nta16

Is your power steering via battery power per chance. Just tell everyone you were stopping to let pedestrians across 😁 As I remember it you were told, not by me, that wouldn't effect the clutch, you must have been dreaming again. (note: I'm pulling your leg). All I could hear on your 6 seconds video was a car starting. You'll sort it, perhaps best not to drive the car until Saturday if you're worried.

Different to what I've seen but I'm not splitting hairs if I've not given strictly correct terminology, or comprehensive explanation, at the moment I'm not in the mood, Glen Miller will have to wait and I've been here before and fed up with the full half hours or £8 course of ten that run here. -

Have you tried Autoglym Bumper & Trim Gel, expensive in the shops but it can give good results - but not perform miracles - apply with an inch and a quarter (30mm for younger viewers) cube of (clean) bath sponge (cut precisely and it won't be noticed missing). Leave to soak, Bumper & Trim Gel that is, and wipe off (buff up if you must) excess. Nice smell now too. - BUMPER & TRIM GEL -https://www.autoglym.com/bumper-and-trim-gel Or there are these ones you get with a sponge and apply adverts on YouTube, I've never tried them but you used to get similar stuff decades back and they were alright, forget the names.

Guess what I start with! How are you measuring the battery and what with. Did you also check the alternator readings. Checked the battery connections and earth(s) for condition and security. Did you sort your previous clutch issue. Yeap check for fault codes but if there aren't any it proves this is all in your imagination or you're dreaming and might wake up soon, definitely dreaming about milk going off on a warm Scottish July day.

Yes I think we have all deleted something by mistake. Good thing is you can start fresh with the figures anyway and get the whole set with your new circumstances.

Lynn67 you will find the Autel MaxiScan MS309 a handy tool especially perhaps the ability to view Freeze Frame Data with some error codes as this will give you a wider picture of possibly causes for the error code. At the price it is obviously a basic tool but even with the expensive scanners do bear in mind the error codes locations are often just the messenger of the problem and not the actual cause of the problem so immediately replacing a part that has the error code without further investigation and conformation may still leave you with the problem and perhaps an unnecessary part replacement. Prevention is always better than cure but as these cars can sometimes throw up spurious and unnecessary error codes, say when the car battery is in too lower state of charge to keep thee computers happy, then it is handy to be able to delete those codes, or after repair, so the computers get the car back to normal running quicker. Sounds like Keith might be a guy to sort the exhaust problem, good luck.

In those three photos the wires appear to be a bit longer (and a lot longer in one photo) plus the big branch of the harness is supported and held up but a cradle type clip so the weight of the harness and wire to temp sensor are supported. In your photo the wires to me appear to be below and stretched with barely enough length on the temp sensor to disconnect the plug - but as you put perhaps this was at time of photo because the harness had been pushed down as I see in your later photo with new wire length and protection that the harness is held by the cradle clip. Looking at that photo did though also draw my attention to how tight the wires looked going to the coil pack. Also what is the unclipped electric cable going over the the throttle cable that runs along with the wiring harness there and could it not be a cable-tied or wrapped to the harness and go under the throttle cable.

That does look over short. Should the wiring harness perhaps be supported to lift it higher, had the wires to the temperature sensor been shorten, surely all is not as from factory?

I can understand the insulators going stiff with age and the environment they are in but the wires look like they have been hacked at and what I marked with the blue, purple and orange oval makes no sense other than perhaps bodging. I have already put what I would do, all seems strange to me. You and Thefeliciahacker will know the difference between the blue and yellow sensors I do not so no idea if it makes any odds. Whether changing that connector and its wiring makes any difference to your figures I think it was a good idea to change it anyway.

I would do a full drain and clean of the whole system including engine block, radiator, heater matrix. As the vehicle is new to you and given the previous owners attention given to it my usual advice I think applies more, give the pick-up a full 36-60k-mile service or check over in stage in between driving it to get used to it and discover and iron out any issues. The important areas are of course brakes, steering, suspension (all three include the tyres) visibility and safety electrics, then you go on to the bits most start with the engine, drivechain, last is always cosmetics. The hot starting issue may well be temperature sensor related but do not forget the basics as highlighted in the previous post and these would be covered in carrying out service or service checks. As with the computers GIGO it applies to vehicles if they are dirty it's muck going in, cleaning parts and replacing filters can make a big difference especially with diesel as they are already SISO (sh1te in, sh1te out). One of the first things I check is that the battery is in good condition and state of charge and that it's post, post clamps, cables, connectors and earths are all clean, secure and protected as a battery in good condition helps with staring and problem solving and diagnosis and a battery and/or poor connections will hinder starting and problem solving and diagnosis. Again, poor quality electric going in gives poor quality to and from parts and components, and the computer programs can throw wobblies too, same as poor quality air and fuel delivery to the engine. Be interesting to see what you find, let us know how you get on, photos can sometimes help a lot.

Do you mean the yellow ring connector behind the oil filler neck - no I didn't notice that - or the yellow ring on the sensor, that I did notice but could not remember what colour was decided on as correct. I did wonder if the marks in the previous photos were residue of the tape but with your later I wonder even more, to me, not being an electrician of any sort, if by the look of the wires and the fact you said were stiff there has been overheating to those wires (and connector. In the photo below the green oval looks like a knife nick bit the red ovals look like possibly overheating or breakdown of the insulation. Even more perplexing is the photo below - the black wire and whatever happened to it and the plastic on the connector plug - has someone done a connecting bodge on the wire and its connection to the connector pluh? I would be looking at the wiring going back from this connector and check the wiring and any wiring and connectors back from it.

My first thought too. The photos are too low-res to see for sure, was the damage after removal from cutting away the tape or was there damage and perhaps burning to a wire(s)? Mechanics do not usually ask what has been done if they are carrying out their own diagnosis, they should even check that the fault is as you say. Also just because a new part has been fitted does not mean necessarily that it is the right part for the problem or correct part to vehicle or that it is functioning properly just because it is new, often the first thing to suspect and check is any work that has not resolved the issue. Particularly with modern cars a part is fitted because it shows an error code without showing it is actually faulty - shooting the messenger, but this also happens with older cars. What caused that plug to fail, you need to know this to prevent it happening again. I have never seen a good level scan tool on a car of this age so do not know what information you can get with it but I would have thought but do not know, that a programming tuner would have some readings to point towards the coolant sensor, meaning the sensor itself or its connection or wiring (or programming). The fuelling surely would have shown off expected levels. As I put before the first thing the tuner should do is check the current state of health, if only to show what gains his work has made but properly to see if the vehicle is fit for tuning before beginning tuning. - again unless he was only asked to reload a program. I have been to tuners who are good and tunes who are not so good, some talk to the vehicle whilst the better ones talk with the vehicle and the customer.

Great news, well done. And well done on finding the bad wiring connection, I am surprised something like this was not found by the mechanics and tuning person you went to with his computer programs but it depends on what he was asked to do if it was only to put (an updated?) program on then fair enough. A good quality tuner should have had you filling in forms or asking you if there was issues with the car before starting any tuning but again if he was only asked to reload a program fair enough. You have had a frustrating journey but also picked up a few things along the way and been reminded of a few things. Going forward if you want to reintroduce some of the changes and modifications you had before do them one at a time and check if they really are an improvement, though that result may only reflect the circumstances of the time but might give you a general idea given all the historical information you have. Clicking on your link to the help you were given, and well done on the help you were given with that, it did remind me of the following, easy with hindsight and it was only one hit against many misses. That BMC filter is dreadful, I know for certain (old at least) K&N do hold together for decades. Good luck with your future improvements and well done again on your instinct, record keeping and persistence.

That is fair enough but all publications like this get updates and amendments and things like Technical Servicing Bulletins (or some such name) that go out when mistakes and really world use comes in. Who knows why, other than VW, there were two changes of coolant specification between 1996 and 2000, it's almost as if they did not fully know what they were doing or discovered they did not fully know what they were doing. The former type of coolant had been used for decades and then perhaps there was a rush to change it. Car companies generally are very slow and reluctant to change anything they can get on the cheap. All of above assumes the information given by the publications mentioned, included the illustration I posted, is correct.

Well unless it's an error, there it is literally in black and white. The warnings about not using other (VW colour coded) coolants in 1999 would surely refer to the not mixing with the G11 (VW Blue Green) as the later (VW) Pink(s) and Light Red/ Violet were not about until 2000 onwards. As it was a coolant HGF and bits of gasket I personally would thoroughly flush, clean, flush, back-flush, flush and remove all residue (well as much as can be) between each of these stages from the engine block, rad, heater matrix and pipes/hoses before completely (almost dry capacity hopefully) refill with the coolant of my choice with reasonable surety that I had removed as much old coolant and system crud as possible so no worry about cross contamination of different or same coolant types. Not all TL VW 774D coolants comply with the VW colour coding but you can get various reds, pinks and violets to suit your preference. Just as example of not compiling with VW's colour code. - https://www.motul.com/gb/en/products/auto-cool-optimal-37-c

I think possibly someone who gets work done like that or does the work themselves it is because they are too lazy or too tight fisted to do the work properly or they have trusted someone else to do the work for them. @Larry97 the fan probably stopped working because you disturbed one of the many bad connections that have been added - but I wonder if the fan thermoswitch actually works or not, the wiring might have been to save ordering a new switch and the work of fitting it. You need to test that the fan and thermoswitch work. Easiest way to test the fan is working is to reconnect the bodge wiring and turn on the dash switch. If the fan works you can disconnect all of that horrible added wiring and connections. Rewire as Thefelicahacker has said and then run the engine up to temperature on your drive. Use a bit of cardboard to block off the cooling air getting to the front of the radiator - key your eye on the temperature gauge if it goes to about 100-110 without the fan turning on immediately remove the cardboard and turn off the engine and let it cool. If the fan cuts in again immediately remove the cardboard and let the fan cool the engine until it cuts out again. Bear in mind, the engine running will have the water pump circulating the "water" coolant and the engine oil that also helps to cool, as soon as you turn the engine off both of these will stop and the engine gets warmer until it reaches a point where it has soaked up all the heat and then start to lose the heat. You do not have to do what is in the following video but it is a good clear video to explain the switch for you and why it might have been left not working.

Depends how much it is bothering you, you could see about borrowing or buying one of these, wireless saves strapping thin wires safely. Car Electronic Stethoscope Kit Noise Diagnostic Tool - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403538254686 Sykes Pickavant Wireles Electronic Stethoscope Kit "Chassisear" - https://www.sykes-pickavant.com/products/electrical-diagnostics-and-test-tools/general-diagnostic-testing-tools/330 Instructions PDF. - 30047500.pdf

Might not have been enough, especially if battery was still on the car, 24-48 hours might have been needed at that rate but as it's a new car to you starting with a clean plate is by far the best. Hold on to your battery charger though as a battery is only a store and a new battery might be a better store but it can still be emptied. I think you will find an overall improvement with the new battery but if you don't scan with a good level scanner any underlining issues from the previous battery being low might take a little while to fully sort themselves. Let us know how you're going on in a months time if nothing else crops up and you remember. Good luck.

To be honest I didn't notice the change in range of revs. I get slagged here for repeating it but if the battery charge is too low for the VW over-complicated, over-intrusive, intertwined computer programs even if the car starts and the lights seem bright enough the charge can still be too low for the computers and they will punish you with strange happenings. Up to you if you prefer to change the battery but car batteries are one of the most oversold car parts, often (not always) they just need a proper recharge, that is not a quick high recharge blast or a bit of a run out, but a full recharge with an appropriate charger. BTW, I forgot to put well done on your 15% saving a good time to get it, recharging/changing the battery might give you a tiny bit more.

Sorry the previous link I put up did not work, - [now edited to work] - if it had it would have shown as below, that on the Mann site 1L0129620 cross references to 1L0 129 620 A and 1L0 129 620C as below but with the caution "Use cross reference as a guide only. Check application list to ensure accurate MANN-FILTER product." which seems to cover your car. The link(s) were given only as an example of cross referencing coming up with different part numbers to the same applications. - https://catalog.mann-filter.com/EU/eng/oenumbersresult/203990356914032022114331 Unless you are in a dusty environment I do not see the point of you having C 28 136/2. The pleats are deeper so there is a wider sheet of filtering material to the same filter width and presumably(?) number of pleats(?) but I do not know if that would work out any more restrictive. If the guy in the video is correct that airboxes are oversized then it would not matter unless the air input is marginal for performance of the particular vehicle which in standard factory form I would doubt as the dusty environments presumably(?) had been allowed for. The deeper pleats would hold more debris but would be considered severe driving condition so on severe servicing schedule and filter changed more frequently.

Sorry I have no idea, I only recognise a few of the brand names and I have no idea if any of them are the same filter with different brand name on them or different filters made at the same place to the same or different specification and materials or indeed different filters made at different places. For a difference in filters for "dusty environments" see here - https://catalog.mann-filter.com/EU/eng/oenumbersresult/203990356913032022220426

My guess would be that it might be related to the area of alternator, battery, computer programs - but I'm sure someone will know better. You had your lights on, side or head, what else electrical? Did you check your battery and alternator when you had the scan done? The idea of a diesel used to be that it could sit chugging along forever but things changed, the load on the alternator might be covering something else, did the scan say if the injectors seemed hunky dory, bear in mind lack of error codes does not mean lack of issues. I wasn't too clear previously (how unusual for me) the cheap error code reader type of scan tools are just that and no more, the better the level of scan tool the more information it can get from what the car can give it so the more potential for diagnosis and highlighting issues that have not triggered error codes. Also if there are error codes just deleting them can sometimes help, remind the computers it was all in the past and to forget about it and get on with now. Of course if there is a current error the code(s) will just return.

If the filter frame leaves gaps then it is not a good fit but if it has a slight curve which straightens out when clamped and no gaps it is a good fit. The paper filter is replaced frequently so has less time for the frame to break down. Your BMC should have had a frame that lasted a very long time if the filter is to be cleaned rather than replaced, that was bad.

The guy doing the video, which bear in mind is for entertainment purposes and to make him money, was for before the video for Mahle and said that was what was in his car but after his test he was a bit disappointed in it because it had curvature of the frame, acceptable if cheap was his verdict - but that was based on his test of that one sample.

Interesting video. I am not sure the chap has much knowledge of production of parts like these and package labelling. Production quality can depend on who is running the machines that produce the filters, who is maintaining the machines, variabilities of materials and such more more. Newer machines set up correctly with experienced operators may be better than more worn machines and/or less experienced operators. Having the correct size is a different matter and the one from India being wrong is no great surprise, I expect the Champion one made in China may drop in quality as the contract or personnel change in the future. For the frame shape having curvature I would have thought this may not matter if it is a good fit in the housing as it is clamped so would straighten, if that is what he meant. As with any product testing for such low cost items it would be best to takes samples from different batches, be interest to see the same filters bought and tested 6 months later, I would expect the better designed filter to remain so but the rankings for the intermediates could different or closer or further apart. As he said production of the same product may from different factory locations so could vary and possibly but I do not know production of different brand and labelled products, not necessarily these filters, could be from the same factory machines. Buying on the internet the product may not be the local one to your region but for elsewhere. A couple of car parts companies whose products I know have production in Poland. As for the Fram box stating the product was made in Great Britain, it might have been, I do not know I would be interested to know if it was, or perhaps it was just packaged here for some reason of finance or even politics. Concentrate on the two or three filters you can get that you think are the best and forget the rest, the matter isn't that critical.