nta16

Stand next to the car with the remote keyfob (do one at a time to save confusion) don't be near a radio/telecommication mast or have your mobile with you just in case and be wearing tinfoil underpants. Press any button on the remote control then within 1 minute use the key blade to unlock the door that's it - done, finished don't forget to do the other keyfob Did you also try turning off the interior alarm at that button to see if that worked/helped?

Good luck. Check, lights, wipers, etc., all you can and if possible get there just in time with a warm engine. Better to pay more for an MoT at a decent and honest garage (they do exist) than somewhere looking for more work and willing to get the trade by offering discount MoT.

Fair enough about the battery. You need two people if the data isn't recorded as there's no way you should be driving and looking at a screen. What you are looking for say in the engine is readings out of balance and reasonable range, fuel, cylinders, sensor readings. Not sure what you have or get for transmission but they need to be what the engine wants or needs or the mismatch might put you in limp mode. The body stuff is any thing that links up to engine/transmission that might throw the computers into a wobblily and car into link mode, wheel sensor, stability, brakes (former a brake light sensor!). You could start the car and look at and scroll through all the data in each section but your problem seems to be whilst running so better to look at data before and after problem point. The sensor you have already replaced ned to have been of good quality otherwise they can introduce their own problems, the sensor need to be at least factory standard but better if you as a generalisation often Japanese companies make better parts (and cars) than German or European. Then you have to consider the crap from diesel that might throw a car into limp, usually you get lights and codes from that though (but who knows). You'd hope to see general communication error codes from bad electrical or electronic connections or cables or computer brain-farts (but who knows). So many variables including even intermittent contributor factors - have you got the ECU wet a while back and now it's frying parts of its own brains. The reason it could be so many things is that if it was one simple to find thing you'd hopefully have it well before now. Sorry I can't help more.

Before going too far I'd check that the system is full of coolant and/or no airlocks, then if possible I'd do flushing and back flushing before cleaning and draining followed by flushing, back-flushing and flushing. Draining a system still leaves loads of residue coolant with muck/crud/contaminates especially on cold drains and with thermostat shut. Clean cooling/heating system can be handy. I can remember sprinkling dog-turd into the rad opening out of the sun on the side of the "mountain" in Anglesey with my hands so cold I couldn't aim the sprinklings into the neck so we had to find something to make a funnel to used the half tube that was left. It worked fine but that was an old all metal rad on a 1970 system and car. The Radweld doesn't seem as invasive as K-seal to me, can't say I've had trouble with either but my cars have been many decades older.

Good news with fresh MoT too I hope. Thread repair kit?

Relevance, over-complicated computer programs and systems. Now, do I really need to spell out what assume means - nope, I'm going to assume you're already well aware. 😄 I'm not suggesting to Nos that he spends money hiring a wolf costume and howls at the moon, the battery disconnect is something he could try if he wants, works with older BMWs apparently and they've been accused of the same dirty dealings as our good friends at VW. Who knows it might be some sort of defeat to the computer program failings Nos has that VW hid in there. 🤣

I was think of the 5v reference too. - You must have missed it, on the news a while back. 😄 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34324772

So no residue electrickery in the computer to gain from losing and depleting all electrickery and basically doing a 'turn it off 'n' on agen', or 5v reference for the VW product. I've misunderstood VW I thought they were ahead of the game ready for the cheating. I'd still do it as the worst that can happen is the battery gets a recharge and gives it also gives a little respite to the emotions and stress on mental health computer programs put on us all, otherwise computer programmers would be an endangered species, or at least have aching testicles. 😄

No 5v?

Thanks for reporting back. Yes well, they might also be saying due to circumstances the quality of the item is as it is now and they accept that quality. At lower cost quality there can be more variance, some parts or components of an item may more variable in their build quality meaning some items will be better than the exact same model next to it in production. Higher quality items with have stricter controls and less variability in how well they work. Same might also be said of the overall product , the vehicle, and customer service. I would look up what people with tinnitus have to do to distract them or help them with noise. All the best.

Well really everything you can, engine, transmission, body control. If you have a machine that records live data all the better as you can also go for a drive and see what trips the limp mode. But do not put all your faith in these scan tools and raw error codes as you have to interpret the codes and the car may not give error codes even if there are errors because the level of error doesn't meet the report criteria. I don't know what applies to your car but in the past even a brake light sensor fault would have the very stupid computer program going into a right tizzy flapping their arms about and warning you the car will fall apart unless it receives major attention. Computer programs can do clever things but they are not clever and the programs contain many errors and anomalies, VW for some reason (I wonder why) seem to particularly over-complicated programming so the potential for balls-up is greatly increased. Personally with your age of car I would always start with something that is easy, not cost and very little effort - I would disconnect the battery from the car, and immediately turn on the lights and other stuff to make sure there is no electric left in the call at all, immediately turn all back off so as not to forget to do so later, leave the battery disconnected for hours, overnight if possible. Whilst the battery is disconnected I would take the opportunity to give the battery a long slow low recharge, overnight or even more if required. On reconnecting the battery hopefully the computer will be in a state of calm. Before starting the car you could also plug in your scan tool and delete any scan codes and check they have deleted before starting the car. If it works happy days, if it don't it's cost nothing other than a bit of time and patience (yeah, I know such an old fashioned concept) and if you recharged the battery that's always a good idea at this time of year. Never dismiss low-tech solutions, particularly when high-tech doesn't provide solutions. Good luck.

I'm no expert in oils but there does seem to be a great deal of confusion about oils. I'm not going to add to it as I've always found there are several strands of oil beliefs and faiths and generally they are firmly held or too much anxiety or uncertainty to move from or to certain strands.

Wino, do you know if there was a change to recommended oil weight as well as the change to capacity?

Wino, I think that was answered with - On listening to the video again boy was it noisy but Meridion put it was quieter after he changed the oil but that quiet would be relative to how noisy it was before of course. Was there a change to recommended oil weight as well as the change to capacity?

Looks like you've found some useful info - BUT - never rely solely on one database always cross-reference the information with if possible another couple of reliable sources, all databases have errors and omissions, including sometimes from manufacturers, these errors are copied and multiplied when databases are copied and merged. You could try Skoda UK for the information. Or there may be threads or posts on here about the subject. These databases are why garages can sometimes get and fit wrong parts, there's a thread on here recently that included this. If you put your vehicle reg into the search facility of various car parts sites or somewhere like Halfords or Opie Oils that bring up details including your engine number IIRC so doing that might give you what the various sites databases have as your oil capacity (and you can look for variances if they don't all get the info from the same source). A scan tool can give you a date for the engine computer programming but I'm not sure that confirms engine build date. Unless your dipstick has been changed that might be a clue as to original oil capacity, I don't know but doubt if the oil pan would have been changed for an extra 0.3l of oil capacity - but I'm often wrong, always cross-reference anything I put. 🙂

Well done. The starter motor might just need cleaning and/or a loose connection. What grade/weight of engine oil is in the engine (10w40)?

Can you run or even better record live data with your scan tool?

There is more than one way to set the valves and you could spend forever trying to get them perfect and you never will, these are not precision engines and they have wear and tear on them. As long as you get them fairly even and not too tight or loose you are there. A little tighter or a little looser each way has advantages and disadvantages and can be run with how you run and set other engine components. You may be overthinking these things. Same as with the bubbles, perhaps I am wrong and I might be the only one but I do not see them as that bad for a system that was formerly rusty and may still be shedding crud. If the car is set up well and it does not show signs of getting too warm and there is no coolant loss or excess vapour coming out of the exhaust or signs of coolant in the oil then drive it for a while and see if it gets worse. You will be keeping a close eye on it so you are unlikely to let it get too bad. Using a compression tester can give you information but it needs to be used and interpreted correctly, if there is a big fault obviously it will show up but minor variations may just cause you more distress and repeated testing. I am not sure it would help with things as they are now, unles you have another problem present or starting, There are lots of video on testing torque wrenches depending on the type you have, a minor variance from absolute perfect does not really matter here you are not working with an ultimate precision piece of equipment or on a precision engine, consistency of the tightening and method used is important. Do remember, I am not a mechanic.

Well done, very good service life compared to many/most.

I know this is positive encouragement but in all seriousness theses types over simplifications can make a beginner think they must be doing something wrong when they discover the true extend and sometimes awkwardness of the work. This torque wrench, how accurate does it have to be, how do you test its accuracy (that is a rhetorical (non-) question), how good is this torque wrench as a screwdriver and cleaning materials - just a torque wrench not even one socket too. 🤪 What torque setting are you going to use, with existing studs/bolts or new, what material new studs/bolts, reading wet or dry, what allowance for existing metals and threads, certificated torque wrench or just tested, to what accuracy, and I could do at least a couple more sentences on the torque wrench alone and I know nothing about mechanics and engineering. Just give a tiny sample of the other side - overcomplication. 😁 One side is just jump the fall will not hurt you, my side is the fall is fine it's how far you fall and what you are going to land on and how. If captain_crunch wants to take the work on, great, I will try to help if I can but I think he should at least go in with his eyes open. Anyway it might not be HGF all being well.

Don't forget new or not a battery is just a store, it's like your bank account you can't keep drawing out without also putting some back in. And don't replace a battery until you have tried recharging it, a long low slow recharge especially if that is how it discharged. I would resynchronise (both) keyfobs even if it wasn't mentioned in the book as I prefer easy, quick and free prevention at my convenience rather than later possible remedial action which Sod's Law will be at an awkward time causing unnecessary hassle when it's cold and raining, your headaches, you're in a rush, etc., etc., etc.. 🙃

I thought our Driver's Handbook was written by a German engineering student with him translating it to English but I think yours was done by him after a Friday night out no wonder you couldn't follow it. If you have not got a scan tool another 'trick' you could try is to disconnect the car battery, and straight away with the battery disconnected turn the lights on and some other bits for a few seconds to drain the last dregs of electricity that might be in the car, turn all back off, and leave the battery disconnected for a few hours. Or better still take the battery out of the car at least overnight and give the battery a long slow and low recharge. When you reconnect the battery you will want to resynchronise both remote keyfobs (again) and anything else the books says needing doing after disconnecting the battery but hopefully this will reset the computers including the alarm. Not always but very often, very simple and no or low cost very low tech methods can give the solution rather than the sexy, clever, look at me, special tools, high tech solutions.

Not if the starter is turning. ETA: perhaps the starter is weak and struggles in the cold but I can not remember hearing that on the previous cold start video. As suggested clear all the error codes and check that they have cleared before trying to start the engine. If you can do another video of a cold start or attempted cold start and if you can get live data on your scan tool that might help. I keep wondering if it is just something silly and so obvious that it has been missed, other than the car being cold and the different environment conditions in the morning what else is different? Is something contracting or collapsing with the cold causing a restriction, have you checked the inside of all pipes and hoses for condition. checked fuel pipe from tank to engine. Perhaps if the car does not cold morning start try removing the petrol filler cap and try again. Changed my mind on those as the car bumps starts.

captain_crunch, it does not help you but even in the UK and in my county which is known for engineering and motor racing (Silverstone is just down the road and Santa Pod not far) it is difficult to find parts and good workers. For "classic" cars (overvalued, overpriced old cars) in the UK the modern made parts can be anything from crap, ****-poor to abysmal and often not that cheap to buy at that. Prices for parts are generally low but that often reflects the quality and when you have to replace them because of poor quality the costs can be high. Even so called specialist experts in the UK can be con-men and bodge-artists with many specialist garages and mechanics not doing a good job, those that do good work you can not get near as they have far too much work and can afford to turn other work away or it may be months and months of waiting. That is why I had to start doing some work on my own car as I could often do a better job and if not at least I am a cheap idiot to employee. I am not a good mechanic and do not have a garage so work outside is not fun in the UK with its very variable weather. On a sunny or dry day when I could or do work on the car I think it is a waste as I should be out driving or doing anything else to enjoy the day rather than getting very dirty and laying on the ground messing about with cars. People will tell you that you only ned a basic tool kit and that is not so as many jobs require tools that you would not normally have and if you can not borrow them you might buy them and only use them once or very infrequently. Whatever tools you have and no matter how many you could always do with more it is never ending and then you need to store, clean and maintain all these tools including the ones that are only used once or rarely. No matter how well you prepare for a job half way through with the car in bits you often find you need an unexpected part that you can not get for a few days or the part you have been sent does not fit or any number of reasons why you can not complete the work, if outside often the weather I would advise you not to get involved with repairing cars it is dirty, you get minor (hopefully not major) injuries and it can be even more frustrating than dealing with legacy and badly written computer programs. The Payen head gaskets for my car are not available at the moment, I fitted one last year to replace the Payen that blew that was was fitted 7 years before the new gasket had a sticker added to it to say not to fit the gasket and fill with coolant unless the engine was to be run straight away. I had never heard of this before so I suspect it had been found that the gaskets had a fault in them and this was the way around the fault. I suggest you get the inexpensive kit and see if that shows HGF - but bear in mind the test is only an indication and it may still fail to pick up a leak ut is still worth trying especially at low cost of money, time and effort. Good luck.

Use the Autodoc videos as a guide for the video they do a quick job (and never seen to encounter any difficulties) but doing the work yourself you can afford the time and effort to do a more thorough job. Parts from China can be both good and inexpensive but it's always a gamble, I think often the only real quality control is customer returns or refunds, don't for a moment think that big brand parts aren't possibly made in China, especially American parts, some say on the box but I guess (don't know) sometimes this is legally got around. Some "classic" car parts at least are made in India, Asia(?) and South America and there quality can be as poor as some from China. Luckily I think Poland still makes parts but IIRC it's for the companies that have some of the old brand names. NOS may still be around for this generation of VW cars(?).