gregozedobe

I'm sure I read somewhere that a tune (not sure if it was ECU or TCU) claimed to "have better thermal management" than the stock (OEM) tune which hints at changing temps somehow.

Does the engine start when you hold the key near the steering column and press the start button ? That would show that the car recognises the immobiliser chip in the key. IIRC there are a few descriptions on-line on how to re-sync a key to a car without using VCDS or OBD11, maybe they have a clearer instruction set than the owner's manual (which can be a bit cryptic at times). A search may find something useful/helpful (anything to avoid going to a stealer )

Is the red LED on the key illuminating when you press a button ? If not the battery may be flat (or the wrong way round).

I get good fuel economy for 90-95% of my driving (I want to keep my licence intact), but for the rest of the time fun takes priority

Some things that will help: - Avoid short trips (cold engines get lousy fuel economy) - Gentle hwy cruising (especially if 7 speed DSG 'box) - Avoid heavy, stop/start traffic where possible - Not having too much fun with accelerator pedal - Anticipation (eg easing off throttle when approaching a red light rather than slamming brakes on at the last minute)

Sorry, never heard of this one before. Can you switch from mpg to Litres/100km and see if anything changes ?

The rubber boots for the wires going between the body and the rear hatch are another common culprit. Especially if anyone has been fiddling around with wiring for a reversing camera or rear dashcam. The plastic retaining clips are easy to break or dislodge.

Sounds like Count D was spot on with his suggestion: "The traction light issue is because of the difference in rolling radius of the tyres, the traction control uses the ABS sensors to monitor difference in wheel speed across axels and because the 255 tyres have a larger rolling radius it thinks the wheels are slipping "

Unfortunately the Mk7/7.5 roof rails are fixed from underneath, so you will need to remove the trim (roof lining etc) to get access to the bolt/s holding the roof rail on.

OK, my next suggestion is to run the air con all the time, as it will remove moisture from the cabin. Just adjust the temp to suit. I run my air con all the time and get no internal condensation.

That makes me wonder whether you have a water leak somewhere. Common areas on Golfs are sunroof drains, speaker seals, air vents (behind rear bumper), rubber boots for wiring into hatch, o ring on drain for reversing camera. Look for damp/wet areas underneath floor mats, spare tyre etc as that can help you identifying the source of the leak,

Does anyone eat in the car, have dirty clothes, messy loads or dirty animals ? Do you get a lot of condensation on cool damp days ?

Another tip to reduce adding swirls when washing a car is to frequently agitate your wash mitt (to remove any nasty particles) and always have lots of shampoo on it to provide a lubricant when applying it to the bodywork. This is particularly important when working on the dirtier bottom half of the body. I'm sure most of you know this already, but this advice may help a few...

IIRC the Audi RS3 has a staggered wheel/tyre setup as an option, but in this case they run the wider tyre on the front, not the back. Presumably Audi believe more traction is needed on the front axle, not the rear.

Sunroof drain, rear air vent (behind bumper), rubber boots for wiring to hatch ?