So the damn car is broken again and this comes up on ebay UK... - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: smjcuk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2015, 10:35:40 pm
content: Typical. Thank you Fiat for your wonderfully unreliable MultiJet engine which went into limp mode this morning and is throwing random error codes. You have robbed me of toys:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191549520953

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2015, 11:41:56 pm
content: I'll swap you for a gutless wonder Fiat which won't idle straight. But at least it doesn't limp.

author: wagon
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 12:03:03 am
content: Fiat= Fix It Again Tomorrow.Why people buy such shitboxes is a mystery to me.

author: SteveyG
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 12:05:51 am
content: That's a great lot, the TTi stuff is really good gear. The Metcal has seen better days, but a new handpiece is relatively cheap.

author: AHT52
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 12:23:53 am
content: Fiat worse than death

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 01:14:39 am
content: Quote from: wagon on April 05, 2015, 12:03:03 amI agree. Before I buy a car I do a thourough investigation into known problems. I don't even trust a certain brand but in general I stay away from French and Italian cars.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 01:24:24 am
content: I buy old Volvos. Easy to fix, incredibly reliable and very cheap because nobody wants them!I'd stay well away from French cars, and I have Italian bikes because I like to work on them. I'm sure their metal is a distant cousin of Cheese.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 03:09:14 am
content: Quote from: wagon on April 05, 2015, 12:03:03 amOr Failed Italian Automotive Technology. Chrysler (now part of Fiat) = Chris Hendler Recommends You Start Learning Engine Repair.Ford = Fix Or Repair Daily/Found On Road Dead. They're great for learning auto service.BMW = Breaks My Wallet.GM = Government Motors. They could have taken over the green car market with their EV1, but they decided to give Toyota a free pass instead, then stole from taxpayers to make an initially way overpriced Volt.If you actually want something modern that just gets you where you need to be with minimal service and very good efficiency, I recommend the Prius. The CVTs in them last almost forever. Or an EV, if the ones on the market are good enough for you.What I don't recommend is anything with a DCT inside, unfortunately that means most of the cars on the market today. DCTs are known for reliability issues and many don't even give a very good driving experience.

author: smjcuk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 08:26:43 am
content: Quote from: SteveyG on April 05, 2015, 12:05:51 amYep - had a couple of PL supplies. I'd fix and shift all this on ebay again for some £££ in this case, apart from the Hameg and 465 perhaps. Even the 2MHz function generators tend to go for a bit.As for the FIAT (Ferrari In Affordable Trim) I hooked up the laptop to it (joy to £7 cable from ebay) and had a look and it looks like the EGR valve is jammed again. Fehler In Allen Teilen (German for failure in every part).Someone mentioned Volvos. Not a bad choice. Got an XC90 on the ebay watch list

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 08:55:17 am
content: Well, stay away from any non German automatic gearbox, and any that have electronic controllers not made in Germany. A clutch may be a regular service part on a manual gearbox, but it is a cheap part ( even if it is a 2 day job on some cars), and something you can do yourself.Avoid anything with Gallic influences, and any vehicle that has not been in production essentially unchanged for at least a decade. The French are rather infamous for a service workshop to need a large selection of "tool, special" to even do simple things like change the engine oil. Then you need even more to do any repairs that are above that level.Buy a VW beetle, the old one, not the new. At least that you can fix with simple tools, a hammer, a pair of pliers and the nearest wire fence. Just be careful of the rear seat and that battery........

author: PChi
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 08:58:20 am
content: Sorry to read about the problems. Surely FIAT = Fix It Again Tony.I believe that Fiats can be reliable but their reputation, model range and sales in Britain are bad.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 09:38:24 am
content: Quote from: PChi on April 05, 2015, 08:58:20 amMade as far as I can see with Russian hot rolled steel, so it has built in rust. An engine that will make you best friends of a machine shop to replace spark plug threads as they wear out ( why do you have to dismantle the engine to change a single spark plug, but hey, at least it is not Rover) and, like the stable mate Alfa, they have some rather well known failure modes.Thank goodness Land Rover was bought by BMW, they finally made an engine that did not leak oil from nearly new. Still did from every other part though. Then the "New Mini", a vehicle that has grown so it is bigger than some small SUV's.

author: Chipmunk
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 09:41:26 am
content: Quote from: SeanB on April 05, 2015, 08:55:17 amIf you do this, buy a later old model, with an alternator. Don't ask how I know this, but I got very wet and frustrated

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 10:21:36 am
content: Mine had the generator, and aside from regular brush changes, and servicing the regulator ( helps being an instrument tech there, I was tempted to slap a Harvard regulator in it and be done with it forever, but.......) and cleaning it and the points it ran well. Silicone sealer fixes most leaks, but not on cracked oil galleries. There a big bottle of engine oil to do "top up the petrol and fill the oil" as needed.

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 11:17:19 am
content: Some of the newer FIAT models are more reliable but most of the older models suck big time.I am actually surprised they are still in business.Well, .... then you have to realize that FIAT owns Ferrari !

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 11:25:14 am
content: QuoteI generally avoid european cars for that reason.

author: sunnyhighway
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 11:53:03 am
content: The folks making the software of the on-board computers for Peugeot got their priorities wrong.For example: when you put your Peugeot in reverse, a nice screen comes up telling you where the obstacles behind your car are. Even the beeping sound works as expected. Nothing wrong there.But... when your phone is making a bluetooth connection with the on-board hands free kit while you are reversing, a stupid message pops up that it successfully synchronized your contacts.For a solid 5 seconds, that stupid message completely covers the screen and it stops beeping during that time, leaving you in the dark about the obstacles behind the car.A stupid programming mistake that cost me 1200 EUR on repairs.

author: smjcuk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 11:59:23 am
content: Quote from: SeanB on April 05, 2015, 09:38:24 amThat's funny. I had a series 3 land rover ages ago. Had to put as much oil as fuel in it. Very reliable though. Built in smoke screen. Replaced it with a Defender 90. That was pretty good too - drove it for 2 years with a big hole in the turbocharger. When I got the turbo replaced I was told the blades were almost gone and probably inside the engine. When I asked if this was a problem I was told "probably OK; tolerances so loose they are in the sump now. Will just have to put more oil in it more often". Did 80k miles with no work on that!Then I bought a stupid Fiat Doblo because I needed more load space and didn't want to fish out for a new defender 110. Bad decision.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 12:01:22 pm
content: They put the manual mirrors there for that reason....... And yes the massive plastic bumper is expensive, here the ieces are collected and taken with the car, so that the bumper guys can put the kit back together, weld it all up again and repaint it to match the car.

author: smjcuk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 12:03:08 pm
content: Quote from: sunnyhighway on April 05, 2015, 11:53:03 amHahaha. Sounds like my father's Range Rover. Plug the iPhone in and the air con, headlights and sat nav stop working. CAN bus voltage problem apparently...The dealer has replaced everything and it still does it.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 12:07:20 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on April 05, 2015, 12:01:22 pmI've successfully welded up a number of plastic items including a plastic bumper with my hot air rework station. Always collect all the available pieces, and random broken plastics on the side of the road make great filler material when cut up. Worst case, plastic welding rods are cheap if you can identify what plastic you need.And yes, I've met several muppets who have reversed into things blaming a failure in their electronics. Obviously never taught to actually look before and while reversing a vehicle.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 12:07:39 pm
content: Quote from: smjcuk on April 05, 2015, 11:59:23 amBet the FIAT was lighter on fuel though. You know you have a problem when you take a Range Rover, put it in low and drive 500m on the beach and the console starts to beep at you "Refuel soon, range below 80km", and then follows with " light faulty" and "door open", but stays absolutely silent that the engine has popped a hose ( was actually an urgent recall issued a few months before by Solihull, but the agents didn't bother, even though the vehicle had it's own parking spot in the workshop) and was busy cooking itself. Turns out the low coolant sensor is software disabled after the engine runs.........

author: smjcuk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 12:09:56 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on April 05, 2015, 12:07:39 pmTrue 48mpg easy. Shame it eats up the cash gain in parts.Things are too complicated. Miss my old Rover 414sli (it only didn't suck because it was a Honda with a rover badge stuck on it)

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 12:32:34 pm
content: work just bought a new delivery vehicle with a 2.0l TDI engine in it. light on fuel ( and with a 60l tank it runs longer than the old one with a 35l tank) but I have hears stories about these engines having issues. Poorer ground clearance though , and a bugger to park as it is so much larger. Many parking bays when it fits in you cannot get out because the door will not open enough.

author: iloveelectronics
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 12:32:57 pm
content: Quote from: NiHaoMike on April 05, 2015, 03:09:14 amA few other funny ones I read somewhere:Hyundai - Hope You Understand Nothing's Drivable and InexpensivePorsche - Proof of Rich Spoiled Children Having EverythingOpel - Old People Enjoying LifeVolvo - Very Odd Looking Vehicular Object

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 12:38:36 pm
content: In German:"Er fuhr FORD und kam nie wieder"He drove a FORD and never came back

author: rolycat
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 12:45:36 pm
content: Oh, so many to choose from...A few more:Chrysler:Can Hear Revs, Yet Sense Little Engine ReactionDodge:Doddering Old Dudes Get ExcitedFerrari:Fragile, Expensive Rides Repel All Reasonable IndividualsLand Rover:Lame Americans Need Dumb, Really Oversized Vehicles, England RealizedMercury:Massive Engines Run Curiously Underpowered Rolling YawnbargesToyota:Totally Ordinary Yawn-Optimizing Tedious AutosVolkswagen:Very Ordinary Looking Krautwagons Saddled With Apathetic German Engineering Now

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 12:54:45 pm
content: To paraphrase the popular ad:Everything keeps falling off,.............. Toyota.VW you and me, we don't believe in Qualiteee.BMW, set your wallet free.Mercedes, nothing will fix those bendz.Funny enough the most reliable cars on average, there are still thousands of them around that are 30 or more years old on the roads here, even with the typical owner being unable to afford even basic maintenance. Oil changed as it runs out or is burnt, plugs when he can get some used ones that look good, filters only when he gets some used ones because the originals are no longer cleanable. Airplane tyres....... Barge steering, it might turn this week. Hey, why you want brakes Larnie, it will eventually stop.Off topic.......Cressida 2.4GLE station wagon for sale, one careful owner, in good condition.http://northglennews.co.za/59497/car-plunges-down-hill-in-avoca-accident/Also for sale, one Hyundai Terracan, in used condition. slight accident damage.

author: gildasd
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 02:25:06 pm
content: Quote from: smjcuk on April 05, 2015, 08:26:43 amHad a FIAT Doblo with the 1.4 TDI.The EGR valve blocked the first winter and I had it changed.Second year, the exact same thing started to happen. ARGH!I put a bit of dry bike lubricant in every nook and cranny of that valve, lifting what i could with the tip of screwdriver with, opening up what I could with simple hand tools. I must have hit the right spot because the EGR light never came on again. I suspect a nylon plain bearing was sticking somewhere.Another thing, if you remove the wheels, it's a good idea to pack the wheel bearing with bearing grease. Me thinks the bean counters are saving on grease. This reduces the rolling noise of the car quite a lot, and it stayed low for the year I still had the car for.But apart from that and the instrument cluster being all crunchy (I suspect due to hams-fisted usage by previous owner), and the 5th gear being too short, it was a great car for the money.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 02:55:21 pm
content: Quote from: smjcuk on April 05, 2015, 08:26:43 amRun, don't walk away. Sorry, when I said Volvo and reliable in the same sentence, I meant real Volvos. Pre-Ford. Rear wheel drive fridge on wheels, with Swedish engines, Japanese transmissions and the aerodynamics of a small block of council flats (and the same sex appeal). That finished with the 9x0 series. Anything after that is fragile, difficult to service and generally just not built with the same care and attention.I test drove an XC90 once just to satisfy my wife, but it had horrible CV joint noise and the Haldex unit sounded like two ferrets wrestling in a bag of spanners. Even she wanted to run away.The day I see a front wheel drive Volvo crack half a million K's without anything other than regular logbook servicing I'll consider one. Until then I'll stick with the proven and reliable ugly-mobiles.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 04:05:35 pm
content: Quote from: smjcuk on April 05, 2015, 08:26:43 amMany Volvos are Fords so don't keep your hopes up. I currently have a Ford which seemed to be a reliable choice -just a few easy to fix known problems and version 2.5 of the model-. I did had to fix a rare electrical issue on mine though that nobody could fix (hence the low price for the car and having to wait a week for the part to arrive at the dealer). On the model I have there is a notorious problem with water getting onto the spark plugs. The remedy is to mount a Volvo cover plate so now it says Volvo on the engine in my Ford

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 04:27:46 pm
content: Quote from: BradC on April 05, 2015, 02:55:21 pmI had to Google Haldex, to get what that was........There are still Peugot and Volvo vehicles running here that are 1970's or earlier vintage. I drove past one once, a Peugot 504 station wagon, with the interior full of cabbage, the tailgate tied to the net full of cabbage, the roof laden again with cabbage about the vehicle high again, and with the driver sitting with a large cabbage or three on his lap as he went to market with them. Luckily the road was straight mostly till market.

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 05:09:40 pm
content: A friend of mine is still driving a Volvo 740 station wagon.20 years old, 350,000 km and no real problemsBesides service, I think he never went to the repair shopOn the other hand .... another acquaintance drives a 2010 Volvo C30What a nightmare, he is in the repair shop for unscheduled repair at least once a month!He is looking for a buyer ...Volvo is not VolvoIt went downhill a lot after Ford bought them.

author: poorchava
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 05:21:12 pm
content: My fiance drives a 1996 Nissan Almera. She's had this car for like 6 years and the only thing that broke was the brake fluid conduit once, which just gave up to rust. Everything else just doesn't want to fail (I'm not counting normal servicing like brake disc replacement or replacing the windscreen after catching a pebble from underneath a truck)

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 07:00:31 pm
content: Both GM and Ford did a fairly good job with their respective purchases (SAAB and Volvo/Rover). Look at the brands today vs. where they were then, it is not hard to see the differences. However some loved those old cars, they couldn't have passed today's standards.Unfortunately, those two brands just couldn't be saved.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 07:02:13 pm
content: QuoteI used to have a 1980's Crona that you could see the ground through the floor pan on the passenger side,Just add gas and that thing just runs,Rust is mostly not an issue since the 1990s.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 09:14:27 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on April 05, 2015, 07:02:13 pmDepends where you live........... there is no rust in AZ, but here I am in the second worst place in the world for rust. The top place is across the continent, the Skeleton coast, where the salt fog rolls in every day.

author: Zepnat
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2015, 11:15:42 pm
content: Quote from: smjcuk on April 05, 2015, 08:26:43 amI would love a D5, soo smooth.Check out Google for volvo v50's with flat batteries. We recovered one last week, poor old guy had left his lights on battery still had some life in it, but the immobiliser lost communication, looks like a trip to the main dealer for reprogramming. Cannot believe in this day and age there's not some EEPROM back up or whatever in case the battery goes flat. Felt sorry for him.

author: VK5RC
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 06, 2015, 12:15:32 am
content: A multi Volvo owner/driver here! (ducks for cover).A 1980 245 wagon for 380,000km, a 1997 V70 wagon for 220,000km and now a 2008 XC70 D5 (currently 97,000km). All have been pretty good, some modest issues but for the mileage, pretty happy. I have always gone for their mid range wagon which I tend to think is where they put their effort in development. The recent petrol engines I thought are Suzukis really and heard some issues re coolant and engine blocks ( a pretty common issue with a lot of alloy block motors).I think Volvo was really good at crash design but the pressure for 'something sexy' has altered their goals a little (not for the better in my book).I find that cars are becoming increasingly similar; Volvo was heavily criticised for its 'boxy but safe' and not sexy but you got serious car/crash engineering and I feel some of that has been diluted, even before Ford / Zhejiang. If I wanted a 'sexy' but unsafe car I could always buy something else but now the choices are getting limited to some degree.@Zepnet re battery , a bit odd as in my cars the lights always switch off when you pull the ignition/auxilaries.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2015, 12:28:17 am
content: Quote from: HighVoltage on April 05, 2015, 05:09:40 pmMy daily drive is a 27 year old 740 wagon. It has 447,000 on it at the moment. My other car is a 33 year old 240 with 503,000 on it. Neither has ever had the head off and both are on the original transmission/gearbox. I beat the snot out of both of them.The 240 is being donated to FESA for fire and rescue training in a couple of weeks. Nothing really wrong with it, but it's not worth anything and I can't justify keeping it registered and insured for sentimental value.Interestingly, since the rise of the "shred it and send it to China" metal recyclers, nobody donates cars for emergency training anymore because they can get $50 for them. As finance (and wife) allows, I buy old cars that are suitable and donate them to the emergency services.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2015, 12:38:05 am
content: Last week, I was in a Cadillac XTS - bought in July 2014 (20K miles) and now with over 140Kmiles (200K+km). Felt brand new.It is quite common to see 200 - 300K miles towncars.Cars have come a long way, particularly american-made cars.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2015, 12:55:52 am
content: Quote from: dannyf on April 06, 2015, 12:38:05 amAnd so it should. 120,000 miles in less than a year. None of the rubber has had time to age, and the plastic hasn't leached it's plasticizers. Come back and let us know if it it makes it to 20 years old and still runs. We get plenty of Taxi's here that reach a million K's in not very many years. Easy to do when you do lots of long(ish) trips over a short period of time (as you imply when you talk of 140K miles in less than a year)Quote from: dannyf on April 06, 2015, 12:38:05 amLet's face it. American made cars not only had a long way to come (and still have a long way to go) but from where they got to in the 80's & 90's, up was really the only option.

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2015, 01:41:10 am
content: Volvo hasn't been owned by Ford since 2010 when it was sold to Chinese-automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, aka Geely.My wife has an 2001 XC70 which we bought used about 10 years ago. It's been pretty reliable though it's getting time to sell it now.I'd love to replace it with one of their V60 Diesel plug in EREVs but so far they're not selling them in the U.S.I bought my first American Car ever in August - a Chevy Volt and so far I'm impressed. American cars have come a long ways in recent years.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2015, 05:23:26 am
content: Consider here a minibus taxi will do around 15 100km round trips per day ( morning and afternoon commuter run) 6 days a week, and will do around 2 weeks between oil changes. Some are at well over the million km mark, and you often see them sitting at the side of the road (or in whatever lane it happened) with a wheel and half shaft lying next to it. I have had 2 wheels go past me with the shaft attached, the second went between me and my trailer, but missed everything.

author: Tim F
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2015, 05:31:28 am
content: Quote from: SeanB on April 05, 2015, 08:55:17 amAnd any DSG, including German made :p

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2015, 06:26:08 am
content: Quote from: Tim F on April 06, 2015, 05:31:28 amI am yet to see an unhappy PDK user.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2015, 07:52:17 pm
content: Quote from: mtdoc on April 06, 2015, 01:41:10 amI'd stay away from any diesel unless it's made by BMW. Due to emission regulations diesel went from work horses to balerinas with glass legs.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2015, 07:56:35 pm
content: If you'd owned my old 330D, you might change your mind about that.6 injectors x 40k mile (approx) lifetime x £hundreds (each) to change = much grumpiness.Fantastic car when it worked, though.

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2015, 08:10:05 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on April 06, 2015, 07:52:17 pmWell I think the Volvo Diesels have a pretty good rep, but maybe not?It's a moot point anyways. Word is that the US version of thier plug in EREV will hava a gas engine.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2015, 10:23:23 pm
content: The old diesels (before 2000) are probably OK but the ones from Ford are made by PSA (IIRC Citroen and Peugot) and die rather quick. Particle filters are also an expensive replacement. I used to drive diesels but the maintenance costs of a modern diesel made me choose a car with a gasoline engine.