November 2024
Sister in law came into some money and basically gave me her car. It’s an Astra estate , 1.7 Diesel. A 62 plate so over 12 years old. Theres £158k on the clock so high mileage
She brought the car privately in 2021, it had been serviced quite a bit by garages, including Vauxhall. She got a friend to do oil changes , basic maintenance but also spent quite a bit of money getting bits done to get it through its MOT.
I just took it for an MOT- it passed. But is it worth spending money on a service ? Vauxhall dealership want anything from £250 - £400 for a service depending on what type.
Yet the independents are also around £250-£300 for a service also.
There’s not much lot in it unless I get a major service. Local independent garage ( with good reviews ) say online it’s £270 for a major service.
Sister in law said it needs an oil change and has never changed the anti freeze or brake fluid in three years. The levels look ok to me though.
I do a 58 mile trip to work each day to work. Shall I get a service or just get the oil changed?
Is it worth changing the anti freeze and brake fluid too? Read more
Oh yes-health check!
That’s just a quick look under the bonnet at brake fluid level, coolant and oil isn’t it?
Some garages charge £20 for that. £5 extra for a tyre pressure test if that takes your fancy.
Every driver should do this themselves-but they don’t do they?
Hi everyone
My 2010 Golf Mk6 1.6 TDI has done 100,000 miles. During that time the temperature gauge has remained rock steady, with the needle pointing straight up at 90 degrees.... Read more
Was passing Halfords and thought I'd see if they had suitable oil for it, (15W40),though I suspected it'd all be far too skinny.
They were soon closing, so I got a can-I-help-you-sir intercept....
Hi,
My old insurer (Carole Nash) have discontinued their Camper Van Insurance, so I'm forced to find a new insurer.... Read more
Thank you for letting us know Paul.
Always good to hear of a positive conclusion to any thread on the Forum. Leaseman (Mod)
The excellent local Honda Dealership staff have recommended that I always drive in 'sport' gear mode for an overall efficient performance, rather than 'normal' or 'eco'. The exception is in town traffic. They say that technically this makes sense.
I would welcome informative comments from Tech people in the know. Thanks... Read more
As Honda is today - I wouldn't take a blind bit of notice of what they say about any facet of cars or driving.
Test drove a 2017 auto Yeti Outdoor this morning and liked it, aside from a sticky parking brake and a slight rattle at high speeds. Dealership noted this and said it'd be looked at with a fresh MOT and 6 month warranty.
It has done 97,000 miles, so is it a mistake to purchase considering it's a DSG?... Read more
Vitara is a functional no frills vehicle. 1.6 or 1.4 booster jet (petrol) in automatic in either 2 or 4 wheel drive.
We've had an issue with the big Skoda as it took over 2 days to fully charge last weekend, having done some fault finding, plugging in the car to another wall box when the ambient temperatures were above 10c it had the same slow charging issue.
Back to the dealer today to diagnose the issue and a faulty high voltage charger was diagnosed and ordered under warranty.... Read more
by the fact it came overnight from the wharehouse and fitted before lunch makes me think the part is on the shelf or at another dealer in the network as there should be some commonality for all VW parts
All VAG brands use pretty much all the same mechanical parts. Body panels are unique to each brand these days but in the past there was some cross over there as well.
If you are of a certain age and interested in all sorts of cars, including kit cars, you may well be familiar with the William Towns designed Hustler. Most were four wheeled and most were steel/grp, but a few were made out of wood and a few had six wheels.
Here is a HubNut video review (YouTube) of a six wheeled wooden version, currently for sale at Stone Cold Classics (there is a link to their website in description). ... Read more
IIRC (and I might not) they weren't actually a plywood monocoque (which would be nice from an engineering POV but rather expensive assuming good marine ply) but simply ply body over a steel frame.
I suppose still nicer than fibreglass but more maintenance required.
Stupidly I left the rear window open last night and woke up to a wet interior. I know the carpets will dry out but what about the window switch. Is there anything I can do to dry it out or is it a sealed unit? Read more
Back seat was that wet I ended up putting a small electric oil filled radiator in the car overnight together with the dehumidifier on full. Obviously did a risk assessment first. Seems to have done the job despite it being -5 overnight.
With almost 250k miles under it's wheels, my poor Nova has suffered another head gasket failure due to erosion of the waterways in the Alloy Cylinder Head.
The recommended antifreeze has a hard job balancing the alkali factor to protect the cast iron block, and an acidic factor to protect the alloy head.... Read more
John, I don't think your TR7 will have done anything like 250k miles, ......
True, currently just over 73k...
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