Roger Blassberg

Sean as we discussed, have a look in the Saturday Telegraph motoring section, sometime in early March this year. It was a confirmation that you are entitled under common law to be restored to the status quo existing before the accident. The trouble is that you need to sue the third party so, with our dear old English legal system it can 1) take forever and 2) cost you an arm and a leg if you lose, (although if you have legal costs insurance then you should be relatively safe from that). Best wishes RB

For general information; Speedy Cables Abercrave Swansea SA9 1SQ 01639 732213 they do a good repair service. Best wishes RB

1. Disconnect handbrake cables at calipers. 2. adjust caliper pistons to give 1mm clearance to pad backplates. 3. reconnect handbrake cables and adjust them at lever end (if necessary) to ensure that actuator is just resting on the end stop at the caliper end when the lever is fully in the released (down) position. 4. depress footbrake a few dozen times. and Bob's your uncle (or father in my particular case.) Best wishes RB

You would totally confuse the ECU for a start. The MAF measures the mass of air flowing through it in a given time, and relays that to the ECU for fueling adjustment. But, what the ECU really wants to know is not just how much air, but also how much oxygen it has available and it assumes a concentration of that oxygen in the air. If you increase the oxygen concentration artificially, the MAF won't be able to detect that at all well and your fueling will be completely out, running well outside the usual ratio of fuel:oxygen. You would have to have a proper metering system for your oxygen feed to ensure a consistent concentration, and your ECU remapped to account for that. Only then would you get higher engine output, at the expense of greater fuel consumption, (and lots more waste heat to deal with.) Best wishes RB

I assume that, combined with the heat, the bleach has some sort of de-vulcanising effect on the rubber and makes it very sticky. Best wishes RB

I went to Santa Pod once or twice a long time ago. The raw power, the level of preparation, the obvious danger, the resonating body cavities, all very impressive. But, without being casually dismissive about it, it got a bit tedious after a while. I suppose that, like most things in life, you have to be closely involved to appreciate it fully. Yes, it must be the Evo-stik that they spray over the tyres and road surface that does it. I imagine that the driver's seat can get a bit sticky as well if it all goes wrong..... Best wishes RB

This is an acceleration of something over 2g. I don't understand how it can be achieved. Sure, at very high speeds, where aerodynamics can be used to provide huge downforces, effectively increasing the traction whilst leaving the mass unaffected, then all sorts of accelerations in all sorts of directions can be theoretically possible. But from a standing start to 60mph these aerodynamic effects are minimal and you are relying merely on the downward force provided by the weight of the car to provide friction at the driving wheel/road surface. There must be some very sticky tyres involved here; if they can more than double the friction at the road surface by some sort of adhesive effect, they would also be able to suspend the stationary car upside down on the ceiling......... 1400 bhp is quoted; the turbo-era Formula 1 cars were achieving that in practice sessions, but came nowhere near 0-60mph in 1.25 seconds. Admittedly their tyres and had to last for more than 1/4 mile though. Best wishes RB

Eurocar Parts. Part number 223440110 or 223440170, dependent on chassis number. Both in stock according to the website. About £11. Best wishes RB

There are two running speeds for two fans. One fan is driven by the motor, the other by a small belt from the first, so they should always come on together. You say that only one fan is running so it sounds as though the belt has broken and/or fallen off. The first stage (slower) speed should come in at something over 90 deg and run until the water temp is about 85 deg. I don't know about the 2nd (faster) stage cut in and out. 110 deg is definitely too high a water temperature, so firstly get that fan fixed and then consider changing the thermoswitch in the rad. Best wishes RB

a sort of clattering noise, shortly followed by various engine parts becoming visible in the rear-view mirror, partially obscured by clouds of smoke. Best wishes RB

Generally, overheating is characterised by a white blistered ceramic insulator and is caused by over-advanced timing and / or weak fueling (please stop me if I'm teaching Grandma how to suck eggs). Oily plug is, as you say, either valve guides/seals or worn rings/bores. From the photos, it looks more sooty than oily, so perhaps there is just incomplete combustion going on, leading to a feeling of misfiring. You may have just had a defective plug - I would replace it, run it and see what happens before looking for more major trouble. As you probably know, cylinders 1 and 6 are usually the first to show bore wear or ovalisation. Any smoke evident? You say that oil consumption isn't excessive - how much? How many miles has the engine done? Actually you can change the valve stem oil seals with the head on by pressurising the cylinder with compressed air through the plug hole to hold up the valve - there's an adapter for the air line available from Sykes Pickavant or similar. Best wishes RB

Look at "VR6 Owners Must read" 07 June in this forum section. Lots of help there. Best wishes RB one day I'll learn how to put the link in properly.....

No, it has been checked. Best wishes RB

I have the VW standard remote control for central locking/total closure/alarm arming, supplied by Scorpion I believe. Rectangular fob with two buttons on the front, a slider switch on one side and a 3-pin socket on the opposite side. One fob works, the other, spare, doesn't. I have replaced the battery, the LED lights up, the local "expert" says it is emitting a signal, but obviously not the right one because it doesn't talk to the car. VAG aren't interested, so no surprises there. It sounds as though it needs to be re-programmed. Any suggestions are most welcome. Best wishes RB

Excuse the fact that this concerns my Passat 16V, ABF engine. When I dip the clutch to change gear, or rev up and release the throttle in neutral, the revs take a long time to come down, which makes gear changing leisurely to say the least. It's almost as if the throttle cable is dragging, (it isn't), or as though it has the flywheel from Fred Dibnah's steam engine. Is there some mechanism or electronic jiggery-pokery to make the revs die down slowly? If so, can it be got rid of? It has done it since the car was new, and apparently is working to specification. I don't drive it much these days and it's really noticeable after driving the VR. Best wishes RB

N-reg, probably Classic Green, so probably Storm. Heading South on A41, near Watford yesterday evening at about 1730. I waved and flashed (lights), you didn't.... Best wishes RB

Looks to be a good bargain. You can afford quite a few repairs and still be well in credit at that price. Probably supplied from the same dealers as mine somewhere in Surrey, also L***EPA. I have over 185k on mine, although new complete top end, suspension bushes, etc., and still goes very well indeed. Congratulations! Best wishes RB

You need to remove the water pump/alternator belt before you can access the pas belt. It's a bit fiddly, but about an hour's job. What caused it to drop off - did it snap? I suppose you can drive it, but you will find the steering so heavy at low speed that it will be very dangerous - you simply won't be able to turn the wheel fast enough (unless you have been on steroids for the last few weeks). Best wishes RB

Certainly loose bearings are; for your own peace of mind, it's better to change noisy ones. Best wishes RB

The Haynes manual for a Golf will do, so long as it covers rear disc braked GTi models (Mk2 and newer). To drive the outer tracks of the inner and outer bearings out of the hub/disc, you can use an old screwdriver and a hammer if you don't have the right puller - there are slots in the hub so that you can get it started. Its a laborious and dirty task, (old grease, brake dust, scaly rust). The outer tracks for the new pair of bearings then have to be pressed or tapped into the hub bore using a suitable sized drift, like a big socket; smear some new grease into the hub bore to make it a bit easier. Getting the caliper carrier off will probably be fun and games as the socket-headed bolts will be tight; give then a good soak with PlusGas a few days beforehand. You need an 8mm Allen key for your socket set ideally, and give it a good whack into the bolt head to seat it fully home before turning it. You will need a long extension handle It's best to replace both sides (ie both pairs), but not the end of the world if you only do one. Make sure that you don't overtighten the bearing nut or you will destroy all your good work in no time flat. Whilst you are at it, check that the sliding guide pins in the carrier are free to move and that the bellows-type dust seals are properly located at both ends - it is a good idea to pull the pins out and clean them before re-greasing and relocating them. If you do need to reset the caliper piston to clear the pads, you will need to get hold of the wind-back tool - the piston will not just push in without being rotated at the same time. Good luck Best wishes RB

Higher summer air temperature/low atmospheric pressure could be a contributory factor. Have you got a/c which you have started to use again recently. It all takes its toll. best wishes RB

Bu@@er !! Beaten to it !! Best wishes RB

but wouldn't the thermoswitch in the radiator have to close too to set the fans a-running whilst ignition is on. I thought that the yellow sensor only controlled the fan run-on, ie after switching off the engine. Best wishes RB

If they are both hot, i.e. there is little temperature difference between them, it sounds to me as though your radiator isn't doing much radiating despite there being a flow through it. I would suggest reverse flushing it as the next step. Have you, by any chance, mixed different types of anti-freeze together - G11 and G12 don't like each other and form a gooey mess which clogs up the water ways. Give it a really thorough flushing out with a hose pipe, then refill with the correct concentration of G12+ Best wishes RB

How do you know that you need to top it up if you can't get the filler plug out - does it leak? Have you drained it? Sometimes it helps to put a good hefty heave on it in the "doing-up" direction first, before trying to undo it. You really need to have the car up on a hoist to get a good leverage on the socket handle, and it must be level when filling the gearbox to get the correct oil level. If the gearbox is empty, perhaps you can get it towed to your workshop This doesn't help you, jonocos, but there might be a cautionary tale here for others; don't drain the gearbox oil until you are certain you can undo the filler plug....... Best wishes RB