stevenb

Alas the car is now fixed and totally spot on. I'm collecting it in the morning. The oil dribble was from an old oil filter gasket that had dropped down in the engine bay. This must have been done by the previous garage when it was serviced as I did my 1st oil change a month back. Oh well. It was the wrong colour to be gearbox oil too....which was the give away....plus the gearbox level was checked and was spot on. The inner steering rack part has been replaced along with both nearside and offside parts and 4 wheel alignment. £335 later and it's sorted. Thank goodness I spotted it when I did. Looking forward to happy trouble free motoring from now on.

Hi mate. I popped down to the garage today and saw the car in the air. I was shown the part that was wrong and which needed replacing. Anyhow. The car being in the air I had a look underneath. I seem to have a leak from somewhere. It's not the engine. I wonder if the gearbox has a knackered gasket somewhere between the engine and the gearbox or driveshaft as it appears to be leaking from the nearside drive shaft although I can't be sure. The garage said they'd check the gearbox oil level for me. So this'll now cost me potentially a shed load more money.

Had a call from the garage. The steering rack will not require replacing as it happens. The nearside inner track rod ends are worn. I will be getting both sides done though as the steering coloumn is off the car and it makes sense to have both sides even. The car also needs 4 wheel alignment now. However the garage were kind enough to tell me this. The bad news is that I won't get my car back until Monday pm. The better news is that the total bill comes to £335 and not £400. I opted to get both sides done...otherwise it would have been cheaper. The bearings are fine. I checked them and I've had two different garages check them too...so that's some concolation. I think what caused it was a blow to the nearside front wheel. I was told the car had hit a bollard and I was ok with that as there was only minor bodywork scuffs to the front bumper.....not that bad really.....but I reckon the wheel had hit a kerb....possibly not from the wheels that are on the car.......but anyway....at least it's getting sorted...slightly cheaper.

I know I'm replying to myself but I'm real miffed. It turns out that the steering column has a worn ball and knuckle joint on the Nearside. It means a new steering rack. £220+VAT for the rack. Labour on top.....£400 all in. There goes my insurance money plus the money to get my bike suspension sorted. I need to get it done. I'm a bit angry as I feel that the previous owner caused this problem.....but I know there is nowt I can do about it 6000 miles later. Next time I buy private I'm paying out £100 for the RAC inspection. Oh well...I suppose if i don't get it done now the whole lot will go kaput.

After taking my car to have tracking done and checking for play in the NSF wheel, I was told there was no point in him carrying out tracking work as my car has excessive play on the nearside front steering rack setup thingy. Damn it. I bet I know what caused this.....but I can't prove it. Anyone know any good independent specialists in and around Beds and Bucks? And I've just blown a load of money on a new suspension fork for my mountian bike.......gulp. cheers all Steve

Nice one. No matter what car I've ever had I've always been apprehensive when it's MOT time. I've only ever had 1 failure and that was a rear caliper on an MR2 mk1 and I got it fixed and re-tested within 2 hours.

I've done many jobs. Guillotine Operator. Driving various warehouse trucks. Statistical admin Incident Planner for ICT company. Customer Services agent. Police Officer....yep....for real. Now I work in Property Management. Have been approached by a financial company for 2 possible jobs...for which I have an interview this Friday. Will see what's on offer.....other than the company Merc.

All, I have a whirring sound coming from the front of the car that increases in loudness with the speed of the car. It's exactly the same sound I had on my Celica GT4 when my rear diff needed changing but I know it's not this with the Arosa. My car has done nearly 76k so maybe it's the wheel bearing..... Do these cars have any known gearbox problems.....I ask as the noise is the sort of noise a gearbox/diff would make.....but who knows with sounds.... Any help appreciated. regards Steve

Is your car running bad due to the mapping or something else? Kinda put's me off mapping all when all these claimed figures don't live up to their real life figures.

Perhaps the bat had just got back from a KitKat advert audition.... ...I'll get my coat....

lol....lovely car....shame his description doesn't do the car justice.

They look very nice. Go for them.

Have you fitted a cold air feed pipe to get the air sucked up to the filter better? Cheers for the pic. Steve

Cool. I had a BMC carbon air intake on my old Honda Prelude 2.2 VTEC. The induction kit sounds good too. Have you had any idling problems or hesitancy on pick-up when accelerating? Can you also advise part number of the Pipercross filter and where they can be bought from. Thanks loads. Steve

Hi all, I was just wondering which air filters have been the most effective for peoples Arosa 1.4 TDi's. I have a 2002 TDI S and would be interested in upgrading the air filter. I have done a quick search but only found 'Green' offering a panel filter for my car. Would this panel filter make any noticeable difference? I think a custom exhaust would be a better option if I choose to upgrade over the stock one as I'd like to use the same OE tailpipe exit. Thoughts and opinions welcome. regards Steve

Cheers for the opinions guys. I suppose CNL offer a convenient service in that they come to you...rather than you going to them. I'm skint at the moment so won't be having any mapping done in the near future but if anyone does use CNL in the meantime then their feedback would of course be much appreciated. cheers Steve

Sorry I mis-typed. It's 250lb ft of torque. 100bhp. I quoted figures from Vagtech in Leighton Buzzard for a Revo remap. He does all diesel Seats as per the 'Products' link. Seat Arosa stats: 1.4 TDI Bosch EDC15 Stock = 75bhp and 195lb ft(this should read 145lb ft) after remap 100bhp and 250lb ft. This seems pretty good for £300 considering the prices elsewhere.

All, CNL Remapping can offer a remapping service at your door. I have had a very informative chat with Colin at CNL and discussed the work involved in the mapping. Colin is based in Rugby which is pretty central to many places. Here is a link to the website: http://www.cnlremapping.co.uk/ The details on the website may appear like most others. Various claims are made for bhp and torque figures for different models. Colin advised that he would be able to remap Arosa's and Lupo's easily and the figures he stated are quite acceptable. He believes 96-100bhp can be obtained and a hefty torque increase to 190+lb ft. He advised as other companies would that the mpg is slightly improved. Of course he appreciates that no two cars are the same in terms of equal power and tuning abilities so each car is tuned to it's individual requirements. there is no rolling road involved so this may not appeal to some people. The very moddest pricing £300 (for him to attend to your place or work or home) would indicate that he is pretty darn competitive. He will remap two cars in one visit with a £25 per car discount i.e. £275 each. He advised he can tend to a maximum of 5 - 6 cars in one day (no more than this as each car takes approx 1 hour). Cloin advised the mapping program is retained should we ever require the car to be returned to normal spec. I'm not sure if people have had any experience with Colin's mapping services....if so then opinions would be appreciated. I am interested in a remap so if others are interested then we can arrange a mini-mapping-meet. I have searched on this forum and browsed the mapping threads and found them informative. I hope this is of help to people and I would appreciate advise. kind regards Steve

I checked my brake fluid and it seems fine. Nice colour and no bits in it. I will change it in approx 6 months or so....more for peace of mind than nessesity.

Here is my guide for the oil and filter change for a 1.4 TDI S. Arosa 1.4 TDi S oil and filter change Tools 1 x 10mm socket 3/8 or 1/2 drive. 1 x 19mm socket 3/8 or 1/2 drive. Trolley jack and chock/s. 1 x stilson (if you don't have the oil filter cap tool). Gloves (dirty diesel oil is minging!!!!!) A rag or two to mop up fluids and wipe off the dirt etc... Jack up the car (remember to chock the wheels!) enough to gain access to 2 x 10mm bolts which are holding on the plastic under tray. Remove these 2 bolts. Slide the tray towards the back of the car and pull downwards. Make a note of where the grooves interlock when removing the tray. The engine sump bolt is facing towards the rear of the car. Sump bolt is a 19mm threaded bolt with washer. Loosen and remove bolt, have drain bowl/tray ready to catch oil. Make sure oil filler cap is removed to allow better air flow. Remember to lower the car to allow the oil to drain as much as possible. Remove the Seat engine plastic cover and place the dipstick to one side. Once the oil has drained remove the oil filter cap. Use a stilson to gently loosen off the cap if you haven't got the correct tool. Unscrew the cap and remove the rubber seal ring at the top of the thread. Make a note of how tight the cap is. 25nm is required but if it's over tightened it could crack! Clean it up and refit the new rubber seal ring. Remove the old oil filter and pop the new one into the cap. It should loosely clip into place. Screw the cap back on and torque it up gently (25nm) using the stilson. Jack up the car to refit the sump plug bolt (with washer). Leave the plastic tray off for a moment. This will allow you to check for any leaks when refilling with new oil. Refill the oil with 3 x 1 litre sized amounts and then check the level after the oil has settled for a few minutes. Top up oil accordingly to bring the level up to the max level on the indicator stick. When satisfied with the level start the engine (don't rev it!) and let it idle for 2-3 minutes. Turn the engine off and leave to settle. Lower the car refit the plastic tray (providing you have no leaks and refit the 2 x 10mm bolts. This is a good time to let the oil settle again before checking the level again. Lower the car. Refit the Seat plastic engine cover. Check oil level and top up accordingly. You should expect to put in 4-4.3 litres...no more than that though otherwise it'll mean something is wrong! Take the car for a slow gentle drive to allow the oil to fully circulate the engine. Leave the car to settle for 30 mins or so before checking the oil level again. Frequent checks are important when changing the oil as if you do have a problem it's better to find out while your working on the car rather than the next morning when you have to go to work! Of course if you have access to a Hydraulic lift or a Pit then it makes things much easier! Dispose of your oil correctly. Your local Tip should have oil containers.

oh...there is one there mate..... I carried out the work today...all hunky dory. The only stupid thing I did was to pull out the plastic clips that hold the tray lining in place...DOH! Oh well. Will fit some small 10mm stainless bolts and washers instead next oil change. I have two broken clips at the front too....just where the plastic joins the front bumper. Again I'll change them for stainless bolts next time. I have written an oil change guide if anyone is interested in me posting it on here. Simple I know but it's amazing how many people are put off by an oil change.....they really are simple...No big muscles need etc.

I had a quick glance under the car. I could not see the sump plug. Do I have o remove any plastic under trays at all? Or did I miss it sticking out like a sore thumb? style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":lol:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> The oil filter looks nice and straight forward. style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":shades:" border="0" alt="shades.gif" /> Cheers in advance Steve

It seems that he was just a run of the mill sales guy who's clued up about his commission and customers taking out finance plans...but when it comes to car knowledge...then they are seemingly hopeless at times. I'd never buy a car from a main stealer. I don't have the time for them. lol

Sounds good mate. SEAT filter it is then......will enquire about oil but if too much money will get some after-market oil instead. style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> Thanks for your assistance. style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Ok cool. Is the oil filter easy to change then? Can you change it from opening the bonnet or do i need to get underneath the car? I'm sure the cylindrical filter looking shape I can see is the oil filter...but wanna check first. LOL I'd buy the oil filter from a SEAT dealership and use genuine parts....might even buy my oil from the dealership...sometimes they are very cheap to supply stuff like that.