March 2020
Any chance of posting the complete story with all the relevant car details. ? Egr faults can give different symptoms on different cars . Are we talking petrol or diesel here ? Read more
I was told by BMW that I was the first to take my car in re this recall. I was naturally very surprised as my 1998 318i was in its 22nd year. The outcome was that BMW have offered to buy back the car for a price a little over the market price. They also provided a hire car for 10 days while I found another car, and they have given my new car a health check which was very useful. As far as I understand it, the first cars to suffer from the problem were the facelift models introduced at the end of 1998. Ours was the first of these in the area being manufactured in November 1998. I understood the problem was that the airbag was liable to go off for little or no reason - but I might be wrong on this.
Altogether BMW have been pretty fair regarding this. The car was pretty old, but being the last car my parents owned was quite an heirloom. P Jackson Huddersfield Read more
Well Harvey (sadly we name our cars) is now 1 week and 700 miles old so I thought I’d share my initial thoughts.
Let’s start with the good. He is very comfortable, we did go for the Titanium version as it is supposed to be the comfy model. Seats seem very supportive and for a smallish car have a good length squab. I didn’t ever think I’d need a heated steering wheel and I don’t but it a real nice to have. Ride is good and it’s pretty quiet. The engine, all 1l and 125bhp is surprisingly punchy and refined, flexible as well, I think that’s the electric boost at low revs. My wife’s Fiat 124(Gina) has a 1.4t which is really laggy at low revs in comparison. For a fwd car a good gear change, quick, light, precise. Handling, really sharp but it is Fiesta based so should be.
The OK - initially the stereo sounded a bit weak but I think I was being unfair and comparing it to my Mustang (Rosco). All the safety stuff, lane keep, adaptive cruise, seems OK and one day might save my life but seems a bit OTT, the blind spot monitoring is fantastic though and should be standard on all cars. I know some criticise Ford interiors but it feels pretty well put together and user friendly, personal view but I like the fabrics and overall design.
Could be better - the sat nav seems to take ages to boot up, it should be the same sync system as Rosco so I don’t understand that, the indicator and wiper stalks feel cheap, a shame when other touch points are good. The steering, accurate though it is feels too light, there might be a way to change it but I’ve not found it yet. Economy, am I expecting too much but 47mpg is less than expected, might improve with use.
Other stuff - I’ve had two people comment very positively about looks, not mine sadly but Harvey’s in car parks and he still looks and feels bigger than he is. Oh and as he’s going to cover quite a few miles good to see service intervals of 18k miles. Read more
Yes I quite fancy the auto tailgate and blis but it might cost more than an st line x 1st edition, having to add two packs, not sure if you can get them in one pack, I’ll need to do more research when I get serious about buying one..
I’m replacing the Goodyear Vectors on my BMW which have surprised me by covering over 30k. Shopping around I’ve found the Cargo version in the size I need to be significantly cheaper than the standard Vector. What are your thoughts about sticking these on a 320 Estate front and rear? The only difference in spec is they seem to have a reinforced wall. Read more
I’m assuming the XL version of the tyre. It states in the spec Reinforced but still with a V rating.
And yes, could be perfect for the potholed country lanes I live near. And 20 quid a corner cheaper.
Can anybody recommend a smooth, soft riding used hatchback? Currently running a C3 Picasso as a second car (which is excellent for ride quality) but I'd like something that is taken a little more seriously on the road. Read more
Citroen BX - Soft yet nimble and cheap to run. Ugly as sin and everyone was scared of fluid filled suspension.
BX ugly? No, very much a marmite car - just not as quirky as some, sold surprisingly well. Very sharp brakes, ride could make you feel sea/car sick.
We all know how our cars have expanded during the last few decades. I thought I would try to quantify this trend. To start things off, consider the following 'kerb weights' for the entry-level versions of three Peugeots:
205 (1984 on): 760 kg... Read more
This was the base engine non-Dig-S model and it makes progress but won't set the world alight! It's also manual.
Being the manual, non-supercharged version does make a bit of a difference in weight though. It means the Note, at a scant 1038kg, is actually a whopping 585kg lighter than the Tuscon!....
Not too sure what exactly you are asking . Can you elaborate? Read more
While working on the brakes I blundered into my DS wing mirror and broke it off. Crummy wee pot-metal ball joint mounting, perhaps made deliberately weak to avoid pedestrian injury, is proving tricky to fix in a way that’ll allow and hold adjustment, concentrating my mind on the fact that I couldn’t see properly through the back window due to bubbling of the anti-sun plastic film. This is probably a common problem on older cars here in Taiwan.
Cue an Internyet search. IIRC I looked here... Read more
An alternative would have been to just remove the doors and rear hatch, in a macho super-legere makeover.
Cue Taiwans newish indigenous tactical toy....
Hi everyone
Had the above car for around 5 years now with no major problems.
I do most maintenance tasks myself but when it came to the routine cambelt/tensioner/water pump change, I took it to Awesome GTI because I knew that there was a chance that the tensioner stud thread could strip, and predictably, that’s what happened! The problem was fixed with a helicoil insert and 3 years later all is still good.
I want to replace the cambelt/tensioner/water pump again in the summer myself so my question is, will the helicoil insert be ok when I remove the old tensioner stud, replace for a new one, and torque to VW recommendations?
Many thanks.
??
Read more
Hopefully they have used a threaded insert . A much stronger and better method . Plenty of info on the VW forums as to whether this stud needs replacing. Take a look .
God anyone else experienced this have a 3 month old bought brand new Skoda Superb L&K. Problem I’ve got is inside the cabin it’s making a clicking noise near the Drivers vent. Comes and goes. The trim round the lights is coming away. The chrome trim round the drivers door is also coming away.
Shocking build quality I am really disappointed as I love the car big and comfy but Skoda say there is only a 3 month warranty on trim parts. Anything else is good will. It’s a £36k car how on Earth can the warranty be only 3 months?
I’ve emailed the CEO and the dealer and await the response. I’m minded just to take the hit and trade it in for a used BMW.
Anyone else experienced poor quality on the Skodas ? Read more
Firstly, items classed as wear and tear are covered for 6500 miles or 6 months.
Chrome trim coming away has been a known issue on Superb mk iii and is usually fixed with no arguments under warranty. Its a manufacturing fault and so eligible for the full 3 year cover...
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Hi Pete
It sounds like BMW have been very fair with you. Mercedes, on the other hand… I’ve been waiting close to 5 months now for the part and still have no firm date. I am no longer prepared to risk driving my car. Mercedes have been extraordinarily unhelpful and show no regard for customer safety. I’d like to quote your experience with BMW to them, as you mention Huddersfield I’m assuming you’re based in the UK? Any other info you could pass on illustrating how well BMW have dealt with this issue would be helpful, thank you :-) I’m sure Lewis H isn’t driving around with an unsafe airbag!