July 2025
I am thinking of buying a VW Touran 2.0 TDI DSG 2016 (66 reg) with 68,000 miles. Are there any key things I need to look at? There is no record of a timing belt change. Would it be sensible to negotiate a new timing belt as part of the deal or is this OTT in light of the the recent change in VW advice? Read more
One of the big US hire car companies is using Ai to detect the slightest damage to its cars when you return them to the depot.
The car is driven though a special bay with detectors covering 360 degrees.... Read more
And yet when I dropped a car back at Los Angeles Airport a few weeks they couldn’t have been more laidback.
As long as it had a wheel at each corner they weren’t particularly bothered.
Hi.
After fitting a NOX sensor (mine only has one downstream), I've been told I will need to calibrate it. I have cleared the errors (P2202) and they haven't re-appeared. I've been told that some vehicle will calibrate themselves by "learning" during drive cycles - so doesn't need to be calibrated via a Diagbox scanner.
One guy wanted £120 (plus an extra £40 for a Peugeot token) to calibrate it using his scanner. So I'm totally confused what I need to do and to ensure the NOX sensor is doing what it should.
Any advice. The part number has been superceded but it's a genuine OEM NOX sensor (purchased online - not direct from Peugeot). Read more
I'm getting no further errors or warnings. My parania tells me I may be using more diesel but I never checked the mpg before. I can see the NOx sensor flucuate when there's load - jumping above 20ppm and going down to zero - so I assume the system can see it? Thing I'm worried about is that the ECU count shows no movement on the NOx Absorber Monitor (whatever that is?).
OBD-II...
I'm looking for a genuine part NOX sensor. I can get one direct from Peugeot at a cost of £365 but have found that Autovaux do the same OEM part for £200. They claim to be genuine parts but how can they do them so much cheaper? Read more
I'm looking for a genuine part NOX sensor. I can get one direct from Peugeot at a cost of £365 but have found that Autovaux do the same OEM part for £200. They claim to be genuine parts but how can they do them so much cheaper?
I'd think the sandard answer would be "because the markup from Peugeot is so huge".200 is probably still a very good margin.
Not having used the car for a few days, today I started it up, drove to a retail park a mile or so away, did some shopping and on return to the car turning the key produced lots of clicks but no turnover.
I found the Start Rescue app very easy to use to report my problem, location etc, the response promised a technician would be with me within 30 minutes ... Read more
Always have received excellent service from Start like HJ members but chose to move to Gem on my renewal as they got the top award in Which.
But on reflection maybe it’s best to take the feedback from this site....
OK so I have just spent £350 getting my glow plugs changed on my ateca, seemed to be what everyone was quoting, but my engine management light is still on so now I'm thinking it's the relay, (I'd take it in for diagnostics but paying someone £100 to plug a computer in seems a bit of daylight robbery). Any idea where I might locate the damned thing? I'm a bit brassed off now. Read more
Why don’t you take up the offer from the garage before spending any more money?
Im 76 and know little about my subject above.
Had brake fluid change. Day after brake light
Dashboard light flickered when I reversed onto road ( handbrake was off).
I called back head mechanic and he said that the fault was not his mechanics fault and checked it over.
His reply was “that the brake fluid levels were good. The reason the light flickered on the dash was that I was on a slope on my driveway and when I drove off my sloping driveway the sensor thought the fluid was empty”
What do you think? I think it is air in system as I have been parking the car on slopes for years with no problems and only one mechanic with a syringe did the job.
Advice please. Read more
Yes you might well use a syringe to empty the fluid reservoir prior to actually changing the fluid in the system, you then immediately refill the reservoir without touching the brakes at all, but unless the system has been flushed through from every bleed valve at each caliper/cylinder the brake fluid has not be changed in either the ABS unit the calipers/cylinders or the pipewor, i doubt if the fluid was only replaced in the master cylinder without flushing/bleeding the system, if it was i'd be finding another workshop.
For your own safety and peace of mind check the brake fluid level now, if its not up to the full mark there is an issue, either it hasn't been refilled correctly after bleeding (annoying but so long as its above the minimum air should not have entered the system in the interim), or more concerning there could be a leak in the system, one possible leak source is a bleed valve not fully nipped up afterwards, to check for that possibility have a look behind each wheel for brake fluid...which tends to spread down and through the inevitable grime that builds up there making itself obvious.
Hi all,
I’m curious how people here keep on top of all the car admin—MOT, tax, insurance renewals, servicing dates, and so on.
Do you rely on paper reminders, digital calendars, spreadsheets, or use any particular app?
I’ve found it surprisingly easy to miss important dates, and I’m looking for any tips or reliable systems that actually work.... Read more
For MOT and VED (car tax), set up a Driver and Vehicle Account on the GOV.UK website.
Insurance reminders will arrive via e-mail anyway a month before renewal. It is suggested that the best time to shop around is 3 weeks before renewal....
If you go down in the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise.
Bear drags motorcyclist down ravine in Romania and mauls them to death | The Independent... Read more
Thought you were suggesting that the bear mauled the biker because Clarkson doesn't like motorbikes..........
:-O
I changed batteries in both key fobs and they are now not working. I have to use the key to open door which sets alarm off then start car pushing stop/start button with fob to turn alarm off. There is no key ignition.
Does anyone know how to reprogramme key fobs? YouTube shows videos where you put key in ignition but my car does not have one. I also have to start car to turn off alarm before doing anything. I'm not sure how much I would be charges taking it to garage so trying to fix by myself (with your help!). Read more
did you remove the film from the battery? it's a surprisingly common mistake.
I’d put a timing belt and water pump on it. But I wouldn’t touch a DSG auto outside of the original manufacturer warranty, they’re hideously complex and catastrophically expensive to fix when (and not if) they go wrong.