December 2021
Hello.
I bought an Audi last week and checked all and V5 (with DVL watermark). Taxed the vehicle on the spot before even buying it to make sure its genuine.... Read more
How things change....for the better! My 1980 TR7 handbook says renew plugs at the 12,000 mile service. I seem to remember our Ford Focus recommendation was 30,000 miles. Recently I read somewhere that today's plugs should last 100,000 miles. Anyway, I changed them every 50,000.
Son is home in our old 160,000 mile Focus, so as its third set (I still have its second set which look OK) has done nearly 60,000 miles I thought I would inspect them. They are bog standard NGK TR5-10 and they look OK with little sign of wear. The gaps were still no more than the originally recommended 1.3mm, so I tapped them down to 47thou (1.21mm) with the back of the wire brush and put them back, taking care to tighten no more than to 15-20ftlb with my cheapie old torque wrench - which occasionally doubles as a breaker bar.... Read more
There used to be a member on here years ago called THe Growler (RIP) who did various ramblings of the motoring scene in the Philippines.
I've just had two new front tyres fitted and the garage did the whole job in 15 minutes. Does that seem a little too quick? I can't recall ever having tyres changed so fast before. Read more
They’re only 175/65-14’s on steels, no locking wheel nuts.
No trolley jack, just a pnematic air bag jack. Same airline lifted the car, unplugged from the jack and then used on the wheel gun.
Ho will car co's make money in antra of electric cars? Less moving parts = less breakdowns and wear and tear as well as less servicing time in workshops. Will cars become more expensive. It seems to me the entire motoring value chain is facing a tsunami of change as we slowly usher in an era of electrification. Read more
As I look at the NHS now a disaster long before Covid, Social services the same ,Police and the courts, the fiasco in the English channel, failure to build enough houses etc
And burning more UK mined coal will help? ...
Hello. I have a 58 plate one series, it’s coming upto 60k miles. I have had this car for a about 2 years and done 40k miles. I service it 6 months before the MOT and have had no problems at all. Not had to even change the tyres yet. I read online that I don’t have a timing chain so that doesn’t need doing, but is it worth getting the water pump done or wait for some indication it is failing.
Also I had no advisories on the last MOT, but obviously with the distance I travelled is it worth just get the brakes checked? I can’t find how thin they should be, before they are no good.
I have a major service booked next week with Halfords, but only because I got a big discount. I have been advised to get any work done at a regular garage because it will be more expensive at somewhere like Halfords or a specialist.
Again, my knowledge isn’t great and I appreciate any advice you can give me.
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Thanks for your comments on the Red Rubber stuff (I think usually made by Castrol in the UK, but mine is of Japanese origin).
Its the recommendation in the Dahatsu manual I have, (though I can't recall exactly where one is supposed to use it) but I share your reservations about its longevity so havn't....
Hi guys, does anybody know where to find the fuel temp sensor on 520d 2011 efficientdynamics model, I’ve Googled it but no luck as yet,
Thank you Read more
Hi yes, I found it after, it is just by the high pressure pump.
Hopefully may make it easier for someone else to find the fuel temp sensor now with this post :)
Car is just 11 months old and only 3.5 miles on the clock. It's used every day and is garaged overnight. Left the office as usual at 5pm but car wouldn't open with the remote (keyless entry/start). Used the manual key to open the driver's door. No courtesy lights, no dash lights, wouldn't start. Breakdown guy arrived and tried to use a booster - battery completely dead. Car recovered to dealer who kept it overnight on a trickle charge. Battery charged but technician not happy with voltage readings so Mazda gave permission for new battery to be fitted.
Odd thing is, when I picked up the car I set about re-pairing up my phone with the bluetooth expecting that it and the radio pre-set channels had been wiped when the battery was swopped out. Was very surprised to see that my phone was still connected to the car and my favourite radio stations were still there. Do modern cars have back-up power when a battery dies and is replaced? Read more
Is there any chance that the battery has discharged because of a fault somewhere in the car itself ? Or in other words, will a replacement go the same way ?
That is what really worries me. I have to trust the dealer's assuarnce that they have have fitted a brand new battery, but I'm concerned that there are underlying problems.
Last year I asked for advice on whether to swap cars as I had a 2010 KIA Ceed auto estate. One of the recommendations that I looked at was an Astra estate which on paper looked good and reliable; but I didn’t like it and decided to hang onto the Ceed for another year or so. It has been trouble free and has only just passed the MoT again.
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My Ceed has 6 gears while newer ones have 7 gears. Typically pressing + or - increases/reduces speed by 2 MPH. I use cruise control in all sorts of speeds 40-75 MPH. Only place I ever experienced jerk is when road is an upward incline and the car needs to down shift in order to climb. But with 7 gears, I think one will experience more shifts.
I think in DCTs, some occasional jerk is unavoidable. In TC type the fluid coupling takes care of the jerking, though in higher gears transmission often use direct connection bypassing fluid coupling. ...
...to decide which model to change our Jazz for.
I've been looking recently at the X-Trail. Currently there's not much on Autotrader that looks decent, has less than 100k and which doesn't have previous damage, but I've found a 2008 model with just 54k miles. Anyone any particular thoughts on the X-Trail brand and the advisability of buying vehicles of that sort of age?... Read more
Completely agree with this. Honda -> Nissan is a complete and utter downgrade, mechanically speaking and reliability-wise. I was looking at a Qashqai for a family member recently, so I've sat in some Nissan's and the tech can be convincingly good, but everything seems cheap. Add to that the utter lack of reliability Nissan's have across almost their entire board of cars. They're junk almost as soon as they roll of the line.
Interested what people would do if they either had £2k in your pocket or with a loan had £4k
Would any of these cars ( assuming they all had good history etc etc ) stand out for reliability in general..and would one of the cheaper cars be just as good a buy ?... Read more
When looking for a Corolla , the country where it was built is on a sticker on the drivers side windscreen.
First choice IMHO Made in Japan.
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I contacted Police again today and they now impounded the vehicle. I have been told I have to explore civil case.
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