September 2012
I have a 2006 Mondeo TDCI Ghia (full service history, 47k miles) and have read all of the conversations regarding black smoke and issues with the EGR Valve. Having cleaned the valve and having had the car in with a Ford dealer for a week now, I am pulling my hair out - Ford says it can find no faults with the car. They remapped the ECU and while the (always black) smoke is significantly less than before, it is nevertheless present, particularly on the motorway, with small depressions of the accelerator in 4th and 5th gear.
I cleaned out the existing EGR valve in accordance with all of the blogs (but not the mainfold itself) and have had the fuel filter replaced. I only use Shell V Power fuel, and I have tried the 'italian tune-up' alluded to in a number of conversations.... Read more
I remember a time when if a car had 100,000 miles on the clock it was considered to be at the end of its life. Mechanic friend reckons that this doesnt mean anything with modern engines and oils, and that age is more relevant than miles.
The last 3 cars I have owned have all gone to about about 12 years (with out 90k miles on the clock) before the repair started, and you start to question about replacing the car rather than keep paying out.
What are others experience of this. At what point (on average) do you find the it no longer economic to keep a car. Read more
Interesting that average scrap age is 13.9 years.
- Written-off crashed cars are younger I suppose. So:
- Worn-out cars are older than 13.9 years, if that's the average.
The rest of this post is just rambling-on about renting-out old cars!
I've rented a 5 year-old Peugeot 108 auto on one or two of the P2P car hire agencies for a couple of years, and customers have not broken it yet. The car did get crashed into while parked, but that earned me the replacement cost, and a huge amount of work. Next time I will try to get a car delivered at the other side's insurers' cost. A spare key was £222. Depreciation is about £50 a month and falling, so I wondered about renting-out two cars.
The agencies (Hiyacar, Turo, Getaround in the UK or Fleet I think in Ireland; Easycar and Whipcar closed) have to find the insurance while the car is hired, which makes them unstable. Easycar closed because it couldn't get a cheap insurance quote; Admiral insurance pulled-out of the market, and some agencies are rumoured to run at a loss just to prove the concept to insurers....
fan has failed to work from setting 1 to 4 progressively and now has stopped working completly Read more
thanks for taking time, I really do appreciate the help I have been given.I can't praise this sight enough, this is the third time I have been helped, so thanks once again .CHEERS!!!
my lexus 2007 is220d failed a few weeks ago and had 102,000 km on, lexus wont fix it and i was given 15,000 km warranty and i had done 21,000. Being quoted huge bills to fix it and really unhappy about the whole situation. Wouldnt recommend the is220d at all Read more
writing on a forum and going to court are not in any way related ;) 101,000 km btw
After all this heavy rain we have had over the last few days I noticed the carpet in the real footwell is soaking wet, dried it all off and another few hours of rain it was sokaing again. There is also a pool of water on the kick strips. I have looked at all the seals around the door but all seem in tack, the inside of the car and door is also totally dry, its a mystery, any ideas or does it need to go to a ford dealer. Read more
And yes this would be a temporary fix just to stop any leaking until I can do it properly.
Don't waste your time, get it fixed. Our temporary fix was a big towel.
Hi,
Need help understanding whats gone on. I had a non fault accident 20/12/2011. I was travelling along a dual carriageway when a van drove straight out across two lanes of traffic, being too close to do anything about it I ploughed into the side/rear quarter of the van. The van driver went off to hospital but I refused as I didn't want anything to happen in my absence ( I later found out I had a broken sternum and collar bone).... Read more
I know from personal experience that most solicitors will avoid going to court at all costs, preferring a negotiated settlement. If you go to court and haven't taken every possible steps to negotiate the likely outcome is that the judge will send you away to negotiate and/or go to mediation. I have been involved in a civil case ( nothing like yours, but the process is similar in most cases) for two years and my solicitor has only just started court proceedings and is still assuming a negotiated settlement will happen, without a court appearance. You also need to be aware of court costs, and the fact that, however good your case, costs can still be awarded against you.
Hi, I recently purchased a '57 plate BMW 116i 4 months ago from Arnold Clark and it has 2 years mechanical warranty. Mainly used for short commutes to work and back (less than 10 miles one-way) and going about town. Occasionally take it out for longer journeys to give it a good run.
For the past month or so when I start the engine cold the car shakes from side to side, the revs drop below normal idle speed (pressing the accelerator does nothing) and it makes a noise like it's about to stall. After about 5 to 10 seconds (varies) it clears and runs as it should.
Spoke to the dealer who explained I would have to take it to one of their BMW branches, which I did. Explained what the problem was for a second time, they hooked it up to their diagnostic equipment and took it for a test drive but they couldn't find anything wrong, no error codes, nothing. Since there was no apparent problem with the car, they handed back the keys and apologised for not being able to pin down the issue.
Since then I have taken several video recordings of the problem in action (from inside the car and with the bonnet up) and I plan to take it back to the dealer again with the evidence. (I have links to them on YouTube if you want to view)
Has anyone heard of this type of problem before? Concerning the dealership, should I refuse to pay for the investigative work or parts not covered by the warranty? What rights do I have?
Regards,
SGM26 Read more
Hi guys,
I have seen this forum as I got the same problem recently. I took it to one garage and they changed Nox sensor and also told me that timing chain has problem, is longer, an it should be changed. But several days later I had the same problem. I took to another garage and they replaced all sparking plugs. but it did not solve the problem as the temperature went down I got the problem. When the weather is 10 degrees all is fine, but when it goes below four degrees, the engine kills itself, I have to push gas pedal several minutes and when the engine is warm, it works fine. I could not find any solution, as I checked many forums, and till now I have paid over 1000 Euros and no result....
I have been having trouble with starting and performance lately.
The car is usually parked overnight facing downhill and starts OK.... Read more
The old non commonrail diesels had a transfer pump in the injection pump that pulled the fuel from the tank by vacuum, I think the original idea was to stop the smell that early diesels had because of leaks. The early Hdi's had a pump in the tank but I believe some have now gone back to the vacuum system which is why leaks are difficult to find as the system is under vacuum while running, which is why I suggested parking it on a slope, to create some pressure.
If the fuel filter needs replacing that will add to the problem and its very often in that area the air gets in.
Honda Jazz EX sadly comes in a size that limits tyre choice: 185/55/16
I have researched and over thought this subject until I am now feeling baffled. Seems there are about 4 tyres available that are pretty good overall - plus a few others if funds are a problem.... Read more
Honda (along with Kia/Hyundai) are one of the very few companies that give provide official EU figures that differ with tyre size and trim for a given engine spec.
All the many Vauxhalls I bought had full tyre/engine/transmission combinations of official figures in the owners manual - and Hyundai don't currently, not for 235/65R17 vs 235/60R18 on Santa Fe.
Hello guys, my friend is due to put another taxi on the road, currently having the vectra c 1.9 cdti 120bhp (spent alot of time in the garage).
hes either conisdering the ocatvia or avensis.... Read more
I've had an Avensis Tourer (Spanish spec 2.0 D4D - base "Comfort" level trim) since July. Very smooth, light controls and amazingly quiet. When I'm on a phone call through the Bluetooth, there is so little background noise that the person I'm speaking to thinks I'm in the office. Having said that, the base spec Bluetooth set-up (my car has no touch screen, Sat nav, reversing camera etc) is poorly specced (no voice control, no steering wheel controls etc.) It's certainly fast enough though the steering is rather too light and feel-less compared to other cars of this size.
Fuel consumption has rarely gone above 6.0 litres/below 47 mpg with a full boot, high speed motorway cruising and aircon regularly on.
The boot is vast; the load area is not quite as tall as on my previous Focus estate but it is very wide ("cut-outs" for golf bags) and long and with three decent sized under-floor compartments. Legroom is impressive and with a flat rear floor (no "tunnel"). Overall impression is of a very well screwed together car, with a reassuringly solid clunk to the doors and even windows. I like the styling of the facelifted version (others disagree!) Rearward vision is, however, poor and the reversing camera is a must. The rear head restraints are small and cannot be extended very high.
The biggest problem is the electric parking brake - the switch is "back to front" (push to activate) and badly situated (a stretch to reach and hidden behind the ignition key). I also find the operation cumbersome and slow, although the automatic release works well on hills and it does engage automatically when you turn the ignition off (since 2012 facelift):
And it is, of course, built in Britain!
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Normaly you will hear a Turbo boost leak as the revs go up with large throttle openings. EGR issues are noticed by the drop in power.. Ford diesels smoke like gooduns but have you tried injector cleaner and a good belt down the motorway? If this is the 1800 Endura engine the codes show very little unless its a complete failure, for instance engine overheat is not stored on my car.
Have you changed the air and fuel filter ?...