Magnet

Hello Alistair, As I understand it (Quantum) Longlife 3 is a 5w/30grade oil, whereas Longlife 4 is a 0w/20 grade. Have you consulted your handbook, which should give you the correct grade - often under ‘Capacities’. ? I too would be reluctant to use LL 4 without thorough research. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Justin, As you can see, Michael never shared the solution. You might have more luck if you PM him. Would you please be kind enough to post the outcome if you get a response. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Enzo, Many thanks for joining and placing the advert - looks a nice car. Only thing missing is your asking price. Wording such as ‘offers considered’ would be discouraged, since it has the potential of messing you and potential buyer about, so a straight forward asking price would be great. Kind regards, Gareth.

Not many people have a fridge in Europe which is capable of shipping parts Steve! Glad it’s not just me who is affected by predictive text. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Mark, Indeed, everything is fixable, and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve called upon the assistance of my best friend - Percy Verance! , but there are times when you have to question the logic of throwing money at it in the blind hope that you can fix it. Having said that, I now fear for your wallet by following your guesswork - such as ‘it’s maybe the DPF’. I can only repeat, that I would get this transported to a local diesel specialist, and my (in caps) guess would be that locating the actual fault won’t end up costing you anything like what you have already spent to date. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Drew, My suspicion - but it can only be that - is that this is something fairly simple, and may be affected by braking, rather than caused by braking. Flapping noise:- loose plastic undershield ?? Complete guess, but…. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Mark, Regrettably, the back and front of this is that you must have already spent a comparative fortune in trying to sort this out on your own, and effectively got nowhere. Defeatist perhaps, but if it were mine, I would now simply entrust this to a trusted local diesel specialist, and at least get nearer to the root cause, before you throw more good money after bad. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Charlotte, Obviously a limited edition model will add value, but as said, condition will still be king, and potential buyers may prefer to buy on condition rather than rarity. I see it a little like the first owner, who orders a car will all the optional extras at great cost, but finds that the added value at resale, does not equate to that much more. Where to advertise? Worth trying Piston Heads, also EBay. Kind regards, Gareth.

Ask him what price he wants for it then Simon, and then post some photos and the all important details, otherwise forum members wont know if they are interested on not. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Charlotte, Have you searched for other examples of the same edition to get a feel for what prices are being asked? Other factors which will influence prices and appeal are:- Supporting evidence of service history, No. of owners and how long you have owned it, in addition to its overall condition - which of course will be king, in terms of its value. I would guess the door damage would reduce the price by more than it would cost to have it repaired, so it would be worth giving that option a coat of thinking about. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Chris, Search EBay:- Car Parts Bargains ( off shoot of ECP) have the same at £161. Parts in Motion have it £171. Don’t forget I’ll be after a hand out of 10% of the saving!! Kind regards, Gareth. p.s. P in M often have an up to 20% discount at the end of most months, so worth hanging on-?

Hello Chris, Best option would be to get the battery efficiency checked, rather than try to find out how old it is. Halfords should be able to do that. Buying batteries from Halfords ??? Where are you searching for battery prices? Try, Battery Megastore, Tayna etc. and look for prices of brands with 4 year warranty - Bosch/Varta, Exide etc. Kind regards, Gareth ,

Hello Rafa, It sounds as if your garage has diagnosed the start of a failing dual mass flywheel (DMF). If so, it is likely to get worse, so if it were mine, I would treat this with respect, and get a second opinion. Sorry to be pessimistic, but if this is correct, it is quite a expensive repair, since the gearbox has to be removed, and it would be wise to invest in a new clutch assembly while it is out. What mileage has it covered by the way? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Drew, Sorry to hear about the return of your issue, but regrettably, I think it’s going to be almost impossible to diagnose your issue without examining the car, so it sounds like a return visit to the selling dealer. Your may get possible suggestions on here, but if it were mine, I would be returning it for further inspection and sorting without delay - after all, it’s a brake associated issue, and you just don’t want to be guessing a possible cause. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Gary, My late evening maths suggests you are covering around 30k a year, so you must be having this serviced approx. every 5k miles, which might be considered ‘over servicing’. I don’t think anyone would knock the benefits of over servicing when covering such mileage, and I guess this car is probably in better mechanical order at 145K, than many vehicles which have only covered your 30 K annual mileage in say your total 4 years. I don’t think you can do better. The only caveat I would add is the quality of the oil used is as important as the frequency of change - as is with filters. To your original question of longevity- ? I feel you are doing everything you can to ensure this car lasts, and I guess it’s having a comparatively easy life when covering it mileage at optimum operating conditions. Summary:- just keep doing what you are already doing. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Ashton, As with all ‘modern’ cars, a good serviceable battery is a must, so if you have suspicions that it is passed it’s best, then I would suggest getting it tested, and replaced with a good quality (min. 4 year warranty) one if found to be below par. Never buy batteries on the basis of cheapest will do. Will a new battery completely solve your roof issue? Unlikely, but you have to start with the basics, and supplemented with a little carefully (in caps) applied lubrication at all movement points, you may, just may find the problem has been resolved. If it turns out it hasn’t, then at least you will have eliminated the basics. Kind regards, Gareth.

Registered with Partsfinder etc. Jack? Also worth advertising in Classic Car Weekly, and other classic car publications. Can you take a photo of the part? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Russell, Welcome and thanks for joining. If it were mine, before guessing a new mirror is necessary, I would first be giving the ‘seating/swivel point a good dosing of WD40 and leave that soak overnight. Following morning:- get an assistant to try to fold the mirror while you press the remote locking button - and repeat. Perhaps you would let us know how you get on. Kind regards, Gareth.

Thanks Jack, Now we understand where you have tried. I guess when you say you have tried all U.K. breakers…. can we take it you have registered your ‘want’ and the on- line breaker link systems - such as Partsfinder? There are more. I sounds to me that it would now be more progressive to search for a repair option. Can you remove the offending part, and post a photo of it? Armed with this, it might well be possible to suggest a repair option. Kind regards, Gareth.

Where have you looked so far Jack - to save us suggesting where you have already tried? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Adrian, Petrol or diesel? By ‘won’t start’, do you means the engine doesn’t crank over enthusiastically, or it does, but it doesn’t start? Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Zeshan, Welcome, and thanks for joining. I think this will have more to do with finding someone who is prepared to do it, rather than finding someone who will do it at ‘reasonable cost’. It is also important that you have confidence in whoever you choose, rather than finding the cheapest option. Isn’t it possible to renew the hub support casting, rather than spend good money on getting someone to try to successfully drill the remains out and accurately tapping a new thread! Kind regards, Gareth.

Looks like it’s the Chinese take-away in Dunstable Kev! Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Imran, I would certainly go with the cambelt suggestion of every 5 years - but I would think 75k miles would be reasonable if covered within the 5 years. Kind regards, Gareth.

Hello Steve (Durham), Wheel bearing associated noises will normally vary on bends, as stresses are thrown onto or off the wheels on each side. My first port of call would be to eliminate all tyres as possible culprits, before moving on to more complex possibilities. Kind regards, Gareth.