January 2009
One tyre on our Honda Jazz has a nail in it which is very close to the edge of the tread, therefore the tyre fitter may not be able to repair it.
The tyres all still have 5mm of tread (I swap them round, so fronts and rears are equally worn).
As the car does a low mileage I plan to just replace the punctured tyre with one of the same make.
Would others on the forum do this? Read more
I own a 2000 Audi A6 2.4 SE Avant which is great for 364 days a year, but then I have to take it to the garage. I know I have to stomach the expense and have to sort out insurance and tax in the next month, and need to get it serviced and MOTd now. Money is too tight to mention (couldn't really afford the car, but have never been able to afford to change it as I need it pretty much every day, and never had the cash to be able to facilitate such an operation). Been scrimping and saving (and stressing) since the end of the summer in order to afford to get it all done ? let's just say there was no Christmas for me! Well, last week the time came and I took it to a new garage (after the feeling that my previous one had been ripping me off), hoping for everything to be straightforward, although not necessarily expecting it to be so. Diagnostic and MOT first and the news was bad; words like 'catastrophic' and 'uneconomical to repair' were not what I wanted to hear. The most sickening thing about this was that almost all the things that caused the 'fail' were work that had been, supposedly, done the previous year. Now I don't know what to do and the panic is setting in. I hope someone on the site (which has always been a place I've come for honest advice from John) can help confirm what I believe and maybe give some advice on where I go from here.
I want to give the full history of work done/not done as I think it tells it's own story, but for those who don't want to read all that, the basic questions are:
Should a track rod fail only 3600 miles after being replaced?
Should a CV gaiter fail after less than 6000 miles?
Should my rear brake pads come up for an advisory (wearing thin) after 9000 miles?
Now, for those of you with the time and interest to read, here is the history (I think it says a lot!):
August 2006 109,625 miles went to my local garage to do the work after finding out that gaiters, track rods, etc. needed to be done. Left a note with the garage as comprehensive as someone without all the lingo could manage (bearing in mind I see the front end as a single entity!):
'Front suspension rebuild (shocks don't need replacing though), so all tracking arms/wishbones, bushes plus all other ancillary bits needed for build. Front left CV joint. Rear discs and pads.'
Aside from servicing, MOT, etc., bill ended up as follows:
To replace rear brake discs and pads £185
To replace 1 x CV boot £120
To replace 1 x track rod end £113.50
Total bill £723
Next visit January 2008, less than 6k miles later and another MOT fail, reasons being:
Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault
Offside track rod end ball joint has excessive play
Nearside front constant velocity joint gaiter split
Offside front constant velocity joint gaiter split
I asked why he hadn't done both track-rod ends the last time and he very helpfully told me he was trying to 'save me money'. The ABS fault was not investigated because the warning light was intermittent, he didn't have the computer to do the diagnostic (apparently shares it with another garage), then put through MOT when the light wasn't flashing. Again aside from servicing, MOT, etc., bill ended up as follows:
Replace 1 x (offside) track rod end £100
Replace 2 x CV gaiters £260
Total bill £774
Now to the present (finally)!
January 2009 118,773 miles. Thought I'd try a different garage after being singularly unimpressed by the previous oh so charitable attempts to save me money, just get a diagnostic and MOT so I knew where I stood (bearing in mind the tightness of my budget). I've given up expecting positive news from garages but was distraught when I received the call, then angry when given the reasons for the MOT fail:
Nearside and offside constant velocity joint excessively worn
Offside track rod end ball joint has excessive play
Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault
Nearside steering rack gaiter split
Advisory on rear brake pads 'wearing thin'
In spite of the new place being an Audi specialist, they didn't manage to give me a proper idea of what the ABS fault might be ('couldn't communicate with the computer'), but were scaring me with the fact it could be the pump, rather than just a sensor which I had hoped. This particular snippet of conversation was the one that brought up the horrible words (potential) 'catastrophic failure' for the ABS, and the suggestion that, to me is a very serviceable car, one that I drive conservatively (being an Audi, what else?), one that I HAVE to rely on suddenly being 'uneconomical to repair'. Couldn't believe it seemed to be exactly the same things all over again, things that had supposed to be done ? everything within the space of 9000 miles.
To me this truly is catastrophic. Can't afford to get the work done, can't afford to not get it done, can't afford to pick up a cheap 'beater' car to tide me over until all this is worked out.
If anybody here who has waded through this has any advice I would be hugely appreciative. Am I wrong to feel I have been horribly ripped-off? Have I good grounds for complaint? How do I get through this? Please, dear forum readers, HELP!
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It's a bit late now I know but always ask them to retain the old
parts for inspection when you go to collect the car. That way they can't lie
so easily about whether they have replaced the parts or not.
good idea, except.... prove the parts are off your car!
better idea, is to ask to look under the car so you can see that the parts have been replaced - new parts will be clean and old bits dirty.
Hi All,
This is my first post so hopefully will receive some good feedback!
I recently bought a Peugeot 306 1.4 LX petrol Only done 46K on a 1997. However, in haste I failed to check rad integral expansion tank and later noticed it was full of brown mayonnaise.
I flushed the coolant system and WOW the sludge that came out was unbelievable.
The engine appeared to be using oil and then I noticed an oil leak at the camshaft end at base of cylinder head by the corner of gasket. Anyway got hold of Haynes manual and pulled the head off today.
I have some pics I will email them to anyone familiar with this problem/diagnosis! who is knowledgeable on blown gaskets. N.B. No evidence of water in oil just other way round.
Many thanks in hopeful anticipation,
Foxy 0-0
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i have the same problem.. what was it in the end!? thx
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No mention of AEG.
Ours has just developed it's first fault - a damaged door seal, but it's not leaking (yet!). Looking for a local service number I found the receipt and was surprised we have had it 11 years. It's nice and simple with mechanical dials and push buttons.
At the time it cost about £50 more than a Hoover. The Hoover it replaced did about 7 years before expiring.
Right here i go. I got a passat 1.8 20valve turbo 01 on the year and my airbag light has come on so i used a fault code reader on it the sealey vs862 and it came up with 65535 control unit failure or internal control module keep alive memory (KAM) error or power failure to control unit or bad ground contacts or no faults recorded (if mil not illuminated). Now ive checked the wires under both seats and i have replaced the airbag slip ring vw pno:1J0959653C and put the code reader back on and tried to erase the code but still the airbag light comes bag on and the usual airbag fault reads in the middle of the dials now i had spoke to vw and lots of various vw specialists and colleges at work as i work for GSF car parts and all there things was suggested to check and change but im at my wits end and highly frustrated ive done everythin to the book and i asked if it was the airbag module but they all recon no. So has anyone come across this fault code before or know this problem or do you think my code reader is not right to reset the code. Shall i take to dealer im really stuck here please help! Thanks alan Read more
Well guys thanks for the input and i think ive found the cause of my problems after speakin to one of the garages that i sell parts to i took the car down to him and he had a good look at it and found that unfortunatelly it was the most expensive part yea you guessed it the airbag control module so now i gotta try and source a cheap one instead of the scary £290 trade price vw want :(.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7834611.stm
It's a shame that these stories never give the information one would really like to have - in this case, was the ticketee actually judged to be driving without due care and attention, or not being in control of her car - in other words, was there any evidence at all other than the eating?
This is why I was against, in a recent thread, the routine ticketing of drivers for this sort of thing. It makes no distinction between the genuinely careful and the out and out careless
Lots of people can be inattentive without eating a crust/banana/cereal bar, and vice versa. Not evidence at all in my opinion. Read more
Manatee-thanks for your response. I take your points and whilst not wishing to prolong the argument can't stop myself responding to one aspect: No disrespect to your magistrate friend but they are lay people. The (qualified) Clerk in court advises them on law. One persons word against anothers (regardless of occupation) will not satisfy the burden of proof required (beyond reasonable doubt). In the event of a not guilty plea I doubt whether the CPS would have pursued a simple obstruction, let alone you have to worry about the magistrates view. Evidence generally requires corroboration. I didn't know PCSO's could issue FPN's for obstruction, but it's a £30 and no points so I can see why you wouldn't be minded to take the hassle of arguing it. A good bet that the PCSO wouldn't be able to present decent evidence though....
Hello, I hope that someone may be able to advise me on how best to proceed with a problem I've been having. I have only a basic understanding so would really appreciate being able to run this by some of the experts here.
My car had been in to the dealership twice before. First time was August 2007 at 47,152 miles. No problems with cooling system, no noises etc. Car has been running well since I purchased in April 2007 (it had done 40k when I purchased it). Have had no big repairs needed until recently.
I took the car in to dealership November 2008 reporting a gurgling noise, like running water, and loss of oil. They replaced an oil pump and they replaced the cylinder head gasket after detecting that this had failed ? causing the gurgling noise. They inspected the cylinder head as a matter of course, which appeared fine.
The fault never went away and after 200 miles I noticed coolant loss. The radiator had developed a leak causing this. I took the car back and the radiator leak was seen to be the cause of another head gasket failure. The head gasket was replaced and a new radiator was fitted. I expect that the cylinder head was inspected again and, seeming fine, this second failure was blamed on the radiator. I paid for new radiator but head gasket covered under warranty.
The gurgling noise never went away although no coolant was lost. Took the car back for verification of noise. Booked car in and although the air conditioning and heater matrix were checked no problems were found. Test showed the head gasket had failed again. I'm told this must mean that the cylinder head itself has a crack, although this cannot actually be seen
So I'm being told that the cylinder head developed a crack spontaneously - but this was never obvious. Had this been detected in November I would have had to pay for head gasket and cylinder head at that time. The radiator would have then failed and I would have had to have this replaced also. So I'm told that everything here is 'normal' but it seems odd to me. It has also been expensive and I've had to take the car back a number of times.
I'd appreciate advise on whether this is all feasible and I've just been unlucky. I don't really know enough to say whether the cylinder head could just have cracked one day and then caused all this. I need to get back to them by 19/01/08 about what to do next.
It's just that after 3 head gasket failures in three months I'd really appreciate some constructive input. Thank you. Read more
sadly heads are generally built to very poor quality & can crack at any time without overheating. there used to be a specialsit in north wales that specialised in head repairs for vauxhalls.I think with the garage repairing it three times they should offer to help as they clearly should know what they are doing as they are proffessional
Bit of history:
Standard VR6, runs well, no miss fires or other issues. No faults logged on VAG-COM.
Last year the MOT tester said it only just got through the emissions test, he had to clean up the AFM connection and then he only just siad he got it through after lots of attempts (i'm not convinced the AFM connection was a problem).
I promptly forgot about this for this year, of course the MOT tester this time wasn't prepared to fiddle around and try lots of times to get it through.
So results:
[code]
Fast Idle
RPM: 2598 Pass
CO: 0.571 Fail (max 0.3)
HC: 39 Pass
Lambda: 0.988 Pass
2nd Fast Idle Test
RPM: 2616 Pass
CO: 0.504 Fail (max 0.3)
HC: 32 Pass
Lambda: 0.989 Pass
Natural Idle test
RPM: 704 Pass
CO: 0.429 Pass (max 0.5)
[/code]
I watched as he tested, and the CO fluctuated in and out of the PASS zone each time a test was run at constant RPM.
On VAG-COM the Lamba value fluctuates between 0.9 and 1.1 at constant RPM. The idle speed also fluctuates slightly, I thought this was normal.
First question - should Lambda flutuate at a constant RPM that much?
Second question - How do I fix it? :lol:
The MOT tester was ex-VW and seemed to think a change of oil and filter would make a difference, otherwise who knows because theres so much that will imapct it, so he wasn't much use (last oil change 2k miles ago). Read more
as youve thrashed the living daylights out of the car and got the cat up to its full operating temprature then it will pass the mot test, seems to me you will have the same problem next year, would have been easier just to put a new cat on it. not cheeper though.
I have had my Clio since new and it's now done 45k miles. The Corsa I had before recommended a cambelt change at 60k 6 years, is there a similar need for the Clio's? Read more
you need the water pump changed as well - its on the same belt and will seize and throw the new belt if not changed,
about 250 quid is a good price at an indy.
Hi
I have 2002 Galaxy 1.9 TDi 115hp turbo diesel. The original battery has been changed to again Ford battery, but from Focus 1.8 petrol. I haven't driven the Galaxy since August 08 and the battery was totally flat. I'm charging it now, but not sure it will recover. In case I need to by replacement what battery should I purchase - Acid lead or Calcium and how many Ah?
If any one has the part number of original Galaxy diesel battery - please let me know.
And also if someone knows good deal on such batter - again please let me know - I?m looking at Halfords so far.
Thanks
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You need a Varta silver battery code F18 which should cost £78 inc VAT from a parts place, much cheaper than Halfords.
This is a calcium battery with 800 amps starting power.
Varta batteries are very good, they last longer than some other makes.
I've just noticed that this is an old post, I hope the OP got fixed up!!!
Browse
Andrew, they mend the puncture, rebalance it, fit it back on your car and pocket the £10.
Simple capitalism.