Car Servicing/Maintaince

[Milltown Row2]

Just noticed the chat here lads, I've had a couple of car problems for a while now. Can anyone provide me with any advice or experience as I took it to a couple of people and then to VW garage who charged me a fortune to get a problem fixed with the fuel pump and then told me they would need to take the car another time to figure out the other fault so I haven't had the desire to leave it back yet considering the money spent on it so far.
I own a 2007 GT Golf (I'm considering selling)
1st problem is the engine management light has been on for over a year and I got someone to put a computer on it and the fault came up as something to do with emmissions and they turned it off but then it comes back on again within a day.
2nd problem and more concerning is the fact that once I drive the car for around an hour the car will lose all power and start to decelerate. I've found that if I flick the ignition off then on whilst going it seems to reset the problem and the car gains power again however it might do it again after every few minutes. Never happens on short journeys just when I'm driving approx. over an hour.

Impossible to know what is wrong without knowing what the fault code is. Sounds like a turbo boost problem, if the car senses an over boost it goes into safe mode and by switching the car off and on you are resetting it until the next over boost.

Strangely similar to my wife's car problem... though there was a hissing sound coming out from underneath it and black smoke out the exhaust ... slow mode no acceleration and would not get up the hill where my wife had pulled in.... emissions and injector (for the first time) warning came up....probably getting a new car but if I can sell it on then grand

Hiss sound and black smoke suggests burst intercooler pipe.

Expensive?? Wife buying new polo so just want to sell on

[omagh_gael]

Cheers Doodaa, any idea on average price for gutting and remap of dfp?

Sorry omagh_gael I forgot about this thread completely.
Not sure if you got sorted but I would think £200-250 as a ballpark figure to have it done.

Cheers Dooda, I ran a couple of bottles of reddex through it and it went off all by itself, that's been over a fortnight ago.

However, I was involved in an accident today. A women pulled out of a junction and hit me flush along the passenger side of the car. Wrecked whole passenger side. Stiff and sore now!

[GJL]

Just noticed the chat here lads, I've had a couple of car problems for a while now. Can anyone provide me with any advice or experience as I took it to a couple of people and then to VW garage who charged me a fortune to get a problem fixed with the fuel pump and then told me they would need to take the car another time to figure out the other fault so I haven't had the desire to leave it back yet considering the money spent on it so far.
I own a 2007 GT Golf (I'm considering selling)
1st problem is the engine management light has been on for over a year and I got someone to put a computer on it and the fault came up as something to do with emmissions and they turned it off but then it comes back on again within a day.
2nd problem and more concerning is the fact that once I drive the car for around an hour the car will lose all power and start to decelerate. I've found that if I flick the ignition off then on whilst going it seems to reset the problem and the car gains power again however it might do it again after every few minutes. Never happens on short journeys just when I'm driving approx. over an hour.

Impossible to know what is wrong without knowing what the fault code is. Sounds like a turbo boost problem, if the car senses an over boost it goes into safe mode and by switching the car off and on you are resetting it until the next over boost.

Strangely similar to my wife's car problem... though there was a hissing sound coming out from underneath it and black smoke out the exhaust ... slow mode no acceleration and would not get up the hill where my wife had pulled in.... emissions and injector (for the first time) warning came up....probably getting a new car but if I can sell it on then grand

Hiss sound and black smoke suggests burst intercooler pipe.

Expensive?? Wife buying new polo so just want to sell on

Trade in or sell on yourself?

[Milltown Row2]

Just noticed the chat here lads, I've had a couple of car problems for a while now. Can anyone provide me with any advice or experience as I took it to a couple of people and then to VW garage who charged me a fortune to get a problem fixed with the fuel pump and then told me they would need to take the car another time to figure out the other fault so I haven't had the desire to leave it back yet considering the money spent on it so far.
I own a 2007 GT Golf (I'm considering selling)
1st problem is the engine management light has been on for over a year and I got someone to put a computer on it and the fault came up as something to do with emmissions and they turned it off but then it comes back on again within a day.
2nd problem and more concerning is the fact that once I drive the car for around an hour the car will lose all power and start to decelerate. I've found that if I flick the ignition off then on whilst going it seems to reset the problem and the car gains power again however it might do it again after every few minutes. Never happens on short journeys just when I'm driving approx. over an hour.

Impossible to know what is wrong without knowing what the fault code is. Sounds like a turbo boost problem, if the car senses an over boost it goes into safe mode and by switching the car off and on you are resetting it until the next over boost.

Strangely similar to my wife's car problem... though there was a hissing sound coming out from underneath it and black smoke out the exhaust ... slow mode no acceleration and would not get up the hill where my wife had pulled in.... emissions and injector (for the first time) warning came up....probably getting a new car but if I can sell it on then grand

Hiss sound and black smoke suggests burst intercooler pipe.

Expensive?? Wife buying new polo so just want to sell on

Trade in or sell on yourself?

Would need to ask dealer, if I could get it fixed for 2/3 hundred then it may work as a deposit towards a better car or lower monthly payments.... Don't know, never bought a new car before

[GJL]

Just noticed the chat here lads, I've had a couple of car problems for a while now. Can anyone provide me with any advice or experience as I took it to a couple of people and then to VW garage who charged me a fortune to get a problem fixed with the fuel pump and then told me they would need to take the car another time to figure out the other fault so I haven't had the desire to leave it back yet considering the money spent on it so far.
I own a 2007 GT Golf (I'm considering selling)
1st problem is the engine management light has been on for over a year and I got someone to put a computer on it and the fault came up as something to do with emmissions and they turned it off but then it comes back on again within a day.
2nd problem and more concerning is the fact that once I drive the car for around an hour the car will lose all power and start to decelerate. I've found that if I flick the ignition off then on whilst going it seems to reset the problem and the car gains power again however it might do it again after every few minutes. Never happens on short journeys just when I'm driving approx. over an hour.

Impossible to know what is wrong without knowing what the fault code is. Sounds like a turbo boost problem, if the car senses an over boost it goes into safe mode and by switching the car off and on you are resetting it until the next over boost.

Strangely similar to my wife's car problem... though there was a hissing sound coming out from underneath it and black smoke out the exhaust ... slow mode no acceleration and would not get up the hill where my wife had pulled in.... emissions and injector (for the first time) warning came up....probably getting a new car but if I can sell it on then grand

Hiss sound and black smoke suggests burst intercooler pipe.

Expensive?? Wife buying new polo so just want to sell on

Trade in or sell on yourself?

Would need to ask dealer, if I could get it fixed for 2/3 hundred then it may work as a deposit towards a better car or lower monthly payments.... Don't know, never bought a new car before

If it is just an intercooler pipe then a lot less than that should fix it. 100-150ish. Have your mechanic have a look to see what it is and give you a price. Then decide what to do.

[pullhard]

Need some advice. We've out grown our motor, a Fabia. Considering getting a used Skoda estate. Wish to stick with a diesel, but the choice of engines is confusing, 1.4tdi, 1.6tdi and 2.0tdi. Any issues with theses engines? Google shows lots for each! Any you would avoid or love?

[laceer]

Have a 2005 BMW 116i. Getting it ready to sell and it's developed a problem with the wheel spin sensors. From time to time the car will lose power briefly, sometimes the traction control light comes on, sometimes not. It happens more often when turning left. There is no fault code coming up on the diagnostic and I've changed the tyres, had the wheel spin sensors cleaned and the ABS pump reset but it's still happening.

From reading through various forums it seems like a common enough problem but there are a lot of differing solutions. One that keeps coming up is changing the reluctor rings on the drive shaft - has anyone heard of this problem or experienced it? Starting to really bug me!

Turned out to be rust between the reluctor ring and the drive shaft. It was pushing the reluctor ring out of shape and rubbing against the abs sensor, causing it to think the wheel was spinning and knock on the brakes.

[Hardy]

My young fella got himself a 2007 Mazda 6. Going great except it seems to be running cool. The heater/aircon never gets hot, even when you set it to a very high demand temperature (to test). It's just about warm enough for comfort. The temperature gauge never gets beyond about 5% of its travel - i.e. it's just off the minimum mark even after an hour's driving.

The thermostat seems to be working, since the fan switches on and off. However, the fan does seem to come on very soon after the engine is switched on from cold - i.e. within a minute. I took this to mean the coolant temperature sensor might be faulty - calling for cooling at too low a temperature. So I replaced it, but no change.

The fuel economy is very poor - he got only 34 m.p.g. on a long run and under 30 for local driving. This could be a result of running too cold all the time. Our mechanic says it's grand, nothing wrong, but it doesn't seem right to me.

Any ideas?

[GJL]

My young fella got himself a 2007 Mazda 6. Going great except it seems to be running cool. The heater/aircon never gets hot, even when you set it to a very high demand temperature (to test). It's just about warm enough for comfort. The temperature gauge never gets beyond about 5% of its travel - i.e. it's just off the minimum mark even after an hour's driving.

The thermostat seems to be working, since the fan switches on and off. However, the fan does seem to come on very soon after the engine is switched on from cold - i.e. within a minute. I took this to mean the coolant temperature sensor might be faulty - calling for cooling at too low a temperature. So I replaced it, but no change.

The fuel economy is very poor - he got only 34 m.p.g. on a long run and under 30 for local driving. This could be a result of running too cold all the time. Our mechanic says it's grand, nothing wrong, but it doesn't seem right to me.

Any ideas?

Wrong type of coolant or too high a concentrate? Thermostat removed or jammed open?

[Hardy]

My young fella got himself a 2007 Mazda 6. Going great except it seems to be running cool. The heater/aircon never gets hot, even when you set it to a very high demand temperature (to test). It's just about warm enough for comfort. The temperature gauge never gets beyond about 5% of its travel - i.e. it's just off the minimum mark even after an hour's driving.

The thermostat seems to be working, since the fan switches on and off. However, the fan does seem to come on very soon after the engine is switched on from cold - i.e. within a minute. I took this to mean the coolant temperature sensor might be faulty - calling for cooling at too low a temperature. So I replaced it, but no change.

The fuel economy is very poor - he got only 34 m.p.g. on a long run and under 30 for local driving. This could be a result of running too cold all the time. Our mechanic says it's grand, nothing wrong, but it doesn't seem right to me.

Any ideas?

Wrong type of coolant or too high a concentrate? Thermostat removed or jammed open?

Mechanic said thermostat was definitely OK but, come to think of it, how could he know it wasn't jammed open? (He didn't physically check it.) Coolant "looks" very highly coloured, but I'll go back to the thermostat first.

Thanks for the steer.

[Denn Forever]

May also get the air con checked.  There be no/gas in it.

[doodaa]

My young fella got himself a 2007 Mazda 6. Going great except it seems to be running cool. The heater/aircon never gets hot, even when you set it to a very high demand temperature (to test). It's just about warm enough for comfort. The temperature gauge never gets beyond about 5% of its travel - i.e. it's just off the minimum mark even after an hour's driving.

The thermostat seems to be working, since the fan switches on and off. However, the fan does seem to come on very soon after the engine is switched on from cold - i.e. within a minute. I took this to mean the coolant temperature sensor might be faulty - calling for cooling at too low a temperature. So I replaced it, but no change.

The fuel economy is very poor - he got only 34 m.p.g. on a long run and under 30 for local driving. This could be a result of running too cold all the time. Our mechanic says it's grand, nothing wrong, but it doesn't seem right to me.

Any ideas?

Wrong type of coolant or too high a concentrate? Thermostat removed or jammed open?

Mechanic said thermostat was definitely OK but, come to think of it, how could he know it wasn't jammed open? (He didn't physically check it.) Coolant "looks" very highly coloured, but I'll go back to the thermostat first.

Thanks for the steer.

If it isn't getting up to temperature then the stat is either remaining open or it was fitted with a lower temp opening stat and opening too early.
Take it out, put it in a saucepan with water and turn the heat up on the hob. You should see some movement if it is working correctly. Stick a thermometer in as well and you can tell at what temp its opening at as well.

If it is getting up to temp then it isn't the stat. Could be a blocked heater matrix or a problem with the climate control/ heating controls.

If its proper coolant in it and its been well looked after then the coolant should be highly coloured. It can be red/ blue/ green/ orange/ yellow. As a rule never mix the colours, some can be mixed but best not take the chance.

[GJL]

My young fella got himself a 2007 Mazda 6. Going great except it seems to be running cool. The heater/aircon never gets hot, even when you set it to a very high demand temperature (to test). It's just about warm enough for comfort. The temperature gauge never gets beyond about 5% of its travel - i.e. it's just off the minimum mark even after an hour's driving.

The thermostat seems to be working, since the fan switches on and off. However, the fan does seem to come on very soon after the engine is switched on from cold - i.e. within a minute. I took this to mean the coolant temperature sensor might be faulty - calling for cooling at too low a temperature. So I replaced it, but no change.

The fuel economy is very poor - he got only 34 m.p.g. on a long run and under 30 for local driving. This could be a result of running too cold all the time. Our mechanic says it's grand, nothing wrong, but it doesn't seem right to me.

Any ideas?

Wrong type of coolant or too high a concentrate? Thermostat removed or jammed open?

Mechanic said thermostat was definitely OK but, come to think of it, how could he know it wasn't jammed open? (He didn't physically check it.) Coolant "looks" very highly coloured, but I'll go back to the thermostat first.

Thanks for the steer.

If it isn't getting up to temperature then the stat is either remaining open or it was fitted with a lower temp opening stat and opening too early.
Take it out, put it in a saucepan with water and turn the heat up on the hob. You should see some movement if it is working correctly. Stick a thermometer in as well and you can tell at what temp its opening at as well.

If it is getting up to temp then it isn't the stat. Could be a blocked heater matrix or a problem with the climate control/ heating controls.

If its proper coolant in it and its been well looked after then the coolant should be highly coloured. It can be red/ blue/ green/ orange/ yellow. As a rule never mix the colours, some can be mixed but best not take the chance.

It is also possible that the water is not circulating properly due to a faulty water pump?

[Hardy]

Thanks all. I think I'll start with checking if the stat is stuck open. Hope it's not the water pump.

[Rois]

I am looking for a Mercedes plug in sat nav module.
Any tips where I could get one at less than the £500 Isaac Agnew charge? Or advise whether, if I buy one on eBay, I could fit it myself (i.e just plug in) or would need to get a professional to do it.
I've tried googling for places in NI but no joy yet.
Thanks