January 2023
I took my car to be have its 60k service. The garage told me that car was dangerously low on oil. (low oil warning light had not come on) They said they had to put 2.5 lltrs of oil in the car and that because it had got so low the engine will have been damaged and said i would need a new engine. They said there would have been enough oil to prevent warning light coming on but not enough to service the engine. The last time i had filled the car up with oil was 6 mths ago but before this have never needed to top up oil between services though i do check levels but obviously not often enough (lesson learnt!). Was told common problem with this particular engine burning oil as it gets older. Used this garage before with no problems and they do have good reputation and weren't pushing me to have work done and didn't service car as said wouldn't be worth it . Went to another garage to get second opinion as also advised timing belt needs replacing and easier to have it done there. They ran diagnostic on car, timing chain does need replacing but they said engine seems okay to them but cant say for certain re damage without stripping it down. They seemed to think the oil warning light would have come on before damage was done to engine and previous garage was being over cautious. I'm now confused and don't know what to believe. Any thought on this would be welcome Read more
I always said if they ever produced a 5 door Jimny I would buy one
Well look what’s happened
www.autoexpress.co.uk/suzuki/jimny/359482/suzuki-j...3
In all seriousness , any idea where I would even start to get an idea on costs and process to import a new car from India?
Is it worth asking Suzuki UK if they can help me out? Read more
I am seeing quite a few 5 door Jimny round where I am in Australia. Looks like they are selling quite well.
Happy New Year everyone!
My X3 2.0d will be out of warranty later in the year and, with the routine maintenence/tax it needs this year, will likely incur a cost in the region of £2400 - that includes 4 new all season tyres that it will need at the same time its 2nd service is due along with the annual tax.... Read more
Interestingly for JohnF's tyre choice, in that test they score well in noise and comfort which i dare say are more important to him than the 2 seconds slower it was round the track, have no doubt the drive and traction control systems on John's beasty will still see it outhandle and outbrake most cars on the road fitted with the most expensive brands available, i hardly think he's a danger to life and limb...well unless he runs that mighty engine with just half a pint of oil in the sump to aid engine warm up time :-)))
My issue with budget tyres is how quickly wet grip can deteriorate, i have experimented twice in recent years with budets to see if my previous views were still valid, one brand new set already fitted to newly bought used vehicle another set i deliberately bought to try....
I have owned a white i20 for about 5 years having bought it second hand from an accredited Hyundai dealer and have recently discovered a problem with the paintwork around the windscreen. It is scaling and flaking off; primarily along the top edge but also down the pillars.
I am aware that this is not an isolated case and that a very similar problem has occurred with many other cars, mainly the i20, of a similar colour not only in this country but internationally.... Read more
OK, my banger bias is maybe showing again.
Assuming that were the case (maybe detailed dentistry-type investigation with a small pick and a hand lens would confirm) maybe just using a penetrating sealer would tend to stick the paint in place....
This is quite a saga so I will try to keep it as short and to-the-point as I can. Also, since I do not know exactly what the issue is with my car at the moment and if it is related to what's explained in this post, I will refrain from naming the dealership in question. However they are a massive company spanning many branches nationwide.
So I bought my used Peugeot 308 (2014) in Sept 2020, and I took out the 2 year service plan, the 2 year mechanical breakdown cover, and the shortfall insurance... the works!... Read more
That's why on the JZR recall letter that I received as a Purecrap owner at the time it said for lower mileage drivers the timing belt replacement interval was being reduced down to 62500 miles / 6 years whichever came first. ...
I was wondering if I could ask a few Learned minds as to how much a timing belt change on a 17 plate Seat Ateca ecomotive should cost as I reckon the £600 I've been quoted by the dealer seems a bit silly. Any ideas? Read more
Is there a VAG specialist near to you? As your car is rising six years I would be investigating that route.
There's probably one or two I should think, Google to the rescue
I note that, as predicted, the rotary engine is on its way back.
Mazda are unveiling, on Friday, a plug in hybrid MX-30 utilising a rotary engine.
More details to follow at the end of the week. Read more
usually the inside of the piston, bearings and epicyclic gears are fully lubricated just like the crankshaft, big ends etc in a conventional 4 stroke engine.
What about the rotor tip seals (apex tip seals), the weak point of w***els?
Hi All, long time since I posted on the tech matters forum - hope all is well with everyone !
Here's the fault - Emissions warning light illuminated and at the same time the DIS states "Adblue fault - 700 miles until car will not re-start". So, I had to drive to Glasgow from home today for work (210 miles), so car now states "450 miles until car will not re-start". So it seems to be counting down OK. I will need to drive 210 miles back home, and then I have managed to book the car into a dealer 120 miles away (local Audi dealer saying - no appointments until the end of April......). In theory I should be OK then - i.e. I will have around 130 miles to spare.... Read more
Thanks All - could be either - fortunately it's still under Audi warranty, just making sure I have enough range to get to the dealers !!
Can you recommend a medium sized, upmarket, used hybrid SUV? My budget is £23k. Ideally I want it under 3yrs old, but max 5 yrs old. I need heated seats, parking sensors, and fuel efficiency. Also, comfort and looks matter. Definitely want it to be comfortable to drive, smooth over potholes etc. I prefer automatic, want high adjustable seats and don't mind a sunroof. I worry about reliability and repair costs once out of warranty. We expect to keep this vehicle for at least 5 years. I would estimate 8000 miles a year and am thinking that a hybrid would be a good choice. What would you advise? Read more
<< Hubby has completely ruled out a Lexus. He wants a good badge. Acceptable badges are Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Range Rover, etc >>
Better up your budget limit then, to allow for lots of maintenance cost. I suppose you could get a Lexus and stick an acceptable badge on it ? Does Hubby have no concern about reliability ?...
Hi All,
Wonder if anyone had similar issues. I have a automatic, 1.4 Astra GTC, petrol car, 40k miles, 2016 plate. ... Read more
I remember the first car I had with a sealed cooling system. It started venting water from the pressure vessel cap after turning off and I immediately leapt the conclusion it was the head gasket despite all temps being fine and no mayonnaise in the cam cover. Spent 1/2 a day fitting gasket and it still vented water. It was then suggested that I buy a new cap, not from the manufacturer but from Halfords ensuring there was a paint dab on the cap (supposedly meant it had been tested). No more issues.
Browse
Not always. Many early Ford 1.0 ecoboosts failed because badly made cooling water pipes split. Many early Peugeot 1.2 puretechs failed because badly made cambelts crumbled. Both were basically good designs, admittedly needing further improvement over the years, as do most innovations....