Project Papaya (CS)

Took the A2 out for a quick spin as it has been sat for a while, now sporting a set of rear blinds, what a difference they make, awesome accessory!

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Looking exceptionally nice; great colour combination and the choice of wheels compliments the bodywork lovely IMHO.

mrbroons said:
Took the A2 out for a quick spin as it has been sat for a while, now sporting a set of rear blinds, what a difference they make, awesome accessory!
Click to expand...
 
Very kind there sir. Long way to go to become a daily driver, but getting there bit by bit. It is every bit as good as I hoped it would be and more and I'm not even upset it is a 1.4P as it is whisper quiet and a totally different (not better, equally good but in a different way) driving experience to the TDi I had previously. :)
 
And every bit as satisfying to drive; as is my FSI when I compare it to my former remapped TDI. There is definitely something special about these little cars; power plant or trim aside. Great to have a project and so rewarding to see the effects of minor and major modifications or upgrades and the cumulative effect of them all as the car comes together. Thumbs up for the purchase and work to-date.
 
Pepperpots are nice but I would keep them as witer wheels. I prefer your original 16" 6-spokes...
Nice colour BTW !! Papaya CS is my favourite one. Only saw 2 in the flesh.
 
The 16" will go away for a refurb and some decent tyres soon money permitting. Saw a Sprint CS in Edinburgh this morning and got a nice wave on the way passed. If you are on the forum "Hello!"
 
Got some deliveries today so will be spending some time this weekend trying them out on the windscreen and lights.

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Due to a few inconsistent potential battery VCDS scan related issues and a quick look of the pre start, post start and under load Volts reading across the battery I took the leap and replaced the battery today, hopefully this will help get rid of the anomalies or point at the alternator or alternator belt as the next place to head, more investigation required potentially, time will tell. The battery now sits at 14.2v when under no load and engine at idle, which I believe is where it needs to be so definitely an improvement.
 
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Well starting with the good the car has now had Oil and Filter change and engine flush, air filter, cabin filter, 4 shocks fitted (thank your Freakyeke!), new rear parking sensor (what a racket it makes when one fails - at least VAG-COM lets you turn it down and change the pitch to make it less annoying) and a brand new alternator. So this was the end of the dreaded alternator light on at startup until you blipped the throttle, something that I could have easily lived with, however I had a feeling it was causing other problems with low voltage/charging throughout the car and so had to be gotten out of the way.

Now the bad. I was due to start off at 6:30am this morning to head down to the Saltaire social and the above was going to be the final part of the jigsaw to allow that to happen and get there and back. Unfortunately this morning everything was going well for only 2 miles until the EML/EPC light came on and I lost most of the raging 75 horses that I had to play with. I had this happen on the trip home with the car when I purchased it and it wasn't fun at all as for the remainder of the journey I was in constant fear of total shut down. So today (and this is not like me) I pragmatically decided to not push on further and to turn back, I'm not a happy bunny to say the least but this will spur me on to get to the bottom of this and eradicate it for good. I hope everyone has a great day today and I hope to be able to get to another event in the near future and meet all you fine folks.

So on the ugly. Due to all the shenanigans with the oily side of the car I had neglected the cosmetics somewhat (even the basics) so I took the seats out yesterday and was appalled (easily done) by the detritus that rattling around in the bilge. What a disgrace but I suspect probably par for the course with children and normal life. Needless to say we have had a good hoover and steam clean but more work is required, it was satisfying to see the end result. Unfortunately I didn't take photos but let your imaginations go wild! :eek:

So today it will be time to get the car back on VAG-COM and get some more diags from it. Watch this space!
 
Now very confused. I have completed a scan and the only thing that is coming up (apart from problems with the front window motors - they work fine but reporting an error bizarrely) is that the brake light switch may be faulty:

1 Fault Found:
16955 - Brake Switch (F)
P0571 - 35-00 - Implausible Signal
Readiness: 0000 0000

So how on earth could this cause the loss of power and poor running, totally confused :confused:
 
mrbroons said:
Now very confused. I have completed a scan and the only thing that is coming up (apart from problems with the front window motors - they work fine but reporting an error bizarrely) is that the brake light switch may be faulty:

1 Fault Found:
16955 - Brake Switch (F)
P0571 - 35-00 - Implausible Signal
Readiness: 0000 0000

So how on earth could this cause the loss of power and poor running, totally confused :confused:
Click to expand...

If the brake switch fails (a common problem) or if both brake light bulbs have blown, you will get lots of errors showing on the dash. Including the EML light and even that glow plug light asometimes

This is because the system uses the power drain from the bulbs to know that the brake has been applied and it needs that for ABS to work properly.

So please check both bulbs and if they are blown, replacing them will resolve that issue.
But if they are OK and your brake lights are not working (or working intermittently) you will need a new brake light switch (not expensive and not a tricky job to DIY)

So check your brake lights ASAP

Steve B
 
Thanks Birchall, I check them pretty much every evening as it goes in the garage and I can see lights in the mirror as I reverse in, the issue is intermittent so I'm guessing that it is the switch rather than bulbs, however I will check just now to make certain. Odd thing was the car came with a brake light switch in the glove box but I cannot confirm if it was replaced or not as it was unwrapped, mmmm, maybe best to order another and try again.
 
mrbroons said:
Thanks Birchall, I check them pretty much every evening as it goes in the garage and I can see lights in the mirror as I reverse in, the issue is intermittent so I'm guessing that it is the switch rather than bulbs, however I will check just now to make certain. Odd thing was the car came with a brake light switch in the glove box but I cannot confirm if it was replaced or not as it was unwrapped, mmmm, maybe best to order another and try again.
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Before buying another one, try the following.

Locate the switch (just above the clutch pedal) depress the brake pedal (Get someone to do that for you) and while it is depressed try to pull the plunger further out than it is. When you released the pedal it will then reset the length correctly.

It is a long shot but might help?

Or swap it for the one you have and see how it goes with that in.

Steve
 
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A shame you couldn't make the social today. Hope you manage to resolve the issue and in doing so it is a cheap fix. Best of luck.

Re: the unexpected grime; sounds like a job well done and a rewarding one at that. The joys of the used car market. ;)
 
Ok. Definitely the brake switch. Tested again tonight and not working as it should. Day off tomorrow so will get this fixed and then move onto a throttle body cleanup and reset. Thanks for the help with this one. Are these brake switches made of chocolate or something????
 
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