October 2023
Good afternoon,
Today I sold my car through the motorway platform and the dealer sent a representative out to inspect and test drive my car. I was then made an offer and paid by the dealer and he drove away happy. 5 hours later the driver phoned me and told me the a gearbox warning had come on the dash and he would have to return the car. This light has never come on before and he gave it a thorough test drive. Am I missing something or am I will within my rights to say “I’m sorry but that is unlucky”.
Any advice massively appreciated
Thanks Read more
Do we know what caused this-car battery? Read more
I’m leaving mine on the top storey of a multi storey at Manchester on Monday.
I’ll try and avoid leaving it near any Land Rover products….
The engine light has been on my Focus for over a year now. I've taken it to two different garages who have told me it's an emissions fault, and a) use high grade fuel, then b) replace the O2 sensor (which they did), then c) repair the ECU. After that final advise I took it to the main dealer who said the ECU needed updating (which they did), and after the light turned on again(!!), they told me it needed a new cat as the o2 sensors were reporting the same reading.
This will cost me £950. I've been advised by another garage to just sell because the car is now at 93k and it won't be too long before the wet belt needs to be changed. Of course with the warning light on I'm getting very low quotes for it (£1.5k). The thing is it drives fine, has passed it's MOT and therefore emissions test during this time (they reset the light during the MOT), and it is only 7 years old. But the warning light remains on.... Read more
I've always been impressed with CATS2U for replacement parts and prices
Wife's 67 plate Kadjar 22000 miles, when in warranty stop/start engine hazard light on, into Renault and told just needed reset so all fine, year later out of warranty same light comes on due to faulty battery. Renault dealer can't change battery for a month so get it done independently. Put it into Renault to get any other possible faults diagnosed. Had the car full day (£142) and told "it needs a higher technician to look at it" so need to keep it a second day, not happy as I need it to get to cancer treatment next day. Speak to manager who tells me it has not even been in the workshop as they fell behind with work. Next day they tell me it has 3 error codes and to diagnose work required will require a further four hours diagnosis and a further £600 before any remedial work. Codes showing as Fuel pressure sensor, downstream oxygen sensor and exhaust camshaft shifter fault. I declined to pay and took the car back but no further on and £150 down.
Tried a couple of local garages but reluctant to look at it.
Given the fact that Renault have a fair idea of the faults why not just do the work on all three, surely wouldn't be much over £600 anyway ?
Thanks John Read more
Took my old CLK convertible into the dealers, the roof wouldn't work. They wanted £1,500 to fix it. Local indie said it was a faulty sensor...fixed for £100.
Hi All
Based on my research, have shortlisted Rav4 (say 2021 model for £27k) and was wondering if instead should go for a new Skoda Karoq.
Use: Mainly city weekend driving; looking for no EV; okay with Mild Hybrid but not a criteria; looking for space to seat 3 in the middle row (say with one car seat); annual mileage 6000-7000 max; prefer Petrol over Diesel (mainly due to odour that wifey cant tolerate) Read more
RAV4 currently very high on the thieves hit list & can be taken in under 60 seconds via the CAN invader method, steering wheel locks don't deter the thieves either.
Toyota has a "fix" with security plates to protect the thieves way in but anyone thinking of buying one would be advised to fit additional security in the form of either a Ghost immobiliser OR better fitting a Pandora alarm / immobiliser upgrade.
Hi everyone,
New to the forum and want to see if I can get any help.
I recently brought a 2012 VW Polo 1.2, 2 weeks ago. I did a bit of research before buying the car and I did come across some posts here about the timing chain going bad. The car has only done 35k miles and I was certain that the timing chain should be fine. I honestly got "swept up" in the moment of getting a car since moving to the UK.
It's been bugging me that what if I just brought a ticking time bomb with the chain. So far the car runs really well, has full service history, and was well cared for.
Is there any pre-emptive measures I can take to make sure I can get as much life out of the timing chain as I can? Would getting a cheap OBD reader to check the car here and there help? It did recently have an oil service.
I do have a 3 month warrenty from the dealership that does cover a timing chain issue, should it happen in that period.... Read more
Of all the people to doubt on knowledge of maintenance, Ed is not one of them.
Well thanks. Clearly, however, my maintenance experience is limited to old tech, which I suppose is different to that of most of the rest of humanity, who mostly either have recent maintenance experience limited to new tech, or they have no maintenance experience at all (or both, since that tends to be the way new tech is).
Going...er...forward, my basic experience will become increasingly obsolete, and I've been thinking that since I no longer have a car it will probably become inappropriate and irritating to continue posting...
In this thread you may:
Discuss any issue relating to EVs... Read more
Probably about right to split this into Vol 2 now, it's getting tedious scrolling to the end each time and it's drifting a bit away from EV.
...
Hi
Looking for advice for my eldest who now commutes 3 times a month 6 hrs from Cornwall to home... Read more
A Citroen C5 saloon or estate in Exclusive trim will be at your budget.
The ride is nice on these and diesel is what I would get for tha5 kind of milage....
Hi there. A friend of mine is giving up her K11 Nissan Micra manual to her son-she wants an automatic as she feels less confident on the roads now. She wants another small car. I know that Japanese cars are very reliable, so I'm looking at Jazz's, Yaris', and some Starlets. However, does anyone know if the Nissan Micra K11 with the CVT auto gear box is any good? She's had trouble free from her current Micra for the last 17 years, so might be worthwhile having a look. I've seen one with little in the way of rust advisories on previous MOTs (a particular problem for K11 Micras). Her budget is £2,000, and this auto Micra is around that with some 50k miles on the clock. Be good to hear your thoughts on this, and any alternatives I should perhaps consider. Thank you. Read more
Surely the conclusion to this thread is that at £2000 (which is pocket money regarding budget especially post Pandemic), condition is all. Anything at a dealer will be valeted junk so it will need to be a private sale. Even if you can find a mechanically sound old Micra, rust is likely to be the big problem at this age.
I think we've had the best from this discussion so closing it now especially as unnecessary comments creeping in (removed)....
We’ve decided the 2012 Mazda 3 has to go. It’s never actually failed to get us home but it’s proved to be an expensive second car to run. The latest bill was last week for a service, MOT and replacement of a badly rusting rear suspension member. £560, Jeez. But needed the suspension to get through the MOT so no option.
This brought its four routine services and repair costs to about £2.6k in four years and only 14k miles. It’s had that suspension member, bushes, brakes (front discs and a calliper), rusty subframe treated, wheel bearing and other bits and pieces. Not much else to go wrong you’d think but it’s had its chance and with our mileage stepping up we need a newer car.... Read more
I was at Malvern, where I saw an employee using an electric drill to drill a hole in the side frame for the handbrake cable on a galvanised chassis - sheesh!
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Hey I just wanted to ask what happened with this?