushes, using that works really well on stains followed by either the valeting machine or a wet n dry vacuum.

I dont have the facilities or knowhow to reprogram the EEPROM although years ago when developing a programmable ignition system with a softhead friend I did buy an Eprom programmer an UV eraser lightbox, both went walkies with him but I would not know what to do with them. I also live in a country with a dearth of people like ourselves who take an interest in things, invest in equipment for our hobbies and often turn them into a part or full time living, all the instrument repair services etc are in the UK and they tell me that they have loads of French customers. Are you suggesting that if I used the OP's old kph facia that the EEPROM could be reprogrammed so that the speedo needle would align with the different scale and also to allow the large Km/h maxidot readout? I seem to recall that you have done eprom programming for others, is that something you could do for me when I am next in the UK? It would be very worthwhile if the OP has retained & wants to sell or pass on his old facia. I would not take the risk of sending the cluster to the UK, the car would be rendered immobile & this is not the country to be in if it got lost or returned non functional.

I have done that but the KPH maxidot display is a small one and not the large one seen in the photos, I really would like the large one because to look at it and register the speed takes more than a glance with my compromised vision (it falls between the long and close lenses of my glasses) and is a safety risk. If anyone knows how I can achieve it then I would be delighted to hear! Mine is coded to Australia, or at least I think that I did.

Its different for every engine type & is really dependant on how much emissions crap obstructs the removal of the top cover. Its usually 3 thumb release clips and then wriggle the cover out upwards, then coping with the anxiety of how you will get it back in place because it usually takes a lot of pulling and twisting to extract it. On my current car the hardest part was removing the fuel pipes & emissions guff in the way. Once exposed you look for oil or coolant contamination, check the root of the teeth where the belt turned backwards over the tensioner pulley, this will open any developing fissures. Check the outside of the belt (much easier) as it also is in contact with guide rollers. On the belt with the stratospheric mileage the teeth were still good and it was the outer that started to degrade and expose the belt fibres. A factory built engine will have the best possible quality belt fitted, you cannot have the same faith in a replacement one even if bought from VAG as its a seperate supply chain and when a vehicle is no longer manufactured they will certainly be pattern parts, even the OE manufacturers often sell two different qualities of the same part, one for the assembly line one for servicing, batteries are a really good example. That is why I prefer to get the maximum mileage out of the original belt and have more confidence in it than any that I subsequently fit, those get inspected at closer intervals.

That pushed me to do a proper inspection of my cam belt, before I could only partially remove the cover, this time I got it off and had a really close look. Verdict? After 6 years and 94000 miles it is as good as new and won't be changed. I did the first one on my MK1 Octavia at 225000 miles, first and last one as the £8 replacement was still perfect when it was crapped at 325000 miles, original tensioner, idler pulleys, waterpump etc. I had been inspecting it regularly and changed it when I noticed the first signs of degradation which is what I will do with this one, degradation or contamination which to date has never happened but could and would be unseen hence the need for regular inspections, now I know what else to remove to get the cover off I wont be put off.

Decathlon do a perfect one for £99 but I cant recall the name. Yes I can, its this one, you need to look at the 9th picture (scroll down) to realise that it is made for the job. https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/6-person-camping-living-area-arpenaz-base-m/_/R-p-157674

If it has been set to read in kms then the odometer would have the legend km and not ml which is what it looks like to my poor vision. Are you complaining that your car has less miles than you thought and they should have charged you more for it? What outcome are you wanting?

Thats the basic non climatronic aircon like mine, there are no temperature readouts, its old school turn towards red for hot, blue for cold & have to adjust it all the time to maintain a constant temperature just as we always used to do. The dial should turn freely but there are stops at the full hot & full cold position, if yours really can turn freely through 360° then its damaged. Mine keeps a relatively stable temperature, not as good as a Climatronic but like an old school vehicle, if yours is fluctuating wildly from hot to cold then there will be either a problem with the temp dial or a sensor, I doubt that it uses as many sensors as Climatronic if any at all, a VCS scan and then a check using measuring blocks while varying the temperature setting should reveal the problem.

My 2001 1.9TDi I took up to 500000 kms, I would still be driving it now had I invested in VCDS sooner, trouble was it was so reliable I had no need of it before.

Please let me know what I have to do to get a pension from Greece because neither the French nor UK government will be doing so. Re "knock yourself out" I used it in the sense of saying "go for it", I had not realised that it also had a facetious & sarcastic use, that was not what I intended so I apologise if you read it that way, if I don't know the phrase properly in my mother tongue then I can't expect someone using their second language to. https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/283264/knock-yourself-out-what-meanings-does-it-have

Actually they were very shrewd in what they said, £500 (or £150) for changing perfectly healthy ignition components is "the best place to start", best for them that is! Once they have shaken the piggy bank & got an idea of its contents they might start looking at how to resolve the fault code & not the ficticious misfire.

Regarding the prices in France, I knew that second hand values for LHD cars were high, the recieved wisdom (AKA people talking rubbish) was that a RHD car was virtually worthless in France which is very believable, no French person would want one at any price unless it was an exotic only made in RHD. What I had not realised was just how many Brits lived in the enclave areas that cannot speak French, dont trust French sellers (probably through not understanding and misunderstanding) & who can't deal with the French administration of importing & registering a vehicle & who therefore start a bidding war on any French registered RHD vehicle in their area on their Facebook groups, I could never have sold it in my area let alone for the price that I did. Registration of imported vehicles & change of ownership has all become dématerialisé = done on line & no longer at the préfecture, it's better for me but a problem for those who in the past would have gone in with a smile & some documents hoping to find someone who spoke English to deal with them.

How long is a piece of string? It depends what component failed and why but a specialist with a good reputation for being reasonably priced would be the person to seek if one exists in your area.

Any hit you will take selling to buy a LHD car will be miniscule compared to the hit you will take buying an equivalent LHD car in France with the exception of a brand new vehicle & even then they are a lot more expensive and you have the malus taxes to pay. My last vehicle was the same as yours but one year older, I bought it in the UK, French registration was only €130 although you would probably have to pay 20% TVA now on its UK value, I drove mine for 2 years, added 20K miles and then sold it for 3 times the price I paid in the UK, I was advised to put it up for 4 times the price and should have done because I had to switch my phone off, it sold for full asking price within the hour sight unseen and by the evening I had 4 others wanting first refusal at the full asking price, the buyer even paid for me to drive it down and my return journey by TGV. I commend you for wanting a LHD car in France but dont strap yourself up with something newer to depreciate at this time, get your aircon repaired by a specialist and if you move to France then register it, drive it around till you are ready to find a LHD version and make a killing on your existing vehicle.

If your engine is overheating then look at the reasons why, if it isn't then your desire to help your engine cool better is irrational at best. The scoops on the side appear to be dummy ones with no holes cut either in them or the bonnet, the one on the rear would channel air into the heater plenum if it even worked and not let hot air out of the engine compartment. The reason I say "if it even worked" is that the existing grille is in a low pressure area and may be fed from turbulent airflow flowing down and forwards from the windscreen, the scoop could well reduce the heater fan efficiency. If you just want the scoop to look cool then go ahead, knock yourself out, you dont need to ask advice.

You have chosen to ignore what I wrote precceding that which you have quoted and moreover the wishes of the OP. My position would be the same as yours but I am able to understand the position of others, their viewpoint and what they want to achieve from the situation. My car would never have gone into a garage for them to screw it up, unfortunately as I found to my cost on this exact subject I am as capable as any garage of screwing it up without paying for the priveledge.

I'm older than you, I can remember water cooled cars without water pumps! Its why bonnets used to be so high. Then they had bronze water pumps with brass impellors and shafts, then new fangled aluminium castings, steel shafts & pressed steel impellors. Then plastic impellors followed by plastic housings. I am surprised that they have still retained a mechanical pump as the primary coolant pump. BTW the plastic thing you are topping up is not the water pump impellor but the expansion tank, at one time they were also brass.

Plastic impellors have been around for a very long time, now many vehicles have plastic pump casings as well & that in itself is not a problem at all, VAG have problems with a solenoid operated impellor shroud that enables the vehicle to warm upmuch quicker and the system works remarkably well until the shroud sticks & then it becomes a chocolate teapot. I dont think the problem is due to the extensive use of plastics, more the inevitable complication and reliability issues in chasing emissions targets.

Its been over 40 years since I changed a vehicles polarity but I have a dim memory of having to "flash" the starter terminal although it may have been the dynamo, maybe some rewiring of the voltage control unit, come to think of it I think it was that which was "flashed" and now I am pondering if the starter solenoid will throw in the right direction?

It was interesting and thanks for posting it, I am surprised that the door swung beyond the 90° point when it looked like the truck was accelerating, the air resistance alone should have prevented it from going beyond unless he braked, I looked carefully a second time and it didn't look like it and the brake lights did not come on, its amazing how it took the car for a ride like it did. I had wondered whether the driver saw it in his mirror or heard it and braked but it does not seem to be the case. Glad nobody was injured.

Have you never failed to properly close a door before in your life? Maybe I am alone in (admitting to) being stupid and inattentive. Were he even to have been looking in his rear view mirror at that time which would have been negligent by the time the door came into view it was too late. I am more concerned about how the 2 vehicles in the foreground are parked, is that a junction to a side road?

Its probably because my internet connection is outside of the UK.

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