September 2012
I have an 07 plate petrol VRS with 72k on the clock. Recently it has started to run roughly when the engine is cold. At idle it is best described as a slight misfire which can be felt in the cabin. When driving it is hesitant between 1750 and 2500 rpm but clears when it gets out of this rev range. It is run on Shell fuel.
It has been to my local VAG independant garage for diagnosis. No fault codes were logged and real time data was within expected normal parameters.... Read more
Hi, I'm a newbie :). My local VW dealer phoned me yestereday wanting me to spend money which I havent got. I havent had the car for a year yet, its only done 35K and they informed me it was overdue its cambelt change. I was surprised and said the cars only done 35k, surely its good until 70k. Comments/thoughts please, is this just a VW scam wanting people to spend money. To top it all they ended the conversation with 'is there anything else we can help you with', I said I never wanted any 'help' from them in the first place, it was them that rang me! Read more
Reducing the mileage from 80 to 70k materially improves the risk factor because these engines impose a very high stress on the water pump bearings and those of the insanely small idler. Putting the pump on the tight side of a very heavily loaded belt places the engine at undue risk and is in my opinion very poor design. PSA and other engine designers drive the pump from the slack side of the belt.
The PDs have been around for long enough now for failure patterns to emerge, and my observations are that the pump and the small idler are the timing drive components most at risk. Obviously you change the whole lot whilst it is apart. I have seen few pumps fail at mileages much below about 70k miles, but from then on, the risk seems to increase fairly sharply....
I have a 2004 Mazda 6 with 50,000 miles on the clock. I have noticed there is a throbbing sort of womp womp womp womp noise coming from the front wheel area. It is most noticeable between 30 and 50mph, I can also feel a vibration through the floor and slightly through the steering wheel. I though maybe wheel bearing but the mileage doesnt seem high enough and the noise isnt a constant groan as you would usually expect. It also makes no difference if I steer either way when the noise can be heard as it usually would if a bearing was shot. I have also spun and wiggled the wheels with the car jacked up and there is no looseness or noise and the wheel slowly spins to a stop.
I have spoken to 2 mechanics who cant narrow down what the problem is, or even what side it is. I have had the brakes, suspension and CV checked which all seem ok. I have also swapped the front wheels with the rear to try to rule out tires and the noise still remains and sounds like its still in the front, they also appear to be wearing ok. The front discs and pads have also been changed which hasnt made a difference.... Read more
Finally fixed the problem. After a couple of long motorway runs the noise got worse. I noticed it seemed to get louder when turning right and ease off when going left which indicates a bad offside wheel bearing. Turned out to be correct. It didnt make the usual bearing noise, didnt wobble when I had it jacked up and didnt grumble when I spun the wheel off the ground so hope this helps anyone with a similar issue. Once the hub was off you could turn the bearing by hand and it felt a bit stiff & gritty.
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Hi all, l bought a car in june this year with private plates on it. Before l drove away the car l asked the seller are u sure about the plates and he said its ok. Anyway after about a week the seller phoned asking for the new keeper slip back as he wanted to send it to the DVLA inorder to get back the private number plates. l refused to send the new keeper slip to him as it was the only proof that l purchased the car. Well after about 8 weeks l still had not recieved the V5 I was advised to complete a V62 of which l did. I then recieved the V5 today but with the original plates not the private plates. l phoned the seller and he said got his private plates back and has a letter to confirm it. and he has put the plates on his new car. l am confused because my car still have the private plates. So it means 2 cars have the same plates. Please help how do l go about it Read more
I guess expecting posters to say thanks is going to far.
I love nearly everything about my 2006 discovery 3, except that it's completely unreliable! Been in the garage practically every month for the last year. But I love the cabin size etc
Need a 7 seater for family/shared school runs but also one that's presentable for taking clients/work colleagues in. 4x4 desirable as we tow a kayak trailer from time to time. I also like the 'height' of a 4x4 type car.
Considering xc90 or x5. But also an s-max.
Any thoughts or other suggestions?
Thanks Read more
If you can see past the past negative image of Skoda's then probably one of the best 7 seat 4x4 models you could choose is the Skoda Octavia estate. It starts at around £23k for a new model (obviously check ebay for cheaper 2nd hand ones) but includes a massive array of gadgets such as the 'driver fatigue sensor' and air con for example.
If it's a taller 4wd type of vehicle you're after then what about a Mitsubishi Outlander? I love them as they don't have the typical 'people carrier' image even though they have seven seats....
Now look here you chaps. Girlfriend's C2, 06, 110,000 miles, FSH, one owner. Trade-in according to Parkers about £2000 (personally I think that's optimistic).
Unfortunately the head gasket is on the way out. To keep the car going, at the end of each journey I have to loosen the coolant cap until it goes "SSSSSSSS" (taking care not to lose my hand) so that the pressure doesn't force the coolant into the cylinders. If I don't do this, the car won't even turn over next time without trying it about a million times. Even parking the car for an hour will cause this to happen. Also, it obviously loses quite a bit of water and if I don't top it up often the temp warning light comes on.... Read more
Not that it's very interesting, but I traded it in with a dealer who will have to fix it, it just won't go otherwise.
I got an 04 Volvo S40, black, with leather, aircon, new-looking michelins, hpi 80,000 miles and full volvo history which has since taken me round the country quietly and with no trouble, and feels totally solid. The sticker price was £1900 and cost to change was £400....
Just wondering if anyone can let me know where I stand with a local garage who managed to shear off a glowplug during a change?
My 2008 Vauxhall Corsa 1.3CDTi (~39K on clock) showed a warning light the other week - the one that's the orange car and spanner - so took it in to get a diagnosis. The fault code they reported was something along the lines of the ECU wasn't getting a signal / talking to a glowplug. Their course of action was to replace the glowplugs.... Read more
This is true. The car will be perfectly driveable in warm weather with a non functioning glow plug. There's a good chance that the glowplug sheared end can be removed without damaging the thread and requiring a helicoil.
Please can somebody help me, What is this light on my dashboard?
... Read more
It is the bulb failure light.
Double check your rear lights. If the tail/brake light fails, then the other tail light takes over the role of tail/brake light instead so you still have a full compliment of working brake lights (providing the lower tail lights haven't already failed)...
Hi All,
This may have been asked before, so I apologies for asking again.
I do around 80 miles a day round trip. 10 miles is going in and out of town.
Wondering what would be best suited car for my journey, I drive sensibly, sticking to around 60 MPH to save fuel and cash :-) Don't over rev the car, breaking smootly ..
I was thinking a Ford Fiesta 1.4 Edge, or maybe a 1.6 engine, spending around £6 - 8K.
Any advise would be great, hope I provided the right info & sorry for posting again Read more
Of course the Peugeot had more power which is nice, but i'd be cursing along around 62 / 65MPH
Thanks again for your advise....
Bat starter all okay cranks over no problem, just seems that a stop is on the pump no white smoke, not fireing at all, jump start does not help, checked all connections and relays okay. Towe van 30 feet and starts, runs fine stop it and have to towe it again, hot or cold, have found a black plastic coil and circut around ign. switch wonder if there is a way to test? or by pass,?the key is just a plain key no buttons to press, would welcome any suggestions, as hair almost gone!!
Good you got it sorted - that's modern cars for you.
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I was not convinced the cam sensor was the fix.Fsi engines are now emerging with poor idle and lacklustre performance.This is often caused by the air inlet path behind the inlet valves being blocked with crankcase oil/breather sludge.The set up of an Fsi engine means the injector sits below the inlet valve ,so there is no fuel wash behind the valves to keep the air passge clear.I would suggest the inlet manifold be removed for inspection of the airway.It may also be a good idea to get the injectors removed for cleaning and flow testing while the manifold is off.If you do decide to get the injectors out,make sure the person doing the job has the correct tools to renew the seals ,as they are single use only.hth