oh_superb

Move your headlights to the back and drive in reverse everywhere! I think you have either a problem with the gearbox ecu or gearbox problem. Take it to a specialist.

OK so I've been away for a while due to having parted with my old girl 2.5 AYM engined tiptronic as I've passed it on to a family member. Since then, given that the new owner has not got much mechanical knowledge I ended up changing the brake servo for him (8 hr job!), servicing the auto box at 150k (oil and filter change) and I even changed the timing belt, water pump, tensioners, idler pulley, and all the other belts. This summer the car was driven to Corfu in Greece and went there and back without missing a beat. It did have a door mirror knocked in Albania due to a careless Albanian driver, so I used the opportunity to refresh the car with chrome replacement mirror housings which I think look quite good on her. Now at 167k miles, she's still good. Only fault is the front passenger door has not unlocked for a few weeks now. I think the lock mechanism has finally had it. It's still on all the original wheel bearings, it does have Bilstein B6 shocks all round, front lower arms are original, top ones have been changed a couple of times just like top mounts and cv boots but CV joints are also original. Recently I've changed the PAS fluid also which has lightened the steering a bit and front discs were re-cut while fitted to the hub to correct for runout error as brakes turned quite bad in terms of vibration. Still no rust anywhere, these are good solid cars. Air con was regassed and suspension realigned at skoda main dealer this spring too. Still no rattles and car drives super smoothly, I've recently had a pleasure to drive her on a few trips and she's still a seriously good car for motorway cruising. She's doing 900 miles a week currently so will be at 180k miles by end of January next year... Hopefully she'll continue being reliable. Thumbs up old girl

My automatic now approaching 160k miles with no problems. However, preventative oil and filter changed at 74k and again at 149k miles, and I believe that makes all the difference. Hoping to get 200k out of it, which is around 2 years from now.

drop link pair is only 30 pounds and takes 20 mins to change, you don't even have to raise the car up. As long as the pinch bolts are not stuck any front suspension work is almost a piece of cake on these cars. Do the work and enjoy the nice motor. Mine is also a 2.5 auto and not many cars can match it for smoothness and quietness on a long cruise, unless you spend a lot lot lot more money.

Just out of interest, did you just put into service position or did you completely remove the front? As I intend to change the thermostat and water pump too, would you recommend fully stripping the front or would the service position still be sufficient. It seems a bit tight on photos/videos.

Thank you very much!! Much appreciated, very good info

Thanks dieselv6. I am of the same opinion as you in that the aux drive belt issue is far less drastic than timing belt. I will be buying those aux belt rollers separately, ECP seem to sell the INA ones at competitive cost too. But rather than change whole lot, I was thinking of inspecting for bearing noise/ free play and replace if necessary. But they have served 150 k miles, so perhaps false economy for the sake of 100 quid or so. Local ECP have plenty of stock so could grab easily a few. The only thing is I bought the Conti kits (the 1015 and 1018 part numbers) but they come without the hydraulic damper unit for the timing belt. Are you aware of a decent way of ascertaining the condition of it? I know it's a dynamic device, so a static test is probably not really an option. Apart from the obvious tip wear I can't think of much to do with it, except when I hold it, it may feel worn somehow, in which case I'll just get a new one. One final question (I think) is I can't find instructions on setting the aux belt tension up correctly? Do you have something you can share, pls? I have done a few Google searches but nothing concrete came up. Equally I am clueless on torques for the relevant bolts. I do have the settings for the timing belt procedure though. Just need that dial torque wrench for the diesel pump belt tensioner.

It's simple really. Two man job. Have the assistant next to the car with a long hose into the sump, and a work light and drain pan underneath to catch the overflow. Do initial fill with engine off until it overflows. That's 2.8 litres or so. Then run engine in Neutral first until the assistant has pumped another litre into it or so, then with foot firmly on the brake pedal and keep in each gear for 30 seconds, 2, 3, 4, D, R, P, and back down again, have VCDS running on the laptop, Auto transmission unit, Group 4, showing tranny temperature. Assistant keeps topping oil up to the point where oil is dripping into the pan, while you keep an eye on oil temperature and keep shifting. Point is purging all the valves of air. Once the oil is 35 deg C and the assistant has topped up one final time, you go into Park, he goes under the car to pull the filler out and put the fill plug in, then he gives thumbs up and you just shut engine down. Simple. :-) 15 mins.

Mine had fresh oil and filter (at main dealer) at 75k miles. Now at 150k miles (90% of which were pan-European cruises, not town/city work) the oil is completely worn out, as I drained it and dropped the sump on Saturday. So these are definitely not sealed for life. And at 150k miles mine is still working well with no dodgy shifting. The dealer said to me they would based on their observations, condition of oil when it comes out etc, and repair jobs they have undertaken recommend on these boxes and oil and filter change every 40-60 k miles. And I would agree with that 100%. Thick old oil will run at higher pressure and may contribute to over pressurisation type failure symptoms. I thought that because mine has hardly seen any city type duties that the oil will still be good, but this is not the case. I can't even imagine the condition of oil in a car that's done 100k miles and a lot of those around a city… that box is condemned to death. If you have VCDS and a way of safely suspending the car up in the air for 3 hours, I would recommend doing this, as it will cost 70 quid instead of 250-300 for someone else to do it. Either way, it's too late if you already have problems, but for those who don't, just preventatively do it.

Did you also replace the damper? Such as found in this kit: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/V-ribbed-Belt-with-Damper-Conti-SKF-INA-Audi-2-5-TDI-ab-Year-01-2002-/361380225869?hash=item5423f0a34d:g:AoYAAOSwYGFUr5rQ Are these the rollers you changed ?

No, red is definitely not right for these boxes. It was golden coloured. The stuff that came out was nearly black, and thick, and there was sludge at the sump bottom, and the removable magnets had metallic sludge on them. The whole thing was pretty gross. A couple of old T shirts later, some clean absorbed lint free paper and brake cleaner action later the sump was mint and so were the magnets. Very glad I have done this, very glad. Oil is FEBI 14738. If you wait patiently a 5 litre can be yours for 27 quid delivered. There are other manufacturers also of course. The spec is LT71141. Mobil do it too for 11 quid a litre or thereabouts. I bought 2 x 5 litre cans to be sure, ended up needing 5.5 litres after 3 hours draining. Initially 4.3 litres came out in first 20 mins after stopping engine (hot), but it kept pouring slowly, a bit was left in sump that could not come out by gravity due to drain plug being recessed, and some remained in the filter itself. So in total 5.5 litres came out. And 5.5 litres went back in following the correct procedure. I had a messy moment when an hour after engine stopped, I dropped the sump and oil was still pouring quite fast from the internals of the transmission, then we got a gust of wind, and I was glad that I had a 2 square meter thick back polythene sheet under the car to protect the driveway (I got his from Screwfix, its a damp proof membrane, thick gauge) all over my and my brother's face who was assisting me, so we quickly put the sump back on with a couple of screws, said "phew!" and went back for a tea or two! For a couple of hours. You also need filter and gasket. I used a rubber gasket supplied in Hans Pries kit. OEM is paper and is non reusable. Note some kits do not contain the gasket. Do not use gunk/rubber gasket on the flange as any gunk in the tranny will have the tranny over. Absolute cleanliness is paramount. I just used a very thin smear of the VW gasket sealer to stick the rubber gasket onto the flange. I am dropping the oil again next month and filling up with the remainder of the 4.5 litres of oil that I have, as you cannot drain the torque converter, so old oil contamination is quite bad (30-40 %). After 2nd drain and fill this drops to only half as much. BTW I also bought a CONTI kit today for timing belt. Below are OEM references for auto transmission bits: FILTER - 01V 325 429 - 108 759 GASKET - 01V 321 371 - 108 757 OIL: G 062 152 A2

Good job dieselv6 and well done on completing all the front end jobbies well… I will need to do the same soon. One more major continental trip coming up to eastern Europe then to Hamburg, then back to the UK then over to Ireland for a few days then back to the UK. I'll get the T belt etc done in April I hope. I also hope I will not encounter rusty bolts like you did... Yesterday I changed the automatic transmission oil and filter and it was not too bad, took about 4 hours, and I think after the next trip I am draining the oil and refilling again (I am not removing sump this time or the filter) as it is not possible to drain oil from the torque converter so only 60% of oil is fresh. Once I have thrown another 5 liters at it the old oil contamination should be only 15-20%. The old oil was thick and black at 75k miles since last change. There was also a lot of swarf on the magnets and gunk at the bottom of the sump. Although not the worst I have seen, so not concerned too much. Gear changes are much smoother now and creep in D and R is significantly reduced too now. If anyone is reading this with auto tranny, I recommend changing it every 40-50k. Not too tricky DIY, but you do need VCDS to set oil level correctly.

sounds like relay not closing, and a bit more voltage from jump battery allows it to close. All the relays are behind the fuse box. You need to drop the lower dash, 2-3 torx scows and down she drops.

yes D2S bulbs is what your car needs if factory bixenons are fitted to your elegance model MK1. I suggest you swap bulbs left to right first to ascertain that it is a faulty bulb indeed. There are other components in there that can fail, namely ignitor (fitted to bulb) and ignitor (under the headlight, bumper off to see). So save your cash and check if bulb problem or something else. I have spare bulb and spare ballast and spare ignitor too, all used but working in case you need one, drop me a PM. Finally, if cash is no object I would definitely advise to replace to either those OSram night beakers or Osram CBI bulbs as those xenons dim out after a few years and you will definitely see more at night with a pair of fresh bulbs.

Mine has done 75k miles and 6 years old so due imminently. Have Gates on there. Recently got a very good offer on Goodyear kit, but never used them, does anyone have experience of their kits? Contitech are quite expensive by comparison, nearly double the price of Goodyear. Also, shall I just get a main dealer / or TPS water pump and thermostat, or what brand to go for safely? I don't want a seized water pump taking a belt out. I also plan on replacing the ancillary belts too. But again not sure of what brand to go for, but that's less critical.