August 2016
Hi,
Two weeks ago, I purchased a Ford Fiesta 1.4 Tdci , 2010. I had it checked by click mechanics and report was ok apart from a few issues that the dealer repaired. However, a friend of mine told me I should have had the timing belt, tensioner etc replaced. Anyway, I bought the car so they won't replace it and the recommendations on the book is 10 years or 150 000 miles. The car has 65 000 miles on the clock and is 6 year old. I had to borrow a fair amount of money to buy it and can't afford any purchases these next few months but I have read horror stories on the net. I am planning to have it done in the next six months for peace of mind but just wondering if it s a bit of a risk. On the report from the mechanic, it s written the driving belts are in good condition but I suspect this did not include the timing belt. Unfortunately, there are no service history or repair receipt. I phoned Ford service who told me none were made in their dealers. I can understand that as I always go to my local garage but the fact I have no history on the car is a bit worrying even though the mechanic said the car was in good condition for six year old. Can a timing belt be damaged if the person was driving short distances and type of driving, or if the car wasn't serviced properly or is it just with miles and age that a timing belt get damaged?... Read more
All
We now need to replace our car as it has now died :(. The three cars that we are considering are:... Read more
Hi,i dont suppose you still have the wheel and kit for the Mazda 6 do you,if not what size was it,16,or 17 inch,many thanks,John.
I am just wondering if any other owners have come across this.
I recently bought a 2014 C4 Picasso with the only issue being raised during the testdrive that the air con was a little poor.... Read more
Have you tried a local domestic/industrial refrigeration repair company, where some have been known to do auto air-cons.
My 2008 Ford C Max 1.8TDCi was recovered by AA 12 months ago at 38K mileage, with Injector 4 failure. Local Ford workshop replaced Injector 3, and all four seals. Injector 4 failed again three weeks ago and was replaced by Renault workshop in France. Car continues to cut to limp mode with 'Engine Malfunction', Ford workshop now recommending other two Injector valve replacements based on diagnostics. Is it likely that when one Injector fails, the other three will fail in quick succession? Thanks. Read more
In case you are not aware Trust Ford are a Ford owned dealer network. Not sure if that makes any difference though.
Hi. I have an intermittent fault on my 2004 zetec. It only seems to happen when it has rained or when I use my washers to clear windscreen. The door open light comes on and stays on even when all doors are shut, then I am unable to lock car. The central locking (not remote). I have to put key in door to lock, but as soon as I turn key to lock it instantly unlocks itself. I have read loads of threads and it seems there is no easy solution, it looks a bit like trial and error. Someone did say that he was aware that there was a fault with the windscreen seals perishing on some models, enabling water to ingress onto gem board (whatever that means) which would make sense in my case re using the washers. I belive water is getting in somewhere. But I don't know where to start. And if I take to a garage I feel I would be ripped off. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Read more
Okay. Thanks for the info. alot of the other posts said about the latches being the problem, where although the doors were closed the latch wasn't going in deep enough to tell the computer it was closed. How would I know if that was the case, or is it just trial and error. Is there a test I can do. I recently had a diagnostic test done for another fault and it wasn't picked up then, although at that time the light wasn't on and all was normal. It's hard because it is intermittent and not continuous.
The 'door closed' sensor isn't the latch, it's a little plunger somewhere on the shut surface, has a black rubber dust cover: take the cover off, take the gadget out and check the contacts aren't corroded/wire intact etc.
Yesterday I put down the deposit on a used car that I pick up on Saturday. It comes with a three month warranty from 'the autogroup'. I was also made an offer to extend the warranty for a further twelve months for £295. The warranty is issued by 'the autogroup' (TAG Warranties Ltd). My question is are the warranties worth it and does anybody have experience of 'the autogroup'.
My reason for querying is two used cars I brought (Renault from main dealer and Vauxhall from Vauxhall independent) were nothing but trouble and their warranties as useless as chocolate fireguards.... Read more
Aftermarket warranties are as a general rule of thumb not worth the paper they’re printed on. Save the money towards any repairs and remember that any retail car will be legally covered for the first 6mths anyway, though you’ll have to fight for it. Also don’t expect it on an older sub £3k. Age, mileage and value are factors and any dealer selling cheaper cars will have a way round any unrealistic legislation. You can’t buy £1,000 worth of banger and expect 6mths protection.
I recently asked a question about buying approved cars and I got some good advice - thank you.
So I am now looking to buy an approved car and I have a couple of quick questions that I hope someone could help me with. Apologies if they seem a bit daft!... Read more
Generally, "manufacturer-approved" cars will only be sold at dealers of that manufacturer. Frankly, a "franchised" dealer of "X" brand selling a used car from "Y" brand tells you nothing about the car.
It might actually say to some that the previous owner thought the thing was rubbish, and voted with feet....
Hi, I wondered if I might be able to get some advice on buying a used car that is a couple of years old.
I am looking to buy a used car for about 15k that is couple of years old and has less than 30k mileage, ideally it will have less than 20k. I have a thread on the make and model and have received some good advice – thank you.... Read more
I usually spot those!
Anyone tried any online car brokers, i.ex. Varissa.com, drivethedeal, carfile.net, carwow etc..? Read more
Looking to buy fairly soon for towing so I have been to all the online brokers mentioned. Some brokers are excellent for Ford but rubbish for other makes, some are good for Skoda but rubbish for others, so you need to still shop around. I found Carwow the worst. They simply give you a list of dealers who offer a quote. The dealers all try to contact you and want to telephone you, presumably they think they can sweet talk a sale. Some chance. I refused them all. The quotes were on the high side too. Much better deals on offer elsewhere, so Carwow is now off my list. DTD and Coast2coast seem to be consistently the keenest and the easiest to deal with. Having said that my local Ford dealer came up with a cracking deal for a PCP at 2.9% APR interest on the deal. Cheaper than buying a nearly new or used car from their stock. Weird. I accompanied my daughter who took her second PCP with this dealer and she came away with a brand new Focus for not a lot of money. The deal price really does get better if you test drive(£500 off) then take a manufacturer conribution, then a dealer contribution, which makes a new car very accessible. As always the need to examine the detail is paramount, but it is not compicated.
Cheers Concrete...
I have a Vauxhall Vectra C (late 2003 reg), hatchback, 1.8L SXI 16V (Z18XE).
A bit of background: Around 2-3 years ago, the clutch pedal would occasionally feel 'slack', as in the first half of it's travel would require very little pressure, and you'd have to push it right to the bottom in order to disengage the clutch to make gear changes. A few pumps of the clutch pedal would bring this back to normal and it would be fine again for some time, typically a few weeks. I understand this can be a relatively common issue with the slave cylinder. I can see from the service history I received with the car that a 'full clutch kit' was fitted at the beginning of 2011, but I do not know what this included exactly. This was something I'd planned to look into but over time the problem seemed to disappear so I never got around to it, and it's been absolutely fine for the last 18 months or so. Ignorance is bliss, and all that! I had fitted new brakes, and bled the brake system, around the time the clutch issue disappeared, so with hindsight I'm guessing that was linked due to sharing some of the hydraulics (if I understand it correctly).
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, everything has been fine for 18 months, until I notice that whilst depressing the clutch pedal, I can feel vibration through the pedal and a 'whirring-knocking' sound whilst the clutch pedal is pressed down. There is no noise or vibration whilst the clutch pedal is not pressed down, and no slippage at all. A quick bit of googling backs up my dad's diagnosis of a worn thrust bearing. Within a week, it became harder to disengage the clutch and change gear. Then, just before bank holiday weekend, I was driving home and it got really bad and I only just made it home (a short, quiet journey thankfully) with it stuck in one gear most of the time. The car is now undriveable because I can not safely change gear, even if I could wrestle it between gears.
Now, ideally, I'd like to keep this car going for another year or two but due to its age, I need to be careful about how much money I spend on it. My dad has always worked on his cars himself, and I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty, so ideally we'd like to resolve this ourselves if it sounds doable, or as cheaply as possible via a mechanic if not.
My questions are:-
1) I can get a new thrust bearing from a popular online auction site for around £5. Is this likely to be good enough, or would I be mad to not fit a whole new clutch kit whilst I'm at it?
2) If I should fit a new clutch kit, what should I include at a minimum? I can buy a new third-party, 2 piece clutch kit (both plates) and a new thrust bearing for less than £60. If I include master and/or slave cylinders, release bearing, etc, I think I'm looking at easily another £100 or so on top of that. Anything else I've missed?
3) How difficult would it be to do any of these jobs at home, given that we probably have the appropriate tools, but would be working on the driveway with ramps? Practical, or wishful thinking? I'm presuming the gearbox can be separated from the engine to provide access, without the engine needing to be removed?
4) If I was to look to get this done professionally, what would be a reasonable billable hours to expect? Any idea as to total price?
Thank you for taking the time to read this! I wasn't planning on it being so long winded but wanted to make sure I covered everything I could think of. Any help would be much appreciated! Read more
Sadly the days of being able to drop the clutch out without having to remove the engine or the gearbox are long gone. You could easily change a clutch on a Cavalier, Astra or Nova in about 35 minutes. I spent the first 15 years of my working life in a Vauxhall main dealer, and I've done hundreds of them.
That's a shame. I do remember my Cavalier being easy to work on compared to this Vectra....
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Thank you both for this reassuring advice. I ll probably wait until in the 90 000 miles to change it. I was worried as I bought the car with no service history or repair receipts at all hence the question about damage being caused by type of driving. But you put my mind at rest now so thank you again.