[Fiend]

Back in the garage (for another issue but also having the coolant issue re-checked). I've put it in this evening for tomorrow morning so they can see if it drains overnight, if so where from, pressure test from cold, etc.

The radiator fan does go if I've been in traffic on a hot day, yes. I forgot to check if the temperature is universal across the radiator though (tbh in the last week testing hot things has not been foremost in my mind).

I've done the rag under the header tank about a dozen times, most of which has been when it's decided not to drain, a couple of times it drained a bit and nothing on the rag. BUT sometimes there's a small bit of fluid around the plastic on the header tank after running, so maybe it is boiling over a bit??

Maybe something about it will make some fucking sense tomorrow.

[nic mullin]

Hope they find the cause. Another thought - does the temperature set on the cabin heater have any effect on whether the coolant drains? I think some (but definitely not all) cars regulate the temperature of the heater by controlling the flow of coolant through the heater matrix, so if that’s where the problem is, it could only show up when the blower is set to hot.

Had my own CCFC incident last night. Long drive home, got off the motorway and felt the brakes start to go mushy. Had gone from mushy to completely useless by the top of the last, long, windy downhill before home. First gear and handbrake required to get home safely. Took a look this morning and there was a big puddle of brake fluid under one wheel. Assumed it was the caliper seal, so bought new caliper and went to fit it this evening. With the wheel off, it is obvious that the caliper is pretty new (only had the car since January, must’ve been fitted shortly before I bought it) and in perfect working order. After a bit of a poke about, I found a gash in the metal brake line between the flexi hose and the caliper that looks like it was made by a grinder. Has anyone seen anything like it before?
I don’t think I’ve made any enemies recently.

[Fiend]

Gulp! Although maybe it is something on the wheel or axle rubbing on it, rather than a mafia hit??

Hope they find the cause. Another thought - does the temperature set on the cabin heater have any effect on whether the coolant drains? I think some (but definitely not all) cars regulate the temperature of the heater by controlling the flow of coolant through the heater matrix, so if that’s where the problem is, it could only show up when the blower is set to hot.

That's been hard to tell as it's mostly been blowing cold for a long while now, but I don't think I've noticed a correlation.

Obviously it didn't leak overnight at the garage so that's no help  From the small residues of coolant near the header tank in the engine tray, they suspect it's something getting over-pressurised in the system and causing it to escape from the header tank. Possible suspects include: radiator, thermostat, or heater matrix, but they don't know which one and don't want to risk wasting money replacing a random choice. So they've said take it to the VW dealer. SIGH.

[SA Chris]

I found a gash in the metal brake line between the flexi hose and the caliper that looks like it was made by a grinder. Has anyone seen anything like it before?

Can't see the pic (work laptop says no) but have you been anywhere offroad recently, driven over a loose surface or driven over anything? I guess flying debris could cause the damage.

[nic mullin]

Obviously it didn't leak overnight at the garage so that's no help  From the small residues of coolant near the header tank in the engine tray, they suspect it's something getting over-pressurised in the system and causing it to escape from the header tank. Possible suspects include: radiator, thermostat, or heater matrix, but they don't know which one and don't want to risk wasting money replacing a random choice. So they've said take it to the VW dealer. SIGH.

Uuurgh. Sorry to hear that. Feeling the radiator once the engine is up to temperature should rule out the thermostat - if it gets warm, the thermostat is definitely opening. Not sure what the current tech is, but the ones I’ve had to look at are very simple and either work or don’t, no shades of grey. Sod’s law says the thermostat is fine, as it’s the easiest, quickest and cheapest part out of your 3 options to test and replace.

Brake pipe is a weird one. The gash is on the side away from the wheel, disc etc so I don’t think it can have been rubbing on anything. No off-roading but debris from the road is possible I guess. It looks a lot more like grinding/rubbing though.

My current best guess is that whoever replaced the caliper couldn’t get the bolts undone, so ground the heads off, nicked the brake line in the process and either didn’t notice or thought they’d got away with it. If that’s what happened, they must have not quite gone through but left a wafer thin bit of the pipe wall which failed some months later.

[SA Chris]

Sounds possible.

Also, I had to say "wafer thin" to myself in John Cleese's French accent.

[Fiend]

My current best guess is that whoever replaced the caliper couldn’t get the bolts undone, so ground the heads off, nicked the brake line in the process and either didn’t notice or thought they’d got away with it. If that’s what happened, they must have not quite gone through but left a wafer thin bit of the pipe wall which failed some months later.

Cheers for your general support nic, will book it in to the local VW dealer soon. As for the brake pipe, your explanation does sound the most logical for sure.

[Paul B]

Does anyone know the VAG equivalent of Quarry Motors?

I'm looking for an offside rear shock absorber 4G0616031AD for a 66 plate Audi A6 AllRoad. The best I've found yet is £480 ish from Germany!

[Paul B]

Does anyone know the VAG equivalent of Quarry Motors?

I'm looking for an offside rear shock absorber 4G0616031AD for a 66 plate Audi A6 AllRoad. The best I've found yet is £480 ish from Germany!

I've just driven this back from the garage (with a fresh MOT; I haven't paid my bill yet) and the instant reaction is I love it and don't want to part with it just yet. I expect more pain in this relationship.

Likewise, driving the Abarth the 5 miles (it's got a slow on one of the tyres which it's had since I bought it) to the garage down some tiny little backroads and I'm grinning like a small child. Again, I expect some more pain in this relationship.

[andy_e]

Anyone know a good mechanic near Magic Wood? Got a knackered wheel bearing...

[Paul B]

Anyone know a good mechanic near Magic Wood? Got a knackered wheel bearing...

I used the closest one I could find for a CV joint (sorry this was '08 so I can't remember exactly where). They were fine but given the cost of cornflakes it obviously felt expensive!

I think it was this one.

[andy_e]

Nice one ta... Did they speak English? Not sure I can must enough A-level German form my history to describe a wheel bearing noise!

[SA Chris]

Just use google translate.

[Paul B]

Nice one ta... Did they speak English? Not sure I can must enough A-level German form my history to describe a wheel bearing noise!

My German was actually quite good at the time so again, pass although Italy was the only country we struggled with language barriers during that trip.

I forgot to say, the problem was pretty bloody obvious driving round the car park with lock on with LOUD CLICKING/CRUNCHING.

[tomtom]

If you can get it fixed in France or Germany on the way back - I'd imagine it will be ALOT cheaper... Perhaps even book in advance and travel back a day early?

EDIT: Google says a replacement for a front hub/bearing for a caddy (sorry if you've something different now) is about £50.. I'd imagine its a couple of hours labour on top of that. ie UK price £150-200 ish (a fairly broad ish...)

[Paul B]

I can also recommend one in Germany where we got the other one changed not long after...

[andy_e]

Cheers Paul, took it to the guy in Andeer, very friendly happy man, especially when he told me how much it was going to cost to replace the rear wheel bearings and clean out the rear brakes...

[James Malloch]

Took a photo of a lorry hitting a car earlier. Didn’t stop but caused a fair amount of damage.

Went to get a pen/paper but car moved in the 5 mins I was away (end of work time).

I’ve put a notice up where it was done as it’s the kind of place I imagine people park in the same place each day.

Any better ways of helping? Call 101?

[James Malloch]

Got a form on the local police website and supplied all the details so hopefully that helps.

Kind of feel bad for any potential consequences for the driver, but the car looked nicely looked after and was quite a mess afterwards…

[shark]

Fortunately my 10 year old BMW 5 series just ‘squeaked’ through its MOT despite a faulty rear left shock absorber which is a good job as the part only seems to be available on order through BMW in Germany and has a 5 week delivery time and is £556! Fortunately fitting is straightforward and inexpensive.

The complication is that my car has Variable Damper Control (VDC) which was an optional extra so is more expensive. It also means that it is scarce secondhand and I can’t find any available on the internet and Quarry Motors breakers yard can’t either but are looking out.

Seen that a reconditioned one can be bought from Germany for £291 + £25 delivery but presumably there will be duty on that and unsure whether to buy that.

Any thoughts? (Part number is 37126796985)

Without wishing to tempt fate this little saga is now over. I lived with the clunky shock absorber and from time to time checked the net to see if anything came up and in the end one did on eBay for £200. The seller initially sent me one for the RHS (part number 37126796984) rather than the LHS (part number 37126796985) so obviously glad I uncharacteristically checked when it arrived and was able to arrange a swap. It’s now fitted and hopefully will last the course 🤞

[andy_e]

VWs, VWs, Fucking VWs

Drove to Sheffield at rush hour last night with a constant smell of diesel when the fan was on. As soon as I turned the fan off the smell went. I suspect a fuel leak. Can anyone recommend a good, quick garage in Sheffield? I've to head back up north this weekend ideally...

[cheque]

https://thegaragesheffield.co.uk/

[Fultonius]

VWs, VWs, Fucking VWs

Drove to Sheffield at rush hour last night with a constant smell of diesel when the fan was on. As soon as I turned the fan off the smell went. I suspect a fuel leak. Can anyone recommend a good, quick garage in Sheffield? I've to head back up north this weekend ideally...

Not to be alarmist, but I know someone whose VW burned to a shell after something similar - so the less you can drive the better! Get it seen to ASAP.

[andy_e]

Yikes! Thanks, will do.

[Johnny Brown]

https://thegaragesheffield.co.uk/

Used them for years as they are near work, used to be very good but went steadily downhill (I can expand) for the last three years or so and I've stopped using them. Haven't found anywhere great yet though.

Steve Plain is the best garage I've used in Sheffield. Peugeot specialist, climber, great guy.