Slamby

Car is now Sold.

Company car forces sale. #420 of 1000. 123k miles. I bought it in June 2010 on 38,500 miles. Comes with a few common mods: Eibach lowering springs, 312mm brakes and a Shark map. Would be easy enough to put back to standard. Map has improved average MPG by 8% (53 vs 49MPG), and it drives so much better too. I have the STS, so can put the standard map back on it if you like, but no idea why you would. I also have the original springs if you want them. For original 288mm brakes you’d need discs, pads, callipers and carriers I guess, which I don’t have, though again I’ve no idea why you’d not keep the 312mm, as they are significantly better. It’s had the 19mm EGR adaption, to get rid of the flat spot on the BLT engine. Tyres are Dunlop Wintersport 3D, with 4mm tread. I also have a set of 16” Spider alloys running P Zero Neros. Tread is 8mm on one pair and 5mm on the other. Buyer gets first refusal on these at £250 extra. Pic on car at bottom of post. Cambelt was last done April 2012 on 70,299, so it’s due I guess (can’t remember the intervals or mileages). Has the usual Special Edition specs: Metallic blue paint, red calipers, leather seats with blue stitching and piping, electric front windows, cruise control, air con. Good bits Car still drives very well, and it’s never been ragged (I’m 42). Engine, clutch, and gearbox are all still very good. Paintwork is generally very good overall, with no flaking of the lacquer. There are some stone chips and light scratches, as you’d expect. As I’ve been working from home until recently, the car has been garaged pretty much the whole time it’s not been driven, and so hasn’t been as exposed to the elements as some. Interior and seats still in very good nick. I have all receipts and previous MOTs etc. Not so good bits Of all the cars I’ve had, this seems to have been the unluckiest for 3rd party damage! A white van man on a Devon country lane forced me into a ditch, hence the dent in the front wing. I’m guessing a new wing is needed due to the position of the dent. There is also a car park dent on the back nearside door. PDR would sort that. The boot has a bad scratch: a SmART repair should be possible on this. The wheels could do with a refurb, and there is a little bit of rust beginning to bubble through on the sills. This has been one of my favourite cars and I still love it. Despite the “bad” list, it’s really a very good car, and I’m hoping it’ll go to someone who will look after it, and get the bodywork sorted. I was planning to do it myself, but haven’t got around to it and it’s taking up room in the garage now so has to go one way or another. Viewing near Holywell, North Wales (CH8). Any questions give me a shout. Car is now SOLD.

That was my initial thought, and obviously the first port of call when I drop it back, but they don't usually make such simple errors. Would be handy to know if anyone else has come across this issue.

Cambelt and service done recently. Since the work, the EML comes on pretty much on any light-throttle cruising run, where it never did before. Car appears to drive fine for the most part, though idle can be quite lumpy, sometimes when hot or sometimes when cold, but it's not all the time. Final symptom is that the trip computer is now even more wildly optomistic on average MPG: I drove from North Wales to Bolton the other evening, and it confidentely claimed I'd averaged 80MPG! Actual fuel consumption appears about the same as before. It has had the BLT stutter gasket fitted previously, but that was about 9 months ago, and the EML light never came on in all that time, despite quite a bit of mileage. I haven't managed to get it back to the garage yet, but wondered how a cambelt and/or service could change how the car behaves? EML I'm 99% sure will be related to EGR, but is the EGR system affected/taken off when doing the cambelt? Any other ideas? Car was perfect before, so I'm a little confused as to what's gone wrong. The garage have always done brilliant work before, on all 4 of my last cars. Ta in advance.

Fit the gasket. I did and it solved the hesitation. Doubt you'd have to do anything to the map, but I'm not an expert.

I've got pitting on mine, and decided to give up trying to get it shiny. Autosol and very fine wire wool bring up everything very nice, but the pitting is still there and stays black, which is a shame. I think the metal itself is damaged, so not sure what else I can do.

I would vote Shark, as they do nice smooth progressive maps. It's not really about getting the highest willy-waving BHP figure; to me drivability is what you're looking for, and a Shark map gives you that without shredding your clutch with a spiky map. The STS is straightforward to use, and provided your car is in good condition, there's no reason not to opt for it. Not quite as good as visiting them, but has advantages in that you can put the original map back on, or an imobilising map. Also, if you sell your car, you can put the original map back on it, and use the STS to map another (compatible) car.

Disagree. I think they look really nice, and an improvement over the standard ones.

I had a BMW Alpina B3 3.3 that was one of the most sorted cars I've ever had. Just really good at getting you from A to B as effortlessly as possible. Comfortable yet handled really well; went when you put your foot down, but still managed 30 to the gallon while I owned it. Running costs were too high though. Tyres alone were a lot, and because it was an Alpina, any specialist parts that weren't from the BMW parts bin were going to be extremely expensive. Oh, and unfortunately Alpinas depreciate like a brick dropped off a cliff. Second favourite, and the best really from a practical and running cost point of view is the Fabia. I've had a Lexus IS200 from new, which was nice enough, but lacked power, and the interior was a bit of a mish-mash. On my list of cars to get is a V8 of some description, probably an S4 Avant, and I really really really really want an Alfa GTV V6. Not as a daily driver though, obviously!

A tiny bit bouncy, being under-damped as you'd expect from keeping the stock dampers. Still a whole lot better than the standard setup. A little stiffer, but still comfortable. In an ideal world, I'd probably opt for H&R springs and Bilstein dampers, but you're talking a fair bit more dosh than just a set of springs.

You can go to Shark, use one of their dealers more local to you, or get an STS which is sent out to you and you upload the map via the OBD port on the car. Very simple process.

Forget Vipre. Write off the cost. How much will he have paid if he uses it? And how much will he have paid if he doesn't use it? The same. Well why not get him to the point where he can use his computer properly then? It's not going to let him use his computer how he wants, and is basically going to be a pain in the arse all the while it's installed. It's not the answer you wanted, but honestly uninstall the thing, put Microsoft Security Essentials on instead, and let him download, install, and use stuff. People think they get better protection from paid AV, but it's not true, and even the likes of AVG are getting quite intrusive in the user experience nowadays. MSE with Windows firewall is enough protection.

Yes.

That's a bargain for anyone with £11k. I'd have it if I had the spare cash, because it's the best looking and set up Fabia vRS I've seen. Basically, it's what I'd have if I had the money to modify a Fabia. Shame to see it go, and I hope it goes to an enthusiast who will look after it.

Snap. Well, the GSP bit anyway. I got a Travall guard, but I've heard the Skoda one is similar, and might even be better/cheaper.

Did the other half's Polo with a RightClick kit. Def need the resistor, as lock and unlock is to the same wire, so it needs to know the difference. I chickened out and paid £40 to get it fitted by a car audio place that I've known for donkey's though, so can't be much help. You'll also need to hack out the transponder if replacing the whole key. The Rclick one is a rip-off of the VAG flip key, which is what attracted me. Dunno about the one you have.

Just pop into a VAG garage and pick up some PD spec Quantum. Platinum is it now for the 505.10? Probably going to be cheaper than other brands, and you'll know it's bang on for the car. You can put 507.00 oil in, which is Longlife I think, so higher spec than 505.01, but I don't see much point myself if you're not on variable servicing, which you can't with a Fabia vRS anyway.

Front: Brown Blue White White Back: Brown Red Red Red Or the other way around, but you get the idea.

Eibach are 25mm drop and H&R are 30mm iirc, so you can base your decision on that if it makes a difference. DPM I think said the Eibach would be a better choice if sticking with stock dampers.

I did use a local firm, as no-one could really beat them for price, but their fitters aren't very careful, and after damaging some alloys with their ham-fistedness, I've not returned to. Their wheel balancing wasn't very good either, and I didn't feel that their wheel alignment was right either! I now use a place in Chester, who initially tried to charge me near retail on the tyres I wanted. We had some discussions, and once the manager realised I'd just go elsewhere, we came to an agreement. They just give me best price possible now, as they know I'll laugh at them if they try it on with anything higher. I pay a slight premium over the previous place, but I'm happy as they are very careful and thorough. It is worth haggling, even if it's a chain outfit, as they ultimately want your business, some profit it better than none, and the manager usually has authority to reduce prices a fair bit without authorisation.

As Chris says, you're getting a little confused between polishes and waxes, which do different things. Use a polish or a glaze, then a wax or sealant on top of that. SRP then Collinite 476s wax on top is what I do at the moment, though I've got some some Amigo to try instead of the SRP. Not sure the 476s will like it mind. The 476s can be a bit tricky to work with, but it's quite a tough wax that lasts longer than a lot of others, and I cant be arsed waxing every couple of months. Not sure SRP and Collinite will give you the deep gloss you are after though. I'd try some Black Hole or Amigo, with Naviwax Dark over the top. This is my plan, and should give a good deep gloss shine. Machine will generally always give a better result with the kind of products mentioned.

Any situation where I think people's ability to see me is impaired, I put the lights on. What I tend to do is look at other cars, either coming towards me or in my rear view mirror, and if I think "Blimey, they're a bit difficult to see", or I think I would spot them quicker if their lights were on, I put my lights on. No real downside, and much better to be safe than sorry. It amazes me how many people drive around when it's dusk, stormy, or raining (even in the middle of the day if visibility is still low) without their lights on. This is why I'm in favour or DRLs.

Eibach springs will give a 25mm drop, or H&R go to 30mm for a little bit more dosh.

I'd agree with this. Basically, to replace a light-throttle stutter, a gasket in the EGR system is replaced with a 9mm one. Unfortunately, under certain conditions, it can cause the engine management light to come on, as it thinks there's a problem. Solution is to find the 9mm gasket, and have it made bigger, to about 12mm at a maximum. Could try less of an increase too, if you wanted. Mine didn't show the EML light at all after install of the smaller gasket, but for some reason after a cambelt change, it's started cropping up on long runs now and then.

Keep an eye out for group buys on the various VAG forums, or special offers from Shark themselves. I think I only paid £150 for my Shark map, as it was an xmas special offer. It helps to follow them on Facebook, for example. And Ben, you're supposed to be off sick and recovering! Can't help doing something while you're off huh?