Roger Blassberg

Could it be the belt tensioner bearing?This is a well-documented failure, and relatively easy to rectify - I believe there is a "how to" somewhere. The bearing itself can be replaced with a bit of mechanical know-how, saving the cost of the complete assembly. Best wishes RB

After a long drive in heavy rain, I noticed a water leak onto the small shelf integral with the fusebox cover, to the right of the steering wheel. Water had also appeared below this on the carpet by the heel pad. It has not apparently come via the door seal because all around there the carpet is dry. I suspect a leak through the bulkhead/scuttle area. I will investigate the bonnet release cable grommet. Any other ideas for sources and solutions are greatly appreciated. Best wishes RB

Check that the horns themselves are working by hot-wiring direct from the battery; be careful to use good thick wire because they draw a lot of current which will heat up thin wire very quickly and may burn you. After that, check that the sliding contacts behind the steering wheel are in good order - take the wheel off, clean and reset the spring contact and the copper track mounted on the stalk switch. Also check that the wiring brehind the horn push pad is properly connected. The relay should be your next port of call, somewhere on the fuseboard, I forget which one. Best wishes RB

As Coolrado says, the circlip is inside the cv joint, sitting in a circumferential recess on the splined end of the driveshaft. You cannot see it until the joint has come off. When you hammer the joint along the length of the shaft it causes the circlip to be compressed into its recess, releasing the joint. Refitting is the reverse process - the circlip is compressed into its recess by a lead-in on the joint splines antd then expands again inside the joint once fully in position. Best wishes RB

Good heavens above !! What a suggestion to make, and in the "Season of Goodwill" too. Best wishes RB

Air filter, fuel filter, a loose baffle in the exhaust system intermittently blocking the flow.......? Best wishes RB

You are losing water, and there is oil in the water. If you can be absoltely positive about the head gasket I would agree that the oil cooler is a candidate for suspicion and may have corroded internally. The question is, where is the water going? Is it in the oil, exemplified by frothy or white emulsion? If so you are compromising your engine and charger due to oil contamination. Or maybe you have a coincidental water leak somewhere else. Best wishes RB

A further thought - the fixed contact ring is mounted on the control stalk assembly which is held in place on the column by two (I think) machine screws. If these are at all loose, the stalk assembly and contact ring may wobble around and lose spring contact with the sterring wheel. Pull off the wheel and check that the screws are done up properly. Best wishes RB

The pad stays in the same position relative to the contacts inside the wheel irrespective of its rotation. Surely if it malfunctions only in certain wheel positions, it must be the sliding contacts. What happens if you turn the wheel 270 deg to the left (ie to a position equivalent to 90 deg to the right) - does it operate then?. Is the contact ring on the steering column clean and undamaged? Best wishes RB

Or Prozac. If that doesn't do it, try changing the relay on the fuseboard or take off the steering wheel and cleaning the sliding contact. Best wishes RB

The last time you drive the car before laying it up, don't use the heater because warm air holds more water vapour than cold. If you have air conditioning, get the interior as cold as you can on its last run. Try to get some large packets of silica gel, which is a good desiccant, for instance from an electronics wholesaler. Warm them very gently to get them as dry as possible. Put them in the car when you leave it with the windows shut, and you shouldn't have any problems with condensation inside the cabin. The seat belts and the seats themselves particularly can get very mouldy very quickly in a damp passenger compartment - a very light misting of a domestic anti bacteria cleaner on these items might help, but check that it is bleach-free. A squirt of WD40 around the engine electrics wouldn't come amiss either. Best wishes RB

Sounds like I started something there........!! Apologies if any heart attacks have resulted. Only reporting what was written on my copy of the worksheet from RAC. It's no wonder that insurance premiums are what they are. I'm glad to see that this level of extortionate over-pricing is not the norm. Best wishes RB

No problem with availability, but it's about a six hour job and they will insist on having the car in the depot. The fitters hate it too. I hope you have fully comp. insurance, because the bill for mine (to my insurer) was over £600. If it has cracked it's an instant MOT failure, you are only allowed very small stars outside of the wiped area. Make sure they fit the rubber trim properly - mine ended up being crucified by the so-called tradesmen at RAC Windscreens, all shaven-heads and tattoos, and needed a second attempt at doing it right. Best wishes RB

I'm sure you weren't driving at the time................. Best wishes RB

It is brighter with the flasher stalk pulled back constantly because both full and dipped filaments in the outer headlights are working if the lights are switched on. When released, the lights are either main or dipped beam. It depends on the design of the loom you have as to whether both dipped and main beams are improved. How many relays does your loom have? If it is one, it is probably set up to operate only the dipped beam circuit. If it has two, I would hazard a guess that both circuits have been improved. Best wishes RB

Maybe the float sensor in the header tank has become contaminated with the traces of oil you have had, and is malfunctioning as a result. I do hope that it all turns out well. Best wishes RB

with a blank cheque available, I would have the gearbox reconditioned and the diff. rivets replaced with bolts. There are those, (one in particular, notably absent lately !!!) who would add a limited slip differential. Best wishes RB

Kev, No fault shown - I suppose the continuity remained but the function was compromised. See my previous post for costs - Best wishes RB

Finally, finally!! It is cured. It turned out to be the front knock sensor, which had cracked. I had both replaced just to make sure. Front 75, back 45 pounds. There's a fair amount of dismantling necessary to get at the front one - inlet manifold, oil cooler etc., and my garage man will have a very happy Christmas on the money I gave him to do it. I might even put the modified chip back in the ECU, just to see if it makes a noticeable improvement, now that I'm not in danger of blowing holes in the pistons. Thanks to all who took the trouble to make suggestions. I hope this is of use to others. Now then, what else can go wrong......?? Best wishes RB

Steve, Try Mike Chapman, Hatfield Road, St.Albans 01727 844179, near to Morrisons supermarket. He has looked after my VR6 and my 16V Passat for years. He's VW trained and so is his chief mechanic David. He charges about £45 / hr. Tell him I sent you and I might get a Christmas Card........... Incidentally, I get most of my parts from Murray MacDonald in Hatfield, 01707 272686. Best wishes RB

As I understand it, the problem with the brake compensator is that the mounting bolts, which hold it onto the beam, are prone to seizing. This necessitates destruction of the compensator to release the axle. I think you would be fortunate to get away with £80 labour; I have been quoted more like £200. I believe someone on here made up a special press, using some steel plates and threaded bar, to draw the bushes into the mountings. You need to orient the mounting brackets at the correct angle (12.5 degrees IIRC) to obtain the passive steering effect of the rear axle. Please let us know how you get on - this is one of my "jobs to do" as well - especially if you get away with £80 labour !! Best wishes RB

The outer track of the bearing is the part that needs to be tapped into the bore of ther hub/disc. Wipe a trace of grease into it first and make sure that you lead the track in dead square or it will jam. Use a piece of wood between the track and the hammer to drive it in until it is flush with the hub face, or press it in in a vice if you have one big enough. Now you have to push it in further until it bottoms out on the raised stop inside the hub; ideally you need a socket or a similar cylindrical drift of the same bore as the hub, or very slightly smaller. Be patient and tap or press it in slowly rather than expecting to do it all in one go. It is a tight fit. Whatever you do, don't raise burrs on the track, otherwise the bearing race will be ruined when assembled. Needless to say, push the grease seal into the rear of the hub - you can do this by finger pressure. The ABS rotor, which looks like a cup of heavy wire mesh, just pushes over the rear boss of the hub. Tap it on very gently. Once it is fully together, the hub can be offered up to the stub axle, packed with LM grease and the inner part of the bearing inserted and the washer and nut put on. The nut should be done up as described by Kev (see above). This is a tapered bearing and so must not be pre-loaded; if the washer behind the nut cannot be displaced sideways on the stub axle with the blade of a screwdriver (without levering it against the hub), it is too tight. Use the new lock cap and split pin supplied with the bearing kit. Tap on the dust cap, and it's done. Shiny new discs and silent running bearings!! You'll be surprised at the difference in the braking with rejuvenated rears - you never know, the handbrake might even work. In answer to the original question, to change the pads you *will* need a special tool to wind the piston back into the caliper on an internal threaded bar. It does not, and will not, simply push in. This is obtainable from Halfords for about £20. Tell them what car it's for because there is a variety of pressure plates dependent on the type of brake caliper piston. Don't be tempted to try turning the piston with a plumbers' wrench or similar - this will damage the piston and probably the dust seal. The caliper will not last long after that as corrosion will be accelerated and it will sieze up even sooner than normal. On that note, be prepared to find that one or both calipers are on their last legs. Good luck. Best wishes RB

My HRW switch has the same problem - the heaters work but the pilot light doesn't. Is it possible to fix without buying a new switch? I'm fed up with winding down the window to feel the mirror. Stupid switch design in the first place - they should stay depressed when in the "on" position. Best wishes RB

It's a good idea to fit new ABS rotors to the disc/hub. About £10 each. The old ones may become distorted when you dismantle the brakes and then give a fault warning when you have re-assembled them. Best wishes RB

What's the procedure for fitting a genuine VAG rear- and- centre exhaust? I understand that it comes as one piece, making fitting difficult, not to mention impossible, without removing the rear axle. Is it possible/advisable to cut and rejoin it with a sleeve, and what are the implications for the warranty if this is done? Best wishes RB