July 2017
Last week I had the message 'Engine Malfunction' come up on my dash, but the engine icon wasn't illuminated and the car drove fine.
Having called the AA they pinned it down to a faulty emissions additive tank level sensor, which he found was now working again, then cleared the message on the dash. He said it isn't an issue and there is plenty of additive in the tank.... Read more
I have recently looked into renewing my tax and insurance having had my car for a full year. I bought the car second hand from a dealership. I have now noticed the v5 is not in my name, and the previous owner has not signed the part I need to send away. I have no idea what to do now, a little worried the car has been insured and taxed to myself for a year when its technically not even registered to me. what on earth can i do to sort this problem out without getting myself into any kind of bother? any help or advice is very much appreciated Read more
Inurance has not been checked since about 2012. It doesn't say it is on the site either. They abolished it as a waste of time as people simply insured a car for 24 hours then cancelled. ...
Hi guys ,
I have a 1.2 petrol corsa 2010.
A few months ago it started with rough idling. Eventually engine management light came on. I took to garage and it was diagnosed as o2 sensor which I had replaced. Fine for another week and then same thing. Had another sensor replaced. Fine again for a while. Then idling went so bad that when I was driving in heavy traffic it stalled. Rac were called. Diagnosed o2 sensor again and said the fuel was too rich. Upon revving a black sooty substance was firing out of exhaust. Not as smoke, it was just hitting the floor. Not heavy , just a dusting. Rac mechanic removed the coil pack and said it's got a few very minor burn marks but it's ok. Sparks were full of black sooty deposit but only slight wear.
Changed air filter and cleaned up sparks and I was able to drive home.
He cleared the codes so I had to wait for light again. It took a day and there it was. So back to garage and diagnosed as air flow meter. At this point I am sick of throwing money at it. But I agreed and got it replaced.
Drive well for a couple of days and now I am starting to feel the rough idle again!
Also when driving I can feel little bursts of power like I am lifting foot and putting back on gas. Sort of jerks a bit.
This is what I have had done....2 o2 sensors, air flow meter. New air filter, used egr cleaner and I am still having problems.
Sorry for long winded post but don't know how else I can explain problem.
Service is about due now but rac mechanic said it's probably not that causing problem
Help
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Don't tell me that haha
I need to replace the timing belt on my son's Fiesta. I've done a few belts in the past, a 16v Vectra many moons ago and an 8v Punto several times more recently, but not a Fiesta. I'll need to buy a timing tool set and a flywheel locking tool (about £50 the pair) but looking at Haynes, the rest looks straightforward enough.
Anyone have experience of doing these? Do the sprockets sieze onto the camshafts when the bolts are loosened? Haynes doesn't suggest they do (but when do they mention potential problems!), but they do warn that the sprockets are plastic so won't take much abuse. Read more
"Some sites I have visited have a policy where advice of this kind would be removed, others have a disclaimer you have to tick that confirms its your own responsibilty. This site has none."
There is no claim on this site that any advice given on here has professional backing (although some people are in the business and their advice is extremely valuable), nor do we take responsiblity for any of it. So no need for a disclaimer....
I have asked about this on the other parts of BR regards to the mechanical aspects and there is no way I would ever agree to having an EGR removed.
I am curious as to whether or not there are any regulations which would make it illegal.... Read more
I have received a letter today from Department for Transport that confirms advice given on here. Thanks. Some motorists will be getting a surprise. Should've gone on a forum.
Hi all
I've been looking at buying a van to replace my 406 estate as I now have twice as many tools as she can carry. I'm thinking about getting a car loan from my bank Lloyds which means I can splash a little cash, well, more than what I've got anyway, the question is what to go for??!! It's a brave new world and all advice is welcome !... Read more
I was aware of the speed limits for dual purpose vehicles and the definition of "Dual Purpose Vehicle".
I never understood the relevance of having to be 4wd....
Hi All,
I have a 2004 ford fiesta which has today failed its MOT on corroded rear brake pipes and main break pipes. The reason for the failure is following:... Read more
Done with the repairs , they charged me £250 for replacing the brake pipes + 2nd hand wheel + MOT fee.
I've always been a fan of BMW cars and always wanted to get one. I found one at reasonable price - a 2008 BMW 2.0 318i SE Edition at 75k miles with full service history, MOT and great interior. General consensus and opinion on the web is to stay away from second hand premium cars such as BMW and Audi. Would it be that bad in terms of reliability and servicing to buy this car? Why shouldn't I buy it? I'm not just buying for the badge but also great handling, quality of materials, performance and looks of course. I could afford the odd extra costs, but obviously wouldn't want to buy a money pit and something ridiculous to own and maintain.
I can also get a 44k miles Volvo S40 2.0, which seems more sensible, but doesn't excite me too much. Both are nearly the same price in insurance - around Volvo at £1300 and BMW at £1400.... Read more
" You do not have to use a main dealer unless under their warranty where it is probably advisable."
Correct but most small garages fire the same oil (which they bulk buy) into every car they get on the ramps instead of checking then buying in the correct grade for that particular model. This is fine with simple older engines but it kills more complex and oil specific motors. The 2.0 petrol in my E46 318 was ruined by a supposed BMW specialist who bunged the wrong oil in which killed the timing chain within a month at 47,000 miles. Had I stumped up for the main dealer service that cost £70 more then the car would have ran for many years to come. Lesson learned.
I collected my 225xe on Tuesday, it's the entry-level 'Sport' spec, with the only extra being heated seats (on the orders of SWMBO, of course).
Having had a weekend test drive earlier this year (detailed here: www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=117325), I knew roughly what to expect. But here are some initial findings from the first few days of ownership:... Read more
Well, after three years and 25,000 miles, it's going back to BMW this week as the contract hire is up.
Lots of interesting mpg figures in this thread but not many £ figures. Can you please tell us how much the 3yr 25K mile contract has cost for the actual car ownership/rentalship?
My neighbour is a retired Ford Dealership owner and he states in his time the margin in general was 7.5% on the retail price. Does anyone have any information on other manufacturers? I was a little suprised that the margin was so low. Obviously money to be made on the finance packages etc but thought the base car margin would have been higher than 7.5%. Read more
If the margin really was 7.5% on the retail price, then how on earth could dealers afford to have so many pre-reg cars for sale, usually at 20-30% off list price ?
The facts of the matter are slightly different. Whilst the margin might technically only be 7.5% on one car, when dealers hit a certain number of cars sold in a month / quarter, they become eligible for additional discounts on ALL cars sold in that time period. In addition, they get bonuses (and/or commission) for selling finance, GAP insurance, 'paint protection' packs, etc. They also (they hope) get servicing at huge markup ofr the next few years....
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Do you have a laptop. If so a Forscan OBDReader may be a good investment. Available on online markEt storEs ft or about £15-20
This will let you check what the problem is. If you do this every week or so you can check for any new codes (warning light). You'll probably be able to reset the light also, if AA man did this it could work for you too.