seanl82

Looks great Chris! The underside looks very factory in colour and texture, what did you use to get it like that? Also, why have you gone Jap in the garage!? :lol:

It’s an easy job but as you’ve mentioned, you won’t find a replacement unless out of a passenger side seat that someone is breaking. A good upholsterer may be able to make you a new one based on your current one though

I saw a Sherry Pearl 16v in Fareham a few years ago, it was owned by the housemate of the guy my wife was supporting. She asked if he was willing to sell it which he was, but wanted far too much for it in the state it was in. That was about 5 years ago now though.

They are adjustable, the strut just moves in and out where its bolted onto the hub knuckle top and bottom, which allows adjustment. Should be -0.5 from factory from memory.

Welcome to the Forum Henning! :thumbleft:

As mentioned you'll need to factor in the cost of brake fluid, as it'll need a full system refresh and bleed after replacing the pump. BBA Raman refurbish them so there are ways should it be the culprit. Pedal position sensors are easily repaired also and not too expensive, and I've never had problems with cheap ebay wheel speed sensors. Have a look in the Wiki section at the buyers guide too, lots of good info on what to look for in that. Good luck! You can also check the wheels sensors using a multimeter at the plug where it connects to the loom (Front are on the turrets and backs are under the rear seats.

You'd get one of those leaflets that state that not enough postage has been paid, then hold you to ransom until you throw a ton more money at it!

No, thank you! :thumbleft:

Dacia, For those that don't like cars! haha. I've already bought the 308 anyway mate, picking it up Saturday. Missus has also just chopped her BMW 118d for a 2014 1.6dci Qashqai NTEC+ which shes collecting tomorrow. Thats a nice car actually.

Those fuses and relays behind the glove box are for the ABS system.

Welcome to the forum! Thats a decent enough budget so good luck with your search. :thumbleft:

There is a lip on the bottom inner edge that should fold into the shape of the door. If its sitting proud, it'll keep the top edge pushed out. Its just not quite sitting correctly, so needs to be either removed and refitted, or manipulated a little bit. Do it with the window down and use a flat plastic tool of some sort to push the lower inner edge into the door whilst pushing the top of it down with your thumb.

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I would have gone with petrol if it wasn't for the fact I'm doing 25 - 30k miles per year!

Spotted 2 today! First was a Blue one heading southbound on the M5 around J23 at 11.45 ish (I was heading north so didn't get details), and the second a DBP Valver M*** *** around 2pm in Bridgewater services. :thumbleft: Like British rail. I've not seen one other than mine in about a year!

Well, I've done it. I've put a deposit down on a 2015 Pug 308 1.6 BlueHDI. Should be picking it up within the next week but have to sort out storage for sale of the Passat (No space in the garage!) and wait for the wife to find a new car too so we can sort insurances out. The quoted figures on it are phenomenal, so the small amount of finance I've got will be more than offset by the fuel saving alone (even if I only manage the urban figures on a run it still works out 60% better than the Passat). Free tax as well, and its really tidy. Drives great, 120bhp so plenty powerful for what I need, loads of toys and everything seems to work! The only thing I'm a little nervous about is the touch screen console, as it controls absolutely everything including the heaters! :eek:

Well I stopped off to have a look at a few on the way home today. Just sat it them and got a feel for how they are and comfort levels etc. Mini is way too small. I'm 5.10" and even with that, the seat was right the way back and pretty much up against the rear seats. With 2 kids, even on the occasion that they'd be in, its a no. The Citroen is as mentioned, very poorly put together and felt very cheap and tacky. The Fabia was just dull. As much as its solid, the plain single colour dark grey plastic all over is just so bland. The seats aren't at all comfortable either. The Ibiza wasn't bad, though it was an FR so seats were a little more supportive than would be standard, but again I wasn't overly enamoured with it. And the 208 was better than I thought it would be. It wasn't the car for me (1.2 petrol) and although the plastic is a little thinner than that in the VAG range, the different shades of black and different textures, with plenty of options available and decent levels of comfort in the cab drew me. The only down side was I couldn't find the steering wheel reach/rake adjuster which I think I'd need to make the driving position correct for me. I'll be looking at one again, and also the Clio as they are similar in most respects. Unless you're looking at top spec cars in the VAG range, they just seem very basic in comparison. I've taken in what everyone has said, but it'll be all motorway miles I'm doing and it only really needs to last for 3 years when I'll be on the cusp of finishing in my current career path.

Because it's all about the absolute maximum in economy, so unfortunately sporty doesn't link in all that well. I have looked at Polos as well, but bang for buck I think the Ibiza but mostly the Fabia comes out on top of the VAG range

Thanks all so far. I think it's now a toss up between a Fabia, Ibiza, Mini One Cooper D, Fiesta, and the 208. They all have good and bad points - Fabia is a bit bland but a decent all rounder, Ibiza is basic in the way of mod cons but cheap, Mini, well, it's a bit of a hairdressers car and the most expensive out of the lot but is well put together. I find the interior of the Fiesta pretty hideous, but it's cheap to run and repair, and the 208 has poor build quality, but is the most stylish inside and out of the lot, and you get tons of extras on even the most basic models...... I've driven them all bar the Ibiza over the last few years but hard to make a comparison over such a long period. Think I'll have to test them all again.

I've driven quite a few recently as well, though most have been Petrol and I'm not particularly worried about economy when I'm not paying for it! I was surprisingly impressed by the Suzuki Swift actually!

Its still going strong then Martin! I know what you're saying and I may well look at something a bit older. I'm not fussed about power though tbh, as I'm constantly trying to eek out an extra MPG! It would be nice to have a few mod cons though, and don't really want to have to worry about fixing things over the next 3 years. Thats all the car would be likely to last before it gets moved on due to the mileage and things needing replacing. The Passat had an awful lot of advisories at the last MOT, and though the plan was to replace bits here and there, I couldn't be arsed and it'll cost about 1k in parts to sort. Just seems like dead money considering its only worth that anyway. Maybe not this colour combo, but this is what has drawn me so far. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201810071271899?make=RENAULT&postcode=ex168ag&sort=sponsored&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&price-to=6000&year-from=2013&radius=100&model=CLIO&fuel-type=Diesel&advertising-location=at_cars&page=1

I think a Yaris or Up may be a little too small to be comfortable on long drives...... I'm only 5.10" but I need to extend my legs a bit when driving. I'll look into the Ibiza a bit more, and I've considered a Fabia and even a Mini One D. They just don't seem to offer as good value for money as the French stuff though

Yes it's true. I need some evidence as to why I shouldn't, so I'll explain. My daily commute is 172 miles, so I'll be putting 25-30k miles on a car each year. I need something newer, and as fuel is currently costing me about £400 per month in the Passat, coupled with £240 per year tax, it needs to be small and economical. I sit at 70 with the cruise control on for most of the journey, so it doesn't need to be big engined as most of the time I'm on the inside lane anyway! I have 15 mins of country roads though so nothing too wallowy. The amount of mileage I'll be doing means I don't want to spend a great deal so low mileage isn't a necessity (it'll depreciate before my eyes anyway) though the lower the better for obvious reasons. My budget is 4-5k, and probably diesel as it actually works in my favour due to the distances I'll be covering. Happy to be told otherwise though. All I can currently find that offers good value and great economy are; Pug 208, Citroen DS3, or Renault Clios. I'm looking at economy figures online though, so has anyone got any real world experience on economy please? It has to be comfortable, have DAB radio, AC, and cuise control - those are my only stipulations. Any help or advice appreciated!

Hi Tris, welcome to the forum! It's not been done to my knowledge by anyone on the forum, and only done a couple of times on UK cars. Its probably worth a Google, but I'm not sure if those that have done it have really documented it online. Look forward to seeing you progress with it though! :thumbleft:

I'm not sure on the 9A but the VR6 fans run on for some time after switch off. How long does it stay on for roughly? The fan is regulated by water temp though, and idle is by the oil temp via the ecu so won't be linked. Idle issues can be a plethora different things so worth doing a search to see if others have experienced similar symptoms, and go from there.

:bonk: :lol: