October 2008
hi just purchased a corsa 1.4 merit automatic for about a month it's been great no problems noticed a small amount of liquid under the front bumper did'nt take much notice was using the car all day no problems parked up tonight looke around smoke was coming out of the bonnet and a dirty brown liquid was coming from under the car the coolant tank is empty and the water is running straight thought checked oil that's fine
not sure could this be the inlet manifold or something else plus any idea how much this is going to cost thanks Read more
Two recent problems with my VW TDI and my answer would be no !
When my car was under warranty just over a year ago, it had a new turbo fitted because the old one was overboosting due to sticking variable vanes and a new CV boot because the old one had split.
6 months ago, the same CV joint started making the classic clicking/grinding noises which usually means it's time for a new one. Now I did the replacement myself and on taking the old one off, I found that the "technician" who replaced the boot had not bothered to repack with grease.
I am also guessing that he probably did not bother to clean it either before wacking on the new boot, so thats probably why the joint failed in the first place.
Over a period of weeks, the cars performance had steadily been getting worse until it got to the point where there was no boost and the car would not pull at all. I only noticed this because
my wife usually drives the car but we had to drive to the airport to collect my daughter and I noticed straight away but my wife just said " I thought it was not driving right "
Anyway, loath to take it to the dealer, a bit of detective work on the internet suggested that the fault would probably be a leaking vacuum pipe somewhere, leading to none operation of the turbo.
Imagine my joy when feeling at the back of the engine at the pipe the went to the turbo actuator, to find a big hole. Replaced the pipe and it now pulls like the proverbial train again.
Imagine my dismay when I realised that the reason the pipe had a hole in it was because it had not been clipped into place, in clips provided for that purpose and had been left hanging loose causing it to chaff and ultimately fail.
So two repairs done under warranty not done correctly meaning more work was necessary at a later date.
Is this just incompetence or a subtle way to get more work later on.
A letter of complaint to the dealer has not had a reply as yet.
{Made non make/model specific as could apply to all dealers, and not just VW} Read more
I'm sure you are right, Snail - it would be daft to suggest that all VW dealers are useless or that all Saab ones are great. Most franchised dealers have high overheads, which means their hour-rates are eye-wateringly high, so maybe they cut corners or use poorly trained staff to get the jobs done for a 'reasonable' price - and then there won't be much slack, which may explain why dipsticks are left on the scuttle, etc. They may even send a car round the corner for simple servicing.
Go to a respected indie you can trust. Warranty upkeep doesn't seem to be a constraint any more.
hi there, Can somebodygive me an advice regarding the ford cmax?a week ago I bought a used Ford cmax1.6 Lx TDCi diesel auto,,its a fine car, but theres problem? it dodge everytime it shift a high gear, the worse thing is i see warning sign that says engine failure,then the car will no longer go faster even with high rev?? Its really a pain so can you please help me....Is it a major engine problem? will it cost me a lot of £? where can i service my car? how can i save £? thaks!!! Read more
>>a week ago I bought>>
If from a trader or dealer take it back!
If a private purchase then does it have outstanding manufacturers warranty?
Otherwise I would still be inclined to get it diagnosed by a Ford dealer, because it is relatively new and if there is anything seriously wrong they may be able to obtain a goodwill gesture from Ford even if the warranty has expired.
Several months ago a friend of mine wanted to sell her '55 RAV4 XTR 5 Dr 2.0 diesel privately@£8k She had no buyers, and is now in a position where she really needs something more powerful to tow a single horsebox. The current mileage is 58k...av. condition. If she puts it into the BCA SureSell auction, can anyone give a 'very' approximate figure as to what it might sell for? I suggested £6k as per the Vauxhall website. All proceeds go towards a tow vehicle. She is thinking of a Disco, but I am sure that BR's can suggest alternatives.... Read more
Didn't someone post on here that a RAV4 exhaust is about £1200 as they only are a 'Toyota' part? Or did I read that wrong?
Hi, I bought a Peugeot 308 year of manufacture 2007 a couple of weeks back and only had a spare key delivered today. I tried to use the remote smart key functions but nothing happened. The key does open the door locks when opening them manually but on trying to turn the ignition with it an error message pops up saying "Electronic Error" and nothing happens, i.e. car doesn't start.
I attempted synchronisation but still nothing has changed.
Is the key faulty? Could it possibly belong to another car? Help!
Been waiting for this spare key for so long that it's incredible that it shouldn't work now that I finally have it! Read more
The key's chip code will need entering into the key list stored in the BSI.
Dealer, auto-locksmith, or very well equipped garage needed.
I was taught to (were possible) stop far enough back from the car in front so that I could just see where the tyres touched the ground, is this something other drivers do or am I just on my own?
I ask because I seem to increasingly be the victim of the 'static' tailgater, where the driver behind me stops so closely that I feel under pressure to move forward into my safety zone. Read more
I do not react to static tailgaters in any way, shape or form.
I do not roll back when starting on a hill, ever (partly as a result of not sitting at the lights with my right foot on the brake!!!). If someone else hits me, tough.
With the current economic climate encorageing people to be more frugal, many are taking the opportunity to downsize into superminis in the hope of saving a few quid at the pumps and future-proofing themselves against rising VED.
My question is, are the lower running costs worth the sacrifice?
With the dubious honour of having driven a variety of modern superminis, I can report that the answer, in my opinion, is no!
In comparison to a mid-spec Focus or Astra, they were crude, noisy, uncomfortable, slow, poorly equipped, depressing to drive and unsafe.
For anyone doing an average mileage in mixed conditions, small cars are best left alone. They only make sense as low-mileage, second-car runarounds or as a stepping stone for the marginal motorist. Read more
Must be honest, after my experiences with Yarises (Yari?) I've been wondering the same thing. Simply too cheap and too compromised by the looks of things.
A decent 2 year old Focus is probably the right answer.
I remember there being a lot of outrage about this and hints that the government would review the matter in the autumn, possbly reviewing the unfair retrospective measures but have heard nothing more on the subject. Does this mean that it is going ahead and that we in this country are just going to roll over and accept it like always. I think it could prove crippling for people with older, larger cars, particularly in the current economic climate. Read more
It's funny you should ask, I think it has been quietly watered down.
They seem to have inserted some "registered after xxx 2006" dates on the VED GOV website which I'm sure were 2001 before, or maybe looking again they just made it more confusing.
Hi,
Wondered if anyone can help me.... On a 106 with tapered rear wheel bearings is the bearing surface machined into the hub or is it part of the replacement kit and has to be pressed in?
If it does have to be pressed in, is this difficult / impossible to do yourself?
Thanks.
Read more
Rear wheel bearings are easy. Remove aluminium cover on centre of drum.
Remove drum.
There is a bearing retaining circlip holding in the bearings.. best to remove with circlip pliers.
Remove oil seal. Press or drive out bearings from hub. Press in new bearings and new oil seal. Replace circlip.
Haynes is good on thos...
I had no problems yesterday but I asked my dad to start my car this morning but he couldn't get the door open. I have since worked out the engine has to be running before it can open, if the engine is not running the door also locks itself when you close it,.
I can live with this it is a fairly minor problem, I assume its that the lock is not reading the code on the keys and thus thinks its a robber trying any old Ford key, but when the engine is running it knows I am not a robber and opens the locks.
Is there any easy way to fix this? I don't mind taking the door card off but I don't want to imbolise the car completly if I do something wrong.
I have tried 3 different keys.
I suspect my dad might have tried opening the door with the wrong key to cause this. Read more
There is no central locking on it its a base spec Encore spec.
Hi,
From the way you described the fault in the 1st post, i assumed(wrongly) that the car had central locking. Apologies.
The door lock barrell and possibly the key also, will be worn.. This lock is designed that it will lock using ANY key, but will only unlock with the correct key.
The internals of the lock wear out, but as suggested by someone earlier you could try and lubricate it to try and fix it.. but in my experience, i doubt it will work.
A new lock kit can be purchased from a dealer but you will have to build it up to suit the key.. Which is a tricky job.
Best bet on a car this age, if you don't mind having two seperate keys is substitute the lock for a working barrell and key from a scrappy.
Browse
"smoke" is possibly steam (looks steamier in cold autumn air) from pinhole in a pipe or radiator as suggested.