November 2019
Engine Management light came on immediately after MOT at 7 years (66k miles) - a coincidence I think - so booked into main dealer for diagnosis as I feared problem might be associated with EA189 emissions fix which I was still under the limited 2 year VW UK warranty. Turned out to be a defective glow plug which was not associated with the fix. No complaints about the service I received from the dealer or the cost but surprised that the opportunity was not taken to replace all 4 glow plugs at the same time as I imagine once one fails the rest will likely follow. I was told that it was VW policy only to replace the defective one but not being a mechanic (but not being stupid either) this left me feeling a little suspicious about their motives (i.e. repeat business). Am I wrong to be suspicious? Read more
It looks bigger than a Mondeo. Seems fine to me, looks-wise, better than the styling changes to the latest VWs like the Golf and Polo, which to me now look 'fat'. I admit that the boot end does look rather large with that long overhang. It still surprises me that they sell the Superb as well, given the size of this car and how small the market for large 'saloons' is, outside of the premium brands *which isn't that large to start with).
The Octavia can't really be called a 'C' sector car any more, even if it's based on the Golf, given its size. I bet this new one won't be cheap either, now part of a very crowded market. Read more
Regarding voice "assistants", it turns out that both male and female consumers of voice activated technology, (e.g. SatNavs !) prefer to be guided by a female voice. Curious. https://www.debbiegrattan.com/blog/why-trust-female-voice-over-male-voice/
Neither will fitting a Tracker or a dash cam!
Just marketing gimmicks! Read more
I've had an issue with water ingress in the driver's footwell after the recent downpours. I've been to the local dealership who have now looked at the car and think that the ingress is due to leaves blocking the drain holes under the windscreen. They want to charge five hours' of labour at £92 per hour for draining the holes. I told them I found this excessive and they've agreed to charge me for thee hours. Is this really how long it takes to get to the holes and drain them? Read more
Try and find a good independent garage with a bit of flexible wire should sort it in know time!
I would still be wary of them until proven otherwise, especially the 1.6/1.5TD (variants of the same original PSA-Ford-derived engine) and the 2.2TD when your driving pattern is mainly made up of shorter and or urban trips from cold.
The other issue is that you don't often know on second hand cars what the driving pattern was before, even if the mileage is known - the damage could've been done at any point in its ownership, and the financial costs of repairs are steep.... Read more
I recently bought a 2016 Mazda 2 with 20k from a dealer and noticed what can only be described as a loud noise like a wind tunnel. Sitting in the drivers seat it appears to come from the rear, possibly n/s. The noise increases with road speed and noticed at around 40mph and particularly constant at 60mph. It isn't the same as tyre or road noise.
The dealer told me to take it to Mazda for a second opinion and the tech said he had never heard a noise like it in 20 years at Mazda and first thought -wheel bearing; then said it sounded like wind noise through a missing grommet after checking what the selling dealer had said. When I got the car back 'fixed' they said it was a grommet in the rear light, but soon as I drove it the noise was still there.... Read more
I have known bonded screens to make a noise where the bonding has an air bubble from inside to outside making a hole in the bonding, doesn't often occur but has been known.
if its proved, it means rebonding the screen/window...
Hi, I'm a bit puzzled by the stipulation that my car's tyres must have a speed index of 'W' (max speed 168 mph) or 'Y' (186 mph), both of which are way above not only my car's top whack but also above the 155 mph governed limit. The particular tyre I would like only comes in a 'V' (149 mph) which is also way above not only my car's limit but also where on earth on our crowded / pot-holed / camera-infested highways would I be able to attain anything like this speed? Unless I wanted to feature in a police video. It seems crazy. I would have thought an 'R' (106 mph) or 'S' (112 mph) would be OK. I found a similar thread from way back in 2001 and I'm writing more in hope than expectation that common sense now prevails. Read more
I believe that the minimum speed rating is dependent on the wheel size - the 16" wheels are approved with a V tyre rating.
hi, I have a 2015 renault traffic van. Approx 6months ago it started to stutter,loose power then it would not start.
every time i sent for the RAC they reset the ALARMS showing on the engine managment system.But this did not FIX THE FAULT.... Read more
Resetting alarms does not usually fix the fault, the error codes are logged to help a good car tech find the fault.
Suggest you check the battery condition and voltage, and then the battery connections, particularly the earth strap to the body....
Hi does anybody know which fuse number and location is for the high beam on a Zafira 1.7?
I like to add an led flood light to this using an piggy back fuse adapter so both are fused and led lights only come on with high beam. Read more
You will need to tap into the main beam wire at the headlight connector to energise the relay . The main power feed to the relay can be connected to the positive terminal of the battery .
This needs to be regulated!... Read more
Reading the report from the official gazette, if some of the "witnesses" are linked to the claims management company and did not appear to testify when they had given written statements, surely that is attempted perverting the course of justice.
Read the PDF at the end of the law gazette report.
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My experience is that glowplugs tend to fail one after the other in a period of 6 months or so.. (did on Yaris and Peugeot 106. Replaced two on Yaris - others failed within 3 months)
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