Tim Shallcross
Email Tim with your questions
Hello Tim,
I have a 53 reg Nissan Almera Tino 1.8S on 54000miles. Recently, i found out both suspension spring coils in front were broken without any warnings. It baffles me as to the reasons both springs broke at the same time. The car was parked on the last drive without any issue. Left it for two weeks as i was away and came back to notice both springs broken. The only thing i noticed during the period is very harsh winter weather with alot of snow and ice and very low temperature. I have since fixed it at the local garage but the mechanic could not provide a technical explanation why both front springs broke. Please help with an explanation.
Regards,
Babatunde Dosumu, UK
Broken coil springs do seem to be getting more and more common these days, but this is an odd case. The springs are made of steel and all metals become more brittle as the temperature reduces. A thick layer of snow does weigh a fair amount, so I suppose it’s just about conceivable that the weight of snow and ice combined with extreme low temperature was enough to snap the springs – just about conceivable, but extremely unlikely. I think it’s more likely that a) Some of the local residents were entertaining themselves by bouncing up and down on your car in your absence or b) the springs broke at some time before you left the car but the break wasn’t noticeable. This can happen if the break is near one end of the coil and the broken section simply drops into the spring retaining cup. It does seem an odd one though.
I purchased a 1yr old Nissan Pathfinder R51 in September 07, in Dublin. I had checked the vehicle and thought it was ok, and always ask if the vehicle has any accident damage before buying, but after recently taking it to a Nissan garage in the UK, I have been told that it was definitely crashed at the front end, but has been repaired. I have done an internet check on the registration, but it comes back clear. Even though its been almost 20 months since I bought the car, do I have any comeback, or is it too late?
Stephen Davis, Dublin, Ireland
I’m not really sure about the law in Ireland, but in the UK, you would have difficulty making a case after 20 months. It isn’t impossible, but you would have to prove that you asked about accident damage, prove that the seller stated that the car had none and prove that the damage was not done after you bought it – all a pretty tall order after this period of time. However, provided a car is repaired properly after a crash there should be absolutely no problem. The standard for repairs set by the insurance industry is that the repaired section of the vehicle should be as new or better. Has the car got a fault resulting from a substandard repair? If so, it should really have failed the last MOT (or the Irish equivalent), but if there is something dodgy about the repair I would suggest that you simply get it fixed and put it all down to experience. If it doesn’t have a problem, don’t worry about it.
Dear Tim.
I am an 85 year retired aviator and was about to scrap my 1988 Toyota LHD Turbo Diesel Estate when my Darling Chancellor said I could get £2,000 for it against the £60 offered by a scrap dealer.
I still like driving a car and occasionally still drive an aeroplane but it is difficult to decide what to buy.
I should go for a green car, with a long warranty, low insurance premium and has good visibility. and good mpg. However, I also want a car that is quiet.
I would appreciate your advice.
Best regards,
Gerald Davies, Winchester
I don’t usually give advice on choosing a car, but based on your list of requirements I can offer you some ideas:
First of all, double check that your car qualifies – if it’s LHD it sounds as if it’s imported. To qualify for the scrap allowance the rules say the car must have been registered in the UK before 31st July 1999. On that basis it would seem that an imported car that wasn’t registered here until August 1999 or later won’t qualify, however old it is. But even if yours doesn’t qualify, have a good look around because you might find a nearly new car at a real giveaway price because of a little gamble that many dealers made that didn’t come off. I’ll explain:
The rules of the scheme state that the new car will have to be brand new. That might sound obvious, but the manufacturers and dealers originally asked for cars up to a year old to be included so that dealers would be able to unload the cars they pre-registered to make the sales figures look slightly less awful, than the disaster they really were. Unfortunately for them, this request was denied and the replacement car must be brand new. As a result, there are quite a few cars around on used car lots, sitting unloved and unnoticed, but with next to no mileage and a price that might well tempt you, even without the £2,000 incentive. Bear in mind that the warranty will have started on the day the car was registered though, so add on the cost of extending it for a year if you do see a bargain.
Talking of a warranty, which was one of your requirements, about the best one around is Hyundai’s 5 year unlimited mileage deal, although every large manufacturer will now give at least 3 years and 60,000 miles or more.
Back to your question. Assuming that your car was registered in time and does qualify for the scheme, your desire for a green car with cheap insurance and good mpg all point to a smallish car, but don’t run away with the idea that you’ll have to get a diesel to get good economy – the latest generation of petrol engines certainly give diesels a run for their money on mpg and green credentials, and if the 10 pence or so price difference between litres of the unleaded and oily stuff is here to stay, you may find a small petrol engine cheaper to run and it will certainly be cheaper to buy. Petrol engines are still quieter than diesels, although inside the car you’ll hardly notice any difference once you’re on the move. Finally, there are lots of small cars around now that have quite a high seating position – Honda Jazz, Mercedes A Class, Ford Fusion and so on, and given that you are used to a biggish car you might appreciate the extra headroom and better vision they offer.
The Green Car Guide has some useful information and road tests on smaller, greener cars.
Dear Tim,
I have a 2005 BMW Z4 3.0SE and have been very happy with the car. Recently, my wife fell pregnant and I thought that I was going to have to part company with my precious convertible, however, after some thought decided that we can manage between us as my wife has an Audi A4 which is plenty big enough for the extra little passenger for shopping trips and family days out etc. The only time the Z4 will be used is for my daily commute to work via the nursery to drop off junior. We have purchased a baby seat which fits the sports seats perfectly and now all we need is for the passenger airbags to be deactivated. I’ve heard conflicting stories, some saying that the airbags will not go off unless a person is sat in the passenger seat due to a sensor in the seat. Others say it is an expensive job to have a deactivation switch fitted. I really only need the airbags deactivating (and possibly seat belt pre-tensioner if applicable?) and don’t need it to be switched as the car is only to be used by one person or one plus junior.
I have tried researching this on the internet but to no avail, I cannot believe that I am the only person to have this issue?
Any help would be most appreciated!
Best regards,
Christian Hextall, UK
Open the passenger door and look on the side of the dashboard that is now revealed to you. There is a key operated switch to activate and deactivate the passenger airbags – use the ignition key to turn it on and off. When the passenger airbag is off, the airbag warning light by the gear lever has an “off” warning in the middle that lights up for a few seconds when you turn on the ignition. Check the handbook and you should find all the information.
I have a 2004 Audi A3 3.2 S-line DSG. Sometimes and it is becoming more frequent, when i put the car in the drive gear and set of slowly in 30mph speed limits, it is really jumpy. The car behaves like a badly driven manual. What could be the cause of this and does the car need to go into the audi garage? Thanks.
Stewart O'Rourke, Epsom, England
I think you need an Audi specialist at least for this one. While it could be something relatively simple, such as a faulty throttle body or just a disconnected vacuum pipe, the DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox for non VW speaking readers) can be a problem – as can the dual mass flywheel. You can narrow things down a little bit by starting the engine and, with the car in neutral, listen carefully to the engine note while you gradually press the accelerator and slowly increase the engine speed to about 2,500 rpm. The engine note should be smooth and uninterrupted for the whole of the speed range – any slight roughness at any speed will be magnified when you’re driving and the car’s under load and indicates a misfire, which is an engine problem. If there’s no misfire, but you notice some vibration at certain speeds, it could be the dual mass flywheel. If you suspect this, drive along a quiet road at about 20 – 30 mph and take your foot off the accelerator, then press it again. If there’s a definite clunky feeling as the drive takes up again, it’s pointing to that flywheel – but do get it confirmed before you authorise repairs. If the engine’s smooth and unruffled, it points to the fancy gearbox, but once again, get the diagnosis confirmed.
Dear Tim,
I’m a regular reader of the Times Online here in California. Since you folks in the UK have experience with European models long before they arrive in the US, I’m writing to you about a future purchase I’m considering; a Mercedes B class. I currently own two, 2-seater cars, one of which is a 2008 Smart ForTwo. The Smart has given me excellent use and mileage in the past year (22000 miles and 47 mpg (US)), but the extended family is lobbying me for something that can seat more than two. Car #2 is a Porsche Cayman and I will be keeping that. As I don’t want to give up the excellent mileage of the Smart, I was considering the Mercedes B class (diesel, if possible) when it comes to the US sometime next year. The UK specs look encouraging with respect to practicality and efficiency. Having read in your column about the appalling reliability of the A class, I was wondering if the B class has proved to be any better.
Paul Matwiy, California, USA
Car reviews are generally a bit subjective – for the B Class, I’ve seen one that complains of a horrible ride and another saying it’s terrific to drive. However, there are fairly consistent comments about NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) issues that you wouldn’t expect on a car this pricey, and the CVT takes a bit of getting used to if you generally have the epicyclic and agitator version. You should also bear in mind that the suspension will probably have a different set up for the US market, so you need to test drive one for yourself when it’s launched there. As with all Mercs, you tend to pay a premium for the star on the bonnet, so there are certainly some very good MPV’s around for less cash, but other than that they haven’t been around in sufficient numbers for any major problems to be reported yet. In fairness to the A Class, the second version is much better than the first – I think Mercedes were quite stung by the universal criticism, so they tried a lot harder for the second attempt.
Dear Tim,
I bought a new BMW 530D SE in November 2000 on the basis that it was of a high standard for quality, comfort and reliability. During the years there have been acceptable minor repairs. I had some concern in February 2008 when the turbocharger had to be renewed at a cost of about £2,500.00. However I viewed this as an unfortunate incident.
In October 2008 I found a small area of about 4cm2 on the edge of the boot lid where corrosion is apparent under the paintwork. The car has been kept garaged and fully serviced by the local BMW garage, Halliwell Jones at Southport, who agreed at the time there is no body damage and that it would seem the galvanising is breaking down. The only help they have been in this matter is to advise that the body warranty is only valid for 6 years and to quote £1,000.00 as a replacement cost.
I have asked BMW that this repair be covered by them, especially as I am finding it difficult to find another manufacturer of BMW's reputation only providing 6 years anti-corrosion warranty.
BMW's reply is that they consider the damage is not corrosion but may have been caused by an external influence, although there has never been any body damage. They have, however, offered a 50% contribution towards the cost as a gesture of goodwill. I have rejected this as totally unacceptable, especially in view of the very high quotation given. I have consulted a local body repair shop, whose opinion is that this is a breakdown of the bodywork protection.
I would very much appreciate your views on this matter.
Yours sincerely,
John K Nicol, UK
The basic fact here is that when you bought the car, BMW only gave a six year warranty. Even if you get (and pay for) an engineer’s report which confirms that it’s corrosion you still have to overcome the fact that BMW only give a six year warranty for it. Depending on your budget, either accept BMW’s offer or get it cosmetically repaired elsewhere, sell in due course and don’t buy another BMW. BMW’s current anti rust warranty is 12 years, in common with most manufacturers, but if was only six years when you bought it, they’re being very fair in offering you anything at all when they have no obligation to.
I have an issue with a Vauxhall garage. I took my car (a bi-fuel)in to the garage because the engine management light kept coming on and when it did it stuttered. I asked the garage to do a petrol & gas service at the same time. They did the services first in the hope of finding the problem. That didn't work so they started on a list of 50 faults that had shown on the diagnostic tests. I should say at this stage that the car was up to that point very reliable but had 140K miles on the clock so had a limited value. Over a period of a few weeks, the bill clocked up to around £1850 but we still had the same fault. The next item on the list that they wanted to do was a new injector at a further cost of £800. I demanded to speak to someone higher. The Service Manager of the group agreed to deal with me. He arranged to put in the new injector. It didn't resolve the problem and was taken out at no cost to me. They eventually informed me that it needed a new coil pack as 'two cables had been cut by ANother' and the car was unsafe to drive because the engine could catch fire. When we collected the car, still with the same fault it originally went in with, we had to sign a disclaimer because of the safety issue. Two months after finally accepting the car back, it failed an MOT with several faults, one marked as 'dangerous' - a sub frame problem. We then decided to part exchange the car at a vast loss because the sub frame was going to cost approx £500 and the EML was still coming on etc. I am taking the garage to Small Claims court. Their defence is that they followed std Vauxhall procedure i.e. work through the listed faults. Surely this cannot be right. It cannot be good judgment to just plough thru a list of faults regardless of the age/ mileage/ value of the car. Common sense should prevail at some stage ? I have now been asked by the judge to arrange for an Independent engineer report at a cost to be paid for 50/50 by myself and the garage. I am having trouble finding a company to take this on as the car is not now available, only the job sheets, diagnostics etc. Please can you advise ?
Carol Ardis, Charlton, UK
What you have described is an appalling level of bad service. Diagnostic machines are supposed to be an aid to diagnosis, not a reason for technicians to stop thinking. If the machine found 50 faults, the garage should then have found a human being with a functioning brain to look at the faults and assess which, if any, were likely to be the cause of the problem you were complaining of. As for the rest of the faults, they should have told you what they were, with an estimate of what it would cost to put them right, so that you could make an informed judgement about what to do, bearing in mind the value of the car and so on. It is completely unacceptable simply to replace part after part at your expense until they happen to replace the one causing the problem. This sort of mindless, unprofessional muddling is a major cause of complaint from consumers and a year or so ago, a new code of practice was launched that aims to put a stop to it. Admittedly, it’s the latest in a wearisome line of motor industry codes of practice, most of which have completely failed to achieve anything, but at least this one is backed by the National Consumer Council and by Trading Standards and it does have the power to take action against garages who give the sort of service you describe. Go to: www.motorindustrycodes.co.uk
Use the search facility to check whether your dealer has signed up to this code, particularly the service and repair part, but I’m sure they will have, since virtually every main dealer has. Then use the page on the web site to tell your story and see if they’ll arbitrate and get you some redress.
Incidentally, this code of practice is intended to have a decisive impact on the quality of service in the motor trade. The IAM has supported it because it is “policed” by random inspection and there is an independent panel in place which meets regularly to review progress. It’s vital that progress is made, and quickly, because the motor trade is responsible for more complaints to trading standards offices than any other industry. The IAM is represented on the independent panel – in fact they normally send me. As a result, I’m very keen to find out whether this code is actually achieving anything from the customer’s point of view, so I’ll be very interested to hear how you get on. That, of course, also applies to anyone else who has dealings with garages signed up to this code – or indeed any of the several codes of practice and good garage schemes in operation – I don’t police them all, but I’d love to know if they do any good!
My mum (age 64) has a Toyota Auris. It's done about 24,000 miles - mostly motorway/A road. During a recent service the brake pads were replaced by the Toyota dealer (Shields of Glasgow) who sold the car (as new). I was surprised this costly worked needed to be done, given the car's age (18 months) and mileage. Is it normal to replace brake pads on an 18 month old 24,000 mile Auris 1.6 petrol model?
Jess Campbell Sheffield, UK
Brake pad wear very much depends on the driving style and journey type, but new pads after 24,000 miles isn’t at all unusual, even for motorway driving. I’m surprised you describe it as costly though, given that it’s a routine and simple job – have you compared the price charged by other dealers to see if it’s normal?
Dear Tim
I have a 2008 Jazz 1.4 which has a very poor ventilation system in my view. In Summer, when it was warm, the A/C was not particularly cold (I also have a 2000 Toyota Corolla which still works well and is ice-cold). The system was checked with the Dealer, but was found to be 'within specifications'. When the weather gets down to below/just above zero, the rear passenger windows steam up. There is no setting that demists them - including A/C on, or off. With two people in the car it is worse. Honda Customer Service say there is nothing wrong with the car as it is 'to specification' and they have effectively washed their hands of the problem. I've driven a Fit in the US (Jazz in the UK) which has the 1.5 engine and this car did not have the problem.
Do you know if anyone else has experienced this problem? Or do you have any suggestions? I'm afraid that I might have to bite the bullet, take the loss and replace the Jazz with another Toyota.
Thanks for your time, and a great column! Much appreciated.
Aled L Hughes, UK
The older Jazz had a problem with misting up in cold weather, which Honda “cured” by telling owners to keep air conditioning permanently on, keep the temperature control in the red (warm) zone and set the air direction to the windscreen with the side demisting vents open. You should also make sure the heater’s running on fresh air, not re-circulating. They reckoned this would de-mist the car in no time – and they also said the aircon would use very little extra fuel. This was all supposed to have been cured by about 2005 or so, but it’s worth a try if you haven’t already been told this – especially making sure the air isn’t re-circulating; the instructions from Honda were a little confusing on this point. However, if you’re still getting steamed up windows in spite of a guiltless lifestyle, your comment that the aircon isn’t noticeably cold in summer makes me suspect that it’s not working properly, in spite of Honda’s assurance. Low on gas or a dodgy compressor are the usual suspects, but before you go any further, check a few other possibilities. First feel all the carpets in case there’s water getting in – there are a few reports of the rear doors leaking – then check the pollen filter in case it’s wet. If you find either of these, go straight back to Honda under warranty. If all this is fine, find a local aircon specialist and have a chat. They may well be prepared to give a quick opinion as to whether the air is getting as cold as it should as quickly as it should. Then go back to Honda and be firm!
I bought a Mitsubishi L200 Animal LWB,4WD,2.5 Diesel Turbo at B.C.A.Blackbush on the 19/02 being two days out of a three year warranty. First piece of skulduggery which later becomes apparent. The vehicle had previously been owned by Spitalgate Contract Motoring Fleet Operations who front up finance / contract hire for Mitsubishi
After three weeks the head gasket failed and the cylinder head was dispatched to an engineering company for refurbishment. They discovered the head had 23 cracks and had been doctored with sealant. This lasts three weeks and no doubt was authorised by the owners. A new head was purchased and fitted along with new thermostat and water pump, cost £1650.
Within 24 hours a noise occurred which initially was thought to be a slipping belt. This was then thought to be an EGR valve associated with the exhaust system , cost £250. However, once that was fitted the turbo proved to be the problem. This was sent for refurbishment and is now fitted at a cost of £800
B.C.A. Blackbush referred me to Trading Standards. Trading Standards were uncontactable as they are only interested in major fraud. Consumer Standards just said bad luck and Mitsubishi were not interested
Amazing how a short term gain can generate such bad publicity.
Jack Sinclair, Camberley, UK
This is a peril of buying at auction I’m afraid. Lancia left the UK because of poor sales – whether that was due to brand damage or not is a moot point, but the L200 generally has a pretty bullet proof reputation. Most turbo problems on any vehicle are connected to lubrication – the right oil, changed at the right interval is absolutely essential for a turbo. Buyers beware at auction – and ebay!
Plummeting new car sales and the recession generally may mean that more and more motorists are looking at used cars as a sensible economy measure. Prices vary considerably depending on who you buy from, but there are good reasons for that; the bargain in the advert can turn into a money pit if things go wrong. If you want to know a bit more about the protection you get – or don’t get – from different sellers, click here...
Someone has poured a liquid over the bonnet of my black x-trail. Unfortunately it had dried before I noticed it but immediately had the vehicle washed. The substance refused to come off! It does come off however if you use your finger nail and the paint below appears unharmed. Any ideas how to get it off other than standing for several weeks using my nails?
Chris Ferguson, Bangor, Co Down
Be careful with black paint – it’s generally the softest. Try peeling or scraping very gently with a soft plastic spatula – the sort you get for non-stick saucepans. If that doesn’t work, try something a little firmer such as a wooden spatula, but keep an eye on that paint all the time. You might be surprised that the paint is so vulnerable and wonder why they can’t make it more robust, but there is a good reason. Car factories are working hard to improve their environmental impact and they have made a major step forward by switching to “low odour” type paints, which don’t release large quantities of fumes from the paint shop. This is good news for the environment, especially nearby wildlife, such as birds. However, the paints are not as hard as they were and for some reason black is the most sensitive – especially to things like bird droppings, which of course will be on the increase now that the birds aren’t being poisoned by the old fashioned, highly polluting paints!
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