AVI_8

Nice conversion, I see you're in Devon so that should appeal to a local surf dude

Because the 40% bracket is moving north over the coming years in England a bit at a time, in Scotland it's staying the same, probably to maintain the payments for their ridiculously expensive parliament building where they all congregate to talk a load of sh1te

Yeh, not having to try to sell one of those, that was my thought, .. Pity though, a car with practically no damage, nothing wrong with it is a big plus point for getting it really cheap ... But at the other end its hard to sell them not worth the point in getting them cheap ... Even tough they re perfectly good cars in the first place. Thanks for your reply guys.

Just wondering what the thoughts are on cat N cars, used to be known as cat D insurance write off, Cat N means no structural damage, having looked at several, recently an M3,BMW 2015 plate, stolen recovered, thieves stole keys from house, car recovered, no damage, insurance paid out. Lots of other cars with very minor non structural damage. Didnt buy them due to stigma of previously described and I've seen lots like it on specialist web sites, I'm interested to know if you've bought a cat D car in the past or if you specialise in that field, and if so do you find it has caused problems during the sale.

I'm a Scot Nippie Sweetie as we call her up here, she's a Cnut, rearrange the letters, anyone with any intellect knows she's a Cnut, please don't tar us all with the same brush, I have to pay more tax than an Englishman as a higher rate taxpayer .... Thanks to the Cnut.

Ok so after my long post earlier, just trying to help. Have all fault codes been read, I've not much VAG experience but have BMW knowledge and with a BMW if there's a glow plug or module problem that can cause DPF regen problems. DPF problems are usually caused by sensor problems somewhere down the line ... Feeking modern cars ... I don't know your diagnostic experience but may be worth getting a specialist to diagnose fault codes. My fault code reader will only give the basics, luckily I have a guru who knows everything about modern diagnostics... And they're few and far between. good luck

Yes much easier days back then, so having to wait roughly 3 weeks is a long time to wait for a V5 to come through the post in order to tax the car for a 17 year old who's just passed his driving test and has his car on the driveway, but a lesson for me, I've never bought a car without a V5C before, would be very difficult to sell to someone through trade as they wouldn't be able to tax it for several weeks after buying it, it's not a mistake I'll make again, the only way round it I can see would be to register the car in my name then sell it, not ideal.

From VAG, according to below once DPF reaches 95% it's toast, surprising you've not got a few lights on though, what did you use to confirm its 99% clogged? VAG DISESEL PARTICULATE FILTERS Courtesy of David Bodily Volkswagen Technical Support Specialist Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Detailed below is important information outlining the function and features of the Diesel Particulate filter which all members of your team need to be aware of. Diesel particulate filters are becoming more commonplace on diesel engines, particularly sizes 2.0L upwards. This is in order to reduce the exhaust emissions as required by European legislation. The prime reason for a DPF is to reduce particulate matter entering the atmosphere. Particulate matter is found in the form of soot, which is produced during diesel combustion. The DPF traps most of the soot which would normally travel down the exhaust and into the atmosphere. The DPF can hold a certain amount of soot, but not a huge quantity and therefore it needs to go through a process called ‘regeneration’ in order to clear the soot loading. When the soot goes through a ‘regeneration’ process it will be converted to a much smaller amount of ash. The ash is non-removable. There are two types of ‘regeneration’, passive and active. During long motorway journeys, passive regeneration will occur. This needs no intervention from the engine control unit. Due to the raised exhaust temperatures on a long journey (temperatures between 350 and 500°C), the procedure occurs slowly and continuously across the catalytic-coated (with platinum) DPF. The catalytic-coated DPF is situated close to the Engine, therefore the exhaust gas temperature is high enough (500°C) to ignite the soot particles. Due to this soot is burned-off and is converted into a smaller amount of ash. Active ‘regeneration’ is when the ECU intervenes when the soot loading in the DPF is calculated to be 45%. The procedure lasts for about 5 – 10 minutes. Specific measures are taken by the ECU to raise the engine exhaust temperature to above 600°C, these include switching off the exhaust gas recirculation and increasing the fuel injection period to include a small injection after the main injection. The soot particles are oxidised at this temperature. The ECU will trigger a regeneration process, if for some reason this is aborted, ie. customer slows down, stops etc, the process will be resumed when regeneration conditions are once again met, above 60km/h (38mph). This will continue for 15 minutes. If after 2 attempts of 15 minutes, a successful regeneration has not been possible, the loading will increase. At 50% soot loading, the ECU will continue to maintain maximum exhaust temperatures of 600°C to 650°C to cause a regeneration process. The system will try to run a regeneration process for 15 minutes. If unsuccessful, the system will repeat this process for a further 15 minutes, if still unsuccessful, the DPF light on the driver display panel will then be lit. The owners handbook states, the DPF symbol lights up to indicate that the diesel particulate filter has become obstructed with soot due to frequent short trips. When the warning lamp comes on, the driver should drive at a constant speed of at least 60 km/h for about 10 minutes. As a result of the increase in temperature the soot in the filter will be burned off. If the DPF symbol does not go out, the driver should contact an authorised Volkswagen repairer and have the fault rectified. At 55% soot loading the DPF light is lit on driver display panel. At this point the customer should follow the advice in the handbook. If they ignore this information and continue driving the vehicle until the soot loading reaches 75% without successful regeneration, additional warning lamps will light up. At this point the customer will also be complaining of lack of power, etc. At 75%, regeneration is still possible with the use of the VAS tester. Only when the loading is above 95%, is it necessary to replace the DPF unit. Operating Status System Response 45% DPF Load Level 1 Normal Regeneration 50% DPF Load Level 2 Regeneration at maximum exhaust temperatures 55% DPF Load DPF lamp Regeneration from 60 km/h onwards ("See operating manual") 75% DPF Load DPF, SYS and MI lamp Torque limitation, EGR deactivation, Regeneration via VAG tester only 95% DPF Load Replace the DPF Unit The Warranty department has confirmed that if there is no fault on the vehicle and DPF regeneration has been unsuccessful due to the customers driving style and the customers failure to comply with the instructions in the handbook, DPF replacement will not be paid for by warranty. Common causes for complaint • Frequent short journeys – Regeneration conditions are not met. Not recommended for sale in the Channel Islands and inner city driving. • Customers who continue to drive the vehicle with DPF light on – Continued driving with the DPF light on and without successful regeneration results in excessive soot loading of the DPF, to a point where it is above 95% loaded. At this point regeneration is not an option and replacement of the DPF is necessary. • Fault 18434 particle filter bank 1 malfunction – Common fault code. This does not only relate to the DPF itself, but the entire exhaust gas handling system. This can be caused by defective temperature sensors, pressure sensors, additive system components (if applicable), poor connections, wiring issues, etc. Important Information • Before diagnosing a problem vehicle or attempting to perform an emergency regeneration, it is important to obtain a full diagnostic log and read out relevant measured value blocks. These MVB’s contain important information on the condition of the DPF system and are essential in diagnosing the fault. When the DPF light is illuminated, it does not necessarily mean that the DPF requires regeneration. For further advice, please contact Technical Support with the information from the diagnostic log and MVB data. • If a problem vehicle arrives with the DPF light, the engine management light and the emissions light on. If during your diagnosis and reading of relevant MVB’s, you find that the soot loading exceeds 75% (but is still below 95%), an emergency regeneration procedure must be performed with the VAS tester. Further to this, the customer needs to be educated. They need to understand why the lights have appeared on the dash panel. Their attention needs to be brought to the owners handbook instructions, so that they are aware of what the DPF light means and what to do when it appears. This should prevent unnecessary repeat visits for regeneration purposes. I have also found that as the car gets older 30K+ miles, you will notice that the regeneration takes place more often. ALWAYS, check your oil before any long journey, as DPF regeneration can use a fair bit of oil. Some questions and answers that may help; Question: The glow plug symbol is flashing. Why? What should be done? Answer: The DPF regeneration has not been completed during normal driving and now DPF has reached its maximum saturation at which it can still be regenerated. The limit value depends on variant and Model Year, but is in the range of 105% - 125%.Possible causes for this are: a.) Frequent short distance journeys, i.e. high soot loading while at the same time regeneration of the DPF does not take place because the conditions necessary were not fulfilled. b.) Frequent interrupted regenerations, i.e. the engine was switched off during regeneration. Applies to short journey drivers who have at least fulfilled the conditions for triggering regeneration. If the glow plug light flashes, the vehicle a.) Engine running since start for longer than 2 minutes. b.) Calculated saturation higher than 80%. c.) Coolant temperature over 70°C for at least 2 minutes. d.) No DPF-relevant faults stored in system. e.) A defined vehicle speed threshold must have been exceeded (e.g. for >80% loading, 100 km/h) Question: Under what conditions is regeneration interrupted/ended once it has started? Answer: Normally when regeneration has been successfully completed, or: a.) After a maximum regeneration time (20 - 25 min.). b.) If the engine is switched off or has stalled. c.) If the engine is left idling for a long time (5 - 10 min.). d.) If 1000°C is detected by the exhaust temperature sensor. e.) If during regeneration, a fault is detected on the components relevant for combustion (injection/intake system). If a regeneration is interrupted once started but before it has been 50% completed, the glow plug lamp flashes on the next engine start (cold or hot) and regeneration begins again once the operating conditions (see 3) have been fulfilled. Question: How long does complete regeneration take? a.) In the most favourable case? b.) In the least favourable case? Answer: a.) Under constant conditions, i.e. the exhaust temperature necessary for regeneration always lies above the required value, for example during motorway/cross-country driving, the average regeneration time is 10 minutes. b.) Vehicle conditions such as long down-hill descents, frequent driving in the low-load range (city driving, idling) allow the exhaust temperature to fall. If the conditions for triggering regeneration were fulfilled, the active regeneration time can be extended up to 25 minutes (depending on engine type). If complete regeneration is not possible within this period, the regeneration will be interrupted. Question: How does regeneration affect the oil life? Answer: On each regeneration or attempted regeneration, a certain diesel fuel amount is injected into the engine oil which reduces the oil life. If the "INSP" light in the instrument cluster comes on, the engine oil is exhausted and must be changed. Failure to do so could damage the engine.

I've recently bought a car at auction for my son, the car was a finance repossession and didn't come with a registration document or V5/C, when I checked the online status of the car on DVLA it was apparent that I wasn't going to be able to tax it until I get the new V5 which will take a few weeks, if I had the previous keepers postcode I could have taxed it at the post office with the V62, didn't have the postcode though. Can anyone advise me how I would have got around this problem if I had bought this car to trade, if that had been the case and I'd sold the car on would the new owner be able to tax it straight away with a V62, or would they have to wait for the new V5, an a acceptable situation. Thanks

When my workshop gets built next year I'll be getting this http://plasfloor.co.uk/ Not cheap but should be very durable, if you want paint then epoxy paint is the only way to go, any other paint in my experience will lift if a car has been sitting on it for anything more than a few days

What's the fault code, firstly you need to know what fault code you have?

Did you get the fault codes read as a matter of interest? If there was a problem it should have thrown one up, as often as not there's an easy solution which doesn't cost too much, as a general rule as a mechanic when dealing with an auto box problem first read the fault codes, then check the oil level, then change the oil and filter, usually somewhere along that line you'll have sorted the problem if not then you may be looking at big bucks. Your car will likely have a ZF box which is fitted to multiple vehicles not just German cars and not made by Mercedes and they're usually reliable units. "Shitty German shit Grant are you having a laugh, what's reliable then Vauxhall? French shit? American? Made in Birmingham British?

Hi, ex mechanic here though not a Volvo specialist Firstly is your car battery fully charged? It's crazy the amount of faults which can manifest on modern cars with battery's which are slightly discharged. Also check switch on gearbox doesn't have a bad connection, the one that checks that the car is in park mode (assuming it's an auto) if the above fails and you've tried both keys and changed the antenna, sounds like it may be a module. Good luck!