The motor vehicle questions and answers thread

[HMS_Dave]

I think Vauxhall and any French cars would be last on my list. The interiors on Vauxhalls smell of cheap plastic (like bin bags) and they seem years behind everything else. Must be the former US influence. French build quality...zut alors!

Funny, ive never had a problem with French cars. I once had a Peugeot 309 with a 1.9 diesel in it. 260000 miles on the clock, fine... Ive more recently had a 207SW with the prince mini 1.4 engine in it which is apparently a bomb ready to go off levels of reliability but again, it had 129000 miles on the clock and was still going strong. Just maintain it properly i say...

I have however, heard peoples horror story accounts of their experiences...

 

[Drago]

VW Group cars are all galvanised, unless they've recently dropped that. Shouldn't rust unless repaired with pattern parts. I agree they're overpriced. Skodas are better-built, despite using most of the same parts. Conversely, Audis are rubbish. People buy them for the badge and the fancy interiors but they are woefully unreliable.

BMWs and Mazdas can be pretty rusty. In Mazda's case, it's because there is no point making a car to last 10 years for the JDM because they scrap or export them before that (the shaken test is hugely expensive once you've done all the precautionary replacements). I am a big Mazda fan but rust is their Achilles heel.

Vauxhall have been using galvanealed sheet stock since the late 90s. If you see a rusty Vauxhall then its led one helluva hard life. Back in the Dibble Vauxhalls lasted longer than anything - they rattled, squeaked, wobbled and knocked, but they refused to die and usually got binned off with 50% more miles than the recommended replacement mileage. They were like the coronavirus of police vehicles - no one liked them, no one wanted to drive them, but you just couldn't get rid of them! The Focus was a sharper drive wpbut was found to be relatively fragile in that environment, and the Golf was too expensive to purchase and repair for no tangible gain. We had Mondeo area cars for a while, and then went to Passats, and having learned that lesson went back to Mondeos, which were frankly better to drive, cheaper, no less reliable, and off the road for a lot less time when they broke because every part could be had from about a dozen outlets within a 2 mile radius of headquarters.

 

[Wookee]

I think Vauxhall and any French cars would be last on my list. The interiors on Vauxhalls smell of cheap plastic (like bin bags) and they seem years behind everything else. Must be the former US influence. French build quality...zut alors!

Not a bad description of Vauxhall interiors! I think I've had 4 in all over the years and would never describe their interiors as quality

 

[screenman]

No one has mentioned Fiat yet? I had the cylinder head off my Uno more times than Nicola Sturgeon says 'progressive'

I used to buy and sell a lot of Fiats in the eighties, they have us very few warranty problems.

 

[Grant Fondo]

I used to buy and sell a lot of Fiats in the eighties, they have us very few warranty problems.

Wish i had bought one from you, mine was a lemon. I even had to weld a rear stub axle back on

 

[Drago]

Not a bad description of Vauxhall interiors! I think I've had 4 in all over the years and would never describe their interiors as quality

Again, depends what exactly people mean when they talk about quality. Hard, uninviting plastics, not pleasant to look at or touch.... but which easily outlasted any other brands when subjected to the rigours of police work, which is estimated to be between 20 and a hundred times harder on a car interior than normal use.

Attractive soft touch finishes and pleasant looking materials are not "quality". They're window dressing.

 

[gbb]

I used to buy and sell a lot of Fiats in the eighties, they have us very few warranty problems.

No real experience of Fiats barring a Late 90s early 2000s Tempera estate turbo diesel which was stupidly fast. Never gave any trouble in the few years the company had it.
The fleet guy at my last job talked well of Fiats, no more or less problems than many other cars in his experience...in fact he said someone once said to him...hah, Fiats are carp, the alternator went on his at less than a year...and fleet guys response was...Fiat dont make alternators, it was probably a Bosch, not even Italian ?

 

[gbb]

Engine knock ?
I occasionally notice a metallic 'tinkling' from the low front of the car, always while accelerating at low speed, while the engine is probably under a fair bit of load. It only lasts a few seconds and only happens very occasionally.
Opinions ? It doesnt happen often so I'm not particually concerned. Wondering if it's a common thing related to fuel choice / quality.

 

[Gunk]

Amen. I simply cannot believe the hype over VAG stuff, have owned a handful and they're average at best. If anyone actually believes they're better built than a Vauxhall or Ford for example, then the best of luck to them. Over-rated springs to mind.

I agree my 2015 Golf GTD has been average at best, it now has more faults than our 12 year old Mini. This is the last VW I buy.

 

[figbat]

Engine knock ?
I occasionally notice a metallic 'tinkling' from the low front of the car, always while accelerating at low speed, while the engine is probably under a fair bit of load. It only lasts a few seconds and only happens very occasionally.
Opinions ? It doesnt happen often so I'm not particually concerned. Wondering if it's a common thing related to fuel choice / quality.

Pinking, or pre-ignition. It’s not good for the engine so best to avoid low speed, high load demands. Fuel quality can also affect it, particularly low RON fuel.

The phenomenon of low-speed pre-ignition (LSPI) has reared it’s head in recent years with the advent of small, highly-boosted, direct-injection engines which is a sort of mega-pinking and can destroy an engine in short order. There are various theories on its cause, one being droplets of oil acting as ignition hotspots that set off the combustion ahead of the spark plug. Some makes seem to suffer it more than others and have specific requirements for their oils to counter it.

 

[gbb]

Pinking, or pre-ignition. It’s not good for the engine so best to avoid low speed, high load demands. Fuel quality can also affect it, particularly low RON fuel.

The phenomenon of low-speed pre-ignition (LSPI) has reared it’s head in recent years with the advent of small, highly-boosted, direct-injection engines which is a sort of mega-pinking and can destroy an engine in short order. There are various theories on its cause, one being droplets of oil acting as ignition hotspots that set off the combustion ahead of the spark plug. Some makes seem to suffer it more than others and have specific requirements for their oils to counter it.

One thing I really should modify is trying to accelerate at low speed in a relatively low gear. A shift up may well take the load off.

 

[Cavalol]

One thing I really should modify is trying to accelerate at low speed in a relatively low gear. A shift up may well take the load off.

I don't know, I'd have thought trying to accelerate from low speeds in a high gear is going to increase the problem, tbh., unless I've misunderstood your comment, in which case I apologise. Once warmed up sufficiently, thrashing a car through the gears (i.e giving it welly in each one, before changing up again) is probably a good idea to help clear it out a bit.

 

[gbb]

I don't know, I'd have thought trying to accelerate from low speeds in a high gear is going to increase the problem, tbh., unless I've misunderstood your comment, in which case I apologise. Once warmed up sufficiently, thrashing a car through the gears (i.e giving it welly in each one, before changing up again) is probably a good idea to help clear it out a bit.

Low gear, high gear, it is open to interpretation.
One particular section of road it happens on , I'm accelerating down a slight Incline, probably in 4th, I then often have to ease off as I merge, then accelerate, still in 4th gear. At that point I should probably shift I to 3rd as I accelerate again to stop it bogging a bit. That might help.

 

[figbat]

Depending on the engine it might help to run some ‘super’ fuel through it. Or the ignition timing might be a bit off.

 

[fossyant]

My son's mate has just bought an Audi A3 2.0 TDI S Line on a 57 plate. Front Wings badly rusted, sils rusted and the paint laquer pealing off on the bonnet and rear bumper. It doesn't show it's £200k miles inside though - it's pretty good. He's loking to 'do it up' but I've recommended getting the bonnet and bumper professionally repainted. The wings may need replacing.

He brought it round for a 'clean up' (using my son's jet wash) and just being parked with the doors open flattened the battery - new battery. The lad does usually just buy cheap cars anyway, so isn't too concerned.