May 2016
I am looking for a new car. I do 18-20k a year, 80% of that is motorway/dual carriageway. The other 20% is up and down country lanes that are not in the best state of repair/pot holed/muddy/bumpy etc. I have a tall husband and two medium sized dogs (the dogs go in the boot) . I also have kit I need to get in and out of the back seat (so need 5 doors) The car park at work is not spacious. I don't want a large car. I would like low running costs, I don't need a high performance or prestige car, I just want a reliable car!
Unfortunately my luck with cars is not good, I did have a Freelander bought new in 1999 that unlike many of its type ran for years, and was still going strong 10 years later having trekked across Europe and done over 120k (though it did need its wiring loom totally redone) and did leak a little bit of oil (but its a Landrover..). I then had a Kia Sorento which I loved (at that point I used it for towing), that was a super car and never had a fault (except the head light bulbs would frequently blow).... Read more
This may be a stupid question, but are new body panels for cars only available to individuals (like me) via main dealers? Or could an independent body shop order the panel?
My wife's 15-plate Corsa D facelift has been clonked by our garage door. The bonnet, and only the bonnet, has been creased and paint has been chipped back to the metal in places. The damage extends over an area about 15 inches long x 2 inches wide. No other panels affected. Bonnet still opens and closes normally, hinges and catch are undamaged.... Read more
Thanks WR - I was inaccurate in my thread title, the car's actually a Corsa E.
Sorry this is long but I want to include as much information as possible - looking for some advice/recommendations for where to go with our picasso which is having problems with the power steering (seems to be a common thing reading up).
Wednesday 20th April
10 year service - New Timing Belt, Antifreeze, Oil Change and MOT. Not sure it's relevant but for completeness.
Thursday 28th April
Steering suddenly goes exceptionally heavy when turning, improvement is seen at high revs but parking is a total nightmare - even half a turn on the steering wheel is difficult but feels looser once you get past that point. Father in law says the car is making a strange high pitched noise on reversing at full lock (not heard this directly).
Friday 29th April
Garage flush power steering system which shows an improvement. They recommend replacement of steering pump saying it seems to have gone weak, can't get the part till the following week. Unsure how long the system will remain improved but we were away the following week plus it was bank holiday weekend so had little choice but to crack on with the car as it was - garage assure us driving it if it recurs isn't going to damage the system further.
Friday 6th May
Drove 80 miles on our trip and around and about for 4 days - it was slightly heavier than previously but no major issues. On the way home it starts to act up again. Following day steering is really heavy again so we book in for the pump to be replaced the following week.
Tuesday 10th May
Steering pump is replaced and seems fine on testing. Collect car following morning and seems lighter than ever - can turn the wheel with one finger and it feels feather light. Delighted that it's resolved and carry on using car as normal (very light use).
Friday 13th May
Take car on a 30 mile round trip. On the way the steering starts to feel heavy again and by the time we arrive it's back as bad as it was on the first day the issue started. Car is only possible to park by wrestling the steering wheel around. Let the garage know the problem is still ongoing and arrange to take it in on Monday. Parked it for the weekend for fear of damaging anything further.
Monday 16th May
Garage collect car, test 3 times - can't replicate issue. Suggest it might be because it's a warm day but also say it was fine from driving off, ask to keep car for another day to see if they can replicate it in the morning.
Tuesday 17th May
Garage managed to replicate issue. Remove and refit, still happening. Replace old pump, still happening. Conclusion - likely to be the rack rather than the pump causing an issue. Order in a new rack to fit the following day.
Wednesday 18th April - Thursday 19th April
Garage fit rack with old pump, still having intermittent issues. Refit new pump - still happening. End up stripping everything back and starting again. Say that the pump replacement now seems to have resolved the issue but leave both new parts in the car - they can't return the rack and figure we may as well have them both regardless (no charge for the rack or many hours of additional labour - very thankful for that!).
Friday 20th April - Current
Car is returned, short test drives over the weekend indicate behaviour is different, improved but still not right. Steering is still going intermittently heavy on corners and weighting is fluctuating seemingly randomly. Revving engine no longer frees up the steering (which it did before the pump was replaced). Reverse seems to make it lighter.
So now we're not sure where to go with it. Some research indicates that the pressure switch, UJ or steering knuckle might be the next port of call? Neither of these things mean much to me if I'm honest - I'm a technical person but not great with cars. I guess I need to check what the garage have tried exactly come Monday but in the meantime I'm trying to increase my knowledge so I can have a more useful conversation on the day.
Again - apologies for the length of my post. Any ideas or suggestions very gratefully received. Thanks in advance. Read more
Had issues similar to OP with my 05 1.9D Berlingo. Diagnostic approach that amounted to 'parts bingo' gave me incentive to chop it in for a Roomster.
I have today purchased a 2006 Honda Crv Executive with Bridgestone tyres fitted I have attempted to find the correct tyre pressures but they range from 26 to 32psi. Could anyone offer me the correct pressures many thanks.
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Hi Thanks for the info. There is no sticker anywhere on any of the door shuts and I don't have the handbook hence my request. Perhaps I should have been a little clearer when asking for help.
The hard roof is up and lactched, but the alarm is constantly going off. My local Mazda dealership have had my car for 9 days in total now. At no point have they contacted me, I have to keep chasing them. Apparently they have been backwards and forwards to Mazda via email, which they will not show me. I have demanded to have my car back, but not sure where to go from here. My car was serviced and MOT at this dealership last months and I have had several problems with my car since. Read more
thank you
Any one has issues with sticking clutch pedal. on a 2016 1.0 model celerio. Read more
It is under warrantee, take it back. Regards Peter
Hi all. Help please...
Is the 4 matic worth it on a new c class (coupe)?! It will help I suppose every so often but is it better to drive then rwd in country corners and dry?!
I know it may seem silly but just got to make a decision!!
Any views on air matic is it worth it?!
(If you could have one or none..?)
Ta
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Just realised you asked about airmatic.
Whilst nice to have that needs careful research for running and repair/replacement costs....
Evening all
We are thinking of buying a nearly new auris touring hybrid. The other car that we are considering is a petrol civic tourer. We live in Devon and do something like 10k miles a year. We tend not to do much town driving - it mostly rural B roads plus the occasional motorway trip ~1hr and a visit or two to Brittany to visit in-laws.... Read more
Like you, I live in rural Devon and have had an Auris Sport Tourer Hybrid since December and love it. Most of my driving is A roads and country lanes as we live nearly an hour from the nearest motorway and having the CVT autobox is a joy - and one less thing to think about in narrow lanes with blind corners. Tha car is large enough for 4 adults and a dog.
Yes, I have changed the way I drive as the eco-meter helps me drive much more economically and I now concentrate on MPG rather than MPH....
Hello, I've recently taken delivery of a Porsche Boxster, which has climate control as standard. The car will be used only in dry weather, almost always with the top down. I understand that air conditioning needs to be run regularly to stop the seals drying out, but I'm unsure as to whether it would do any harm to run it when the top is down. In other words, would the climate control be overworked trying to achieve the set temperature and de-humidifying the air in the open? I would appreciate your advice, thank you. Read more
You only need to worry about seals drying out if the system becomes inoperative through lack of refridgerant gas.Convertible cars with climate control usually operate a slightly different programme when the roof is down ,otherwise the system is trying to cool the world above.Be aware that selecting the "auto" programme may not engage the a/c system.There is often a seperate button for the a/c function.Just use it and enjoy it.
I've got an old car on my drive that's been declared SORN. It's about 15 years old, but runs fine and has MOT until September. I think it's worth around £500 (it's a 2000 reg 3 litre Jaguar S-Type auto if that makes any difference).
I want to sell it to reclaim the space on my drive. I'm wondering if it's worth spending the money to tax and insure it, or whether I'd be better off selling it as a SORN. The options seem to be:... Read more
Back to OP, I would advertise on Autotrader. Set the price to sell (say 10% under the average of competing cars) and while drawing attention to its good points, also include any known faults in the ad to reduce scope for haggling by buyers.
Such an approach might mean you sell for a bit less than the maximum potentially obtainable but if you are too ambitious you reduce the likelihood of sale and being left with it or having to scrap. At this relatively low value better take a £50-£100 hit and selling it fast than dragging it out for a few quid....
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I really like the Captur and the diesel engine is meant to be very good accoring to HJ - BUT the ride is firm OK for motorways etc, but if you have lots of rutted roads you might wish you hadn't...take one for a drive. Nice driving position, sliding rear seat makes the boot bigger and you can awsah the seat covers in the washing machine.....
Usually some good 0% HP deals for new cars at the Renault dealers.