Received my bits today for oil + filter, air filter, fuel filter and pollen filter change on Saturday proving the weathers good

First time im doing oil change myself on this and looks like its going to be a messy job (diesel) as there’s a stupid cable right underneath filter

Edited 4 September, 20254 Sep by Danoid

Took my car in for its ninth annual service today - a month early, because I want to get it ready for a 2,500 mile trip to Spain, Portugal and France over a month. Apparently, after 30K miles, the car needs a water pump. Man said £900 for the parts/service. Also needs rear disks and pads. I bet I'm looking at £1,500 or more.

This car has never cost me any real money until now. It's been a great car. Nuts!!!

A guess a few less Michelin-starred meals on this trip. Nuts!!!

Picked up the car today - I must say much quicker than I thought. Final bill: £1,587.80. The big surprise for me was the cost of the thermostat housing?

Wow, stuning price the thermostat housing indeed! 😳😳

1 hour ago, Bap33 said:

Wow, stuning price the thermostat housing indeed! 😳😳

According to VW Parts UK, I got a bargain!

thermostat housing

17 minutes ago, freelunch said:

According to VW Parts UK, I got a bargain!

Your price is before VAT, which is the current UK RRP on that part number.

The VW parts UK one includes VAT, I think.

14 hours ago, freelunch said:

Picked up the car today - I must say much quicker than I thought. Final bill: £1,587.80. The big surprise for me was the cost of the thermostat housing?

I see that they replaced the water pump, did they also do the cambelt as well? I hope so as they are both supposed to be done as a pair because of the amount of work needed to gain access to either.

1 hour ago, Graham Butcher said:

I see that they replaced the water pump, did they also do the cambelt as well? I hope so as they are both supposed to be done as a pair because of the amount of work needed to gain access to either.

Only when they're at the same end of the engine. 😉

Done my service apart from fuel filter, it suddenly became stupidly windy, when I was draining the oil massive gush of wind blew it well away from my oil bucket underneath great stuff

Then I undone the little screw on the diesel filter, had it inside a bag then wind took that outta my hand then went everywhere too

Wouldn’t mind if it’s old petrol oil as it’s not black but ho hum

I’ll wait another day when it’s not windy to do my fuel filter

6 hours ago, Graham Butcher said:

I see that they replaced the water pump, did they also do the cambelt as well? I hope so as they are both supposed to be done as a pair because of the amount of work needed to gain access to either.

I asked about that - he said I had a chain.

10 hours ago, Breezy_Pete said:

Your price is before VAT, which is the current UK RRP on that part number.

Thanks for ripping up my silver lining. 😢

15 hours ago, freelunch said:

Thanks for ripping up my silver lining. 😢

The vehicle is maintained properly and running well because of it. Peace of mind and contentment is all the silver lining needed. IMO anyway!!

Edited 7 September, 20257 Sep by UndertheRadar
Spelling correction

I'm running it down to Folkestone tomorrow to make sure it's water tight before I start a month-long drive to Porto and back. I'll let you know how I get on. The car has been a great servant for the past nine years.

The test drive to Folkestone was a success, except:

I needed a service stop before we reached Folkestone. Saw the "Services" sign board too late, hit the brakes, hard left into the slip road, hit a low curb with both front wheels. Bang!

So, today I took the Big Red Bus to have the wheels balanced and aligned. Both front rims were warped on the inside, but not the outside. The damage was slight, did not affect the balancing and the mechanic said it was cosmetic only, not to worry. The fronts are now on the rear.

The cost of peace of mind is £110.

Oh, yeah: The mechanic had to drive the car to the end of the road to turn it around for some reason. This was the first time I've seen my car going and coming. I thought, "That's a good looking car!"

Edited 11 September, 202511 Sep by freelunch

Pity for the mishap, at least it was recovered!

Changed the front wipers to Bosch items. They came with with car (2016) when I bought it used in 2018 Dec. One of the wiper rubber beads has finally come off hence the change. The other wipes good still, no streaks. Crazy stuff. Crazier if it was factory wipers ...

Kinda liked the wheel so stuck one in my mk2 fabia as well 😂

So...the car was detailed almost two weeks ago, and the guy did an amazing job of getting into the areas that I thought I'd done a good job of; the stitching in the creases in the seats are immaculate now, and the steering wheel was matte again (there's a lot more to it, but we all love the instant visual improvements!). I've managed to pile on almost another 1k miles on it since then and the wheel's started to go a little shiny again, but he told me to use Koch Chemie Pol Star (which he used) to keep it clean and looking matte.

He spent a good 5-6 hours on it, deep cleaning everywhere he could get access to, finishing off with an air deodoriser/neutraliser machine (not ozone), which did leave a pleasant smell, and as informed, has faded to neutral.

The cigarette smell is now almost non-existent, but it has started to come back ever, ever, ever so slightly with the sun on the interior; I can still smell it if I stick my nose on the steering wheel, and there's a focussed bit on the driver's seat, somewhere around my left shoulder, which I pick up when I look to the left, but it is sooooo much better, and I'm sure with a few more basic cleans by myself I'll get rid of it completely.

I think if I can find a leather cleaner/protector which has a bit of scent it'll be gone completely, because it only seems to be in these small areas now.

On a different note, the Pirelli SF3 are a dream in comparison the Runway ditch-finders; we headed down to the south coast last weekend for a bit of sea kayaking but it was far too choppy to get them off the roof all weekend (that was a downer, especially with the hit to MPG!), but the SF3 gripped like poop to a blanket in the heavy downpours and strong winds we encountered. Mrs Cubbington even commented how much safer the car felt to drive, and she'd hardly spent any time behind the wheel until then...she also really likes having her own user profile automatically moving the seat and mirrors into her driving position 😁

Also tipped over 5k miles yesterday since picking up just over 8 weeks ago - it only did 3k miles last year, and 5k the year before, so it'll be funny to see the spike on the MOT certificate in 10 months' time...I'll have more than likely doubled it's 43k (when I bought it) mileage in a year 😂

Edited 18 September, 202518 Sep by CubbyQ

14 minutes ago, CubbyQ said:

So...the car was detailed almost two weeks ago, and the guy did an amazing job of getting into the areas that I thought I'd done a good job of; the stitching in the creases in the seats are immaculate now, and the steering wheel was matte again (there's a lot more to it, but we all love the instant visual improvements!). I've managed to pile on almost another 1k miles on it since then and the wheel's started to go a little shiny again, but he told me to use Koch Chemie Pol Star (which he used) to keep it clean and looking matte.

He spent a good 5-6 hours on it, deep cleaning everywhere he could get access to, finishing off with an air deodoriser/neutraliser machine (not ozone), which did leave a pleasant smell, and as informed, has faded to neutral.

The cigarette smell is now almost non-existent, but it has started to come back ever, ever, ever so slightly with the sun on the interior; I can still smell it if I stick my nose on the steering wheel, and there's a focussed bit on the driver's seat, somewhere around my left shoulder, which I pick up when I look to the left, but it is sooooo much better, and I'm sure with a few more basic cleans by myself I'll get rid of it completely.

I think if I can find a leather cleaner/protector which has a bit of scent it'll be gone completely, because it only seems to be in these small areas now.

On a different note, the Pirelli SF3 are a dream in comparison the Runway ditch-finders; we headed down to the south coast last weekend for a bit of sea kayaking but it was far too choppy to get them off the roof all weekend (that was a downer, especially with the hit to MPG!), but the SF3 gripped like poop to a blanket in the heavy downpours and strong winds we encountered. Mrs Cubbington even commented how much safer the car felt to drive, and she'd hardly spent any time behind the wheel until then...she also really likes having her own user profile automatically moving the seat and mirrors into her driving position 😁

Also tipped over 5k miles yesterday since picking up just over 8 weeks ago - it only did 3k miles last year, and 5k the year before, so it'll be funny to see the spike on the MOT certificate in 10 months' time...I'll have more than likely doubled it's 43k (when I bought it) mileage in a year 😂

If you want leather scent get these

Gliptone Europe

Leather Conditioner

Leather dries out with heat and sunlight and should be restored at least three times a year to re-establish the original nutrient content. GT11 Leather

Gliptone Europe

Intensive Cleaner

GT12 Intensive Cleaner is a thick, concentrated, pH neutral leather cleaner ideal for preparing dirty leather prior to conditioning. Containing glycerine,

When it comes to putting on the conditioner I do it with my bear hands rubbing it in, will literally make your car smell for ages

Thanks @Danoid ; you've been using that on yours?

I've always been unsure about using those types of products on cars with more modern coated leathers (and what looks like synthetic in some areas), compared to old-school leather where that would soak in.

More than happy to try it though if it masks that smell, and itself smells like natural leather.

I've just seen where they are; pretty much driving past their front door tomorrow - will see if I can go pick some up directly!

Thanks again, much appreciated!

Nick

Edited 18 September, 202518 Sep by CubbyQ

8 minutes ago, CubbyQ said:

Thanks @Danoid ; you've been using that on yours?

I've always been unsure about using those types of products on cars with more modern coated leathers (and what looks like synthetic in some areas), compared to old-school leather where that would soak in.

More than happy to try it though if it masks that smell, and itself smells like natural leather.

I've just seen where they are; pretty much driving past their front door tomorrow - will see if I can go pick some up directly!

Thanks again, much appreciated!

Nick

These companies keep up to date with more modern leather (or faux leather). Also, it’s better to use a specialist leather company like Gliptone, Colourlock or Leather Repair Company, than a generic detailing product company that has interior products.

3 minutes ago, travs said:

These companies keep up to date with more modern leather (or faux leather). Also, it’s better to use a specialist leather company like Gliptone, Colourlock or Leather Repair Company, than a generic detailing product company that has interior products.

Thanks Lee,

Makes prefect sense, and if I can pop in tomorrow (will call them first), I'll ask their advice directly and buy the appropriate products.

You know, now I've owned a car that's been smoked in, I'm spotting more and more people smoking in their cars and thinking "WTF are you doing? It's just grim."...Says the ex-smoker that used to smoke Marlboro Reds and Camel Filters in his cars 25 years ago (and gave up around the same sort of time) 🙄

Edited 18 September, 202518 Sep by CubbyQ

1 minute ago, CubbyQ said:

Thanks Lee,

Makes prefect sense, and if I can pop in tomorrow, I'll ask their advice directly and buy the appropriate products.

You know, now I've owned a car that's been smoked in, I'm spotting more and more people smoking in their cars and thinking "WTF are you doing? It's just grim."...Says the ex-smoker that used to smoke Marlboro Reds and Camel Filters in his cars 25 years ago (and gave up around the same sort of time) 🙄

Well you did it properly haha! I was B&H and then a lot of time on practically-empty Silk Cut Silver.

I used to when I was a lot younger but the drivers window was always fully open (or cracked and the cigarette held out the window if it was raining) and I only ever really had ash smell largely from the rear of the car. It’s a wild thing to do and as you see makes for an awful leftover.

The thing I would say about a leather steering wheel: look at it up close, like really close. The grain means there are lots of channels and edges facing different ways. So when cleaning, small circles moving around with the brush as it’s most likely to sweep all of the different faces and edges. No big sweeping moves as the bristles will just flick over most of it.

Camel Filters....when people scrounged them in the pub, they never asked a second time 🤣

Thanks for the additional advice on the steering wheel; that's pretty much the process the detailer said to continue to do, and I forgot he'd also told me to get a proper leather cleaning brush.

When I got the car, there was the usual grime buildup in the stitching and creases of the steering wheel which I scrubbed out, but obviously hadn't gotten into the pores.

10 hours ago, CubbyQ said:

Thanks @Danoid ; you've been using that on yours?

I've always been unsure about using those types of products on cars with more modern coated leathers (and what looks like synthetic in some areas), compared to old-school leather where that would soak in.

More than happy to try it though if it masks that smell, and itself smells like natural leather.

I've just seen where they are; pretty much driving past their front door tomorrow - will see if I can go pick some up directly!

Thanks again, much appreciated!

Nick

Yeah I’ve always used Gliptone as I love the smell of leather 😂

The leather afterwards is a nice and matte, but can be a tiny bit sticky until it rubs off, but I think that’s more my fault but I don’t mind as my clothes smell of it too

I think I last done mine earlier in the year and still smells great

Edited 19 September, 202519 Sep by Danoid