sepulchrave

It isn't dirty, it's oxidation of the sulphides in the additive pack that make it black. Think long and hard about the conditions inside a gearbox, there's no heat, no corrosive combustion gases, the oil is not pumped, there are bearings not bushes, the oil gets splashed about and only ever comes into contact with shiny, clean steel components. That's why it doesn't need changing, compared to engine oil it's on holiday in the gearbox, the gearbox itself is sealed so no contamination can get in either. How does it get dirty? It doesn't.

Bilsteins have bump stops integral to the struts so no need to worry about the fronts.

There is a greasy residue on that screen, I have no opinion about how it got there but you need to clean it thoroughly when dry with something like brake and clutch cleaner and a microfiber cloth.

Don't worry about it, the glowplugs are controlled by the ECU and stay on as long as needed depending on the temperature, the light is really a warning lamp, if it fails to go out or flashes then there's a problem.

I recommend Meyle HD droplinks, PSB polybushes over the Cupra bushes because they're a doddle to fit and Febi for the rest of the bits.

A helicoil is stronger than the original thread so there are no concerns about long term reliability or safety.

So did you check the linkage today or what?

I would certainly replace the lambda probe if it's the original one, after all this time it won't be accurate any more and is probably faulty anyway. You should try running with the EGR valve unplugged in the meantime and see if the problem persists.

Being asymmetric, unless two of the trims are mirror images, then on one side of the car the spokes will be slanting backwards, on the other side...

In that case there is an air leak in the fuel supply somewhere which is allowing the fuel to drain back preventing the car starting right away, usually it's the fuel filter assembly.

Not much more I can suggest, you'll need to look at the gear linkage first to make sure it hasn't broken.

Sounds like your gearbox has packed up and is stuck in fifth gear, check the linkage hasn't come adrift, other than that you're up the creek without a paddle and will need to get the car recovered.

Strip and clean the EGR system. Unpleasant but cost effective.

I know, tell us what engine you've got and we'll figure something out, ok?

Far more likely to be glow plugs now that it's colder, obviously that's much cheaper so the garage won't be very keen on the idea, take it somewhere else and ask for a new set to be fitted.

Because you can get away with leaving the old gasket on the pipe, it's not 'best practice', but it works nonetheless.

All this is true, but to save trouble, simply copy the blanking plate with a new gasket by snipping the holes into slots. Job jobbed without overthunking everything.

205 is the standard VRS tyre width fitted to 16" rims.

It should fit just fine.

Buy a thin blanking plate, drill an 11mm hole in it. Job done.

The tyres are slightly too wide, however you can fit thin spacers behind the wheels to get rid of the rubbing without spending on a new set of 205's.

The flat end goes at the top.

Spring looks to be installed upside-down.

Fit them whichever way round works, it really doesn't matter from an engineering perspective.

No, don't worry about it.