J.R.

I can definitively say that VCDS talks absolute boll***s a lot of the time I will check next time, I have checked before but I have no short term memory 🥴 VCDS is great for on the fly readings and to see all the other parameters like you did above, once I am working physically on the system its the guage set that I use. I will take this opportunity to ask you a question because I know that you like me are doing a self learning A/C apprenticeship. I keep reading that I should vacuum down a system for 30 minutes, 40 minutes or even one hour to remove all moisture contamination, I can understand the leaving it for an hour to test for leaks but my pump pulls a -1 bar vacuum within a coupleof minutes and I really dont understand what is the point of leaving it labouring for another 45 minutes, any moisture will have turned to vapour and have been evacuated with the air or gas within the system, its not like leaving a fan blowing or a dehumidifier running, will it really remove any more moisture?

If its not what you think then you could simply have answered "I dont know, - bloke said.........." in answer to the question why would a garage recode an ECU after fitting a solid flywheel? Instead you stated authoratively - "they should do, driving with an SMF that's been put in a car designed for a DMF will eventually rip the gearbox to pieces"

No he is not incorrect, removal of a DMF will result in increase torsional vibration which in some cases may cause a failure amongst the reciprocating masses, on certain 6 speed VAG gearboxes it could cause noise & chatter maybe worse but that was not in question, it was your (or now we hear a mechanics) ludicrous assertion that these torsional vibrations can be removed by recoding the ECU and if not then the gearbox will be ripped to pieces. If you think these destructive forces can be removed by "recoding" the ECU then why do you think VAG and most if not all other diesel engine manufacturers fit expensive and unreliable DMF's that give them bad press when with a couple of lines of code they could have a cheaper, quieter, smoother more reliable engine?

I bow to your superior knowledge.

That sounds more like a low refrigerant charge, the low & high side (where the sensor is) are equal when the aircon is not running, at current ambient temperatures it should be 100-110psi, if VCDS gives absolute pressure then 6 bar is probably OK but doing what it does is an indication of low charge, it raises the high side initially but then is starved on the suction side. I would ask the garage to do a recharge & if it doesn't cool then get them to vacuum back the refrigerant allowing you to replace the valve which does actually sound like its working. The radiator fans should cut in when the pressure peaks and then it should drop off but I dont think yours is going high enough.

Today must be the day for false news on t'internet. Steering locks from day one would never engage unless the key was removed from the ignition barrel and you also have to turn the wheel significantly applying much more lock than you would once in motion at any speed. Its been close to 50 years since they became commonplace and during that time I have heard many people claim that the accident they had was caused by the steering lock engaging.

Not true, try draining your coolant if you dont believe me, you could even drain your engine oil but I dont recommend it. Ever heard of L.O.S. (limited operating strategy)? Not depressing the clutch before starting, now that is a different story and clearly very serious

I will try to remember, mine is a Yeti but uses the exact same springs, neighbours is an Octavia.

The readout shows 820ma current which is the design PWM current when the compressor is supposed to be working at 100%with the modulating valve fully open. None of them are actual measurements and they should all be taken with a pinch of salt.

Will be doing mine tomorrow if the parcel arrives then putting the old ones (in perfect condition but I wanted stiffer for towing) on my neighbours 2010 Octavia next week, its been dragging its ar5e like a dog with worms

I could not see from the scan that any pressure was being built, maybe I didn't look hard enough, remember that the pressure rises considerably with temperature. When my hubs stripped the shear plate and everything rotated but the central spindle & nut didn't, it was almost impossible to see with the engine running although I have sight problems, the only way I could be sure was to slip a shallow socket & ratchet on the nut (very tight access) to find that it turned freely instead of being locked by the belt & pulley. I think that problem was specific to me and the machining of the cheap pump that I bought though.

Can no longer view the listing but this was the title, the cost was £7.95 for 5, I have an optimistic memory!! Indexa Hlr-16X51 Red Die Spring - Heavy Load - Pack Of 5 ( 142644293618 ) And for the bonnet strut I bought a pair for £7.28 including 2 different sets of ball end fittings M6 and M8 but people seem happy to pay the Superskoda price. https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/18021615666?iid=132708377524

This is what you will need if its a problem with the hub or shear plate, - check compressor is not seized first. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/COMPONENTS-OF-THE-COMPRESSOR-AIR-CONDITIONING-COMPRESSOR-THERMOTEC-KTT020055/293204553912?hash=item44445a70b8:g:csQAAOSwHBZdZqTW Very hard to find especially at that price.

Yes, thats the one, make sure that you bench test the new one with a 12v supply, also test the old one and compare them, you dont want to waste money on a recharge for a new valve that doesn't work, been there got the T shirt etc. Also check that the shear plates have not broken on the pulley drive hub and also that the central nut is intact and turns when the engine is running and the aircon on max cooling, do that before degassing and changing the valve because it gives identical symptoms, I have had 2 hubs strip their splines out recently without the shear plate failing, both are probably due to the cheapo Chinese pump that I used but could happen if the nut comes loose like they used to on MK1's.

You can probably buy direct from them, do a google search as they may not have the calipers listed at the moment.

Running club have cancelled all sessions during the canicule, I'm not a morning person so have to wait till the temp drops a tiny bit in the evening and after spending all day avoiding doing anything its hard to do. I walked 6km up the steep hill to the airport and back last night, 5.5km/h average moving speed, usually 6km/h + on the flat and in normal temps. Tonight I did a 27km bike ride setting out at 7.30 pm in 34° heat which dropped to 27° on my return, average moving speed 18.2 km/h well down on my usual 22km/h average but it included our very hilly half marathon course and the heat. Its worth it to be able to sleep well at night.

The second stage is not pressurising, it should go up to just under 14 bar dropping to 10 bar when the fans cut in, if you had a guage set you would see the low side drop pressure at the same time. Those are guage pressures and I think VCDS measures absolute pressure so with the current heat 6 bar might even be a low charge, I dont have my charts to look at. I would say that the modulating valve is not working and needs replacing, you will lose the system charge by doing the job and should ideally get the garage who will recharge it to recover the refrigerant before you work on it creating your own personal hole in the ozone layer, that way they can charge you to give you back your own gas

Another easy job. Also another easy job to **** up 😀 But thats how you gain experience You can buy a pair dirt cheap from the Chinese Ebay seller Maxspeedingrods alternatively repair kits are cheap, I had good results with the Chinese calipers.

The reversing sensors on my Octavia were always playing up but would often heal up after the car was cleaned with a jet washer, individually they all tested OK, they have been working fine for a long time now but I think you have hit on something. I too have a universal towing electric relay and as it added to the standby power consumption I removed its fuse to disable it & refot it when towing which I havn't done since, that corresponds with the period that the sensors have been behaving. And then it dawned on me that when got the car I disconnected a ring terminal from the battery not knowing what it was, a long while later I found the trailer lights were not working, it was the power lead to the trailer wiring relay and I reconnected it to a terminal on one of the battery box fuses, that was the time that my reversing sensors started playing up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So my advice to you is to try powering down the trailer lighting universal relay to see if your reversing sensors then work, it will do you no harm at all to fit an isolator switch like I have done in the Yeti or simply remove the fuse when not towing, not only might you fix your reversing sensor problem but it will save your battery from being killed off if you leave your car unused for an extended period like a holiday or the next confinement.

It doesn't it sort of acts like a tuning fork and your fingertips are very sensitive, MOT testers do it but crucially they have the car at chest height on the ramp and can use both hands and all their force to spin the wheel up, they can also easily access the spring although most touch the strut housing, none of this is practical with the car on axle stands and you kneeling, with the drag of the brake disc and the rear prop on a 4x4 the wheel will have stopped before you can change position to touch the strut. MOT testers often get their assistant to continuously spin the wheel while they feel for vibrations where there is drag present. Oh for the good old days of brake drums.

I would wait for Langers 2K but my guess is canbus gateway or a physical failure of the canbus wiring as it appears that there are not comms with any of the modules. Lots of low voltage warnings also so it would be worth cleaning and deoxidising all the battery terminals and the big strip fuse terminals. Does the central locking, electric wndows etc work normally, they all rely on canbus communications. Have you had any water leaks? Water & corrosion of terminals with a partial short circuit could drop out the comms. Given the absence of comms with the ECU have you properly re-engaged the connector and pulled the latch lever fully home? Maybe while you are waiting open the bellows on the drivers door to check there are no fractured wires shorting, ditto the other doors but the drivers gets the most use & usually fails first.

I have a similar problem and despite following all the (confusing) instructions cant find any way to delete the old ones. I dont even want to connect a new phone, I just want all the bloody annoying "trying to connect to Audrey/iPhone/Stuart etc etc" messages from constantly displaying on the MFD. I probably havn't helped matters by removing the stock radio and fitting a Chinese head unit. I simply want to disable the function as it wont work without the stock radio, the head unit has its own bluetooth that I am not even interested in using. VCDS brings up a fault code of microphone open or short circuit since the head unit was fitted. I would be happy to physically remove the bluetooth module as it will give me more underseat storage.

For the times that I do. Boredom, interest, curiosity, something to do............... Take your pick. If you fit air horns to your car then you probably toot everybody initially because of the novelty and pleasure it brings you, eventually you just use the horn when you need it knowing it is more effective.

It would be impossible for me to be less interested in detailing 😀

Not Gendan then?