December 2009
When my 99 Mazda seriously overheated, I was advised by a Mazda main dealer to write it off. Took it to a smaller (recommended) garage for a second opinion. He too wrote in a report "uneconomical to repair". I suggested he look for a used engine. He claimed he couldn't find one. Finally he inspected it again, said all would be fine with a new head gasket, though becuase of the delay sitting on his forecourt, everything else would need to be done. But then, he said, it would be "like new". I agreed. Hefty bill of £3,042. But I had a "new" car. Less than 2000 miles (6 months and 2 days) later the engine was in meltdown on the M5. AA said take it to the tip. Molten bits of metal falling out of it. The AA man was staggered, said he'd assumed I'd run out of petrol. "MX-5 engines never go wrong," he said... Towed to a main dealer (different one) who agreed to take it in part exchange for another MX5. (I needed a car desperately.) They gave me only £500 for it...
Before this I had obviously spoken (initially via email) to the offending garage but the Main Man, said Tough. Everything we did was fine. It must have been something else wrong.
Do I have any claim against the garage. It may be that everything they did was "right". But surely, if you're going to ask your customer to spend over £3,000 on a car which you had already said was unecomical to repair, then you have a duty of care to check that you've diagnosed the original fault correctly and are not putting icing on a rotten cake?
Anyone any ideas or advice as to where I stand on this? They obviously have negligence insurance -- should this be my route?
I'd be very grateful for any help anyone can give me. I'm not someone who tinkers around with cars. I get my car serviced regularly, fill it with petrol, and keep an eye on the dials and so on. Basically I need to be able to trust a garage to tell me what's wrong and then put it right.
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Hi all, my puma 1.7 2000 on an x plate will only blow hot air from heater, does this mean a new matrix and if so does the dash have to come out to replace it? Any advice would be gratefully taken on board Read more
Just a suggestion so feel free to delete if desired. Was thinking that it might be useful if next to the subject in the thread listing a green tick or something similar could be added if the problem is resolved.
Obviously this could only be done on new threads but when someone does a search and sees green tick marks next to issues with their car it might make finding a solution quicker. Read more
I was reading a report today in Which that (according to Warranty direct) the average incidence rate for engine failure is 11.3%- but with turbocharged engines the failure rate is 27.8%. That?s more than double.
(Why read it in 'Which?' when it's here:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/item.htm?id=35547.)
The cost of engine failure repair also increases, from an average £619 overall to £875 for turbocharged cars. The highest repair figure recorded by Warranty Direct for a turbo car is £2,485.
Also among diesel engines the average overall rate of problems on non-turbo cars is 25% at an average cost of £379, while for turbo cars the average problem rate is 32%, with an average cost of £399.
That said, the overwhelming majority of diesel engines are now turbocharged, so it?s not surprising to see more turbodiesel failures than non-turbodiesel ones; 85% of all the turbo failures handled by Warranty Direct related to diesel engines.
However, while non-turbo petrol cars still considerably outnumber turbo petrol cars, the average incidence rate is still higher for turbos ? 37% versus 25%. And the average repair costs are also higher: £371 for turbo petrols, £335 for non-turbo petrols.
I think HJ has been saying this for a while now hasn't he ? Read more
Clearly I don't share a similar sense of humour to others on this site - I always considered a plane crash to lack humour in every way.
Still - each to their own EA.
hello can anyone lead me in the right direction of which obd2 data cable to buy.
looking at spending about £10 seen some on ebay, however they say not compatable with some cars.
cheers Read more
Search for vag-com or VCDS. OBD2 is a bit too generic.
www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/index.html
The ones on ebay are much cheaper, but are not made by or supported by ross-tech, and use an ancient free version of their software.
We've had a horsebox for 3 years (Iveco 6.5 tonne), used only to carry my wife's horse to dressage competitons. There's been a lot of talk in the horsely worlds recently about whether people like us (ie amateurs) should have a (very expensive) Operator's Licence.
I rang VOSA for a definitive answer and was told to fax a letter explaining exact what benefits we received - INCLUDING rosettes! They will consider whether we can be exempted. (Nice of them).
There seems to be a trend to just add another piece of bureaucracy every year. Last year it was a speed limiter. Next year special wing mirrors.
Is there a conspiracy or am I paranoid - or both? Read more
Bell boy - you also forgot the obligatory shiny hub caps.
Had reason to visit a scrappie for the first time in 25 years today! I assumed the motors would be dismantled, parts cleaned and labelled and on the shelf, I was expecting a kind of Argos - only dirtier!
But no - nothing had changed! the boss man told me where the car was and off I went, had to borrow a spanner but got the part off & very cheap too.
Didn't see anyone wearing safety goggles, gloves, or hats and they were smoking as well!
I'll definately be back if I need anything - only next time I'll wear old shoes and bring me socket set.
Jacks
PS didn't see or hear an Alsation either - but I guess he was probably asleep somewhere. Read more
you have to know your stuff before entering a tatters yard or you will get ripped by most of them
knowledge is king and let them know you know
i use about 6 different yards in three different towns and know who holds what
i very rarely buy off the shelf though as ebay would be cheaper in those circumstances
Weekend puzzle.
Not a mystery to me, I had a blue one in the early 70s.
Not seen one since..make and model ?
tinyurl.com/yja2rsb
Ted Read more
arent they didgy mirrors
Taking the mickey or what!
preview.tinyurl.com/36points (link to local paper).
An international singer who gained 36 points on her licence in six months withdrew her appeal to overturn her driving ban after a judge threatened to increase it.
Folk singer Edwina Hayes, 36, was banned from driving for 12 months after committing eight driving offences.
The printed paper has details of the offences that are missing in the web page. (found in comments).
Miss Hayes admitted driving at 68mph in a 60mph zone in Market Weighton on February 7; failing to give information about a driver's identity in Lincolnshire on February 25; driving at 68mph in a 60mph zone on the A1079 at Dunswell on March 22; driving at 69mph in a 60mph zone on the A1079 on April 29; and driving at 45mph in a 30mph zone in Wiltshire on July 4.
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What kind of car could it be, with a speedometer that only goes up to 100mph?
Maybe another photo quiz?
1990s Nissan Micra, methinks. All the more reason to keep her off the roads, I wouldn't fancy her chances of taking evasive action on skinny tyres and 119k mile suspension at 68mph.
The comments are pretty good too. My local rag (same style of website) moderates comments far more harshly.
NOTE! Not suitable for the squeamish. Also contains swearing - you've been warned.
www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242261
Link deliberately made non clickable. Copy/paste into your usual web browser to view.
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Sympathies, seems you had the same trouble as I did, duff re-con engine and theres little you can do. In future I am going to stick to the cost of repairs exceeds value of car = get rid.