sepulchrave

Give it a minute, the DSG will soon be malfunctioning again, it's their default state... Such bad gearboxes.

You can probably still get Depo lamp kits in LHD, have a look at them.

You can use your mouth to make the noises...

He's not doing these any more because he's doing something else.

Some VRS got bricks fitted so some Monte's could have Gigaros.

I think he ran out of customers some time ago, the cars are 20 years old now and it's nearly impossible to buy RHD headlights any more let alone bespoke ones.

Sounds like the system has an airlock somewhere...

80 degrees is on the low side, the thermostat will still be shut if that temperature is accurate. The ECT sensor may be taking a dump.

There are some things we simply cannot help you with, this was one of those.

Start by changing or temporarily removing the thermostat to eliminate that from your enquiries.

The valves have to come out, you'll notice that the valve seats are sunk below the head surface, it's this that allows a minimal skim. If you want to check it yourself before bothering the machine shop just lay a steel rule along it, if it rocks or you can see a gap in the middle then it's no bueno and you need a new one.

The only way to check it's straight is to get a truth skim done, the machine shop will tell you if it's straight or not, if it's straight then it'll be clean and skimmed, ready to bolt back on. If not they'll tell you you need a new head casting, either way you'll know.

I can recommend factual podcasts on long journeys using the Bluetooth connectivity that everyone has become obsessed with, very improving. Unfortunately most drivers seem to listen to the same music as teenaged gurls, which is a worry and possibly representative of their mental age.

I'm not saying that you're wrong, I too have used AMC castings when heads are not reusable but you're being a bit "dramarama" if the issues have been caused by head lift, if the head is straight then a truth lick does no harm and helps adhesion of the new gasket. You just got here but many of us have seen innumerable PD top ends rebuilt this way down the years with excellent success.

Stick with the same gasket, the thickness is dictated by piston and block height, nothing to do with the head. Don't worry about where it's blown, make sure you use a quality MLS gasket and upgrade to PD150 head bolts.

Have you tested it with a meter for 12V when reverse is selected?

Easy to check if it still makes the noise with the fan switched off.

I think this battery/earth idiocy is subject to a staggering amount of speculation and guesswork, there's a lot in the motor trade that is pure nonsense, legacy idiocy from so far back in automotive history that no-one can remember why they do the stupid thing any more, it's become like a rite in ritual magic or the Catholic mass. It's not a commandment, you don't have to keep taking the tablets!

Wow, this thread has gotten pretty dark pretty quick, the breakage is nobodies fault, just chuck another axle beam on it and carry on, old cars rust, it happens.

200 euro for a bumper sitting on your doorstep is a bargain, it's because they're so big and need a lot of packaging, such oversize shipments cost a big premium. It's not going to be cheaper anywhere else.

It's ok to connect to the battery negative because it goes directly to the chassis, I've always done this for 40 odd years and never had a problem or heard an adequate explanation as to why I shouldn't, it's one of those myths that's been around since Christ was a cowboy...

It wasn't imported to the UK so there are none here, buy it from CZ for cheap shipping inside the EU, the UK is no longer in the EU, apparently we have "taken back control" and are miles better off now...

That coolant pump is a wearing part so it's not if it needs replacing, it's when. If money's tight then wait until you start losing coolant, otherwise just get it done.

My eldest daughter has 18's on her Focus Titanium and boy does she wreck tyres on the potholes everywhere! My 15's are standing up ok so far, hit one the other day so big I felt sure I'd damaged the tyre but it was ok when I pulled over to inspect it. The backroads are getting very bad though, no wonder everyone wants to drive offroaders.

It depends, if you live in a cold climate having a larger battery is a wise precaution, otherwise it's not necessary. As for charging, it depends, if you're running all the cars electrics flat out on a pitch black freezing morning then it might take up to half an hour to completely replace the cold starting current you used. On a bright summer morning it would be more like thirty seconds.