November 2019
None of the service schedules for my XE require belt replacement and I understand the chain cam is likely to last the life of the engine. However you frequently advise replacing Timing belt, tensioner, Water Pump and Auxiliary belt around 60,000 miles. I assume this refers to the rubber belts (and water pump) on the exterior of the engine, not the timing chain. What is the correct name for these belts (which are not mentioned in the XE handbook) so I can get my garage to change them (and pump) . My mileage is 63,000 miles and have just had the Jaguar serviced as per schedule.
Regards... Read more
I would be interested to hear what extra price people are paying for using V Power rather than regular fuel. When it was first introduced V Power (near me) was 3 or 4 pence a litre more than the standard Fuelsave but that seems to be getting bigger and bigger.
For the last few months the average premium at the Shell stations has been around 11 or 12 pence. However I recently came across one with a difference of 14 pence, but then found a station on the A64 a few miles west of Scarborough which was only 8 pence more.... Read more
Yesterday
Shell E10 - £1.31...
I have recently posted this in a different forum so you may have read this there.
I recently purchased a Mini Cooper. Not long after, I noticed that the engine oil was dropping significantly. I took it a mechanic who told me there is blue smoke when accelerating. He also said that this is a sign of the engine being worn out and either needing to be replaced a having a major overhaul.... Read more
let the dealer fix it...you flog it immediately after.
Hi all
On my commute to work the clutch of my 2016 TDI 2.0 Bluemotion GT manual Golf would not fully disengage when released. The pedal moved halfway back to it's usual position but got stuck there.... Read more
Unfortunately for me, easier and cheaper may be a false economy if it is less likely to fix the problem (I know John and others have suggested the Slave is more likely).
I have received the quote for the Slave cylinder replacement(£996). ...
Hi,
I'm new to the forum and I'd love some help with my 64 plate Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI.... Read more
Most Ford thermostats are between 88 and 92 deg.C-the ECU is calibrated to treat this temperature as FULLY warmed-up;that's probaly why it's ruuning more smoothly-should help your mpg. too.
Picked up our new VW T-Cross earlier this week to replace a 4 year old Tiguan (which has given us sterling service over 43k miles, with zero faults).
We chose the T-Cross over all other similar models because it ticked all our boxes. One of the main requirements was a high seating position. The new shape Tiguan was too big for us and models such as those from SEAT, Skoda and Hyundai were OK but the seating position was just not quite right. The closest was the Hyundai Kona and had the T-Cross not been available at this time we may well have chosen that instead. We did try the T-Roc when that came out but the seating position just wasn't good enough - barely any difference from a 'standard' car.... Read more
Called into the Citroen Dealer to look at the 2 cars mentioned by badbusdriver.
Well the big C5 aircross was rather nice inside particularly the seats, plus electric hatch, a big plus. Strange huge storage bin in-between the front seats, the French seem to like the old centre console style it seems. Other bits somewhat quirky too. High spec and auto came to £32k. a bit pricey BUT salesman said we would get a £7k scrappage discount! Car a bit too big for our needs so did not test drive it. Autocar review not very positive by the way....
I traded in my Golf TDI in June this year for a new Hyundai i30 1.4T GDI (petrol) as my daily commute has drastically reduced to just 3 miles in each direction with a longer run of 15-20 miles at weekends. With just 3k on the clock a warning light popped up on the dash yesterday which the handbook says concerns the build up of soot in the petrol particulate filter. I really had to dig deep into the handbook (over 500 pages!) to find the meaning of this and given the importance of the issue I would have expected a more explicit warning at the front. I'm quite sure that many other owners much less informed than me wouldn't know what to do.The dealer never mentioned the implications of driving styles to me. Anyway, the handbook advice is to drive the car for 30 minutes at 50mph in 3rd gear above 1,500 revs. The exhaust gases need to be hot enough to deal effectively with the soot. I promptly hit the motorway and after 30 minutes, to my relief, the warning light eventually went out.... Read more
Basically get the engine properly warmed up then jump on the motorway and bring it up to speed with decent revs on (2500-3500) Then just lift completely off the accelerator for at least 5 seconds and allow the revs to drop naturally. Keep doing this over and over again until the light goes off.
I can't say I like the idea of many frustrated Hyundai owners taking to the motorways to carry out this procedure ! It may explain some of the things we see I suppose ....
I recently purchased a used car. I paid 4k for the car with low milage. Within a week I found out that the engine needed rebuilding. I have a written report from two independent garages that there is a serious issue with the engine. I contacted the seller which is a dealer and they offered to fix it and they sent me to their mechanic. The was fine, however when I arrived at their mechanics it resembled more of a scrap yard than a garage. It was definitely not a place I would like to perform such an important repair like an engine rebuild on a car that I had just purchased. I telephoned the seller and explained that I am unhappy with this and would like a refund. They refused. I asked if he was happy to pay for the repair then could I take it my usual garage. He declined. I have requested the refund in writing. This has all happened within 2 weeks of owning the car.
... Read more
Thread closed - see other thread about this Mini Cooper, now in Motoring.
We have just had the cat converter stolen from our 03 Honda Jazz. After much discussion, we have decided to look for a replacement vehicle. But are any cars safe from this type of vandalism?
We primarily used the Jazz for local short commutes, hauling stuff to and from the allotment and taking green waste to the tip. As avid gardeners, we loved the space the Jazz provided as well as the magic seats.... Read more
Thanks Mike.
No 1 son runs a BMW 118, about 9 years old.
On his way to us for dinner last week when he phoned to say he had hit a pothole and had punctured a tyre. I went out to have a look-see and sure enough his NSR tyre was flat as the proverbial.... Read more
I wonder what the pressure in the tyre was before the pothole split it. Had he checked recently? To avoid pothole damage as much as possible it is essential the tyre pressure is at, or even slightly above, recommended pressure - especially those absurd low profile rubber bands, which are just asking for expensive damage to the actual wheel as well as the tyre.
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If you refer to the Ingenium 2.0 Diesel Engine it's got a timing chain. The chain fitted to these engines from 2015 until 2020 was not great, and failures started occurring sometimes quite early in the cars history. If the timing chain slips or breaks it can and cause irreparable damage to the engine. It was designed to last the life of the engine, but the chain fitted to this engine was sub-standard and it can fail. If you do motorway driving and the engine gets hot and is driven at +50mph for at least half an hour on a very regular basis, then you might be OK for a time. If not the soot and the unburnt diesel dilutes the engine oil and leads to the chain stretching. The plastic tensioners can also fail. JLR recognised this weakness in the timing chain design and did a full recall on the engine in South Korea and fixed the issue. I have seen the recall notice. They failed to take the same diligence, customer friendly, proactive action in the UK.
From 2020 onwards JLR fitted a beefed up timing chain and associated fitting which seem to have solved the weaknesses. However I'll do an annual oil change in addition to JLR's service frequency....