November 2022
This was discussed way back in 2004 .....
(www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=25296) .... so rather than resurrrecting a long and out of date thread I thought it was worth re-visiting as 'expert' advice varies depending where you look. E.g. the AA advise adding if below halfway between max and min on the dipstick, Halfords if below minimum, and Ford at minimum or below. The general consensus seems to be the level is OK anywhere beteen the two marks - and that is what I have always thought; rarely adding any until it reaches the min mark. Why would you? If the engine is nearing an oil change, it is a waste of good oil! ... Read more
I have a 2017 Tucson 1.7 DCT diesel and I use it to occasionally pull a caravan.
On a couple of occasions recently the revs have climbed rapidly, then sunk again during a gear change at low speed on sharp steep slopes. I am worried the DCT clutch is nearing its end of life.
I’ve done a bit of googling and it sounds like I’m in for a major bill. And it’s a main dealer job.
Does anyone know how much a new clutch will cost? Read more
Oil rag – thanks for finding that info – it’s what I was expecting – gulp!
Adampr – the car was registered in January 2017, so it’s almost 6 years old....
So in the morning the car starts fine, but when I press the accelerator it tries to rev up but stalls (Before I remove my foot from the accelerator pedal).
Some times I can start the car, start moving and even change to second but still it jerks and is about to stall again every time I change gear and press the accelerator. ... Read more
Yup, it is on my list on what to get next! I can find them for about 67 quid on ebay or around 50 on chinese websites etc (should be the exact same product). Not genuine of course as I can't seem to find a genuine one.
Final Update (Hopefully):...
Has anyone come across John Cadogan the Australian Motoring Guru.
He doesn’t hold any punches regarding VAG Australia !... Read more
Ok the Amarok has a few issues.
But is the 2.0 litre Any better and is it true there are no air bags on the back doors ?
I've got a Zoe with around 25,000miles at under 2 years old. I heard a rubbing noise from the back brakes so took it into the dealer for them to have a look. They have diagnosed that both rear discs need replacing due to severe corrosion and scoring and quoted £480 for the work. They told me that it would not be covered under warranty as it's normal wear and tear and to be expected for a vehicle of that age(!). It looks to me as if the caliper may have seized?
Does that sound reasonable?... Read more
Problem can be if the discs are allowed to get too thin they don`t dissipate the heat quickly enough to prevent brake fadeI would have thought the opposite is true. Thinner disc=lower mass=quicker heat loss. Not thay I'd advocate wearing discs too thin. There should be adequate information available on minimum thickness.
I suppose as vented discs wear thinner that might be true. With solid ones I'm not so sure - imagine the limit situation where a disk is only 2mm thick, I suspect a thicker disc might transfer heat elsewhere faster ?
Hi all,
Sorry if this is asked a lot on here, I’ve been forced to quickly replace my car which was written off by someone reversing into it. I have a limited amount of time before returning the hire car and have little car knowledge.
Needs:
Max budget £7k-£8k
Space (my Ibiza was far too small for growing family)
Bluetooth audio (as a working musician I use this every journey)
Hoping for no older than my Ibiza, which is 2014
Hoping for as little hassle in terms of garages/issues - reliability!
I usually average around 30-50 miles per day, with the occasional longer motorway journey a few times a month and a roadtrip to central France a couple of times a year.
My first question is - should I disregard diesel? Most journeys are in 30-40mph zones with less frequent long distance ones
My shortlist at the moment is:
VW Tiguan (2.0 diesel)
VW Tiguan (1.6 petrol - yet to find one suitable within budget)
Kia sportage
Seat Leon
Seat ateca (seems beyond budget)
Seat altea/Altea XL (although I think this is probably bigger than what I need!)
For various reasons (friends’ advice/ones the wife thinks are ugly etc…) I have ruled out Dacia, Skoda, Ford and the Nissan qashqai.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Read more
The other issue that revolves around buying a diesel is where the OP lives/works - if its in or going into a ULEZ regularly, its highly unkilely they'll be able to afford a EU6 rated diesel vehicle to avoid the high daily entry / usage charges.
Not so much of an issue if that is rare, though as you say, BBD, owning a DPF quipped diesel second hand can prove a real financial pain, as you'll not know if buying it comes with a failure in short order (possibly the reason why the previous owner is selling it), rather a lottery unless you personally know the owner and can guarantee it was sympathetically driven....
I have observed that HGVs have air cushions in drivers' seats. What is the advantage?
Why cars don't have similar seats?... Read more
<< it wouldn't be difficult to extend that system to power an air-sprung seat - whether the cost would be justified is another matter. >>
You might need some more headroom ?...
Hi,
New car owner/driver here.... Read more
When you say lift off do you mean pull off? As, in my (limited) experience, it takes a little bit of fiddling to get it off.
Literally lift off. So long as you apply the pump nozzle in alignment with the valve it's easy.
Hi there,
I've recently bought a 2006 Nissan Note from a used car dealer and have unfortunately discovered I may not have checked it over well enough. There is what I would call excessive movement in at least the drivers side engine mount. This movement is enough that I can feel and hear it in the car, especially when setting off. Should this have caused the car to fail an MOT? It got an MOT the morning I took delivery of it (today, 28/11/22), but looking at this I feel like it should have failed. I intend to go back to them to ask them to fix it, but I want to make sure I'm correct in my assumption beforehand.... Read more
MoT inspection manual....6.1.8 (a) ( i)............'severely damaged or deterioration resulting in excessive movement....'
You are in the hands of the examiner and their interpretation of 'excessive'. Sadly, their opinion almost always trumps yours, especially when the measurement is unquantified. However, I think that easily producing a noise of something banging against something else adds sufficient weight to your opinion that the movement is excessive enough to fail the MoT, and should not have passed. That should outweigh their opinion that it was OK. In view of the small timeframe, their counter argument that the deterioration might have occured since the test would carry very little weight. Hope this helps - good luck!
We have 2 cars on personal cover, Start rescue.
One is 11 years old, the other just over a year old, and wanted to add Eu cover foe the newer car. Personal cover not valid for EU... Read more
No question. Sir. Just the madness of the comparison on the website.
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