It is currently 28 Mar 2024, 22:13

New Car suggestions

Hang up your Chisels and Plane blades and take a load off with a recently turned goblet of your favourite poison, in the lounge of our Gentlemen's (and ladies) Club.

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Tusses » 19 Dec 2016, 16:49

is that where the engine is supposed to be ? :lol:
Tusses
Old Oak
 
Posts: 1300
Joined: 08 May 2016, 10:48
Location: in the middle of the middle
Name:

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby chataigner » 19 Dec 2016, 20:42

Rod wrote:I opened the bonnet of my car to top up the washer system and noticed how clean it was - so clean I had to take a photo of it
But it brought home to me why I don't really want to service my cars anymore - I don't recognise half the bits in it!

Image

Rod


I can really relate to that, time was I could fix most things with a few spanners, a screwdriver and a hammer. Still applies to my tractor, but my car is from another world.
Cheers !
Chataigner in Périgord-Limousin National park
http://www.rue-darnet.fr
User avatar
chataigner
Old Oak
 
Posts: 1063
Joined: 23 Jul 2014, 08:02
Location: Périgord-Limousin National Park, SW France
Name: David

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby chataigner » 19 Dec 2016, 21:03

9fingers wrote:
tracerman wrote:PS , Bob I have a Kia Rio 1.5 diesel turbo , goes like excrement off a scraping device , love to feel the turbo come in , love it every time I go out , a couple of years ago had 9 points on my licence , however I too have been tempted to look at a Skoda because I cannot get a Haynes manual for the Kia , I think its a Kia policy so I have to go to a dealer for servicing . I would be interested to hear your comments about how accessible things are on the Octavia .
Steve


I looked recently at the Haynes website and was quite shocked how few modern manuals they are producing now of any makes so I don't think Kia will be any less available than a modern Ford.

Looking under the bonnet of the Octavia, at least you could see all round the engine and 100% of it is under the bonnet unlike my Cmax.
Service information has been uploaded to the interweb and links exist on the Briskoda forum. I've yet to see how comprehensive it is. The forum seems quit active with technical stuff as well as the usual "pimp my Skoda" threads.

There appears to be some very capable software for diagnostics but the hardware interface costs nearly £300 and buying that gives a license and free updates to the software which runs on a windows platform. It is apparently virtually as capable as the diagnostics available to VAG dealers.
This contrasts to a modest price interface for Ford at £20-£30 and open source software Forscan that I'm used to.
Bob


This sounds really interesting Bob, can you send me any links to find the required hardware interface and appropriate software for my Kuga (2011) ? I had no idea that this sort of stuff was available at prices that would interest a user.
Cheers !
Chataigner in Périgord-Limousin National park
http://www.rue-darnet.fr
User avatar
chataigner
Old Oak
 
Posts: 1063
Joined: 23 Jul 2014, 08:02
Location: Périgord-Limousin National Park, SW France
Name: David

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 19 Dec 2016, 21:39

David, you need three functional blocks.

1) An OBDII interface
2) A means to connect it to
3) A host computer running diagnosis software.

I far prefer a simple cable connection to a laptop PC for 2 and 3 although wifi and bluetooth are available to tablets and phones. There is generally far less support of apple products.

My interface is an elmscan 5 https://www.scantool.net/elmscan5-compact/ which is no longer available but they have a link on that page to a successor. It comes with a USB cable. I assume it will work also.
ELM did the original work on the interface (ELM327) and left the early versions of their code unprotected and it has been copied in various cloned interfaces which are reputed to have different (aka inferior) performance.
caveat emptor
3) in my case is an old XP laptop running code from here http://forscan.org/download.html

hth

Bob
Information on induction motors here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBTVXx ... sp=sharing
Email:motors@minchin.org.uk
User avatar
9fingers
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 10038
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 20:22
Location: Romsey Hampshire between Southampton and the New Forest
Name: Bob

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby chataigner » 20 Dec 2016, 11:01

9fingers wrote:David, you need three functional blocks.

1) An OBDII interface
2) A means to connect it to
3) A host computer running diagnosis software.

I far prefer a simple cable connection to a laptop PC for 2 and 3 although wifi and bluetooth are available to tablets and phones. There is generally far less support of apple products.

My interface is an elmscan 5 https://www.scantool.net/elmscan5-compact/ which is no longer available but they have a link on that page to a successor. It comes with a USB cable. I assume it will work also.
ELM did the original work on the interface (ELM327) and left the early versions of their code unprotected and it has been copied in various cloned interfaces which are reputed to have different (aka inferior) performance.
caveat emptor
3) in my case is an old XP laptop running code from here http://forscan.org/download.html

hth

Bob


Thanks Bob, I shall equip myself for 2017.
Cheers !
Chataigner in Périgord-Limousin National park
http://www.rue-darnet.fr
User avatar
chataigner
Old Oak
 
Posts: 1063
Joined: 23 Jul 2014, 08:02
Location: Périgord-Limousin National Park, SW France
Name: David

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 20 Dec 2016, 11:35

David, I suggest that you might like to join and lurk here http://forscan.org/forum/index.php

There is a section devoted to interfaces with references to bad clones of the ELM327.

My approach is not to try and be too innovative in these things and follow a well trodden path when it comes to buying hardware.
When you find an interface at an acceptable price, it would be worth asking there for the experience of others.

Good Luck

Bob

PS we still have a Ford Focus in the family otherwise I could let you have my interface to evaluate.
Information on induction motors here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBTVXx ... sp=sharing
Email:motors@minchin.org.uk
User avatar
9fingers
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 10038
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 20:22
Location: Romsey Hampshire between Southampton and the New Forest
Name: Bob

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Commander » 22 Dec 2016, 21:37

Bob, I'm glad you found a car that ticks all the boxes and I wish you miles of smiles! I rarely comment on threads such as this because buying a car is such a personal decision it usually tends to degrade into one big argument on who's is best. I'm currently in a 2010 Audi A4 1.8t and love it too bits, only draw back to Audi is the manual gearboxes seem to be getting scarcer and scarcer, but this may be a RSA only problem. Enjoy the new wheels! :)
Commander
Sapling
 
Posts: 471
Joined: 29 Apr 2015, 15:11
Location: Pretoria, RSA
Name: Erich

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 22 Dec 2016, 22:22

Thanks Erich.

I'm not one to get too excited by a new vehicle. For me its just a means to get from A to B safely and in comfort.
I slowly build confidence and appreciation of the thing when I get to understand what does what, why and how.
What emotions I do have over a car tend to be negative ones brought on by things becoming unreliable towards the end of my ownership as happened to the Ford. I could not rely on it to start and it was reporting false faults via the engine management system so it had to go. It was only 12 years old whereas my Peugeot 405 will be 24 years old next month and is still going strong with a few niggles that I can't be ar$ed to fix like a loose heat shield that rattles until it warms up!

Basically the Skoda power train is very similar to equivalent VW and Audi cars and under the bonnet components carry the Audi or VW logos. The dash board and interior functional parts are also similar with arguably a slightly lower level of trim refinement but that is of no importance to me.

Bob
Information on induction motors here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBTVXx ... sp=sharing
Email:motors@minchin.org.uk
User avatar
9fingers
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 10038
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 20:22
Location: Romsey Hampshire between Southampton and the New Forest
Name: Bob

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby DaveL » 23 Dec 2016, 00:00

Bob,

I think you did well with your Cmax, I had one on a 55 plate, worse company car I ever had. I had it for 2years, after 18 months it was hopeless for warm starting, turned out the seal on the fuel line was going. It went into 3 different Ford main dealers, they could not find the fault, an AA man took one look at the car and knew exactly what the problem was, he claimed to of reported to Ford's some months earlier when he found it.
It also used to pop up engine management faults that the dealers could not find anything coursing them.
Regards,
Dave
My tool kit is almost complete, only a few more to get.
User avatar
DaveL
Old Oak
 
Posts: 1918
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:07
Location: Sudbury, Suffolk
Name: Dave

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Pinch » 23 Dec 2016, 10:34

I think all the modern electrical stuff with new cars these days is very cool, but it's when these things get old - 10+ years maybe. Only yesterday, we've had to replace the key card for Mrs P's Megane and this was apparently a deal at £180 programmed. Renault wanted around £500 :shock: :x

I tried to break down the cost: I don't know the cost of the actual key card, but the labour was 10 minutes. :|
In my previous life, I was a tree.
User avatar
Pinch
Old Oak
 
Posts: 2808
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 21:59
Location: Shropshire.
Name: Paul

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Commander » 23 Dec 2016, 12:37

It just goes to show you Bob, even though we ended up with similar cars we bought them for very different reasons! I would get a new car every year if it was up to me, the list of cars I still need to own is so very long and the time and money is so very limited! :lol: :lol:

Paul, the French cars tend to make me nervous, my mom had a Megane, wonderful car when it drove, but boy did it go wrong often and in costly ways... On the other hand I owned a Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 for about 4 years with more electrics than you can shake a stick at and it just kept on going, I eventually got a spot of trouble with the engine (one exhaust valve seal dropped out) but in all fairness it didn't cost a lot too fix, eventually I had to let it go as the fuel consumption was just eye watering.

Dave I can't comment about Ford in the UK, but in RSA the dealers are just horrendous, I have owned 2 Focus diesels and both were very nice cars, but the service was so shockingly bad that I just can't justify owning another Ford (maybe one out of service plan and then I look after it myself), in contrast my Audi ownership experience has been excellent, it is hard to imagine what they could do more to improve service levels, so I'm very happy with them.
Commander
Sapling
 
Posts: 471
Joined: 29 Apr 2015, 15:11
Location: Pretoria, RSA
Name: Erich

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby RogerS » 23 Dec 2016, 14:11

Pinch wrote:I think all the modern electrical stuff with new cars these days is very cool, but it's when these things get old - 10+ years maybe. Only yesterday, we've had to replace the key card for Mrs P's Megane and this was apparently a deal at £180 programmed. Renault wanted around £500 :shock: :x

I tried to break down the cost: I don't know the cost of the actual key card, but the labour was 10 minutes. :|


I think our views are different on this one, Pinch.

ABS - very good. But making a handbrake and electronic one - like on the Range Rover - bad.

Touch screens or any sort of graphical display - very, very, very bad.

Car manufacturers stuff way too much electronics into cars. It's just more stuff to go wrong.
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
User avatar
RogerS
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 13291
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:07
Location: Nearly finished. OK OK...call me Pinocchio.
Name:

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Robert » 23 Dec 2016, 15:08

I like the electronic toys on my car and I'm not expecting them to go wrong based on experience so far.

I have an automatic handbrake with a switch for manual operation that I rarely use - love it. So used to it now it is an effort to remember to pull the handle in other cars. Hill starts you name it - perfect.

Touch screen display - again great. Radio/navigation/phone operation/TV (when stationary)/voice control/ other stuff like preference settings, traffic reports etc all so easy.

Cruise control that spaces you from the car in front and works right down to stationary for traffic jams where it brakes for you too then start/stops the engine as required.

lane assist that steers the car for you over 40 mph and keeps you mid lane (it complains if you let go of the wheel though and would stop the car if you don't hold it after the warning)

Self parking I've never used to park but have used to get out of a tight space easy.

I could go on :)

I do like a nice gadget.
Robert
Old Oak
 
Posts: 2490
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 19:31
Location: Woodford Green
Name: Robert

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Tusses » 23 Dec 2016, 15:19

Robert wrote:I have an automatic handbrake with a switch for manual operation that I rarely use - love it. .


I've always wondered what would happen if your brakes failed and you have no handle to pull ?

Is the electrickery one a proper independent brake , or does it just apply normal brakes automatically ?
Tusses
Old Oak
 
Posts: 1300
Joined: 08 May 2016, 10:48
Location: in the middle of the middle
Name:

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 23 Dec 2016, 15:29

Tusses wrote:
Robert wrote:I have an automatic handbrake with a switch for manual operation that I rarely use - love it. .


I've always wondered what would happen if your brakes failed and you have no handle to pull ?

Is the electrickery one a proper independent brake , or does it just apply normal brakes automatically ?


No the EPB is not independent in the same way as a standard handbrake and foot brake are not independent. They share pads and discs.

My previous car had EPB which was essential when we bought it for my wife to drive as due to severe arthritis she could not press the button on a lever type brake to release the ratchet. It behaved faultlessly in the 11 years we had the car and I got to like it. New car has a conventional PB which has taken a bit of getting used to.

Bob
Information on induction motors here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBTVXx ... sp=sharing
Email:motors@minchin.org.uk
User avatar
9fingers
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 10038
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 20:22
Location: Romsey Hampshire between Southampton and the New Forest
Name: Bob

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Tusses » 23 Dec 2016, 15:46

9fingers wrote:
No the EPB is not independent in the same way as a standard handbrake and foot brake are not independent. They share pads and discs.

Bob


Well, most are the same pads/disks . Our porka has a small drum as well as the disks, on the rear.

What I really meant was, the actual mechanical link you get direct from your hand to the brake mechanism . in case of a fluid leak.

Do the electric ones pump fluid ?
or have some kind of mechanical actuator ?
And unlikely, but say after a service, the mechanic didn't tighten the battery terminals, and a lead came off ?
yes, unlikely, but surely the car manufacturer will have had to have considered everything ?

I think some of the brake pedals are electronic too ? Scary :shock: :lol:


BTW, I drive old aircooled VW's .. so I have to consider these things ! :lol: :lol:
Tusses
Old Oak
 
Posts: 1300
Joined: 08 May 2016, 10:48
Location: in the middle of the middle
Name:

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 23 Dec 2016, 15:52

On the ford it was an electromechanical box of tricks that pulled the cables to each rear wheel. the control system measured the tension in the cables and when I had the PC plugged in I could read the tension figures.

It was very effective. there was no way I could drive off with the EPB on. It would always stall the engine. Not something you can say about most manual hand brakes on cars.

Bob
Information on induction motors here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBTVXx ... sp=sharing
Email:motors@minchin.org.uk
User avatar
9fingers
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 10038
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 20:22
Location: Romsey Hampshire between Southampton and the New Forest
Name: Bob

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Tusses » 23 Dec 2016, 16:00

:obscene-drinkingcheers:
Tusses
Old Oak
 
Posts: 1300
Joined: 08 May 2016, 10:48
Location: in the middle of the middle
Name:

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby RogerS » 23 Dec 2016, 16:21

9fingers wrote:On the ford it was an electromechanical box of tricks that pulled the cables to each rear wheel. the control system measured the tension in the cables .....
Bob



But why ? Why go to all that over-engineering ? Hand pulled cable brakes are perfectly OK (NB I accept that in your personal circumstances that there IS a point).
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
User avatar
RogerS
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 13291
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:07
Location: Nearly finished. OK OK...call me Pinocchio.
Name:

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 23 Dec 2016, 18:03

RogerS wrote:
9fingers wrote:On the ford it was an electromechanical box of tricks that pulled the cables to each rear wheel. the control system measured the tension in the cables .....
Bob



But why ? Why go to all that over-engineering ? Hand pulled cable brakes are perfectly OK (NB I accept that in your personal circumstances that there IS a point).


I tend to agree Roger. At the time of purchase - 2005 there were very few vehicles with EPB to choose from for our circumstances and we might otherwise had to have a car adapted for SWMBO to use.

Now several mid market vehicles are offering "hill assist" for those who have forgotten how to get clutch control and EPB will be a key part of that however unnecessary the feature seems to be.

Bob
Information on induction motors here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBTVXx ... sp=sharing
Email:motors@minchin.org.uk
User avatar
9fingers
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 10038
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 20:22
Location: Romsey Hampshire between Southampton and the New Forest
Name: Bob

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby Rod » 23 Dec 2016, 18:48

All I can say if modern cars are over engineered, then I'm all for it. They are a lot more reliable than earlier cars when you had to carry a load of spare parts with you.
None of my cars have broken down in the last 30yrs.

Rod
User avatar
Rod
Old Oak
 
Posts: 4471
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:34
Location: Winchester, Hampshire
Name:

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby RogerS » 23 Dec 2016, 18:59

Rod wrote:All I can say if modern cars are over engineered, then I'm all for it. They are a lot more reliable than earlier cars when you had to carry a load of spare parts with you.
None of my cars have broken down in the last 30yrs.

Rod


Rod, there's a difference between better manufacturing and quality control (which explains why cars are more reliable these days...unless one is unfortunate to have a RustBucket (aka Mazda)) and over-engineering by stuffing unnecessary gadgets like EPB and touch screens (which at last people are beginning to wake up to the number of accidents that they are contributing towards).

Don't get me wrong..I might come across as a bit of a Luddite but remember that I was a very early adopter of microprocessors and computers having designed and built my first three. I just happen to think that society has lost the plot totally and all sense of what is actually important in life. And it's not walking down a street, head down peering at a tiny screen at the latest Faecebook banality while one's children are walking alongside desperate for some form of parental interaction.
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
User avatar
RogerS
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 13291
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:07
Location: Nearly finished. OK OK...call me Pinocchio.
Name:

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby tracerman » 25 Dec 2016, 09:31

People - I am currently finding out the hard way that modern cars have too much techy stuff . For the past nine years I have been driving a Kia Rio (2007) 1.5 CRDI , I have enjoyed driving this car every time I get in it , the surge as the turbo comes in has been a pleasure . During a problem of clutch hydraulics failure last week which eventually led to having the AA man follow me to my garage/dealer ( that's old stuff of course , not " techy" ) I experienced for the first time , a sudden on-set of flatness whilst trying to go up through the gears which , to cut a long story short , I'm told it's the EGR , exhaust gas recycling valve . I've looked on the net at numerous blogs about this problem , it could cost over £400 to get it fixed but before I go looking at a new car ( looks like its coming to an age whereby other probs will show up soon ) I am wondering whether anybody knows of a way to un-jam the EGR without trying to dismantle it , i.e. a fuel additive or something sprayed into the air intake ?? . Some U-Tubes show a way to blank off the EGR but I don't fancy that . A friend made the point that modern diesels are all very well when they're working but they need too many gizmos to satisfy the emissions regs .
So I'm clutching at straws here but if anybody knows how to free-up the EGR with limited dismantling I would be grateful . Its a very flat experience driving it as it is .

Cheers
PS Merry Christmas .
tracerman
Sapling
 
Posts: 343
Joined: 12 Sep 2014, 15:16
Location: southampton , hampshire, UK
Name: Steve

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby 9fingers » 25 Dec 2016, 09:58

No short cuts I'm afraid Steve. You need to remove the valve and clean the tarry deposits out. I also increased the spring pressure slightly to try and solve a known ford problem which seemed to do the trick.
Most garages will fit a new valve rather than spend labour time cleaning the old one.
Good luck
Bob
Information on induction motors here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBTVXx ... sp=sharing
Email:motors@minchin.org.uk
User avatar
9fingers
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 10038
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 20:22
Location: Romsey Hampshire between Southampton and the New Forest
Name: Bob

Re: New Car suggestions

Postby RogerS » 25 Dec 2016, 10:14

tracerman wrote:People - I am currently finding out the hard way that modern cars have too much techy stuff . ...... I am wondering whether anybody knows of a way to un-jam the EGR without trying to dismantle it , ......
Cheers
PS Merry Christmas .


My point exactly and apologies if I've posted this before.

As Bob says, modern diesels from the early 2000's onwards have all this stuff to meet emission regs. Even my 2004 Discovery 2. However, then the EGR (IIRC but could have been some other gubbins that kicks in only occasionally) was a mechanical device and, like yours, only opened up every so often. Being mechanical if it was gummed up a bit it just sort of shrugged, pressed a bit harder and lo..opened it up.

Then we come to the Discovery 3 and so what did they do ? Why, they replaced the perfectly functioning mechanical device with a feeble electric valve which when said time came to open up found that it was a bit too hard for that feeble electric valve to open, so the ECU shrugged its metaphorical shoulders, stuck the car in limp mode and told you to go a dealer. "That'll be £1000, Sir"...kerching.

The highly experienced mechanic in my local garage won't buy any car after 2005 unless he can get one that is new with a good warranty.
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
User avatar
RogerS
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 13291
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:07
Location: Nearly finished. OK OK...call me Pinocchio.
Name:

PreviousNext

Return to The Woodmangler's Retreat

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 18 guests