rum4mo

I'm surprised that you discovered that VW in SA were building these engines, I thought that it was only 2 Skoda dedicated engine plants in CZ that had/are building these EA211 TSI engines.

50Nm + 45 deg.

That is a nuisance, I had assumed that their digital version was a good product - but now that you have discovered otherwise, I'll not bother considering that option for a workshop manual in the future. I know that at least over the past 10 or so years, newly brought to print Haynes workshop manuals, have dropped off dramatically in terms of including useful content.

Oh, sorry, but what you’ve shown is not ordinary “torx plus” - that seems to be “a version of torx plus security bits”. So, I’m still left wondering if “torx plus” (6 point) bits can be used with original “torx” fasteners - and if it is beneficial to move onto using them. Edit:- quote from tinterwebnet “automotive industry has been using Torx Plus since the ‘90s” - oh well, maybe my error in the 2000’s buying Torx bits for use with 2000’s onward cars! It is said, if the Torx bits for use fits the fastener head loosely, then you’ve got a Torx Plus fastener! Maybe time to spend more tool money!

Oh, initially I (too) thought that was just security Torx!

I've not acquainted myself with the Torx Plus versions - yet, I suppose that I should do though.

Certainly true for in the distant past, I got some sarcastic reply when explaining some faults that I noted on a 2002 Polo while under warranty, a different experience when reporting logged faults on a 2015 Polo while under warranty - maybe all the old duffers had retired by then so younger techs were open to listen to a VCDS user and car owner.

I'd say leave any/all logged faults, and maybe even save/print them off just in case the controller clears them with time - as seems to be the way it is with some logged faults in "newer" VW Group cars.

I've not changed the fluid in one of the EA211 16V 1.2TSI engines yet, I have done successfully on my other car using a draper coolant vacuum refill kit and a stupidly small compressor - and that worked okay, so I'm prepared for replacing the coolant in wife's 2015 Polo 1.2TSI "soonish". Annoyingly on my other car, which has an electric pump for the supercharger heat exchanger, there is no option in VCDS to demand that pump to run - as in a "service routine" although there might be in the "demanded functions" though I didn't look for it. That car does have a bleed point on the heater circuit and a couple of bleed points on the supercharger heat exchangers. I suspect that you can run the electric pump on the cars that have this 1.2TSI engine. Edit:- since I bought that Draper kit, many cheaper kits have started to become available via China, so they should work just as well at least for a DIYer.

I think that when the shaft rusts up it does tend to try to distort that shield.

Yes, as said flat face towards the hub bearing, these have been changed in design to make them a bit simpler - maybe, I found it impossible to fit a new one on one side of my wife's 2015 Polo due to corrosion on the drive shaft - even after trying to knock most of it off - kept breaking off some "teeth"! Edit:- handy picture of the end of the new driveshaft - so that is what they look like new, wrt the groove for that shield.

Or, are some of the parts not correct equivalent parts to the VW Group factory originals, I was going to check the length of thread showing above the TRE ball pin on my wife's 2015 Polo as I thought that in that picture it was a bit excessive, which made me wonder if the taper was different to the original TRE. Really same thoughts about track rod lengths. Edit:- questions like this is probably why proper mechanics will only ever fit parts they have supplied.

Maybe too late for you now, but I think that the general feeling is that some cheaper aftermarket lower arms might fit okay but the folded steel is thinner than better quality and VW Group offerings. In my case, I just changed the rear mounting bushes for Lemforder items which are what VW Group sell as spare parts, the lower swivels - are still waiting to get replaced, hopefully this Spring time, the original lower swivels are still "good", I was just doing a suspension "refresh" so planned to replace them as well to complete that task. It will be a bit annoying if I need to get the drive shafts out to do that job properly as that will add to the cost - obviously if I had done that while doing the rest of the suspension work, I would only have had to buy one extra drive shaft nut.

New bolts cost quite a bit , but really are the correct way forward, I needed to replace a sheared off subframe bolt on my wife's 2015 Polo 1.2TSI, I just fitted a new bolt and torqued it to the initial torque level and handed that car in along with the rest of a set of new bolts, and requested a subframe alignment which must include swopping all the original bolts for the new VW Group ones I'd supplied. Edit:- up until now, I've always bought a digital copy of the official workshop manual from a 3rd party online source, okay it will not be "the latest" but for my cars that has worked out okay, the erwin route is probably the smarter way of getting that info in its latest form, but I considered that my broadband was not good enough to do that at the time, so bought the digital copies on USB sticks. When I initially bought my 2011 Audi S4, I had to make do with Haynes for a similar age/model TDI, but that helped a bit until I got round to buying the digital version from www.easymanuals.co.uk.

I think that Hankook changed their compound a year or so back, to address this, though MOT test probably accepts this “minor cracking” on newish tyres. Certainly my younger daughter and her husband binned the original rear tyres on their 2019 SEAT Arona because of this, as I would probably have done. They replaced these Hankook tyres with a newer version - which matched the recently replaced front tyres (car bought used at 3 years old), tyre tests data suggested/stated that this new version had improved compound and other “good” changes.

Ideally you should get the car’s controllers ready with a VW Group fully compliant scan tool, and use the logged faults as a starting point while also considering what you have also discovered.

Sorry that might have been duff info as you can buy a "lock cylinder with keys" for that tow hitch under Skoda part number EEA 770 011, it seems, 5J0 804 968 for the actuating lever cylinder lock and keys, or also another number for the cylinder lock and keys 5JO 803 928 !

This to me is a bit strange as in the past I've had SERIOUS trouble removing the "TRE "pin" self locking nut on a 4 or 5 years old 2002 VW Polo, next time that I had to remove that nut was on a 6 or 7 years old 2009 SEAT Ibiza and that nut "looked like new" and came off very easily, next time was my wife's 8 or 9 years old 2015 VW Polo - and again that nut looked like new and came off very easily. I've always just bought new nuts from VW Group outlets or ebay trader if the price looked okay and I was buying ahead. The steel used on these nuts that I have seen and/or bought over the past 17 or 18 years is never going to corrode like they used to - and thank goodness for that, so it begs the question, what sort of junk steel nuts was Skoda buying for use in their factory in 2018 ? Edit:- quote from my records from last year "TRE nut VW N 909 429 02 M12 X 1.5 £5.95 for a pair" from my local VW Van Centre in October 2024. Another Edit:- humm, maybe not the best time for buying that via ebay traders, as said they are usually a stocked item at your local VW Group dealership parts dept either Skoda/VW/SEAT oe even Audi which ever is easiest to reach. If the originals are really corroded a lot be prepared to need to use a hex or Torx key in the top of the pin to stop it rotating, torque should be 20Nm + 90deg, socket size 18mm. Sorry but I don't seem to have noted down what the size/type of key needed to hold the TRE pin from rotating, just make sure that you are really sure that you've got it right to avoid rounding off that hole. Yet another Edit:- TRE pin insert size to stop rotation is 6mm.

Some of these sill/cill level damaged rubbers will be due to "user misuse" from anything like forcing large sharp edged items through the door openings to high heeled shoes that have compressed/worn metal end caps on them.

Yup, I've just checked the spares, you can only buy the cover + 2 clips, a spares item common across the VW Group marques for this size/age of car.

I think that you can buy the 2 “slider” locking parts as a spares kit, I’ll check later.

Maybe the windscreen has been replaced in it's past and broken glass is still air box?

That is weird, sorry I can't help!

I used small chisels and smallish screwdriver bits, chisels kept slipping, I broke the screwdriver bit, but worked round that issue on the RHS, which had a broken spring on the first car I did this job on, sort of dreaded doing the other side, but by that time having the hub splitter tool and no need to remove the drive shaft, and being able to chose the time of year to do that other side - first side was 2nd January!, made the LHS a lot easier and quicker.

Have you tried fitting the blade of your ignition key into that lock, probably after spraying some lock lub or release oil into it? I would expect any factory fitted towing hitch fitted with a lock barrel to have the same lock as the car - or am I wrong, no doubt someone out there with a factory fitted removable towing hitch will know the answer to that - and to where to find the lock barrel "number" if you now need a key because it was not factory fitted. Getting hold of a copy of "CAR DATA" for this car, would let you know if that towing hitch was factory fitted.