J.R.

Exhaust & rubber pipe aren't a good mix. You can get blanking plates for the EGR flanges, I have some languishing in my kitchen, I think that you can block the flow to the EGR with them, they were supplied with my EGR emulator/simulator for that purpose, or maybe it was for if the actuator was stuck open, you had better check. If they can be used the engine is likely then to show a fault code so a £99 emulator/simulator will finish the job and save a fortune on replacing a part which is likely to fail again especially if a pattern part, you will also benefit from better driveability, fuel economy and no more clogging of the throttle valve. Editted, I think I understand what you mean about the stubs now, sounds like the EGR has a direct connection to the exhaust & the stubs are for the coolant, in which case a small leak probably wont produce enough gas to melt the rubber hose.

Nobody suggested that it was.

Posts overlapped, is that not a weakness in that a malicious person could discharge the car battery or is there a voltage sensng relay?

How do you do that with a standard 12N socket?

I was just reflecting on the difference between glowplugs & a heated seat or windscreen. If a car was bought in late spring/early summer it is entirely plausible that failed glowplugs would not manifest before the cold winter starts and as the modern ones gradually rise in resistance rather than going open circuit it is actually reasonable to assume that the fault existed when the car was bought, however I agree that the garage was being reasonable and if taken to court the decision may have gone the other way if for instance a fault code was generated with the mileage being 5 months after the sale or that the seller retained a clear no fault scan for their protection. It is possible that someone may not use the heated seat (quite likely) or the heated screen (less likely) before winter but I assume that the handover document they signed said that they had tested, inspected and accepted the vehicle. Its good that some dealers will make a commercial decision for goodwill but in the case of the OP that I am guessing has stated that his heated seat has stopped working some 3 months later and the dealership not giving out goodwill at present I really do doubt that a court would make a judgement against them for an accessory. I would be very surprised that any legal text uses words like "the expectation is that it will last 6 months from the date of purchase." The car clearly remains fit for purpose. Glowplugs not working renders it arguably unfit for sub zero winter use.

Thanks, that seems quite unequivocal, everything else I read seemed wishy washy.

"A car with faults is not a faulty car" Although there is no specific legal description, a faulty used car is generally considered to be a car that is not roadworthy and/or is not safe. Secondary or more minor issues, like a broken stereo or paintwork problems, are generally not acceptable reasons to reject a car under the Consumer Rights Act. On what basis do you believe that a used car dealer is responsable for faults occuring up to 6 months? I am fairly certain that there is no law that states" A car should expect to be fit for purpose for 6 months from the point of sale" but please correct me if I am wrong, I presume that you meant to write "should be expected to be........"

I stand corrected, I had not realised that the failure mode involved burning, I had assumed that the problem was simply one of having cold buttocks like the rest of us plebs! Come to think of it I had an electric blanket fail that way, burnt a small hole through the mattress protector and fitted sheet and I then looked in the mirror and found a burn on my shoulder! I had not felt anything and can not have had an electric shock as the disjoncteur différentiel had not tripped.

Well if you complain that the seat heater has stopped working then the fault cannot be presumed to have existed when you first bought the car, heating elements will in many cases eventually fail just like a light bulb, the constant flexing will fatigue the element where it passes from one cushion to another, I cannot see anyone upholding a case that a used car dealer should be liable for a headlamb bumb failing after 2 months yet that is critical to the cars safe functioning, a heated seat isn't ts a nice to have extra. But then we live in a world where a new car is rejected because someone cannot lock and unlock the doors and do whatever else it is they want to do from their mobile phone.

I can't see that happening, in what way do you consider the failure to keep butt cheeks warm could be a safety risk? I bet if the heated screens started failing there would not be a recall and they would be refusing warranty claims because the glass is excluded.

Considering its young age & low mileage it looks like a good deal and is certainly an easy & relatively cheap repair if DIY'd and the bonnet, wing & bumper were sprayed for cash in a low bake booth. It makes what I paid for my Yeti seem expensive although it was less than half that, more airbag/dashboard damage, less bodywork but in fact the newness is the achilles heel unless you sell it on straight away, any notional profit would soon be wiped out in depreciation.

It sounds like the insulation that is fitted around and under the sump pan & not the waffle plastic stuff that is attached to the undertray, I dont know how the former is attached but would guess at either push in plastic clips or perhaps glued, I think the former is more likely. All you need to do is get underneath and look and all will be revealed.

What would it be worth in undamaged condition? The category S marker is going to hammer its repaired value. Aircon condesnor holding pressure is a good sign the radiators behind it will be OK, it will just be a bumper beam replacement or straighten it on a press, the one for my Yeti straightened but one crumple zone was slightly deformed and the alignment of the wings, bumper, headlights etc are all reliant on it, for £60 it was better to replace it. Headlight mounting lugs can be repaired by plastic welding, I repaired & retained mine as spares. There will be a couple of bits of plastic cooling ducting damaged, probably the bonnet catch. Its very repairable but if you are paying someone to do it then forget all about it.

First winter with mine and I have also noticed it in the last few colder days at close to zero temperatures, it has not been doing a regen because engine too cold & fans aren't running when I switch off. It's encouraging to know that its normal behaviour.

Likely it will end up costing you more than buying a proper straight vehicle. If you do the repairs yourself it can be worthwhile but dependant on the salvage category (please advise what it is) the repaired vehicle will be worth significantly less, any notional profit soon dissapears in depreciation if you keep the vehicle. The person selling it might be the first intermediary after the insurers disposed of it, probably the second plus the salvage auctioneers all of whom will have taken a profit, when you start paying for labour, overheads & profit margins to have it repaired you will see why it was written off as an uneconomic repair. There were plenty of specialists importing (mainly from Poland etc) & selling second hand all the bits you need, I traded with many of them in 2018 when I repaired my Yeti but they all did not know if they would be able to continue after Brexit, as things have panned out I dont think they will be so the second hand prices will rise. Radiator usually means (dependant on engine & spec) the aircon condensor and intercooler as well, the resellers sell them as one assembly called a cooling pack I think.

I read your reply as the batteries internal circuitry, is that not what you meant?

When i enlarged the images most looked like that but that of the rear panel looked jagged & zigzaggy like a vandalism scratch. WD40 on a soft cloth will probably remove the transferred paint, I will be stoked if you save yourself £450 and that you can blame it on a poor driver rather than someone malicious.

Is that a scratch or another paint colour that has been transferred from a sideswipe? The front looks like it could be, the rear not. If it is then it will probably polish out. If it is a scratch is it all white in colour or does it go deeper through the paint to the primer or bare metal? If the former then its just the clear coat that is scratched and may well flat & polish out by someone patient & experienced, the art is not going through to the paint coat. At the very least you might get it looking 90% better without any outlay.

What internal circuitry? I think the answer is that if you connect in the correct place a proportion of the charge current will pass through the sensing shunt resistor used by the battery management module and it will recognise the charge going into the battery, a direct battery connection will bypass it. Why it needs to know and what it does with that info someone better informed than me will hopefully explain.

Robots, metal, plastic, glass & rubber.

Do you have a source for that fairy tale? Odds on its an insurance company. There is however a risk if you did a similar love kiss to the car in front especially if they braked for no reason, no damage to yours & seemingly not to the 3rd party, he says forget about it mate, you cant see anything for all the other dents in my banger. Then he files a report with his insurers for whiplash injuries, damages to the vehicle that may have been reversed into something subsequently and a Police report that the driver of vehicle reg A123 XYZ did not stop, this is a modus operundi of some of the cash for crash scammers.

Yes that is the same set up as my el cheapo towbar, the crashbeam fitted snugly to the bumper although there was not the foam infill as at the front, there is a big gap on the towbar. My real concern is that the crashbar contains a concertina section like the front one that is the primary crumple zone and would absorb a very significant impact before the chassis rails & boot floor crumpled as they are designed to, without it my rigid towbar & probably yours as well will transfer the impact straight to the chassis rails. Knowing that the OP had a towbar & no crashbar & being too well acquainted with the lower panel (its been on and off too many times trimming the cut out & bolt clearance holes) that I was very confident that there would be no hidden damage behind the bumper to the vehicle structure.

Talk about hang em high, assuming that after inspection the damage is no more than it looks, push a plastic panel back in place and maybe a touch up why the desire to boost the coffers of the insurers to the detriment of a young driver who is probably already paying a four figure premium? Given the reactions the young man is very fortunate to have driven into the OP's vehicle, I could see whiplash claims & hire cars from others. I think the breaking the law has been dispelled, what planet does the invalidating your insurance by choosing not to claim for (non) damage come from?

You may find that its the standard MQB platform battery tray underneath, it was on my 2015 Yeti and an OE full battery cover assembly, top and two lower sections was next to nothing from Ali-Express and clipped straight into place, with the OE set up the lid is properly located and clipped into place, there is no chance of it coming adrift. It looks much neater with the correct plastic sides but the aftermarket push on upper cover looks as decent as the OE one.

In which case seeing that the plastic bumper is not deformed or scratched and that there is just some scratching to the lower panel I would be 100% certain there is no damage behind. My reasoning being after repairing my front end damaged Yeti that had the crashbeam and the foam infill between it & the bumper, the impact was sufficient to deform the primary crumple zone (the longeron of the crashbar) deploy the airbags and write the vehicle off, the bumper had no more than minor scratching. That was because the impact was transmitted through the bumper & foam to the crashbar with no space between the elements, removing the rear crashbar leaves a massive empty space and any significant impact would muller the bumper. The lower panel is very flexible but fixed on the lower edge, I think he has nudged it and its pulled from the clips before springing back to shape.