cliffcoggin

Fair enough. It does seem that LEDs are brighter.

I am curious to know why you want to do that?

I have feeling that the discussion of viscosities etc. is a red herring in this instance, and that there is an underlying problem that has not been solved. Let me explain. The oil pump should be capable of creating much more pressure than is required by the engine in order that the pressure is adequate at idling speed, no matter what viscosity of oil is used, any excess pressure as the engine speed rises being bled off by a pressure relief valve to maintain a more or less constant pressure in the oil galleries. In this case the pressure is not high enough to prevent the warning light show

Not necessarily all the time, however smoking is always worse when the engine is working hard. A dense cloud of black smoke is not the result of removing the EGR alone, something else is wrong. Perhaps the injectors, perhaps engine wear, perhaps the remapping, but whatever the cause its sounds as if it will fail an MOT because of the emissions so you need to resolve it. My natural cynicism would make me suspicious of any engine that had been modified in the way yours has. I suggest you get it tested and hope the solution is not expensive.

Blue smoke is a sign of oil burning, usually because the rings/bores are worn. Does it smoke under hard acceleration? Erratic idling may be part of the same problem if the engine is clapped out and has lost compression, or it may be unrelated.

Fair enough, it must be something else. The advice from your garage is utter nonsense. Soot can not be created or deposited in a non running engine.

A faulty battery can cause those sort of problems, even if the alternator is putting out a good current. Is the engine turning slowly when cranking the starter? Do you have to keep the battery topped up on a mains charger? Is the acid level up to the mark?

James. If these 13-15 year old cars you are looking at are still running I'd say they have all proven their reliability. How long are you expecting your purchase to keep going? Personally I can vouch for my own 2007 2.0 TDI, but then I have zero experience of other engines for comparison, so don't rely on my opinion.

Good day Kevin. Bearing in mind that I know nothing about audio, the only the thing I can imagine that would interfere with radio but not disc player would be the aerial. Perhaps check the connection at the back of the set to start with.

I think I recall somebody solving that problem a year or two back. Have you looked through old posts of this forum?

For clarification Martin, is the juddering when you are slipping the clutch, during take off for example, or when it is fully engaged? If the former I agree with Gareth; if the latter something else is wrong.

What engine? What fuel? What transmission? Give us a clue Martin.

Well I could see no picture in the video, there was only a faint sound; and telling me the smoke looks like vaping means nothing to me. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, such as coolant loss, sooty plugs, blue colour in the smoke, or a road test, I would go with the garage assessment of steam condensing in cold air. (Water is a product of the combustion process.) Sorry Will, but you have not convinced there is anything wrong. Can you supply any other information?

Revving the engine whilst parked outside your house is not the same as accelerating hard. Take it to a suitable road where you can accelerate with your foot to the floor for at least five seconds, and report the smoke appearance. You have not mentioned any garage until now. Tell us more.

If you can see the smoke it must have a colour. Describe it.