November 2007
I was looking at the "What Car?" website. (I know, I know.)
I looked at what they had to say about the Subaru Imprezza and the Peugeot 207.
For "Quality & Reliability", they gave the Imprezza 2 stars and the Peugeot 207 5 stars.
It seems to me that all those marks are being given for perceived quality rather than expected reliability. If someone took a quick glance at the number of stars awarded in an effort to guess the likely reliability of the car, they would, I would venture to guess, be seriously misled.
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Are there any regular auction goers that can give an estimate on this:
Peugeot 206 1.1 Look, Nov 2001, 37K MILES, 5 door silver. Entered as a main dealer part exchange. Mot June. Looks ok, consistant with mileage.
Maybe prices may have diipped in the last couple of week with XMAS coming and a credit crunch? Read more
Book price is £2750-£2450.
Cute article in the German papers today. Apparently in order to save money, the 1 star generals P4 car rating was scrapped in favour of the "lower" P3 band. P4 meant Audi A4 or VW Passat while P3 meant BMW 3 series, Mondeo or Vectra. I have difficulty seeing the difference here - is an A4 more of a status symbol than a 3 series? How is a Passat better than a Vectra? Anyway, the bean counters decided that the expected savings involved were too small and the whole idea has been scrapped. Read more
"MercedesBenz have fixed up their act. "
Not judging by the complaints they haven't warrant claims are just the same only difference is that agents have been given more money to spend on claims.
Does anyone know whether as part of the Renault Megane II's facelift in 2006 any electrical components were changed? i.e. can you now expect more reliability out of the model? I only ask as the new Clio seems to be quite reliable - I know of three people with one and none have had a problem, yet Megane's are renowned for trouble.
I am considering an early facelift model to replace my Focus II, as I've always liked the styling and interior, but the unreliability reports have always made me somewhat weary.
{Header changed to include question being asked} Read more
Apparently they modified the window regulators on the Phase 2 Megane. These are fitted to Phase 1's when they break. I've had two go on mine - a 2003 model. Seems to be quite a common problem.
I have a 2000MY 306 Meridian which has a VDO instrument pack with digital odometer. The backlight has failed on the digital odometer display so although the numbers are still being displayed it is very very difficult to read (impossible while driving). Does anyone know, is this repairable ? Read more
More than likely you just need to remove the speedo assembly and replace the relevant backlight bulb for the odometer.
I sold my 1998 Vauxhall Vectra, 2ltr SRi (118k) on Saturday for £650.
I've just had a phone call from the buyer saying that the engine blew on him while driving along the motorway.
I've never had any major problems with the car, it never used oil or water while I had it.
As I understand it, in any private sale the car is Sold As Seen but the guy seemed like a nice enough bloke and putting myself in his shoes I feel really bad.
What should I do? Read more
HLyon - stop and think for a minute. Why did he buy a car from you rather than go to a dealer? He would also have been aware that he didn't buy a warranty or a '30 day money back guarantee' or whatever. You as a private individual sold a car. He, as a private individual bought a car. You have no idea what happened to that car as soon as it was out of your sight; his four teenage nephews could have borrowed it for drag racing; it might have been stolen for 'joy-riding' and recovered same day; etc etc. You have no further obligation. End of story.
My 2000 Nissan Almera 1.5 had it's engine management light pop up the other day. So I pulled in at the side and rang the AA. The chap pulled up the engine diagnostics and it turned out to be an emissions oxygen sensor for the catalytic converter ( I think). The lad said it'll be fine as long as it's running ok then carry on your journey, but the light will probably come back on again (which it did). Now it's running perfectly well, just with the engine light on all the time. I just wanted to know, how important is the sensor in the grand scheme of things ? The engine's running normal, so is it just one of those things I can get sorted at the next service interval ?? Cheers Read more
It doesn't have to be the sensor to registra as a sensor. Its would be advisable to have it checked out. The AFM could be failing & triggering a sensor fault. Chains also wear triggering off emission related faults or cam & crank sensor errors.
Take it to someone that knows & don't leave it as it will end up costing more.
Doc
My lad's got a 1998 1.25 Zetec Fiesta. When inside the car, he can lock all the doors by pushing in the lock. but it won't unlock when he wants to exit the car. He has to use the remote control key fob. Any ideas?
Thanks. Read more
LDV helps AA sort mis-fuelling
van maker LDV says it has just delivered 13 specially liveried 3.2 tonne Maxus vans to the AA to help the roadside assistance firm fix its customers mis-fuelling problems. Each van has Sortimo racking and a Whale-supplied 330 litre tank so that a car, typically a diesel filled with petrol, can have its tank safely drained. The AA says its research shows that 150, 000 motorists a year get it wrong and need fuel systems drained.
sign of the times eh.......... Read more
SNIP - if you wish to advertise, then visit
www.honestjohn.co.uk/advertise/ads.htm
hi can anybody help me??
i have a vaxhaul vectra 2.0l ls estate, it drives great around town and short distances but if i drive more than 2 hours i get a bad misfire not a constant one every 5 to 10 seconds or so the rev counter flicks up to around 5000 rpm it misfires then is ok then dose it again .
if i switch the ignition off for a few seconds then back on its cured for another 2 hours
what could it be
my ecu light isnt working so dont know if im getting a problem registered
can anyone help please
Dave
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Dave
It shouldn't; but with Vauxhall, I'll never say never....
A code-read might show something useful.
Browse
Jap cars arent that great
1982- My Chrysler alpine was reliable but everything fell off it (engine fell out) & rust
1984- My Vauxhall cavalier sportshatch was reliable and nothing fell off
1987- My Lancia HPE was unreliable and things fell off (ceiling fell on me)
1989- My Daihatsu charade was reliable and nothing broke or fell off
1992- My Belmont sri was reliable and nothing much fell off, it just rusted
2000- My Mondeo was reliable but bits fell off
2002- My wifes Clio was totally unreliable but nothing fell off
2003- My Vectra was totally unreliable and things fell off
2004- My Mazda 6 from new was reliable but things squeeked
2005- My wifes Hyundai is reliable but not quality.........
2007- My Lexus has had new rear shocks,new front shocks,new ball joints,new clutch,new flywheel...and im kidding myself that this is quality :-)