Former

So the engine might stop through lack of air and it's just wet legs pushing the car out, which is better.

That guy doesn't want to go anywhere near areas of flood water with that.

More knowledge and advice for you. The cars have a stupid bolt instead of stud arrangement this means fitting the wheel with the car on the ground can be a PITA (or back more accurately) so you need a bit more in the spare wheel kit that isn't provided to make the job easier. This is what some call a VW wheel alignment / fitting tool better than a single one is to buy a set of two. (Another example of German engineering "quality".

They were Nissan 240 and 260 (Zed, not Zee) over here, I always liked the look of them as a lad but they're too American with the dash (and we' will not mention the lardy American 280Z) plus they're a tin top, Fuel-injection may be more sensible but what the point of being sensible with such a car, you want to hear and feel the carbs. IIRC at some point for an anniversary Nissan bought back 50? old 240(?) and restored them to sell on at below cost.

Don't go to the garage yet, stay on it a little longer. The secret is time and patience, two things some don't have or don't want, the way to do it is to use a good penetrating/releasing fluid, soak it and leave it to soak in for around 24 hour before trying to loosen. You could then try the trick try R_U_AFA has suggested - if it didn't work first time the just repeat the steps, soak and leave (another 24 hours, time and patience) and try again, That generally works on stuff you don't need a hot flame on, but it does require the afore mentioned two factors. Personally I'm not a big WD-40 Multi-Use fan and would use PlusGas or GT85 as that has so many other uses and is a better and longer lasting lubricant the Multi-Use. Both GT85 and PlusGas were formerly British sadly no more. https://www.plusgas.co.uk/en-gb https://gt85.co.uk/about/

Thought you might like the following video, one of the members of our car club for decades, who like other members take their vehicles to shows to actually drive them, rather than static polished display, and take out anyone on a Sporting Bears Dream Rides passenger ride on the roads of the land for a donation to children's charities in the UK. Not all club members have quite that collection, some only one humble "classic" and a few without even one "classic" or sportscar but still volunteer their time and presence to help raise the funds with all the less exciting aspects needed. The video. -

I liked the post of Carlston's that corrected the idea that steel wheels are heavier than alloy. The belief that a wider wheel will give better handling and road grip just by being wider totally neglects the greater importance of the tyre fitted, again a wider tyre may not be better and can be worse, all depends on the tyre. Most don't know or realise what a very important car component tyres are and how complex their design and build is and it great effect on the car, it braking, steering, suspension, handling, grip, ride quality and comfort, In very broad terms the wheel size was about the weight of the vehicle and getting over the size of the brakes now it's a lot more about fashion and "filling the wheel arch" to look good (fashionable at a particular time).

No you are not, you don't know until the first time, none of us are born knowing and have to learn for a first time, then as you get older you to have to relearn repeatedly as you forget. 😄 Best never to mix different makes let alone types of coolants and as you never put the current coolant in unless you have some sort of evidence like a bill or receipt for the coolant type you can never be sure what it is so don't top up unless you really have to. If it is VW's (or others) G12evo then it's claimed to be life time fill, who or what's life time isn't stated but I'd leave it in 10 years before a full hot drain, cleaner pack and refill (under vacuum pressure). Personally I take very little notice of the VW recommended oil or their specification numbers as a good suitable oil is a good suitable oil and will probably have that it covers the current VW numbers whatever they might be or changed to. If you are in a hot part of Greece I would recommend a better oil to cover the heat and give more protection for longer but always annual or 10,000km, whichever is the sooner, engine oil & filter changes particularly if you do lots of short journeys where the oil temperature does not reach 90c before the end of your journey. I also recommend an appropriate battery charger and maintainer and giving the car 12v battery preventative chargers before the battery gets too low as even if the engine starts, the headlights seem bright enough and you have not yet had any warning lights or messages the battery can still be too low for the computers and they can make you suffer for this mistake. Usual first sign of low battery is the start/stop not operating when it usually would, by the time you get warnings the battery is pretty low and will take more to recover on charging, difficulty starting the engine first time and the battery may not ever fully recover, engine not starting often means most will want to replace the expensive battery (it may or may not be recoverable in reality). Good luck.

More info from other forum, thread, post - sparticus-84 "I'm new here and so sorry to ask if this is in wrong section please move to correct area again thank you in advance... I have a t reg skoda felcia pickup 1600 petrol now I have all power everywhere except to the fuel pump wires which I have traced and got back to the board and it's red yellow blue and brown... brown is earth I know ..anyway so have had new relays and cleaned the copper terminals all down so like new again and all power is going to lights horns etc etc but still no power to the 4 wires to pump even from the cable block on footwell side... so please help and all fuses looked good 👍 please help me" Is the wiring factory standard, if so you need the wiring diagram, if not has any other non-factory items been fitted or factory items replaced, I'm thinking of a kill switch or re-routing of power supply away from normal immobiliser (if fitted) and/or ignition switch. Have you done wire checks at connectors for continuity and supply (taken a direct live supply and/or from the battery or off-board 12v battery or tested wires with something like a reasonable sized bulb or diagnostic tester probe if you have one?

ETA: The following video refers to a Mk2 but it gives the info. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7caOutlHwg The following YouTube 'Playlist' is for the Mk2 but some/lots of it may apply generally to the Mk3 too but I don't know, Owner's Manual would cover this stuff too. - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHH-B9onXpOqSbufztgrEsE0U-QjwooWU

Have a look on your expansion bottle it might have a G number, G13 I'd guess, The Germans have to have their own specifications (same for oils) in addition to anyone else's and it's comical, so what took over from G13 and is the latest and recommended, G12evo of course, and that's pink but take no notice of coolant colours as they can vary anyway (G13 according to this chart is violet). They also like to keep the quantities well hidden. G12 evo is VW spec number TL 774 L, VW part number (I think) is G 12E 050 A3 (at least it is for the 5 litre bottle of premix for -35c I have in front of me). Table below for you to enjoy the previous twists and turns of the VW engineers, you need never be short of a spec number.

It was Ootohere that mention that and not me but all posters contributed to your pot of info on this.

Be aware that the sizes of tyres given are nominal and actual inflated sizes of the tyres in a boot well may vary a very little. The tyre manufacturers catalogue or website might give you actual sizes, and tyre tread depth from new can vary, say between 6.5mm to 8mm so be wary of tight squeezes if not getting official wheels. You can use the hyperlink Tintowellfan posted to compare nominal sizes of tyres (in mm or inches). About a quarter of a century ago I had to put a space saver tyre or a car that didn't have such overspec'd wheels and tyres as now (and much lighter car with much less electronic driver "aids") and going up hill in town at less than 30 mph when braking on a dry road I could feel the difference in grip and how it affected the braking (no power steering). That wasn't a very powerful car (but much lighter than now) but it put me off carrying a spacer or using one unless really necessary which was just to hold that corner of the car up whilst I got the tyre repaired or replaced. I'm not sure that the goo couldn't be sorted with a bit of effort but I'd sooner use a manual footpump, the plug in electric one are generally wheezy, very noisy and can get sometimes get hot and take a fuse out if used to fully inflate a flat tyre on a big wheel if not given rest and cooling down breaks and the pressure gauges well out - but perhaps the VW provided ones are of better quality now, I've tested the one in my wife's car a little but I only know for sure it's a bit wheezy, very noisy and gauge is out and no real idea of it's full inflation capabilities, it might surprise me - my wife bought a cheap manual footpump and put that in the boot as well.

Fair enough. It might be part of the reason but generally plugs are often left in well passed their optimum, or best anyway, many think if they're working that's all that's required, similarly if the car has a current (or even new) MoT then it must be OK or good and we know that's often not correct. I must admit I've dodged the PITA removal of airbox, coils and plugs as my wife said it wasn't worth investing in the extra tools, grease and buying the plugs as she won't have the car for the next change, she's learnt by her mistake of getting it, it was her choice and I can't persuade her not to change it so as to get the value out of buying it and replacing all the bits that needed replacing (that shouldn't have). I'm not a mechanic and I don't enjoy farting about with cars, particularly our own car(s).

Just to add to DerekU's last post, the bits that ootohere put about the spare tyre possibly/probably being as new, unused "green". possibly at a different pressure, possibly different design, build, compound and tread still apply with 15" spare wheel on a car with (more sensible) 15" wheels fitted. On a side note my wife's 2015 Mk3 came with 185/60 r15 tyres (rather than 185/65 r15) that may just be changes in prices or availability or VW supply contracts in the intervening years. A few of us here will remember when 70 ratio tyre sidewall height was the low profile for tyres for sports and family cars. 🙃

Sorry didn't mean to be or seem hard, I can't stand macho b*ll*cks (and I'll punch the first bloke that sez I do 😆) I was just putting my side and experience and I think ootohere was being humorous, and I thought your reply was being humorous - and good in admitting you'd made a mistake like we all do, me very often, numerous times, it's the internet full of errors. Nothing wrong with debate, different ideas, opinions and beliefs and friendly disagreements, I've not seen ootohere be nasty (unlike some others here sometimes) but a bit of leg-puling, humour, perhaps even a slight urine extraction perhaps but I'd only know for sure if I was the author. To me somethings about cars can be serious but 'talking' about them generally isn't, unless it's a matter about safety or breaking any laws.

That possibly shows poorer quality of the drum brake components used/bought by VW than the actual need for rear disc brakes, all the cars I've had with drum brakes have only needed adjustment at servicing and occasional clean but it would depend on vehicle and driver, modern cars are so heavy now, in four plus decades I've never had any issues in the winter with drum brakes, better really when wet. For spare wheel nothing wrong with the 15" wheel or tyre size it's just that when using it it's not the the same size, and possibly make and model, as the other three on the car so should be used with the restrictions, all the driver aids in the world can only do so much the physics of the tyre (hopefully) contacting the road is the deciding factor. The 15" Nexen N blue HD and later the 15" Nexen N Blue HD plus tyres when fitted to my wife's 2015 Fabia Mk3 were not the grippest tyres. For decades off and on I never carried the extra weight of a spare wheel (tyre, jack and tools) instead a manual foot pump but I know others don't like that, I don't like all the spare wheels that are carried that are not checked so often not at the correct pressure or even flat but that driver error. I know many like the fashion of bigger wheel sizes (kinda unnecessary party frock and high heels to me) but other than getting over oversized brakes perhaps the size isn't needed and a smaller wheel means a tyre with more sidewall height so more cushioning for car and occupants from the 3rd-world roads we have. 185/65 r15 gives 24% more sidewall height than 215/45r17 and the grip, handling and ride will be as much about the tyres used as the difference in width and profile. I'll leave ootohere to answer the TPMS bit. 🙂

Try get in, turn ignition on, check dash lights and warnings as you put your seat belt on, then after checks and belt(s) on start the engine, and check for warning lights with engine running and any sounds or smells (hopefully not tastes) before driving off, none of this takes long and you might hear the sounds, particularly all those from under the bonnet as the computer programs do their stuff. My wife's 1.2 TSI (90) engine makes all sorts of different noises at different times and circumstances, I've learnt to ignore them otherwise I get annoyed as I've always found the VW petrol 4 pots to sound badger's arse (and I'm used to BMC/BL cars) of course the VW 3-pots sound 25% (or is it 33.3%) worse, but I admit I'm biased as I've never particularly like VW products (Mk1 Golf GTi excepted) or fallen for the German engineering quality line, well this century/millennium at least. We all know the VW engineers fiddle things around to suit marketing and regulatory needs and this can put compromises on the compromises and mistakes already there. And you know it's the loose nut behind the steering wheel that contributes a lot to mpg or lack of it, as well as other issues on the car . 😁 If you can improve things (overall), great I'm sure others will want to know, good luck.

I believe NGK have the threads coated now, well the ones I've looked at. Generally anything electronic or electrical I favour Japanese over German (not that I know who actually make Bosch's plugs and where), there have been warning about fake NGK plugs being sold. I tried Bosch plugs in the past and soon went back to NGK.

Rob, if you see fresh oil dropped you can usually tell if it's gearbox as the old gear oil it has a distinctive smell of sulphur and engine oil doesn't, sometimes you can tell by colour if the engine and gearbox oils are different colours but that doesn't allow for the oils being old and picking up dirt before they get to the ground. You could look at the colour of the oil on your dipstick to see if it differs a lot from what's on the ground but the smell would be better. The clunk could be gear lever, its linkage or the gearbox. Having a low level of oil in the gearbox won't help so topping up could be a very good idea (it doesn't have to be GL4 now with many modern gear oils but that's another debate about oil beliefs). For topping up Castrol TRANSMAX Manual FE 75W or Millers Trident Professional MTF 75w90 - or better still Castrol TRANSMAX MANUAL MULTIVEHICLE 75W-90 or Millers EE Performance MTF 75w90, If you are able to drain or suck the old oil out (best done with the oil hot) and refill wit fresh new oil then as D.FYLAKTOS has found changing the gear oil, particularly that old, with fresh new gear oil can help, and better quality quality gear oil will protect more and for longer. For full change if you want Castrol then go for this one (distributed by MG Owners Club but available elsewhere too). - https://classicoilsshop.co.uk/castrol-syntrans-75w90 Alternative Castrol is Castrol TRANSMAX Manual FE 75W For a British oil blender, my choice for best use and protection, Millers EE Performance MTF 75w90, look for sales, old stock is fine less than 5 years since being bottled, just give the bottle a quick shake and leave to stand for 5 minutes before using, labels get changed so older stock can be sold off at lower prices to get the new label stock in. If you want to pay less go for what the "professional" use (lower price and performance) - Millers Trident Professional MTF 75w90. HTH.

ETA: sometimes you can find bargains on eBay by misspellings or looking for other less popular cars that the car fits. As just one example a Bosch rotor arm that was fitted to various marques and models was advertised by one seller under different makes and models of car with different part numbers and the exact same rotor arm was at different prices, from the same supplier remember, some £15+, I got a couple for £5 by using a different parts number to those and for £5 each, genuine Bosh and Beru. Shop around as much as you can, don't be too strict with part name, description and numbers.

Personally I would contact the seller to make sure there isn't a mistake in the pricing (stupid algorithms or so called artificial "intelligence") or if they are just profiteering (proper USA capitalism, until one of the big American motor corporation gets a bail out from Government money). At one time there were certain original new wheel bearings available from one source only, they charge £120, but there were some NOS (new old stock) about sometimes, an owner with the facilities converted other bearings and had them tested by other owners and then made a batch of 100 (or 200, I forget) for £45 retail but they sold very slowly as "classic" car owner generally are very tight-fisted and never use their cars so still preferred to buy the cheaper bearings (about £20 or less) that often didn't fit correctly so would wear very quickly and cause issues. Sod's Law when I needed the bearings the high quality set were sold out but Instead of paying £120 I searched eBay and got sets at various prices, one set at £15, most I paid was £40, all within a week or two of starting the search.

Cars that are 40 years old do not have to have MoT provided they have not been significantly alerted in (IIRC) the previous 10 years, the form is a declaration by the owner/keeper. They can be MoT'd in which case they must meet the requirements which are not retrospective and varied over the years, generally the older the car the less regulation. - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles/introduction This is a fear of some, that they will be restricted use at some point which is a complete laugh for some as they may have one or a fleet but the cars are rarely used on the road anyway, sunny Sunday afternoon cars. A very few , like myself, insure for unrestricted mileage and use the old over-priced and overvalued car (which are called "classics") virtually everyday and drive it as it was designed to be driven and through all seasons including winter (as they were designed to do), "Classic" insurance, even for unlimited mileage and everyday use is very inexpensive and you can insure for business use too - just like a real car. 😆

It can't, I've no idea what rules might apply in Greece. No, no, many years before that, probably 70s or early 80s, he probably wanted a fast car to get between his women at the time, married or not, him and them.

Do you mean in UK or Greece, I've no idea about Greece. Charley boy's AM was given to him by his mum. But I think I remember him driving another model AM later and it broke down from factory but my memory isn't the best and the internet swamps past info with trivia from more modern times so the history is effectively erased, history is written by the victor, or now lost in a sea of misinformation that AI will rely on.