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Car Woes

FearFactor47 said:
Do you have a similar car / experience?
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A year a go I brought a 52 plate SEAT Ibiza 1.9Tdi, during the warranty a few little thing went wrong which they fixed. BUT since the warranty has finished it's broken down twice, both electrical faults..... which really pisses me off after paying £8,000 for a car! My previous two cars which cost under £1,000 very let me down...... fine I had to fix some bits but they very actually broke down!

It's the Dealership that gets to me, no customer service! Time to change where I get it serviced! So don't worry FearFactor47 it's not unusual! Plus I need three new tyres and mine are £90 each!

Mine is currently in the garage waiting on a Fuel Relay to get it back on the road, guys at SEAT say it will take 2 days to get the part! That's nuts!
 
I should find out tonight what is wrong with the car - and how much it will be to replace. I hope it's less than £100.
 
Sounds like you've been unlucky. Personally I dislike Vauxhalls, and especially Corsas/Novas, but the 1.0 12v models actually use Suzuki chain-cam engines that should be very reliable. However the gearshift linkage can fail on them so perhaps that's what's just happened to you. It's fixable with a part kit from Vauxhall for less than £100 at www.vauxallparts.co.uk

Sounds to me like it could have been an ex driving school car.

Moral: don't let your Dad do the checking. Get an AA inspection done or equivalent. It's your money.
 
FireArse said:
Stick to japanese cars. There's a reason as to why they're always voted the most reliable.
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While I don't know about Japanese cars in Europe, Toyota is starting to slip in quality here in the U.S. The new '07 Camry was already recalled for a crappy transmission. The transmission would refuse to go into 2nd and 6th gear. And Toyota is replacing them with used transmissions. The Avalon is really problematic for reliability and quality. Car reviewers are really complaining about the Yaris's interior and some are ranting on the fit and finish on the new Camry's interior. In '05 Toyota saw a 100% increase in recalls. I will say this to Toyota. Welcome to the big boy club. Where the bigger you grow, the more problems will start to show up as you will worry about meeting demand more then quality.

More on topic, it sucks that your car is acting this way. But, that is why I am always weary about used cars. Japanese, American, or European doesn't matter to me for used cars. As I never know what the cars history is. It could be a Japanese car, but the previous owner beat the crap out of it. And it definitely sounds like your car was abused. My mom was looking at a used Chevy Silverado Dualie truck. She took it to our trusted mechanic and he says the transmission was about to go and it was abused. Once again sorry about your car.
 
Don't always assume an inspection by a mechanic will reveal all the problems you will run into.

I bought a used Jeep Cherokee a number of years ago, and had it inspected by a local service station. They said everything was fine. Within a month, I had to change all the fuel injectors due to leaks in two of them. Later, I had to remove a tyre (or tire) and found that the lug nuts were frozen, and to make matters worse, they were "plated" with a thick aluminium ( or aluminum)/tin composite that quickly degrades. I needed to replace all the 20 lug nuts at $5-8 apiece. Nice. Lots of little problems.

But it didn't end badly. I ultimately donated the vehicle to my local PBS radio station and declared a tax write-off. Then bought a nicer used Cherokee two years ago.
 
They collected the car today. They lifted the bonnet are fiddled with some cables are were able to get it working properly. They are taking it over to the garage. Obviously this isn't a working solution to the problem, mearly a band aid. The problem could occur any time I am driving so they are taking it to see what the problem is and are going to fix it. I am collecting the car tomorrow. I will let you know how much it costs and what the problem is.

I want to thank everyone for their help. It has been good ranting to you all!
 
Just wait till you're relying on it daily. Then take it away for a short time–it's like you're completely helpless, waiting on the kindness of strangers and friends to get you where you need to go.
 
FearFactor47 said:
Update:

They fixed everything today. Car was running great when come home. However, when I went to go out later on today I put the car into reverse, and when I was moving the gear stick up it was making a loud griding high pitched noise. So, I switched the car off, put it into reverse with the car off, and started it up. I then drove and stopped again and tried to get it into reverse - again the high pitched griding noise, a reving sort of noise. Then the car wouldn't even go into any gear!

I have phoned my garage and they are coming to tow it at half five I think it needs a new clutch.

I am cursed with this car aren't I?

My garage says the clutch is something that just goes - you don't get much warning. I was pleased driving from the garage as the car was working great. Why did this need to happen? This car situation may end with me writing a post in the 'Have you seriously made a suicide attempt' thread. :mad:
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Sorry about all your car problems. That sucks. I have to say though clutches don't "just go." But I feel that you've probably paid all your dues w/ this vehicle. Hopefully, now it will be problem free for a good long while.
 
Thank you. I'm hoping that too.

Lets put it like this: I will never buy a Vauxhall car again, and I will not be buying my cars privately. From now on, they will be bought from dealers/garages.

It's been a nightmare with this car, but at least I have learned a valuable lesson.
 
FearFactor47 said:
I have had this car for less than 2 weeks and not having it for a few days is so fustrating!
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Fingers crossed fella that once this is done, you'll be set with a reliable set of wheels. ;)
 
Yeah! Like what else can go wrong with it, I'm nearly replaced everything :p.

I recently eBayed some stuff which I wasn't using, and was under my bed. So all of that stuff will come to about £100 so that will significantly help me with the money issues.
 
FearFactor47 said:
Thank you. I'm hoping that too.

Lets put it like this: I will never buy a Vauxhall car again, and I will not be buying my cars privately. From now on, they will be bought from dealers/garages.

It's been a nightmare with this car, but at least I have learned a valuable lesson.
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Actually, every car I've purchased has been bought privately:

1. 1975 Mustang Mach I ($1500)
2. 1968 Mustang GT ($2000)
3. 1989 Mustang GT ($5000)
4. 1989 Jeep Cherokee Limited ($3400)
5. 1997 Jeep Cherokee Sport ($4200)

They are cheaper than the dealer, and yes, they've all needed repairs at one time or another. The trick is to research your purchase, and give the vehicle a thorough examination prior to purchasing. Research is easily done on the web, and bulletin boards are excellent sources of information. Also, your local dealer may be able to tell you what problems you need to be aware of in a particular model. And finally, you get what you pay for. The cars that gave me the most problems were the cheapest. However, I've also gained a great deal of knowledge by working on them, and learning what repairs I can handle and what are better done by a qualified mechanic. I've saved countless dollars by doing things myself, and I don't consider myself a gearhead.
 
FearFactor47 said:
Thank you. I'm hoping that too.

Lets put it like this: I will never buy a Vauxhall car again, and I will not be buying my cars privately. From now on, they will be bought from dealers/garages.

It's been a nightmare with this car, but at least I have learned a valuable lesson.
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You're not going to buy a Vauxhall car because the car was probably abused to death and you're taking that in saying all Vauxhaull's are crap? I thought that type of thinking existed here in the U.S. Where people seem to think that their one shoddy product experience means that all of a companies products are crap. Not even a Japanese car would withstand the punishment your car probably went through with its previous owner.
 
What does "52 Plate" mean? I saw it mentioned on here, and TopGear I think and was wondering what it means over there.


And no, a clutch just doesn't go. It gives you warning, like it will start slipping, ect.
 
yg17 said:
What does "52 Plate" mean? I saw it mentioned on here, and TopGear I think and was wondering what it means over there...
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It's the first two digits(or 2nd two) on a UK plate the 2 is the year 2002 and the 5 means it was from the 2nd half of the registration year so cars registered from March'06 through to August'06 are 06 plates and from August'06 through to March'07 are 56 plates. Then there is two letters to show where in the UK the car was registered or vice versa and then a random 3 letters, or something like that.
 
Well the car can be collected at two (it's half 11 right now). It was the clutch. I never asked the price - how much do you think it will cost?
 
FearFactor47 said:
My garage says the clutch is something that just goes - you don't get much warning.
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Yeah, that's pretty much crap.
It'll be noticable.
If you're really lucky a failing clutch will take out the cylinder first and then destroy itself. Like it did on my Alfa.

It cost us a few hundred quid for a new cylinder and clutch kit.


Just read your car has a cable clutch.
 
well we've not heard anything since he went to pick it up... which means it's either fixed and he's finally driving it, or it's broken down again and he's stuck by the side of the road. :p

any bets? heh.
 
Got a new clutch - total - £205. Drove today seems OK. However when I put it into Reverse it is making a grunt noise before it goes in. <-- That is when I put the car into reverse stright after starting the car. If I put the car into 1st gear, then into reverse there is no noise.

Argh!
 
When I first drove the car - the clutch went down to the floor really really really easily, like no friction. After driving for about an hour there is more friction - is this normal?
 
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