Honest John’s Motoring Agony Column 29-06-2019 Part 2

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Fri 28 Jun 2019 20:04
- BrendanP
Water in the well.

I had a similar experience with a Rover 75. I spent ages examining all the seals around the boot lid, and rear screen. I even removed the rear light clusters to make sure the seals were ok. Eventually, it turned out to be the extract vent in the rear wing that had become dislodged. All I had to do was to clip it back into position, problem solved. The previous owner had taken it to garage, their solution was to drill some drain holes in the spare wheel well!

It's the first thing I'd look at, and usually involves looking behind the boot interior trim. If it can only be re-fitted from the outside, it requires some disassembly of the rear bumper to get at it.
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Sat 29 Jun 2019 09:48
- Alex Dalgleish
Will never fathom how many people come across this website and query an issue with their car which is somehow one of the most unreliable there is. And some have defined the timeframe in which the fault usually occurs in. Most of us wouldn't be that lucky (namely Renault/Nissan 1.2 TCE and the DQ 200 VAG DSG gearbox).

Sure, I've owned 5 Vauxhalls, but they were secondhand, incredibly cheap, but knew what I was getting and could afford the repairs.
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Sat 29 Jun 2019 10:04
Honest John’s Motoring Agony Column 29-06-2019 Part 2 - Captain-Cretin

Agree, and after working for Vauxhall Fleet, I would NEVER buy one new; PDI is a joke.

3 colour dashboard?? check!!

Huge burn mark running across the top of the dash?? check!!

Brake pedal switch hanging off?? check!!

Wrong retaining bolts on the push open vent windows - so they fall out after 50 miles ?? check!!!

Ditto trim panels (on the same model MPV) ?? check!!

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Sat 29 Jun 2019 12:48
Honest John’s Motoring Agony Column 29-06-2019 Part 2 - GingerTom

I had to read that twice - I thought you said bum mark !

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Sat 29 Jun 2019 16:44
- daveyjp
Re brake fluid changes.

Its a misnomer and should be called a hydraulic fluid change. Most UK cars are manuals and have hydraulic clutches. Changing the fluid also means fresh fluid for the clutch master cylinder.

Very few handbooks actually state this, however Subaru do.

In the US most cars are automatic and need regular gearbox oil changes instead.
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Sun 30 Jun 2019 17:49
- jchinuk
Re : Down to earth,
I'm old enough to remember short chains claimed to perform the same purpose, complete nonsense as "black" tyres are black because of the graphite in them, which conducts electricity quite well enough.
That said, no one seems to be 'motion sick' in cars anymore, partly due to doting parents and not so many families with cars, most cars I see on the school run have kids still eating breakfast.
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Mon 1 Jul 2019 02:38
- davemac42
Can u really help someone whose father has to declare his son is running over bumps and the son doesn't know? But seriously all this advice to change wheels and tyres. It isn't a cheap move espe ially on older cars. One new tyre a lot cheaper
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Mon 1 Jul 2019 17:28
- BPL
You can get the water content of your brake fluid tested then replace as necessary
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Tue 2 Jul 2019 05:09
Honest John’s Motoring Agony Column 29-06-2019 Part 2 - GSTheo

how?

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Sat 6 Jul 2019 08:43
- Cloverleaf4
Bought a car a few years back changed the tyres then not long after noticed big chunks on the sidewalls. Definitely hadn't hit any kerbs, looked like they had been vandalised! Changing the non standard 195/45/17 to 195/50/17 cured the problem. Small margins sometimes but people have a right to ask.
Similarly on a previous post someone else suggested changing a water pump while doing the cambelt was a waste of money--and that their Zafira's wp was still going strong at 140k or so. That's fine but would anyone really want to buy a car with a lack of preventative maintenance? Unfortunately that is what it's like these days: drive it until it breaks. Check out most older cars mot history and you will find a catalogue of advisories which often last for 2 or 3 years.
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