June 2017
Hi
I've been struggling with DPF regeneration on my company car that the lease company refuses to take seriously.... Read more
My Passat has had the emissions fix which I read can result in more soot and earlier DPF failure. Guidance is that I should have regular runs with revs over 2000rpm.
Trouble is on motorway runs in 6th at 70mph my rpm is just below 2000rpm. So do I have to change down? How far for? etc... Read more
I have no idea when the car is carrying out a regen.
You won't. The ECM doesn't tell you. Passive regenerations take place all the time when the exhaust is sufficiently hot. The cooling fans will run during an Active regeneration, so that is an indicator of when it's in progress. If all else fails anyone with VCDS can carry out a forced regeneration. Check the VAG forums for someone who has VCDS near you. ...
Hello,
I recently bought a 08 Renault Koleos.... Read more
Here's an update for anyone interested: As intimated, I came across a later year of the same model (2014) so decided to upgrade. A family member is buying my old one - how many folk say, in later years, "I wish I had bought my father's car - serviced correctly, reliable and immaculate?"
The newbie is essentially the same, but is white, rather than black, with sunroof x 2, a two-tone light coloured leather interior and a (basic for them, but good) Bose sound system...4WD again since I have a boat to tow....
Hey guys. Our Mondeo's head gasket is beginning to go. So after some searching online, I came across an advert for a 1989 190e 2.0 auto. 200,000 miles on the clock, one owner, full service history, and a years MOT. My main question is, should I buy it? I would rarerly be taking it on significantly long distances, mostly commuting 20 mins to work. Second, how easy would it be to find spare parts in the future? Would these parts be signifianclty expensive? Thanks in advance. Alfie. Read more
A 190E sounds like a great idea for a 'leisure car' - one that you might enjoy driving for fun - but not ideal for being relied on to get you to work.
I'd suggest only buying it if it's going cheaply, and you have enough left for a new head gasket. If that's all that's wrong with the Mondeo, repairing it is the cheapest option.
Hi all,
A bit of a longer post to explain a difficult problem I am experiencing with my Seat Altea.
Last month I bought a used Altea 1.6TDI DSG Auto, 2011, 61k miles from Cargiant with full Seat service history. The car came with pre-sale check from Cargiant and a new MOT.
After around 2 weeks of driving (around 600miles - mainly on the motorway), the car suddenly broke down on the motorway. The glow plug warning light came flashing on and the car lost all power and came to a standstill. I restarted the motor and the warning light disappeared and the car drove again for another 3 miles before the same warning light came flashing and I lost all power again. Restarting the motor allowed me to move again and I was luckily close to home and didn't experience any further issues.
I contacted the dealer who told me to take it to Halfords for a diagnostics test which I did. The mechanic did a cold read which indicated that there was a fault with the EGR valve. However, since he didn't have any capacity to check if there was any problem with the EGR valve (as it was a big job) he told me to try another Halford branch for an earlier appointment. In the meantime, he reset the ECU.
When I took it to the other Halfords, I was told that their diagnostics did not pick up any error (even after they drove it around for 10 miles) and that it might just have been a sensor error. They then told me that I should drive it around and take it back to them if the error occurred again. I did another 60 miles or so (again mostly on the motorway) and everything seemed to work fine. The next day, I took the car to the shops and when I started it again it went into limp mode, doing maximum 20 mph and jerking heavily back and forth when I hit the accelerator. I also noticed that the Emissions Control System Light (check engine light?) came on. Restarting didn't help either and the problem stayed.
I brought it back to Halfords who this time told me that the diagnostics indicated a Gear Box fault (gearbox not engaging gears 1 and 3). They then told me that they don't deal with gear boxes and I would have to take it to a Gearbox specialist. They then reset the ECU and gave me the diagnostic report. The dealer authorised me to take it to an auto gearbox specialist for a 1h diagnostics. However, the specialist couldn't find any error codes, even after driving it around for a while. Again I was told to drive the car around and bring it back when the error occurred again (being the third time now!).
The specialist told me that the diagnostic checks would unlikely have shown that gears 1 and 3 weren't engaging if it was an electronic problem. He told me that the problem was likely to occur again and he was surprised that the car was still driving at all. Anyway, that was last week and I have done around 80 miles (mostly motorway) since then and haven't had any issues to date. However, I cant use the car much as I am avoiding longer trips with it, in case it breaks down.
Any ideas what it could be (I am suprised about the gear 1 and 3 fault, since the first breakdown occurred while I was in gear 7)? And do you recommend returning the car at this point or what other steps can I take to ensure that the problem is identified soon?
Thanks in advance.
When a VW is serviced correctly by an independent garage how is the overall service record err recorded? I can imagine a scenario of dealer service untill warranty is up, then an independent for routine work, then main dealer for a cam belt change and so forth.
Well actually I have done that myself for two VW group cars.
I blanked my Egr off and ever since all I've had it no performance it's like being in limp mode. There is no power anymore It takes about 30 seconds to get to 60mph. I don't understand what I've done wrong. I've double and triple checked everything and everything is nice and tight and in place. I've reset the ecu by disconnecting the battery for an hour but this hasn't changed anything only my bad for forgetting to set the automatic windows back up...ooops.
Can anybody help? Read more
I tend to agree that a working EGR is a better more be responsible way forward. If you choose to keep it then look into the pipe/blanking b plate. Does it have a hole in it? If not do 2 or 3 8-10 mm holes and then refit. This can reduce flow of egr gas but as another poster mentioned won't confuse sir flow meter.
How do you get rid of annoying Australia banner? Makes typing on a phone a real ball ache!...
My wife and I have had a manual Jazz since 2003 and hve been delighted with it.
We are considering replasing it (not least because she needs seat height adjustment which it does not have) with an automatic Jazz....perhaps new but more likely second hand.... Read more
The current and now ended Nissan Note is a dog and the evidence is there for all to see. Disgusting how Nissan never solved the suspension problem.Is that just the new model - I found the model up to 2013 very refined and have never experienced any such noises?
With the rear seats fully back it's a little limo inside for four people albeit with a smaller boot (ahem) ...
I'm changing the head gasket on my car.
Should I lightly lubricate the Head Bolts or could this affect the torque tightening & in long term, tightening stability ?... Read more
As others have said clean and dry is the default position in the absence of any other specific information. Dont get too hung up about being super scientific about it, its not a precision thing. Makers spec apply to new bolts not old and getting everything absolutly clean is near impossible, but thankfully there is a fair range of tension that will work fine. Correct sequence and eveness are just as important. Many old hands do it by feel rather than use a torque wrench. All bolts strech when under load, the bigger the load the more they strech, the problems start if you go past their "elastic linit". Thats the point where they dont return to their original length when the load is removed. You can feel if that happens, the bolt turns but the torque reading stays the same, or even falls back.
Hi all
The 12v power socket on my 2007 Ford Focus has stopped working.... Read more
The info available regarding the Focus fuse box is confusing, to say the least. The image nearest to my car's fusebox that I found online was for a Focus ST, and mine is the 1.6Ti, so there were no doubt fuses on that board that my car doesn't have.
Thanks for the advice about having test equipment. I tend to keep a USB adaptor in the 12v socket for phone charging, but it was taken out the other day when I used my tyre inflator, and not put back. Yesterday my wife put her phone charging lead in the socket thinking the adaptor was still there, obviously without result, but even when we replaced the adaptor there was no power. So I don't know whether what she did caused it to short out.
Hi all,
My friend showed me this oil additive you add every 40, 000 miles. It uses nanotechnology, the particles have one sticky side which bind to the surfaces of the engine the other side is said to be very hard and low friction to protect the engine and reduce wear and increase mpg. ... Read more
Wot, does no one believe this miracle goo fills in/replaces worn away metal effectively reconditioning the engine as you drive along :-)
Browse
.jpg)
Well, no surprise there. No fault found. The independent garage said they were unable to confirm the AA's diagnosis because the patrol had "deleted" the fault codes. This is despite me giving them a printout of the AA's report with the codes on it.
Oh well. Next time the EML comes on I won't stop driving.