August 2019
Hi All,
Having had a 2000 Citroen Xsara Picasso for years with no issues (other than the usual servicing), I bought a second-hand 2009 one (1.6 petrol DOHC - nicely sporty, yes a Picasso, I know!).... Read more
We have a 2013 Seat Alhambra 2.0 ltr td, owned since new and fully maintained on an annual servicing basis - I’m not a fan of longlife services.
In June we had the EA189 Emissions Fix service action carried out. This was essentially sorting out the emissions cheat software. 8 weeks later the turbo failed and we lost all power - the engine was running but the car was barely moving.
SEAT have refused to help in anyway with this issue. They’re stating the emissions fix would t affect the turbo, so it isn’t covered by their ‘trust building measure’ in relations to emissions fix. This is despite it happening weeks after the fix; the car has only covered 83k miles.
Interestingly, they intimated that if the car had been serviced within the dealer network they would have made a goodwill contribution.
I know of one other Alhambra owner - similar age/mileage and same model - who has had exactly the same failure in similar circumstances also within weeks of the emissions fix update. Are anymore people suffering from SEAT lack of customer care? Read more
Re the Audi, they wouldn’t have contributed if we hadn’t followed the brake fluid change it intervals. This is what frustrates me with SEAT - there are no end of reported problems resulting from the Emissions fix but as a brand they seem to be making it nearly impossible for people to get fair support. Its totally destroyed my faith in their brand, and to a degree in VAG themselves.
Major engine faults shouldn’t occur in the manner that ours has.
I accidentally hit a parked car in the gym car park this morning. It was very minor damage to the other car - my car has definitely come off worse
I immediately went into the gym to try and find the owner of the car. Once I had found him, we went back to his car to assess the damage. I admitted that I had caused a small amount of scuffing to the front side bumper, and asked him what he wanted to do. Did he want to settle it there and then, or get our insurance companies involved. He opted to settle there and then and so I offered him £150 for the damage, which he accepted. ... Read more
Its a good question, I know a mate of mine done that a few times in the mid 80's to save going through the insurance, I do not think you have done anything illegal, however I will point out that all insurance companies require a person to report all collisions, regardless if any damage is done or anyone hurt.
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Be replacing my coolant soon, since I had to do an emergency top-up with flaky water from a hose, and I will lose some more if I get the temperature sensor out for testing. Seems stuck.
I could only get cheapo green stuff with Chinese writing on it last time, from RT-Mart, and I’m not very convinced, though I think I’ve got another couple of litres of it somewhere…... Read more
A test for ethylene glycol is to taste it! it tastes sweet, it's also poisonous! seem to remember a certain wine producing company where caught adding it to a particularly foul vintage.
Actually it was Austrian winemakers. In 1985 they added diethylene glycol (DEG) to try to make their iffy wine as sweet as good German wines. Since then, it has been implicated in many deaths worldwide in poor countries buying dubious medicines laced with cheap poisonous Chinese 'glycol substitute'. ...
Keyless entry - a solution to a problem that did not exist Read more
Really concerned at the growth in vehicle cloning. Needs some proper research and practical detection options urgently. It appears to me that no one is gripping this. We are talking about a growing number of uninsured, un-taxed, stolen vehicles being driven with little possibility of detection. Assuming that plates are stolen in one place for use on a clone in another place, it should only take a system of mandatory reporting by Councils to the DVLA for failed PCNs (confirmed clones) to place a marker on the index specific to hits in a certain area. This would remove risk to the genuine owner and increase the likelihood of the clone being stopped using fixed and mobile ANPR.
Judging by the numbers of illegal number plates I see on the road, it looks like the police simply don't care about enforcing number plate regulations, or if they are, there are simply too few of them out on patrol to spot offenders.
If drivers were stopped and given 6 points and £1000 fine for non-compliant number plates, maybe this would be a deterrent. If the use of cloned plates to avoid getting a PCN is the intention, the penalty has to be substantially higher than the PCN. Read more
I seems you are lucky to se illegal plates, up here in West Midlands there are loads of cars with no plates at all, and nothing gets done about them.
Hello. I currently own a Seat Leon Cupra 1M 1.8T 20V 180 Bhp on petrol. I really enjoy this car, it’s fast and sounds very nice but, after a while, my biggest issues are comfort and leg room. So I’m searching for a saloon type of car around 1500 pounds. I’m a newbie in terms of what’s best on a car but my ideal car should have: comfort, good handling, engine size and bhp like my Seat or slightly more bhp (180 to 200ish max), automatic transmission. About petrol or diesel engine I have no idea, consider that usually my trips aren’t very long (commute is max 15/20 mins away plus local driving to shops in town) and I drive more during weekends (max 2 hours distance). One last thing is fuel consumption, I don’t mind paying a little something extra for fuel but it should be at least reasonable mpg if possible.
PS : no bmw please, I like the comfort but rear traction isn’t my thing. Read more
Honda Accord 2.4. At that price it will be higher mileage, but they are well up for it as long as it has been looked after. Had a look on Autotrader and there are a few kicking about >£1.5k, but as we don't kmow where you are, i can't say how viable it would be to view. 188bhp, but n/a so won't have the mid range grunt of your Seat.
Hi all
Car is 2001 Fiesta mk4 1.3 Endura-e engine... Read more
I didn't have the time to do the spark plugs yet, and unfortunately I don't have access to scanner tool.
I suspect the spark plugs might be the reason for this but I also wonder why this happens only at a very certain rpm range with the engine warm ,,I would think if it was a spark plugs fault then the hesitation would be all over the place...
As a Contract Hire Broker and having worked for over 40 years in and around the Motor Trade, I am increasingly concerned about the abilities of Fleet Sales Staff to comprehend what my clients are looking for.
I'd like to believe that it boils down to poor training or volume pressure to meet targets, but I'm now suspecting that their constant mistakes and inability to provide what is required are caused by more sinister reasons!... Read more
I have just bought a dash cam and was surprised that it is somewhat fidly to take it out of the car each time it is parked and therefore assume it is designd to be left in the car. However, in this daty and age would they be subject to a smash and grab if left in an unattendted vehicle.
What do most people do with there sash cams when leavingthe vehicle unattended?... Read more
I have a Vantrue dual lens in my MX-5. Very easy to remove and quite small so will fit in a pocket. It just unclips from the mounting which has the power to it rather than directly to the camera.
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Was the ECU not protected by that little bag?
I'm not sure if it was a factory fit as I see some with it and many without....