UKPassats

I think I'll replace the CTS as a first move. Damn. Buy cheap, buy twice.......

The stat is genuine but the CTS is FEBI. Glowplugs have been in since the car was made in 2005 so are probably suspect. Just that I would have thought the scaling of the CTS resistance curve would allow the Climatronic to show negative coolant temperatures.

Now the weather has turned colder I've had a few times in the morning where the engine has taken two or even three starting attempts and then runs roughly (and smokes) until it begins to warm up. It's fine for the rest of the day. I fitted a new thermostat and CTS in the summer. My first though was ...

I did a final check and found a slightly loose fit on one of the hoses - there's a T-piece behind the EGR by the bulkhead and the hose had split slightly underneath the fabric. Snipped off the end and it made a nice fit. I thought there's nothing left I can do now so rang the garage and took it down...

Changing the thermostat has fixed the temperature variation - gauge is rock-steady at 90. When vagcom showed the temperature hitting 87 the top hose started to get warm. Nice and cool before then while warming up. I took the car out for a good run but I noticed on vagcom the coolant temperature vari...

I took the old thermostat out and it's closed. I checked the operation in a pan of hot water and it remains closed until just under boiling and then fully opens at boiling point. Is there a subtle failure mode wihtthese cars? I'm going out to get a replacement this morning anyhow..

I got the connector off - needed gentle persuasion with some angled dental tools to relese the tab. Anyhow, I've got hold of a new CTS today and I have precisely the same fault - exactly the same characteristics as the old one, exactly the same pattern of behaviour, and confirmed with vagcom. I'm th...

I'm fuming right now at my own inability to remove a simple connector. How does that damn thing clip on? My instinct was to push the tab in whilst pushing the in connector to relieve pressure on the barb, then unplug it. Nothing will move at all and I don't want to get a screwdriver in there blindly...

Does anyone have experience of a reliable after-market brand? My local dealer wants £49 for the sensor plus £1.95 for the o-ring. TPS is only a few miles away but the last time I went with just five VW part numbers they wouldn't sell me anything "Sorry, this is a trade-only and we can't help yo...

I went out for a good run today. The gauge got up to 90 after maybe 7 minutes from a cold start, but 20 minutes later I noticed it dip to around 70, then randomly up and down. I plugged in my laptop and the coolant was varying between 63 and 76 degrees. So a definite problem there that's only showed...

Ah! I understand now. So two things to take care of - sort out the temperature and look more closely for a boost leak. I never did get to log another run today due to other domestic chores.

I'll do another run today to re-check. Is the coolant temperature measured by climatronic off a separate sensor? Just trying to figure out if the coolant temperature is low or the sensor readings are low (dashboard shows 90 degrees). Just looking at the chart colums - I take it the 'Spec.intake pres...

It takes about 7 minutes to get to 90 from leaving home (rural lanes). The car is unmodified. I previosly checked the EGR off the car - applied vacuum to the connector and the valve opens smoothly. Same with the anti-stutter valve - nothing sticking. From cold, fuel temp is 16.2, coolant temp 17.1, ...

I didn't know about that. Just looked it up following your suggestion - that makes things easier.

I'll hook up the laptop tomorrow and take a look at the areas suggested on VAGCOM. Hoses all good - in particular I removed the intercooler hoses, cleaned them and then carefully flexed and examined them for cracks, splits or failed seals. All look fine. I have a vehicle pit and while the car was be...

I noticed recently when accelerating hard I was leaving a smoke trail. Also, at idle the exhaust smells really acrid and I now have a slightly sooty rear bumper. Even just slightly blipping the throttle causes visible smoke, but there's nothing visible when driving normally at steady speed. As my MO...

I'm trying to remove the rear tray that runs across the car just in front of the fuel tank. As an ex-colleague used to say "If you're trying you're not doing" and that's where I'm at. One nut removed, one that seemed easy that just sheared off and the other two that are recessed are just s...

Not just for ball joints. It's an old and effective general-purpose penetrating fluid that really gets into the parts - much better than anything else I've used. The acetone is 99p from Home Bargains, or Boyes if you have a store near you - sold for nail varnish removal. Make sure it's 100% acetone,...

Well, I went to do a 'click and collect' from my local (Stoke) GSF and they've closed down for good and no delivery service on that part. I ended up getting a new arm from General Traffic for £36. At least if I have problems they're happy to replace and are local. I soaked the fasteners on the old a...

It's a 2005 car with 125,000 miles and all the original suspension parts. Other than the one bush, they still seem to be in good shape and don't knock or move when levered and the weight off the suspension. I'm surprised how long the control arms have lasted - on my previous Passat (B5 from 1999) bo...

I wondered how difficult it will be to remove the ball joint without damage. If I get a complete new arm what's a reasonable price to pay, and what brand? They seem to have a very wide price range.

I noticed the large bush on the lower rear control arm has a lot of play - is it worthwhile replacing just the bush if the ball joint is good? GSF have Lemforder bushes in stock with 30% discount, so works out at around £16. Does the original bush press out OK?

I washed the car off today and it's leaking on the drivers side top corner. Damn. Is nothing straightforward?

Back through the insurance company to get it put right.

The screen did indeed come with the channel bonded to the glass, so that's a fixed dimensional relationship from manufacture. I may just leave it and run a line of sealer in the gap. The make is Nordglass - not heard of them before. It seems OK apart from this issue, though there is a very slight di...

Are replacement windscreens thinner than OEM?

I just had mine replaced and whilst the lower trim strip appears to be fully clipped into place there's a gap of about 1mm between the edge and the windscreen right the way along. It previously fitted snugly against the glass.