sepulchrave

Blimey, tighter than two coats of paint! Ok, I agree that, because it's the rear, pretty much any uprated gas shocks should be alright, I've used KYB in the past with good results, they can often be found very cheaply on eBay.

Any lights on the dash?

A tiny leak is sufficient to cause the misting you describe, a simple pressure test will reveal whether the system is leaking or not.

https://www.ap-sportsuspensions.com/shop/_/-/-/61A80057 Hardly excessively priced!

To be perfectly honest it sounds like your heater matrix may have sprung a leak, does it smell faintly of coolant inside the car? Have you checked the coolant level when the engine is cold?

There is absolutely no chance that VAG will ever admit there's any issue with the chain drive on that engine, it would open them up to a recall and another class action lawsuit. You say the chain isn't noisy yet you think it should be replaced? Since there's no recall and the chain isn't noisy then if you want it replaced you'll have to pay a garage full price to do the work. Lifetime means 10 years or 100k miles so I would change the chain and tensioners on that basis, most chain driven engines from most manufacturers are like this, my brother has just had the whole lot changed on his Citroen DS3 which is fitted with the ghastly Prince engine, that sounded like a bucketful of steel washers in a tumble dryer on startup! If you want peace of mind it's probably best to stop reading anecdotal rubbish on the internet.

Yes you need a special tool, no, the garage won't rebuild the calipers, they'll only replace them with new ones.

I would replace the cooler as well, they make a horrible mess when they fail.

Tricky, needs some sort of jury rigged filling hose to allow the oil to be put in from above while the car sits level on the ground. More trouble than it's worth really.

If the fill plug is at the front then it'll be slightly overfilled which isn't really a problem.

I had not meant my tongue-in-cheek remarks to be taken so seriously. When I said I don't care, I meant I don't care if you guys change the oil or not since it can't do any harm. In my opinion it's a waste of time, effort and money but if it gives you peace of mind then go right ahead. Just don't make it a recommendation that everyone does it since millions of VW manual gearboxes are in daily use at extreme mileages despite never having had an oil change. The vast majority of cars that get scrapped go to the scrappy with a perfectly serviceable gearbox in them because such periodic maintenance is simply not necessary. In the bad old days of EP80 etc. it was a completely different matter, oil changes were necessary because polymer chain lengths in natural mineral stock were hopeless. Synthetics have engineered molecules and clever additive packs and are a massive leap forwards.

I don't care, it's not like you're going to do any harm unless you mess it up and cross-thread the drain plug but it doesn't make sense and I'm duty bound to point out when things don't make sense in case others read the posts and think that of all the millions of VW's still on the road, theirs is the only one that hasn't had its gearbox oil changed. Anecdotal evidence is only acceptable when the sample size is significant!

This is ritual magic, not science and engineering! Gearbox oil cannot get diluted or contaminated, it doesn't oxidise or get thicker either it just sits there getting lightly splashed about. The level only drops if there's a leak somewhere, usually the the input shaft oil seal if the bearing starts to fail. You guys are just inventing a reality to suit your beliefs, gearbox oil USED to be terrible back in the bad old days before synthetics, it hasn't been like that for a long time which is why VW say lifetime fill.

https://www.sparkplugs.co.uk/car/ignition/glow-plugs/manufacturer/car/skoda/fabia-i-6y2-1999-2008/1-4-tdi-75hp-55kw-04-2003-03-2008/10791_315376

Modern synthetic lubricants do not change like that over time, if your gearbox is getting 'baulky' this could be a sign that the oil level has dropped, simply topping it up will fix the problem unless the synchro rings are worn in which case nothing will replace the missing metal and any improvement will be through the placebo effect.

It's got me stumped as well, has that fuse blown again?

It's not a question of liking you or not, this may come as a surprise both to you and frankly a lot of the other people on here, but here goes: THEY'RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY! It's a horrible job and no-one is interested in doing it unless they're going to make a decent profit on it. Good luck finding someone to do it on a labour only basis since half of the profit is in the margin on the parts. Car mechanics prioritise profit over anything else, if you don't want to pay much then they don't want the job. Ok?

What about the front scuttle drains?

The answer is incredibly simple, just buy the same sized tyres you bought last time!

They won't fit, different dimensions completely.

It is completely normal for the drivers side camber to be more negative than the passenger side because that spring has taken a set and is slightly shorter.

DMF failing.

The pulley is designed to fail if the compressor seizes so this isn't as simple as you suggest!

Just clean it up before going for MOT, no need to make a mountain out of a molehill. You may just have overfilled the joint with grease, also you need a special tool for OE clips which is expensive to buy.

Are you sure the bulb doesn't just pull out of the plastic holder?