January 2024
We are looking to replace our 10 year old Citroen C4 Picasso. The car has been running okay but need to downsize so that our son can drive when he passes his driving test in next few month.
We quite like Skoda Fabia Hatchback and our budget is around 10k which will enable us to get one post 17/67 reg.... Read more
SWMBO is expecting a wee late surprise and has now dictated that my elderly Toyota Avensis estate (which she’s never liked) has got to go. She has a Nissan Leaf for daily commuting and local running but we need a second car that is capable of taking us further afield when required, something the Leaf isn’t any use at thanks to our woeful public charging network and EV’s dislike of the Scottish winter weather - which causes the range to plummet.
New (secondhand) family wagon will need to be able to carry 5 in comfort with luggage, it’ll need to cope with my mountain bike in the back plus hillwalking gear etc etc for adventures and it’ll need to be reliable, decent on fuel, ULEZ friendly and long lived - as I actually hate buying cars.
Shortlist so far (before being tried for size) includes.
Honda CRV 1.6 DTEC 2wd
Mazda 6 2.0 Skyactiv Estate
Mazda CX5 2.0 Skyactiv
Audi A4 1.4 TSI Avant
Audi Q3 1.4 TSi
Sadly no Toyota’s permitted due to gaffers inability to get on with the seats in my old Avensis. I will try to pap her into a RAV4 or a newer Corolla estate however. Budget is up to £16,000. I have an aversion to main dealer service departments so nothing too complex. Local VAG specialist is good so this the inclusion of Audi’s. Search area is 80 miles from Ayr. Ideas appreciated. Read more
Your final choice was not what I would have predicted but frankly looks like a very nice package. With a private plate on it I would not be able to tell it apart from a 2024 model. I would suggest that now is the opportune moment to get the fluid and filter changed on the 9G gearbox, before you enter ‘too late don’t risk it’ territory.Glad you mentioned this. As far as I’m aware on this particular model the interval is 77,500 miles with no time element. A quick online search triggered by your good self revealed much confusion over this, so I’ve asked two main dealers including the supplying dealer and both confirmed post 2017 cars are 77,500 miles with no time limit. It’s £550 at a dealer or nearer £400 at an indi. I’ll probably get our local specialist to do it at 60k if the car proves to be worthy of longterm ownership.
I am a new car owner and unsure about the steps involved in cleaning a car using petrol station self service jet wash machine. Can anyone advise if which petrol stations - Tesco, BP etc have decent jet wash machines and what should be the sequence of the steps to get it done without damaging the paintwork? What do I need to carry from home and what is available there? Read more
I used to be a regular at a local jet wash before we moved house back in 2022. Probably TOO regular, although it didn't seem to do the car any obvious harm.
I now wash the car with a bucket, sponge and some AA branded car shampoo every couple of weeks, then rinse and dry it with a chammy leather, and it's a regime which keeps the 11 year old bodywork looking absolutely superb....
I have a CX-30 Skyactive X which I bought in 2020. I am now looking for a replacement and one option is a nearly new CX-30 as I like the car very much. However, almost from new it has been exhibiting battery problems, specifically after cleaning it. Five or ten minutes with doors or tailgate open and it would not start again. This was not a case of the battery struggling to turn the engine, it was just totally dead. I could have driven a few hundred miles the day before and this would still happen. Initially I had to get recovery round to start it after which he spent half an hour resetting a full house of error codes. I now have a booster to get it started but have to drive the car a few times before I lose the engine malfunction warning message on the dash. I have mentioned this to the dealer but they have only just taken on the Mazda franchise so could not really help but did say that there was a potential problem when leaving doors open for too long!
Anyway, I was doing some digging online and I came across a CX-30 forum which seems to be an American site. However, the battery problem is plastered all over the site and they have been generating a table of owners battery issues so that they can try to get some resolution. Specifically, this problem seems to revolve around having doors open when cleaning the car. If I wash mine without unlocking it, it is fine. Further reading seems to suggest that there is a software update that cures this problem but has not been the subject of a recall as it is not classed as a safety issue.... Read more
I had those same issues on a 2020 Mazda 3 Skyactiv X.
It’s a well known issue on the 3 and there is even a technical service bulletin about the issue.
On my car I had a Body control module software update,which partially cured the issue but I also think that the battery was weak and I had it replaced.
The guy from Mazda assist said that battery issues was the main and o my reason for Mazda breakdowns.
I now have a 2022 3 and that’s been fine.
Having had exceptional reliability from my wife's sequence of Honda Jazz vehicles over the past 10 years or so, I was not expecting a melt-down on my 3 year old CR-V Hybrid.
Last week the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree with multiple error warnings - and even more alarming I lost all power applying the brakes unless I pushed very hard on the brake pedal.... Read more
60% contribution on a 3 year old car is not really good enough, in fact it’s pathetic. I thought Honda had confidence in their products. “ the power of dreams “? Don’t think so .
Not any more - Honda UK is a subsidiary of Honda Motor Europe and run by beancounters nowadays, not by responsible executives and managers with an engineering or service background as it used to be in the 90's and early 2000's.
In this thread you may:
Discuss any issue relating to EVs... Read more
This thread is now closed, please CLICK HERE to go to Volume 6 *****
Hi all,
... Read more
has anyone tried the chrome plugin called
...
We are very lucky that my wife has been told she can have a new company car in a few months. The main provisos are that it should be up to around £28k, up to 2 years old, and a petrol hybrid or plugin petrol hybrid. For us it has to have a good boot for two dogs and a good amount of leg room for the driver.
She currently has a 2021 petrol seat Arona fr which has been totally reliable and a great car to own but for various reasons the boot and inside space are just not big enough... Read more
Thanks.. they will probably fund it
...
Hi folks, noob here, looking for some advice, I'll try and keep it short
Bought a new car on the 29/12, collected it with 64 miles fuel range in it. Drove to the nearest petrol station and filled up with petrol. Drove home 110 miles, left it a few days before travelling on holiday did another 150 miles, with no performance issues and very good mpg numbers... when the engine failed, got towed back to my local dealer, and they have diagnosed a misfuel (diesel in petrol tank). I have a receipt to say I filled up with petrol, dealer is saying they did not put any fuel in and suggest i contact Hyundai UK.... Read more
Felt Hyundai should have offered you a bit more, for everything they put you through.
Good result though. Well done for your perseverance.
Hello,
I've driven a petrol manual all my life. I've currently got a Vauxhall Astra on lease until later on this year. Late last year I had a hire car in Poland which was a C5 Aircross diesel 1.5 automatic. Me and the family all fell in love with the car and I definitely want one in automatic to replace the astra. However, I don't know whether to go for the 1.6L Petrol Plug-in Hybrid or the 1.3L Diesel BlueHDI. We normally do a long motorway trip once a fortnight. I want to buy one new which will hopefully last a good possible 10 years. which is most reliable and will last the best long-term? Read more
Im doubting now whether I should get a Citroen because the Kia Sportage has the 7 year warranty. But that is about £3,000 more and a Petrol Mild Hybrid. 1.6L Is that a more reliable car than the C5 aircross?
This happens when you start thinking about buying cars. You want a Citroen because you've driven one and you like it. Perfectly reasonable. Now you're trying to talk yourself out of it by applying logic....
Browse
.jpg)
When our Fabia went in for its 5 year service in late April 2023 the dealer phoned and said that the cam belt was due, did I want the job doing. I said that since the miles were low and we intended swapping within the next 12 months I would take a punt at it being fine.
Then in early July 2023 VAG issued the the new directive changing the interval to either 15 years or 180,000 but one engine (no idea which one) had its interval changed to 140,000 miles....