nta16

@LuxoviaRS the video Stonekeeper put up covers it, though I'd disagree about the Eco setting for the tyres as the extra 5 psi tyre pressure on my wife's Fabia seems to give less rolling resistance (the car rolls along easier and further, noticeable with foot off accelerator) so foot can come of accelerator sooner, downside is harsher ride and less handling. He did have an unusual drive so about as good as it could be for economical fuel driving. If he had a dial to show the PS or horsepower needed or used at various points I'm sure you'd be surprised how low it would show on that journey with mild acceleration, no real steep and long rising slopes/uphills, very few electric items on, just the driver (as he said weight does make a difference for accelerating), aerodynamic as reasonably possible. You would be especially surprised at the figure at 50mph on the straight level road without accelerating, a very small fraction of what you have available.

I didn't start driving until the 1970s, I took my test as soon as I could when I was 17 in 1977 but I had to drive old bangers which were cars that were 10-15 years old, back then cars weren't as long lasting generally and unlike today where a 10-15 year old car can be pretty decent they weren't then, if you kept them a year or two more that was it. All the rear-wheel-drive cars had power steering, it was the accelerator pedal. 😁 You never noticed the steering was heavy because the cars were much lighter and had smaller, narrower (more sensible) wheels and tyres and generally large steering wheels - until it came to tight kerbside parking then you could build up a bit of a sweat if you'd fitted low-profile wide tyres like 185/70r13 on 5" wide wheels. The only tip my IAM mate gave me was to go on the high performance day as I already drove a car that he saw as high performance, I thought high performance was Fezza and Lambo, the other mate wasn't an instructor off the clock, and I'd known both well before, during and after them being instructors and how they both actually drive on the road. 🙂 On club events as a passenger I've been out on the normal roads sometimes showing track instructors, or one-time a magazine test driver, the route, these guys drive so smoothly you have to look at the speedo to realise the speed (all within the law) they could maneuver the car on the road, the test driver was so serene he seemed almost asleep and barely moved but out maneuvered the supercars (we didn't have hypercars in the club then), we were in an excellent handling British made car though. When you have been driving cars without driver aids and convenience applications for decades through all sorts of weather and conditions you learn to adapt more, without the safety devices and crash and crumple zones to avoid accidents more as they can hurt wallets, bodies and minds and thus you learn more about the need for driver maintenance of the vehicle. Until a couple of years ago I was driving a car that didn't even have electric relay switches let alone electronic drive aids, the model before didn't even have a cabin or boot light, parking wipers and headlight flasher were novelties 😄 - yet somehow I survive late last century and 2020s traffic easily.

Just remembered something, if it wasn't you just ignore it - surely you don't have to use flaps of plastic on the steering wheel to change gear can you not also use the gear stick Though I admit 20+ years ago the up/down, +/- markings wit the lever for gears always confused me and I wanted to do the opposite, then I was told, at the time (different car to a VW) it was just a switch the lever touched and I could just turn the switch to sort my confusion, oh, the days of simplicity, but I just left it in auto as that was good enough for me in that vehicle.

Thanks. Oh, so modern (looking at least). 🙂

That's same as my wife's 2015 Fabia, was the port black plastic with 16-pin holes and tucked up behind dash or in a fixed position?

Well that confirmed what the others thought and proved me wrong then, still worth doing in my mind as a reset for the rest of the computer stuff. Not sure if you'll find a cheap scanner that covers 1998 and airbag but I don't know that for sure. I suggest looking on that list/map that I put a link to as anyone on it with the correct program for a 1998 I bet has and knows how to reset airbag light but you may be fed up with my suggestions. 🙃

Thank you for replying, don't worry about being defensive, I didn't think you were. Sorry about confusing you, lets put it this way, if you are only interested in fuel economy then on the highway using cruise control will be steadier on the throttle so would probably be better, in city or town traffic if it can be used then automatic cruise control would probably be smoother on accelerator and brake and possibly/probably be better fuel economy. If you want to learn to drive more, get more driving confidence and learn to drive economically then driving the car yourself using the gears if required is the way to go. You may thing you are consistent with your foot but unless you are very good but you might be making small movements on the accelerator, you can test this by having the digital speedo set and instant fuel display and doing comparison tests on a same stretch of uninterrupted road conditions with ACC or CC and note the differences in the figures. I'll be honest and say I thought you had a manual gearbox (assumption, not thinking, bad memory) and I can understand for ease leaving everything to the DSG and driver aids including automatic cruise control and cruise control but that is the car taking over even more of the driving than it already does and I can't see how that will teach you more about driving the car and driving generally. DSG is about better or perhaps quicker changes as that was it's original feature possibly before you were driving, or that's my memory from the Audi drivers of the time, others than me will know better the advantages and history. Gear selection is a different matter, you as a human can read the road ahead better and you know what you want to do the car's computers are working on very limited input in comparison and only deal with things in the immediate area and not always correctly, just like humans it makes mistakes and has brain-farts. Also not to give you the wrong idea, I'm not a very good driver and have never claimed to be, plenty of evidence of that on this site alone, and the only real further driving training I've had is a high performance car day course driving my car with instructor on the road (closed track part got cancelled which I was quite happy about) and I had a mate that took the IAM course and became an instructor, I also have another mate that was a driving instructor for his delivery company, When I started driving I was using old-bangers from the 1960s which you had to learn to drive and not just pass the driving test and until recently for 30+ years I was driving various 1960s and 70s old cars as daily drivers, for commuting (500 and 300 miles a week for a good number of months), for work, for tours and holidays in the UK and parts of Europe. I also owned and drove some very basic powerful cars for leisure and pleasure, cars you had to drive without any electronic aids. But I'm not a very good driver just have those experiences.

ETA: found this on this site, it looks like the OBD (not 2) connector socket might well be a hidden dangly thing, 16 pin-sockets with only 3 or 4 connected. - " . . . RHD car, it's under the dash on the right-hand side, placed vertically just behind the edge of the dash that's furthest forward (looking towards the front of the car). If you put your head where your feet are when you drive and look up, you'll see it." - from djaychela formerly of this parish. HTH.

Just remembered this - IIRC(?) (or I might have misremembered or dreamt it, never sure nowadays) OBD ports had to be within x inches cm of the steering(?) wheel(?), as with most things on a car it'll probably be black plastic against other black or dark coloured plastic, may be hidden just for fun. I'm almost sure this has been covered on here before but can't remember the resolve and it might have been for LHD, D.FYLAKTOS might have put up a drawing IIRC so don't moan too much at him. 😄

I should have also added don't forget to turn you headlights (and any other electrics) off before you reconnect the battery (pos first, neg last). If any warning lights are on start the car and go for a short ride, as put you will have to drive the car further for things like throttle body. If this doesn't clear the airbag light fair enough but resetting the electronics can help with unknown and unnoticed previous computer systems brain-farts so can be a good thing in other ways, from the old "try turning it off 'n' agen" if computers and their programs were as good as some make out the turning off and on again wouldn't work but as you may have learnt or at least heard it's often necessary and a solution. Your computer made it through the millennium bug it deserves looking after a bit. 😆 If you want I can find the video for the battery trick on a later VW or BMW, just ask, I don't have them saved now.

I wasn't going against this just making another point. I live in the middle of the country but have driven all over, I have only ever used what's now called summer tyres in all places in all seasons and weathers but I've not used over weight / wheeled / tyred modern cars. My point was more that people seem less prepared now to adjust their driving to the prevailing conditions, be it summer or winter, summer tyres or winter or all-seasons tyres, they rely too much on the driver and safety aids built into the car to keep going at the same speeds regardless of conditions. Now we know the tyres themselves don't have all these electronic aids and just obey the laws of physics but many don't seem to and are more interested in playing around with the infotainment, following the ****Nav without question, talking on the phone, taking a photo of something or themselves, or possibly all four.

@LuxoviaRS I'm not sure if you're taking the **** (owned vehicles for 25 years) but assuming you're not, I think we posted before because I wondered why you'd have a VRS, my memory isn't the best. if you switch off the automatic cruise control and drive the car yourself you will learn how to think ahead more, with more practice will come more confidence, it's OK not to be overconfident that way you avoid mistakes and accidents. You can still leave the gears to change themselves if you want just learn pedal(s) control and looking ahead to see what is happening and what you want and need to do about it. Movements need to be steady, no hard acceleration or braking, no point racing ahead a few yard to be right on the rear bumper of the car in front. Tuning aid was a bad term, tuning generally is to do something to improve the performance of the car, more mpg and/or, first part of any tuning is to have the whole car running right with full and proper servicing, maintenance and repairs of the whole car (not just the engine), often this is sufficient tuning but some may want more. Next step, and actually best, is further driver training to learn how to drive better on the road, this will include smoother steadier driving that will help with the driver's and car's performance (thus in my mind an aid to tuning the car). It would also boost confidence. There would be overall courses and those for city and country roads driving, I'd be surprised if Aus doesn't have them, only as one example here's one UK one, "the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, formed in 1956". - https://www.iamroadsmart.com/

Good point, I will admit I totally forgot about such.. Newer models have codes but not needed as the radio returns and Mike being old school and long term owner may have the code written in a safe place, or if even older school not have or use a radio, on the other side he might have updated the radio, still might need a code for it, or might not. I've no idea about Mike's radio but some, later ones perhaps and original to car, you can get the codes for off the internet for a nominal fee, certainly not £40. But still a good point I'd totally forgot about as it doesn't apply to later models which I didn't know until someone on here told me, thanks.

It may be accurate enough but it means very little, the driver, sneezes, burps, farts, fidgets and the figure could instantly vastly increase or decrease. If you want to see a steadier figure then you need to set the nanny cruise or automatic cruise for the car's computer programs to take over the accelerator pedal from you. If you're just after higher mpg figures there are loads of things you can do from the mundane to the ridiculous. For acceleration from standing start through gears for best mpg accelerate briskly (not to soft not too hard) through the gears, don't have the revs too high or too low (that could mean ignoring when the computer suggests to change, it's pretty thick and doesn't know much you should know more. Don't be in a gear that is too high for the existing circumstances or very near future circumstances (read the road ahead). For better driving and better mpg there's something that most men won't consider and it's a car tuning aid that can easily be transferred from one car to another and back again - it's further driver training, a good way to accelerate driver learning and to some extent experience. A bit like reading the car's Owner's Manual (and all other instructions) it is not against any law other than in the minds of macho fools. 😁

Don't worry the residue distilled water (and whatever) left in from the last fill will reduce the percentage. Where does the 18 years come from?

I'm (almost) sure this topic has come up (on this forum?) before but I can't remember the outcome or solution (was it you?). What I'd try is remove the batteries from both fobs, then replace the battery on one fob only and synchronise that one fob. Details in your car's Owner's Manual Then place this first fob well away from the car and the other fob, put it in a metal tin or whatever to fully isolate if from the other fob. Put the battery back in the other fob and synchronise it to the car. I find it best to alternate (in whatever time period or way suits) the use of the two fobs so there is even wear on them and then you always know where the second/"spare" fob is and that it at least worked the last time you used it and that wasn't year(s) ago. With these silly KESSY fob things best to keep the one not in use fully isolated from the car and other fob. I would also see about getting a full scan report for any errors that might be on it, and then delete any errors, this of course needs to be done with an appropriate, and appropriate level, scan tool. The scan tool does need to be fully up to date with the programs for your car, many scan tool owners are too lazy or haven't paid for the service and again the scan tool has to cover what you need. If you don't have access to such a tool then you could see if there's a Briskoda member that has what you need and able to help, perhaps for a few beer tokens, do check, some are pro services. - Briskoda VCDS Owners Map (click me)

And where are these "VW" sensors actually made, do we know, are they specified for G12 and if so what about when G13 was the latest spec, as I put before if they want to keep up with the latest dictates then it's now G12evo. There is only one absolute in life, well two but (some/all?) Greeks don't seem to agree with the second. 😄

I'm going to disagree with "everybody says". 🙂 Me personally, take many of the German and VW dictates, number, specs, with a pinch of salt and certainly with a car practically from the last century (indeed millennium) with an engine and system that weren't cutting-edge at the time wouldn't worry about G11 or G12 I would jus use an appropriate antifreeze/coolant but as with many other matters it's a lot about beliefs rather than anything being particularly good or bad, other than mixing different types or even brands together. Cleaning (better thorough cleaning) and fresh appropriate coolant will help rather than leaving things as they were so it's all progress here, at the moment, for now at least. 🙃

People seem to forget how cold and wet it can be in other than winter. In my mind it was put in the past that tyres (weren't called "summer tyres" then) were starting to go off below +10c, that could be a summer's day in UK, certainly easily at night. I can't remember the rain statistics but outside of snow (which were generally don't get much of here) winter seemed dry to my memory.

I can't and don't dispute any of that, my only caution is that we've not actually been told it's an airbag issue or airbag light on at the moment but as the car is from 1998 (not 1999 as I put previously) with 25+ years use who knows how the electronics and any programming might behave so an appropriate scan tool maybe required regardless of whatever the issue but if one isn't immediately available I'd try the battery trick as there's nothing to lose and it's quick, easy, no-cost, clean-hands work which is the only work I'd like to do on any car. True, plugging in an appropriate scan tool is too but I no longer have access to one and as Mike doesn't I put up my list of ways of perhaps finding out and perhaps accessing one. Scan tools certainly go slower on cars of that time but faster only a number of years on and seem quick because they have so much less than on newer cars. It'll be interesting to hear the final outcome and if an appropriate scan tool is used how it got on.

That's a whole slab of additional info, that could be mechanical, electric, electronic or any permeation or combination, obviously it hasn't been repaired properly perhaps including any programming required @pab567 may well know and able to offer alternative.

Hi, welcome. I don't know but if the photo you put up is of your heater/aircon control then it looks a bit odd as one of the buttons not lit has it action displayed on the screen. To me if the buttons are not lit in might signify their actions are unavailable for perhaps reasons the mighty computer gods have but I don't know, there is something about humidity and fresh air, have looking and read of your Owner's Manual as that is a good way of saving time, hassle and money especially with unnecessary visits to Dealerships, mechanics and auto-electricians. Falling that if you can find any reset procedure for the heater/aircon, there is for older models but the computer gods' programs are even more complex now and the German marques including VW have always luved over-complex computer stuff. A starting point diagnostic tool (doesn't necessarily give the end point solution as many expect, it's another diagnostic tool to be interpreted) is a VW 2018 appropriate scan tool. The user needs to ensure the scan tool program is up to date for the 2018 VW model, many are too lazy to bother or haven't paid for the service and less capable scan tools can give erroneous readings and results. If the problem isn't from the system's normal operation and you don't have access to a good level VW appropriate scan tool then there is something I'd try as it's very low cost and very easy but others deride it and can't believe it'll make any difference so most don't try it and if it's not a computer brain-fart then it won't make any odds but I see no harm trying.

@Ootohere thanks. For this case I was only referring to the VW 5-speed manual gearbox, certainly the PED 02T fitted to my wife's 2015 Fabia, whilst it's quite small family saloon/hatch around town feel and operation it's fair enough for operation of particular vehicle and seems robust enough, unlike other bits that have fell apart or worn a lot quicker than on other manufacturers offerings. Always noticeable that the "cheaper" brands offer the longer warranties with the like of VW relying on British car snobbery and an out of date good reputation of their brand(s). Not to mention the UK belt rip-off and other stuff over the year. Heard something this morning about the Japanese manufacturers being further twisted to the UK and USA ways of the motor trade, I'll catch up with it later. ETA: I did note alep has the 2016 car mapped to 130ps hence the caution note.

Have you checked this is so, I don't know but wonder if disconnecting the battery might be enough and you would be best to do this with anything involving an airbag particularly on a 25 year old car (assuming the airbag would ever work, any reports or testing done by anyone). Very easy, scan tools with have something like "clear/delete all error codes". On a 1998 car having the battery disconnected (and removed from car for safety) and turning the headlights on with the battery disconnected then either bridge or touch the pos and neg battery terminal clamps together and perhaps holding them like that for a count of 10 would reset things ready for battery reinstallation. Any reasonable scan tool appropriate to a 1999 VW will be able to cover most things on the car not just OBDEleven and VCDS (or previous versions). As already put you do need the correct port connector (right plug to go into diagnostics socket) not everyone will have this but scan tools for different makes, models and years of cars will come with a selection of leads and plugs, but you still need the program for 1999 VW. Whoever has the scan tool must ensure it is up to date for VW 1998 - many people are too lazy to update the programs enough or have not paid for the service. A poorer quality scan tool may make promises it can't keep. You could see if there's a Briskoda member with an appropriate scan tool and fitting for a 1999 VW near you on the following list and they may know if you need a scan tool for this work and if so may be able to help you with this for beer money, see the link at bottom of this post. Or you could ask on the 'Diagnostics & VCDS' forum, and/or on the 'General Maintenance' forum - or on the 'Ask a Tech' forum if you pay £6 to become a Freedomlite member for a year - all forums on this site. Diagnostics & VCDS - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/23-diagnostics-amp-vcds/ General Maintenance - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/103-general-maintenance/ FREEDOM Supporters Area (Ask a Tech) - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/94-freedom-supporters-area/ Briskoda members list of VCDS owners. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/262215-list-of-vcds-owners-previously-known-as-vag-com-vcp-owners/#comment-3091029 Or map if you prefer. - https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?msa=0&mid=1Td73_uUUqscV3nRm5br_o89PmBU&ll=21.259901462991746%2C83.39240985000002&z=2 HTH.

Problems solved, well for now anyway. 🙃