August 2024
Hi. I am writing to ask for some help with a vehicle I have recently bought. It is a manual 2017 Mazda 3 diesel with 35,000 miles on it and I have noticed that the gear change doesn’t feel right. I have observed the following behaviour:
- The gear stick is stiff to change between gears and feels like it is catching or dragging as it changes between gears. It can be very noticeable when selecting 1st, reverse or changing to second and 6th but occurs on all gear changes. It feels notchy and inches several clicks before engaging the gear rather than one smooth action.
- It can be difficult to engage 1st/reverse gear from standstill with the clutch on the floor or to change to 2nd gear. It feels like the gear stick is blocked from selecting the gear even though it is in the right rev range.
- The biting point seems to vary from being low to being at the end of the clutch pedal travel. The clutch pedal can feel easy to press or very heavy to press and can suddenly bite much harder even after the biting point has engaged. It is very difficult to have a smooth gear change.
- When manoeuvring in reverse where the clutch is up it doesn’t feel like it is biting very much and it is hard to move the vehicle. Lifting the pedal more doesn’t seem to make it bite more.
- There has been some vibration experienced through the clutch pedal even when depressed.
- The car jerks when lifting off the accelerator even at the slightest movement of the pedal in higher gears. Further it feels like there is some jerking in the transmission when accelerating or cruising.
This behaviour is unlike any I have experienced on other vehicles I have driven. When this isn’t happening, the gears can be really slick and smooth and easy change with no resistance and it is easy find the biting point.... Read more
I will post this in the Motoring forum as it gets more visibility.
It seems the phantom post-hider is still at work, I have managed to force some of the missing ones back to public view but this irritating fault needs fixing as it's making the forum close to unusable. ... Read more
I assumed I was being somehow politically incorrect.
But then again, maybe I was...
Recently brand new unregistered 40 kWh Leafs were being advertised for £14,995. I’m interested in a 59 KWh Leaf and I’m wondering if there might be some similar deals on the larger battery Leaf soon.
There are some knowledgeable folk on here close to the trade, could they please advice.
... Read more
Whilst there is still new LEAF stock coming through (although the last Sunderland made LEAF was made a few months back but they are still filtering through) the larger capacity model was withdrawn sometime beforehand and all the recent examples are the 39Kwh model.
Having just written off my husbands 2013 plate Mondeo, I am now looking for a replacement car. I have a 13 plate Honda Civic which is returning a milage of around 54mpg driving into and out of a city 5 days on a 26 mile round trip.
We currently have just over £8k of that we can access by the end of next week, and I have today seen a Peugeot 2008 1.5 Deisel at a local car sales place.... Read more
Thanks, I will see if I can find this forum.
Initially my roof/boot were slow to open and close, often stopping in the same places which was fixed by just repressing the buttons. I lubed up the pivot points and it did make a noticable difference, didn't random stop anywhere near as much but does sometimes (usually when the boot is nearly closed. It still seemed slightly sluggish opening my roof/boot but definitely slower than it should be closing them.
After noticing my old pump was leaking (fluid level was fine), So I bought a sc*** one but I couldn't get the clamp off so sprayed wd40 carefully around the edges to remove the sludge and oxidised oil. I also sprayed a bit into the holes where the hydraulic lines go into the pump, let it run out then let it sit for a couple days. Refilled, reinstalled (lines put into pump look untidy but they are all in the correct places and secured.... Read more
I saw a video in which they opened the roof a few times to clear the air out. I managed to get the roof down, it didnt seem particularly slow other than at the end which is where it usually stops if it fails, Unfortunately when closing the roof, the boot lid lifts as it should but the roof itself doesn't lift up, I had to manually help it shut. Now the boot doesn't work again,
Hi,
I am looking for some advice as to which SUV I should buy.... Read more
Personally I’d go Toyota, but rather than poverty spec, opt for an ex-demo?
As for Fords, I’ve a garage owner friend (award winning garage too) who has a very unfavourable view about the three cylinder engines - in fact any three cylinder engine. He says he’s repaired and replaced dozens, and they are junk.
The Kuga is a 4 cylinder 2.5 litre but personally, I’d expect a better 0-60 time for a 222hp hybrid than 9.2 seconds.
Other plus for a Toyota is if it’s serviced annually by a franchise, 12 months warranty in included- up to 100k miles. A manufacturer backed warranty like that is not to be sniffed at.
I saw that Lee Power, in the Insurance thread, said ...... High price is due to the known theft risk - some insurance companies wont even cover certain Toyota / Lexus products due to the CAN invader theft issue.
I didn't know that.... Read more
If our courts shipped the guilty low lifes responsible out to Saudi Arabia or similar for punishment such thefts would cease, one can dream....
Looking at used cars today, one of which was at one of the smaller supermarkets.
As of yesterday, ‘Yes, the car will be on site tomorrow for you to view’.
Today, when I arrive ‘It’s away at our prep centre, it’ll be back mid-afternoon’.
No problem, thinks I, I’ll go look at another one and come back later.
I get back late afternoon, and no sign of it. So I start poking around their compound and there it is - absolutely filthy and clearly not been touched. Had a look around it anyway to see that the aerial is missing from the roof, leaving a now uncovered 2cm square hole. In the pouring rain.
I left without talking to anyone.
They do make it hard work, don’t they? Read more
Sadly it's not just this type of outlet doing this sort of thing - I've come across many main dealerships across various makes in my area who aren't properly preparing second hand cars, if at all - though more on the inside than the outside.
Maybe the reason is that they can sell them without bothering to do that ?...
Hi,
I'm looking at these 2 cars and can't really work out the difference in terms of pro's/con's. Does anyone have any real world experience with them - good or bad? I assume the Kamiq is slightly higher and has slightly more room in the back (smaller boot size but came volume with the seats down). ... Read more
I have a Fabia estate - 16 reg 1.2 petrol.
Boot is massive - not much smaller than our Berlingo - but at the cost of a serious lack of leg space in the back.
Daughter went to look at an MGzs clearance, but called by the dealership on the offchance this morning for an HS for £22845 if she wants to take a look. The all new model. Read more
She still doesn't like the touchscreen controls for the aircon and ventilation, but is listening to what hubby and others say about MG customer service.
So probably still a no....
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I think you do, what puzzles me is why one would bother.