Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2023 i Car Mechanics

Email martyn.knowles@kelsey.co.uk Follow us on Facebook @ Car Mechanics I took notice recently that the monthly direct debits I have set-up for my various cars have all risen by a few pounds. I somehow missed the recent Spring Budget in March where increased Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rates had sneaked through the back door so to speak. Rates for cars in the pre-2001 and 2001-2017 brackets seem to have had a few band price increases. My main gripe is with the oldest car I have on the road – a 1998 Ford Focus 1.8, which was high enough at £25.81 per month, but now... it has increased by £2.62 to £28.43 per direct debit. That equals an extra £31.44 per annum. Total outlay for a year’s VED is £341.16 (you…

VOLKSWAGEN SCIROCCO Clutch whine The odometer had gone past the 200,000-mile mark nearly ten years ago, and the owner was still enjoying his 1990 VW Scirocco GT 1.8, though now covering only a few hundred miles a year in it. Garaged during the winter he was intent on ensuring it was going to carry on for a few years yet. He was well tuned into the noises the engine made, and when he noticed a strange whine which altered with the operation of the clutch, he popped in to see me to enquire if I could find and rectify the problem for him. With an assistant pressing the clutch pedal while I listened under the bonnet, the source of the sound was pinpointed to the clutch release bearing, which on…

With my single detached garage now water-tight, which you may have read all about in the March 2023 issue, it was a prime opportunity to add some final touches while empty. My main objective was to create an accessible, warm, bright, dry, level workshop with plenty of room to shift around any one of my household fleet of four vehicles in various states of repair – I hope I didn’t bite off more than I could chew! With a fairly modest footprint of 5.7m x 3m (18ft 7in x 9 ft 8in) to work with, I would have to plan this with a bit of attention. A good mantra I learnt was ‘floorspace is king’, the objective being to move as much off the floor as possible as you will…

BMW 3-SERIES Diagnostic scanner Q I have replaced my BMW E36 car recently with an auto BMW E46 318i. An early 1998/99 model with M43 engine. As it’s a pre-2000 car, it does not have the 16-pin OBDII socket but the BMW 20-pin near the brake master cylinder. Which scanner tool would you recommend for my use. I have the Peak Research R5/FCX3 tool which I used for my previous E36. This will only allow me to reset oil and inspection service indicator but not brake fluid or airbag lights. Can I buy any OBDII tool and separately the adaptor lead for 16-pin to BMW 20-pin round connector which I think Amazon sell? Dinkar Jhalera A It is possible to buy the adaptor lead for the round 20-pin socket, but…

► Never miss an issue ► FREE home delivery of each issue ► Save over £12 across the year when you pay by Direct Debit To keep your vehicle looking in tip-top condition, our main feature starting on page 6, looks at the topic of smart repairs to bodywork. A scrape or two, stone chips and dents can be fixed outside your home (or office) instead of sending the vehicle to a bodyshop – which might take all week to complete. Here repairs can be done in a matter of hours in all weathers (mostly), and you can view the results and give the OK at the end of the procedure. We are about to use a smart repair operator on our project Ford Mondeo Mk4. The front bumper has…

This month Peter muses parts terminology and classic car parts availability. Last month, Martyn the Editor and I exchanged several of what my other half Sarah described as “very boring emails.” The topic of this alleged tedium was the correct term to describe the Kia Sorento front suspension components, the renewal of which we featured last month under the eventually-agreed title of ‘Front Control Arm’ swap… The issue Martyn identified was that in my original copy, I called the parts in question ‘Lower Wishbones’. I used that term because the parts in question have one mounting point at the wheel end, but two where they attach to the chassis. Hence three mounting points which to my mind made it a wishbone; an arm, surely, should have just two? However, according…

THANKS GO TO Ken Jenkins 01909 733209 www.ukjag.co.uk Volkswagen’s compact all-wheeldrive SUV appears to be ageing well and is still a reliable and affordable workhorse, so it’s worthwhile keeping on top of maintenance, especially because, as we discovered, most of the jobs are very straightforward to complete on a DIY basis. Diagnostic equipment is required to communicate with the electronic park brake (handbrake) and switch the rear brakes to service mode should you want to work on them, and replenishing the oil inside the Haldex unit that’s fitted to the rear differential is quite a squeeze, but the routine servicing and checks are easy to get to grips with. We visited independent Jaguar specialist, Ken Jenkins, who has a suitable Tiguan that needed servicing, so we volunteered to help. The…

Sorting the Saab As I mentioned in the April issue, I bought a 2010 Saab 9-3 convertible back in February. I find the old trade technique of buying a decent soft-top in winter to sell in spring does still work if you pick carefully. As we saw then, the bodywork wasn’t quite as perfect as described, but BCA resolved that speedily and satisfactorily. On the mechanical side, the car was sold with a (fully-disclosed) EML light on. A fault-code read gave code P2075. This is usually caused by sticking swirl flaps within the inlet manifold, though the code also covers a faulty swirl flap actuator. Car Mechanics actually covered the swirl flap job as part of the recent 9-3 project, and as we saw then, it’s a bit tricky, as…

GENERAL Alternative fuels Q Possible further expansion of London’s ULEZ has prompted me to make this enquiry so I can imagine there are other people who may interested in your response. Anyway, the article written by Rob Marshall (Alternative Fuels, CM May 2019) mentioned, in the section headed “DIY hydrogen retrofit”, a device – the AtmosClear Exo:1 – that purportedly reduced emissions and increased mileage (decreased consumption). Has there been any follow-up to this article and can you advise as to whether the item in question with or without a retrofit exhaust system that also helps out – eg. Vortex Exhaust Technology (see CM November 2012) can be used to achieve Euro 6 standard on a diesel vehicle originally manufactured to Euro 5 emissions specification? Also, can you advise if…

Service & shocks Ican’t believe it’s been another year already since I last serviced my 2013 BMW 535i. However, this time the need for a service ties in with the onboard service requirements, which means over and above the annual oil and air filter changes – also includes the replacement of the pollen filters. Working from home gave me the luxury of being able to service the car one lunchtime, and as I’ve done this service on my car a few times now, I was confident I could do it in one hour. With the car warmed up and driven up on to my variable height ramps, I could get under the car easily and safely to remove the sump plug. Then crucially, lower the car back down again near…

Quite a while ago, when I still lived with my parents, our suburban three-bed semi had a long garden that backed onto another property that was around the corner. There lived a family with two sons, one the age of my younger brother and the other – Nick was his name, was either the same age or a year younger than me. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I was mates with Nick in the true buddy sense, more of a nodding to each other in the street acquaintance and the odd sporadic conversation. He was football mad, and I wasn’t. In fact, the last time I really had any interest in the game Alan Brazil played for Ipswich Town and the manager was Bobby Robson. The only…