Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Tyre should be removed and inspected.

This repair kit is only suitable for emergency tyre repairs to enable vehicles to be driven to a service center where proper permanent repairs can be made to the tyre. This kit is not intended for use for major tyre damage.

Tyre place I’ll get to look at said just screw a self taping screw in to the hole and drive it down to them!

Have had bike tyres have one in for a few thousand miles. Never an issue.

TUV approved repair. Reminds me I need to grab a kit from Norauto.

I am just talking, nothing else. Could the pump be out of position so not circulating oil? How is the oil pump powered, externally or internally? Thinking of a way to power the pump to see if the pump can circulate oil.

Hope you find work soon.

Can you get a hybrid at the price? Or a modern ish petrol?

No dolla.

I’d be all over a tesla but don’t have £30-£40k

So basically it's about avoiding liability and there's probably no reason you couldn't drive a plug until the tyres bald.

Have done it with motorbike tyres and been fine. Same with slime stuff.

As per other threads, diesel price has risen sharply. Currently £1.80 a litre locally to me. And that’s normal diesel. Time to get the walking boots out and forget about cars for a while.

I don't think I've ever seen it just go up every day by 1 or 2p like this. Crazy.

Crazy is right. Average uk price is £1.61 (RAC data). We are going to get hammered - again!

I feeling like selling the E63 was possibly a wise idea from a fuel cost perspective.

Get the MTBs out of the van and start peddling!

It does ~55 mpg at ~50 miles per hour, so a bit of restraint makes a tank of fuel (I filled up at £1.72 per litre yesterday) go a bit further.

Good that you have some restraint. I need to lighten my right foot to ease the pressure on my wallet. I will have to work on my restraint very soon!

Random one - the heater in our roomster has been playing up recently, local garage has had a quick look at it when it's been in for service etc. but no dice... recently it's also been a bit sluggish at low revs/speed - didn't ever think the two could be related but end of last week the engine check light came on, shortly followed by the DPF one - it sees mainly 20 mile each way motorway trips most days so not predominantly short journeys.

Gave it a good run at ~3k rpm over the weekend & the lights are still on, however it feels much better at the low end, but also the heater has started working again - wtf? Could it be some sort of sensor problem or is it about to shit itself?

What specifically do you mean by the heater was playing up, but now was working again? was it blowing cold constantly despite the engine being up to temperature?

I had an issue with one of ours where the coolant system had got a significant airlock in it, and after I ran the car to temperature with the heater turned up to the max and the system burped a load of air, it started blowing warm air in the car again

I had a crack in my rad and yet the reservoir was showing a good level. The weather had been so cold the car had never overheated but interior temperature was hard to control.

Is it one of those VAG cars with the silica bag in the header tank and has the silica tank popped?

So we have a polo bluemotion for sale. Tried to sell it last year then something broke, then haven't bothered again since. But something that does pretty much never less than 70 mpg is a handy asset just now!
I think if we sell it this month should go for a premium, ever other bugger is bumping their prices, feel like its only fair (or not) lol.

Which engine, code, year?

If its a 1.2 or 1.6 CR TDI the DPF will only regen if there are no stored or permanent codes that affect the fuel system, turbo, cat, dpf, and it has to have > 10 or 15 litres of fuel in it, be fully up to temp (the dash 'gauge' being in the middle doesn't always mean its actually warmed up) for coolant and oil. Driving above 25 or 35 kph and not full throttle.

Best to allow them best change to do a regular active regen (assuming all above is OK) is drive a main road, 4/5/6th gear in the 1900 to 2500 rpm range. Super high revs does not equal high exhaust gas temps (often the opposite!).
If i'm helping someone with DPF issues. Once is successfully done a full active regen under those conditions and you can see (on OBD tool for whatever car it is) that the ASH % has gone all the way down and its come back into passive mode, I'll do a few full throttle/high demand runs when cat + dpf is still hot to blow any loose ash out. But beyond a couple of pulls, you'll only be making more Soot again.

Heater issue Lynx is probably already on it with the desiccant bag fiasco, a whole bunch of 2012 to 18 (and maybe newer?) have these bags which can burst, because why wouldn't they, which then fills your engine + heater + coolant system with little balls which clog up the passages.

Suggest taking it to a VAG/Skoda/Audi/VW specialist who will be more familiar with these cars than a regular place. I kinda suggest that to anyone with any car issues once it gets beyond 'needs oil or brake pads' as most garages are too general, they don't have much specialized knowledge.

Yeah should have been more specific - was constantly cold, absolutely no heat from the vents at all, even on a 3hr journey -

@lynx @BrickMan - 2014 vintage 1.6, that's the first I've learned about a header tank full of silica, sounds ominous - Jesus who thought that would be a good idea! Our local mechanic is good for most things but sounds like it might be time to abandon it in the nearest VAG garage, cheers for the tips!

The header tank silica bag failure is a common thing, reverse flush of the coolant system (with a hose pipe) with the thermostat removed.

Then install a new header tank with a silica bag and refill with the G13 pre mixed coolant.

But as brickman say find a decent specialist, pref a recommendation
.

Currently £1.80 a litre locally to me

do you live next to a motorway service station? local sainsburys (guildford) had it for £1.51 today.... should have filled up shouldn't i

I don’t live near a motorway. It’s a somewhat normal town excepting the somewhat not normal fuel prices. We are in the middle of the province and, oddly, the border areas have cheaper fuel.

Managed this tasty scratch off a branch on a hire van. It’s about 12mm wide. And maybe 300mm long.

Any idea how much I’m going to get stung by enterprise? £300, £500?
Dent doctor type mobile scratch repair places aren’t interested.

Fortunately the wife’s MOT was only £45 and I’d put money aside for that. PITA tho!

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