May 2021
Bought a 2 year old Peugeot 3008 in October 2019.... Read more
Interesting case in Telgraph Motoring in which a driver went to fill her Q8 , which has two tank fillers next to each other and poured Ad Blue directly into the diesel tank , instead of the separate tank which is adjacent and marked blue. The car ground to a halt and Audi charged £15500 to repair the car. Apparently Adblue poured into the diesel tank causes a massive amount of damage to the injectors, fuel lines etc. A salutary tale but only 30 cases have been reported to the AA. A call to them before driving off would have limited the damage to a drain and clean ! Audi refuse liability as one of the fuel caps is coloured blue and marked Adblue but is adjacent to the diesel cap. Read more
I would be interested to see an itemised breakdown of the damage and repair costs. Adblue is mainly water and about as corrosive as concentrated urine. If it was quickly flushed out of the fuel lines and injectors, would it really have caused that much damage? I suspect Audi are taking the p***.......
Hi
As diagnosed by recovery technician on Saturday my 2017 Honda Civic with 45k on the clock underwent engine failure when the timing chain broke, most likely catastrophic engine failure as a result.... Read more
No update. Very frustrating as Honda now admitting that there is an issue.
Hi, I've just had a letter from the VW dealership to say the cam belt is due to be changed on my 5 year old Polo.The car has only done 21000 miles and I realise the rubber will deteriorate over the years but I'm just after opinions of how long you would leave it bearing in mind the low mileage. Thanks.
... Read more
This subject comes up quite often and always leads to various views. I would be less concerned about the condition of the belt and more concerned about various tensioners, guides etc, and whether they are in good condition.
If it was my car and I was intending keeping it then I would get it done but at a good independent. There is no need to entrust this work to a VW dealer, the Polo is a fairly simple car. I am more cautious than many though, peace of mind is worth a lot to me.
Hi,
I was chatting with an old acquaintance who told me the tale of there 11 month old Hyundai car engine failing, something to do with the failure of the tension idler.
More interestingly it’s fairly widespread.
Anyone have any further details or experience? Read more
<< Presumably if your 2 litre has a belt then the 122500 mile recommendation applies to that too? >>
My 2008 Peugeot's handbook advises a cambelt change at 120K or 10 years. I suspect that few owners keep their car that long, or deem it necessary to pay for a change at that age. I did, because the car had earned it by leading a fault-free life....
HI all,
After 5 happy years in my superb estate I'm moving to pastures new...... Read more
Hi all,
First of all thanks for the extensive replies, really massively appreciated!...
Good cars, nice to drive. Hope it serves you well.
Just had a go in a rental Vauxhall Corsa, 70 reg, 1.2 manual. On startup i genuinely thought it was a diesel because of the vibrations through the steering wheel and car generally. It was only on opening the door and stepping outside did i realise by the lack of diesel chug, that it was definitely a petrol. Weirdly the sound inside is much worse than outside. This is my first experience with a 3 cylinder petrol engine and i'm shocked, are they all like this? Makes any 4ncylinder petrol feel luxurious by comparison! Read more
No. I had a three cylinder 1 litre turbo engine on a 68 plate Suzuki Swift Auto 109bhp in a super lightweight car. Quiet and refined but you could give it some beans and it made a pleasing rorty note. Suzuki just made a great car and Vauxhall hasn't.
I searched the car model that I fancy on Autotrader and nearly half of them are from Big Motoring World. Their price is reasonable too.
May I ask if anyone has some got experience (especially that is not so good) with them that I need to pay special attentions to? Thank you!!!... Read more
In my experience, these car supermarket type ops make money on aftermarket warranties (with restricted indemnities), tyre and wheel insurances and other stuff. I've seen cars at these places with patchy service history, and suspect many are ex-hire or lease.
In contrast I've bought a number of cars (BMW and Minis) using the manufacturers approved scheme and the indemnity level for claims has been the value of the car - so substantial. I've had claims for problems quickly approved, with repairs completed efficiently and quickly. Their annual policy extensions are comparable too....
my sis in law was round mine when i was watching it on the telly. what do you guys think? Read more
Since the 70s, car body shells have been completely immersed in a primer(*) that coats internal surfaces that can't subsequently be reached. When a car is repaired, new panels are often welded onto the old shell. This burns off any protective coating in those places that can't be reached and it cannot be replaced. Every car I've come across that's had such body repairs has rusted in the area of the repairs.
(*) Except Aston Martin who had steel chassis and ally bodies. When I visited the factory steel fillets being welded into corners for reinforcement were already showing surface rust. I've seen Aston Martins of this era with an apparently good body, but more rusty underneath than any other mass produced car of the time.
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