The one you gladly let go away..

bear1

Inspired by the got away thread I decided to start one where the car has pushed you to the edge, where you thought ok fcuk you you pile of ****e and stuck it up on dd.
The one that broke your heart the most and what it cost you.
People will know mine already but the stats:

Car: Honda accord tourer cdti
Cost: 2200e
First month chain failure: 750:
Second month: Air con system total failure: 200e approx
Fourth month: All 4 injectors failed - 530e
Driveshaft snapped, rain sensors had a mind of their own, Satnav failed, turbo sensor failed 150e for another one, alternator began failing etc etc.
I kept it for exactly one year before I sent it packing. There wasn't one time where something wouldn't go wrong.
The day it was finally taken by its new owner was the day I cried out of utter joy.
Doesn't let me attach pics of it for some reason.. Maybe boards hates it too

GustavoFring

Right I'll do one. CR170 RS diesel. I'm paid by the hour...missed a load because of this one. And you can't claim mileage when you're on the side of the road.

Bought it from a main dealer at two years old with 38k km, warranty and good will covered the thing for everything (despite what people say some VAG dealers are great, and VWI aren't the worst either). Cost me about 800 in a year and about 60k km including servicing. But lost more than that some months from missing work. Instilled in me...warranty means a lot when you're against the clock. You're always left mobile under terms that suit you.

This is from memory and I'm pretty sure it's missing a few bits.

Dpf (at 1600km a week mostly motorway?!?)
Shock mounts
Locks
Dpf pressure sensors
Shocks
Dpf again
Air con compressor
Aux belt
Xenons auto level sensors gave up

Once it hit about 70k it was trouble free. Turbo started whistling badly about 95k km.



Then the sickener...they're not quiet or smooth on the road. My back gave in and couldn't drive it, the seats and ride were too harsh. My sanity had left well before then so chopped it in.

CIP4

I actually looked up the excel I had on it to get the exact figures. I had it 13 months at first I though there was just a few slight issues but that I'd have it perfect but I just couldn't get it to the perfect point. Bear in my mind I did a lot of the work myself and still ended up being a money bit.

Car: Ford Focus mk2 1.6tdci with 106k km on it.
Month 1: service it and cut of illegal number plates that were riveted onto it €100

Month 2: car cut out at 120kmh in the overtaking lane M8 late on one of the stormiest nights of the year 5 hour wait for a tow truck from Kilkenny €250
Replace fuel filter €95 bring car to garage to see if they could get the fcuking yoke to start €175

Month 3: heated front screen (window cracked to sh!t)

Month 4: bad oil leak oil intercooler pipe €100 for part

Month 4: trip to mechanic to sort some of its issues. 2 axle bushes, front wishbone bushes, track rod arms, replace coolant, fit timming belt kit, replace crankshaft oil seal which fcuked said timming belt, replace leaking seal in gearbox, new wheel arch liner and a new water pump later €800

Month 4: new key €60

Month 4: wheel alignment €40

Month 5: fix coolant leak myself €0

Month 8: service and discovered oil leak €100

Month 9: Replace injector seal €20

Month 10: replace faulty temperature sensor €30

Month 10: new tyres €180

Month 11: car acting up cut out on a roundabout

Month 12: 0 confidence left in it at this stage boardering on wondering would it breakdown every time I drove it.

Month 13: sold to a guy that even had a ford mechanic check it over lose of €750 I just wanted rid of it at this stage.

Total cost of 13 months ownership €1950 (probably closer to over 2k as there is stuff I'm forgetting) so €2,700 in 13 months :mad: nothing else I've owned would even come close to that actually made 900 quid on theatre I had before that I should have kept it but then isn't hindsight a great thing.

sunnysoutheast

1996 Peugeot 406

Ex-rental bought from a car supermarket.

Totally random electrical problems. Headlights would turn off when driving. Brake lights would be on when you got out and locked car. Immobiliser keypad had a dodgy "1" button made starting a random event.

Sold to a backstreet dealer for a 3k loss after 10k miles. Happy to get away with that.

Nekarsulm

Citroen Xantia 1.9 turbo diesel VSX. A plague of a car. It was probably clocked before I got it.
Everything that could go wrong, did.
Handbrake cables. (Citroen put the handbrake on the front wheels) Two front wheel bearings. Various suspension spheres, ride height controllers etc.
Electric Windows hardly ever working on all 4 at the same time. Central locking several times. Didnt repair it last time as I hoped it might get stolen. Water pump. Alternator. Then excelled herself and snapped timing belt, needed valves camshaft etc. Turbo. Then it got vandalised and needed the two electric mirrors and a screen. There was always a warning light for something or other lit. Rear wheel bearings. There was more but thankfully the details are starting to fade. Sold it to a lad from Wicklow at a loss of 2000 punts , plus the 2000 punts in repairs.

morritty

OSI wrote: »

2003 Hyundai Coupe 1.6
Pretty sure I can attribute a number of back injuries to it.

Pretty sure i was on the verge of needing a back brace just before i sold mine :pac: Other than that, no complaints, I do miss it, but dont regret it at all.

bear1

Good ones there lads, keep them coming
I just remember a few bits more for the Honda.
2 front wheel bearings failed at the exact same time... mechanic said he has never had both fail at the same time.
I could only ever use a genuine fuel filter bought from Honda themselves, anything else would stick into limp home mode - 45e a pop.
Passenger side window would go all the way down but you were lucky if it went back up again.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Jawgap

My 'bella signora' - an Alfa 156 2.5 V6.

24 months of motoring heaven - before I had kids and when I had money.

Nothing really went wrong but I knew it was only a matter of time before something major and expensive did, so I was 'happy' to pass her one once I'd had my fun with her - definitely a decision made with the head and not the heart, but I know it probably saved me a load of cash and heartache.

Dord

First gen facelift Mercedes A-Class. Got off to a bad start with a gearbox rebuild and clutch replacement. Rust was quickly taking over. Ride was terrible, felt every bump in the road. Rust. Did I mention rust? Awful car. I used to return to it wishing someone had stolen it.

JBokeh

Landrover Discovery

This 4x4 was never 100% right, it was modified for offroading, and used a little bit.
Wheel bearings
Injectors
Exhaust fell off
Doors wouldn't unlock
Replaced every bit of the power steering system, still leaked non stop
immobiliser broke
Doors wouldn't lock
4th gear stopped working
More wheel bearings
Passenger door would fly open on bumpy roads and roundabouts
Noisey diff
Heater matrix turned it into a sauna
Transfer box started making a racket
I'm not sure how long exactly I owned the stupid thing, but I think it was just over 1 year. I had a second one with a rotten chassis and rear end damage that I was using for parts so I didn't spend much on parts. Replaced it with a petrol land cruiser and I didn't know what to do with all my free time that I now had from not fixing the land rover

Also the best car I ever owned, I learned lots about car maintenance from it, how to fix the car, diagnose it, and the names of all the parts, I also got to learn welding, and how to build a diff. So it was money well spent

Also did the usual land rover things like oil and fuel leaks constantly, speedo working when it felt like it, burning smell on the inside, lights would dim randomly, indicators would have a mind of their own, and I couldn't hear the radio for the rattles

mullingar

CIP4 wrote: »

.....
Car: Ford Focus mk2 1.6tdci with 106k km on it.
Replace fuel filter €95 bring car to garage to see if they could get the fcuking yoke to start €175

................

fit timming belt kit, replace crankshaft oil seal which fcuked said timming belt, replace leaking seal in gearbox, new wheel arch liner and a new water pump later €800

A lot of that cost is serviable items.

That fuel filter MUST be changed every second-third service, even if it was, one bad fill of high particle contaminated diesel will block that filter - and quickly. So that's not the cars fault.

I think your mechanic did you on that timing belt. These are only due at 200kkm and its standard to also replace coolant water pump at the same time. But I fail to see how a leaking front crankshaft seal can mess up the belt. On that engine the crankshaft goes through the front crankshaft seal, then you have about a 1/2" gap before it goes through a mechanical oil pump and then the crankshaft pulley is bolted to it. If there was an oil leak through this seal it would all fall back into the sump in that air gap with the pump. But if its a huge leak then it may get through and you will have a decent oil puddle under the car every day, but either way, once you remove a belt you are not supposed to reuse it.

Then you have the rear crankshaft seal. This is a gearbox & clutch out job. If this was also leaking then I would say that the oil filter at sometime in its life was put in ar$e ways which allowed dirty oil through the engine might damage both crankshaft seals.

All these faults are not the cars faults, just poor maintenance.

ofcork

Renault Laguna 2001 few weeks after buying lower control arm had to be replaced,window regulator,all 4 alloys had to be straightened,random lights coming on,started revving itself when started and held on to it for 2 years til i traded it for an 04 avensis.Like night and day nothing ever went wrong with that!Forgor i also had to get the clocks replaced another 450!

canhefixit

Very first car and paid for with my hard earned was a mk1 96 punto 1.1 sx

Because it was my very first car i had the blinkers on and it couldnt do no wrong, the things i had to replace on it was incredible now i think of it and i hadnt a clue about repairing cars so hefty mechanic bills left right and centre

2 x engines
gearbox
whole rear axle
2 x head gaskets and still it was never right always overheated always!
radiator
Then ball joints, wheel bearings, shocks, springs etc etc etc


Basically the whole car was nearly rebuilt from scratch, i defo bought a pure lemon with it, could nearly cry now thinking of the money i spent on it wayyy more than the bloody thing cost

Ended up I just lost all faith in it and it lay up for a few years before being scrapped

canhefixit

Very first car and paid for with my hard earned was a mk1 96 punto 1.1 sx

Because it was my very first car i had the blinkers on and it couldnt do no wrong, the things i had to replace on it was incredible now i think of it and i hadnt a clue about repairing cars so hefty mechanic bills left right and centre

2 x engines
gearbox
whole rear axle
2 x head gaskets and still it was never right always overheated always!
radiator
Then ball joints, wheel bearings, shocks, springs etc etc etc


Basically the whole car was nearly rebuilt from scratch, i defo bought a pure lemon with it, could nearly cry now thinking of the money i spent on it wayyy more than the bloody thing cost

Ended up I just lost all faith in it and it lay up for a few years before being scrapped

bear1

So far id say the French are winning this thread and mostly all had electrical issues.

shietpilot

bear1 wrote: »

So far id say the French are winning this thread and mostly all had electrical issues.

If I counted my parents' cars I could fill up the French car list here more :pac:

bear1

shietpilot wrote: »

If I counted my parents' cars I could fill up the French car list here more :pac:

Go on

Cee-Jay-Cee

Mine was an 04 Saab 9-3 (2.2TDi) I bought it in April 2012 with 74k miles on the clock, one owner from new and a full very comprehensive service history with every single receipt for every single item ever bought.

It was faultless and drove perfectly.

I never owned a diesel car before having owned in excess of 25 Petrol Hondas which never ever ever gave mechanical problems.

As I said the Saab never missed a beat but every single time I got into it, I was expecting a fault warning to show up on the display. No matter how short the journey I was nervous expecting something to go wrong with it. I sold it 6 weeks later (made a tidy €1200 profit on it) as I just couldn't relax while driving it.

Dean12319

Punto 00'

In January 2015,First car paid €900. Like another user said I also went in with my eyes clothes. Got to 6 months when it started misfiring. Coincidental it was due for nct took in to mechanic for a pre nct and to look at the misfire. He came back to tell me that head gasket gone ( surprise surprise), wiring in the car was interfered with and god knows what else. I only ever intended to keep it for a few months anyway but it taught me a valuable lesson to bring a mechanic and stay away from a certain "garage" in cork!

Dean12319

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Mine was an 04 Saab 9-3 (2.2TDi) I bought it in April 2012 with 74k miles on the clock, one owner from new and a full very comprehensive service history with every single receipt for every single item ever bought.

It was faultless and drove perfectly.

I never owned a diesel car before having owned in excess of 25 Petrol Hondas which never ever ever gave mechanical problems.

As I said the Saab never missed a beat but every single time I got into it, I was expecting a fault warning to show up on the display. No matter how short the journey I was nervous expecting something to go wrong with it. I sold it 6 weeks later (made a tidy €1200 profit on it) as I just couldn't relax while driving it.

Why couldn't you relax in it? I'd feel pretty safe in a Saab good solid cars. Especially with that service history.

CIP4

mullingar wrote: »

A lot of that cost is serviable items.

That fuel filter MUST be changed every second-third service, even if it was, one bad fill of high particle contaminated diesel will block that filter - and quickly. So that's not the cars fault.

I think your mechanic did you on that timing belt. These are only due at 200kkm and its standard to also replace coolant water pump at the same time. But I fail to see how a leaking front crankshaft seal can mess up the belt. On that engine the crankshaft goes through the front crankshaft seal, then you have about a 1/2" gap before it goes through a mechanical oil pump and then the crankshaft pulley is bolted to it. If there was an oil leak through this seal it would all fall back into the sump in that air gap with the pump. But if its a huge leak then it may get through and you will have a decent oil puddle under the car every day, but either way, once you remove a belt you are not supposed to reuse it.

Then you have the rear crankshaft seal. This is a gearbox & clutch out job. If this was also leaking then I would say that the oil filter at sometime in its life was put in ar$e ways which allowed dirty oil through the engine might damage both crankshaft seals.

All these faults are not the cars faults, just poor maintenance.

Oh I recon a lot of it was down to poor maintenance by the previous owner but that doesn't change how it fcuked me over. I know the Timming belt is only due every 200k km but this Timming belt was physically covered in oil I seen it with my own eyes definitely crankshaft sell gone maybe there was another sell gone I remember him even showing me the old seals and all that. The mechanic definitely didn't screw me over as he is a friend of the family and always shows you what was wrong with the part etc. Infairness if I had had it new and minded it would have been probably fine thats not the point of the thread though is it. It stung me in the fact it's never even cost me half that amount for any other car I've had in maintenance costs.

It's biggest issue was the cutting out. Once there was about 15 litres of diesel left in the tank it would cut out and be a b!tch to restart due to no lift pump and no manual fuel primer either which is a joke on them. No mechanic could explain that issue but I recon it was maybe a crack in the fuel sender pipe which was drawing air when not submerged in fuel. It was actually quite nice to drive but I was at the stage of before every journey thinking will it breakdown so it was time for it to go then life is too short.

Coolant leak, oil intercooler pipe leak and injector seal as well as most of the suspension work track rods etc wouldn't have had anything to do with poor maintenance though really.

Edit: looked at the receipt the left drive shaft seal was replaced too I remember him showing me that leak too.

JohnBoy26

CIP4 wrote: »

Oh I recon a lot of it was down to poor maintenance by the previous owner but that doesn't change how it fcuked me over. I know the Timming belt is only due every 200k km but this Timming belt was physically covered in oil I seen it with my own eyes definitely crankshaft sell gone maybe there was another sell gone I remember him even showing me the old seals and all that. The mechanic definitely didn't screw me over as he is a friend of the family and always shows you what was wrong with the part etc. Infairness if I had had it new and minded it would have been probably fine thats not the point of the thread though is it. It stung me in the fact it's never even cost me half that amount for any other car I've had in maintenance costs.

It's biggest issue was the cutting out. Once there was about 15 litres of diesel left in the tank it would cut out and be a b!tch to restart due to no lift pump and no manual fuel primer either which is a joke on them. No mechanic could explain that issue but I recon it was maybe a crack in the fuel sender pipe which was drawing air when not submerged in fuel. It was actually quite nice to drive but I was at the stage of before every journey thinking will it breakdown so it was time for it to go then life is too short.

Coolant leak, oil intercooler pipe leak and injector seal as well as most of the suspension work track rods etc wouldn't have had anything to do with poor maintenance though really.

Edit: looked at the receipt the left drive shaft seal was replaced too I remember him showing me that leak too.

Not with the likes of those oil seals, intercooler pipe leak, coolant leak and injector seal. I fail to see how poor maintenance could of caused those issues.

166man

Buying a near 10 year old diesel can and expecting it not to need some consumable work is a bit daft. Obviously you got some added issues on that one to be fair but suspension bushes, tyres, the windscreen, the number plate, timing belt etc they're all stuff that would have had to be done anyway.

Did the car really only have "60k" miles on it? Sounds awfully low...

polan

2004 BMW 320Ci Auto M-Sport

Bought it for peanuts with 170k miles on the clock.

I was blinded by fresh NCT, low price and its looks.

The car started to fail the first day I got it - got a lovely oil light on the way home.
Topped it up, 1100 mls later, oil light again.

Got rocker cover gasket done.
1200 mls later, oil light.

Got rocker cover gasket done again at a different garage.
1400 mls later, oil light.

Got CCV Valve done, it was ok for a few months.

Suspension was in bits. The car needed literally a new suspension - springs too!
Repair bill came in at €1200 including parts and labour.

Wheel speed sensor went - €120 for the part.

Started to burn oil and damaged the catalytic converter - check engine light.

Same wheel speed sensor went - another €120.

I spent close to 1.5k on tyres - all 4 alloys were cracked and damaged the tyres all the time. I was afraid to go over a single pothole.


All in all, got the car for 2,250 and threw in 4k into it at best and it still wasn't right. Managed to pass emissions barely, got it NCT'd and I sold it for €2k.

And that's why E46s are now on my blacklist.

polan

2004 BMW 320Ci Auto M-Sport

Bought it for peanuts with 170k miles on the clock.

I was blinded by fresh NCT, low price and its looks.

The car started to fail the first day I got it - got a lovely oil light on the way home.
Topped it up, 1100 mls later, oil light again.

Got rocker cover gasket done.
1200 mls later, oil light.

Got rocker cover gasket done again at a different garage.
1400 mls later, oil light.

Got CCV Valve done, it was ok for a few months.

Suspension was in bits. The car needed literally a new suspension - springs too!
Repair bill came in at €1200 including parts and labour.

Wheel speed sensor went - €120 for the part.

Started to burn oil and damaged the catalytic converter - check engine light.

Same wheel speed sensor went - another €120.

I spent close to 1.5k on tyres - all 4 alloys were cracked and damaged the tyres all the time. I was afraid to go over a single pothole.


All in all, got the car for 2,250 and threw in 4k into it at best and it still wasn't right. Managed to pass emissions barely, got it NCT'd and I sold it for €2k.

And that's why E46s are now on my blacklist.

bear1

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

Mine was an 04 Saab 9-3 (2.2TDi) I bought it in April 2012 with 74k miles on the clock, one owner from new and a full very comprehensive service history with every single receipt for every single item ever bought.

It was faultless and drove perfectly.

I never owned a diesel car before having owned in excess of 25 Petrol Hondas which never ever ever gave mechanical problems.

As I said the Saab never missed a beat but every single time I got into it, I was expecting a fault warning to show up on the display. No matter how short the journey I was nervous expecting something to go wrong with it. I sold it 6 weeks later (made a tidy €1200 profit on it) as I just couldn't relax while driving it.

I'm surprised at this, so the car had absolutely nothing wrong with it? But you got rid cause you were afraid something WOULD go wrong?

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

neris

2002 Peugeot 406 Coupe. Was a great car at first when I got it but after a year was problem followed by problem followed by problem. Not all problems were the cars fault in fairness but little things like the cat converter constantly playing up, the electrics going haywire and a guzzler aswell

Cee-Jay-Cee

Dean12319 wrote: »

Why couldn't you relax in it? I'd feel pretty safe in a Saab good solid cars. Especially with that service history.

I couldn't relax because I was always expecting something to go wrong with the car, I had absolutely no safety concerns. Like I said it was the first diesel car I owned after over 23 years of owning petrol cars and with all the horror stories about Diesel engines I just couldn't settle with one.

bear1 wrote: »

I'm surprised at this, so the car had absolutely nothing wrong with it? But you got rid cause you were afraid something WOULD go wrong?

Yea stupid and All as it sounds that's basically it in a nutshell. I sold it almost 4 years ago to a person I know. He still has it and it never gave him one moments bother and still only has 12X miles in the clock and probably is good for the same again.

I know it was stupid but every single time I got into it to start it, I sort of like held my breath till the check engine light went out (and I mean every single time) I thought maybe after a few weeks I'd settle but I didn't and I didn't see the point in keeping a car when I was a bag of nerves driving it. So I sold it and bought a Subaru and have been driving it since and never had any concerns.

That's just me. I will never ever buy a diesel car again. Petrol for me for the rest of my days.

ShadowHearth

bear1 wrote: »

Inspired by the got away thread I decided to start one where the car has pushed you to the edge, where you thought ok fcuk you you pile of ****e and stuck it up on dd.
The one that broke your heart the most and what it cost you.
People will know mine already but the stats:

Car: Honda accord tourer cdti
Cost: 2200e
First month chain failure: 750:
Second month: Air con system total failure: 200e approx
Fourth month: All 4 injectors failed - 530e
Driveshaft snapped, rain sensors had a mind of their own, Satnav failed, turbo sensor failed 150e for another one, alternator began failing etc etc.
I kept it for exactly one year before I sent it packing. There wasn't one time where something wouldn't go wrong.
The day it was finally taken by its new owner was the day I cried out of utter joy.
Doesn't let me attach pics of it for some reason.. Maybe boards hates it too

Actually my friend had same accord with same engine and he was in same boat as you. He was shoveling g money in to it. The moment he sold, he was the happiest man alive.

bear1

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Actually my friend had same accord with same engine and he was in same boat as you. He was shoveling g money in to it. The moment he sold, he was the happiest man alive.

It was a joke, people thought I was mad here. Now that I look at it I realise I was even madder than I already knew.
I must have spent twice the cars value in less than a year.
I mean when it was working it was a nice thing to drive but it was such a bitch of a yoke that I was always afraid something was going to happen.
The amount of times the EML would go on and nothing would be on the computer (40e a pop) was killing me.

speedbird834

Here's an example of so-called Toyota reliability

02 Avensis 1.8 petrol saloon - bought it in 05

Ongoing steering noise at low speeds (common in that model - Toyota basically said it's my imagination when I complained to the main office - google tells me just how common it is)
Heater box went - repaired for ~300 (big labour job)
Stereo packed up completely - quoted ~700 to replace complete unit by Toyota - ended up getting an aftermarket from Halfords for 200 (which they somehow managed to fit into the original CD player space)
Heater box went again - cost around 1000 to replace completely
Electric windows lock switch (so the kids can't play with them) stuck in locked position
Boot leaking very badly currently which ruined the carpets etc so I had to dump them

Still have it and going to see if I can pass the NCT in a couple of weeks but I won't be sorry when it goes

CJhaughey

speedbird834 wrote: »

Here's an example of so-called Toyota reliability

02 Avensis 1.8 petrol saloon - bought it in 05

Ongoing steering noise at low speeds (common in that model - Toyota basically said it's my imagination when I complained to the main office - google tells me just how common it is)
Heater box went - repaired for ~300 (big labour job)
Stereo packed up completely - quoted ~700 to replace complete unit by Toyota - ended up getting an aftermarket from Halfords for 200 (which they somehow managed to fit into the original CD player space)
Heater box went again - cost around 1000 to replace completely
Electric windows lock switch (so the kids can't play with them) stuck in locked position
Boot leaking very badly currently which ruined the carpets etc so I had to dump them

Still have it and going to see if I can pass the NCT in a couple of weeks but I won't be sorry when it goes

My Avensis had a rattly steering column when I got it, I took it apart at the universal joint and packed grease in there, no rattles for the next 100k miles.
How is the heater matrix going so regularly? That's a really unusual one
Mine never gave any of trouble but I did replace the coolant with genuine Toyota coolant.
Mine leaked in the back for a bit, I found the leak and sorted it, they usually leak either at the body seams or around the lights, mine was the body seams at the roofrack mounting studs (estate) but yours could be just at the top corners of the boot lid, look for very thin cracks in the mastic that has been painted over and reseal them.
Big lump of Bluetack on a stick can pull the window switch up.

CJhaughey

I've never really had a lemon, most of mine have been 80's and 90'd Toyotas
The only car I ever had a problem with and ended up sorting was a 86 Golf 1.6 It had a Pierburg 2E2 carb and it was the biggest lump of crap ever fitted to a car, it used to start and run well for 10 miles or so then it would run rough and stall. No restart.
Wait 15 minutes and you could start and run again no problems.
This was ongoing until I changed the carb to a Weber and then it ran flawlessly till some German clown in another Golf couldn't drive on snow and ran into me writing it off.
The carb issue really annoyed me at the time though.

fancy pigeon

speedbird834 wrote: »

Here's an example of so-called Toyota reliability

02 Avensis 1.8 petrol saloon - bought it in 05

Ongoing steering noise at low speeds (common in that model - Toyota basically said it's my imagination when I complained to the main office - google tells me just how common it is)
Heater box went - repaired for ~300 (big labour job)
Stereo packed up completely - quoted ~700 to replace complete unit by Toyota - ended up getting an aftermarket from Halfords for 200 (which they somehow managed to fit into the original CD player space)
Heater box went again - cost around 1000 to replace completely
Electric windows lock switch (so the kids can't play with them) stuck in locked position
Boot leaking very badly currently which ruined the carpets etc so I had to dump them

Still have it and going to see if I can pass the NCT in a couple of weeks but I won't be sorry when it goes

Brake bias valve give any bother? Hows the disc backing plates? Or seeing as its a saloon has the tail light board on the passenger side given up yet? I'm not going to mention oil burning

Just some more common problems no one wants to admit to. Or will tell me to shut up :rolleyes:

I had similar problems with the radio in my Corolla, refused to pick up any stations. I took it out and made sh*te of it with a hammer, then inserted a Pioneer unit in its place

speedbird834

fancy pigeon wrote: »

Brake bias valve give any bother? Hows the disc backing plates? Or seeing as its a saloon has the tail light board on the passenger side given up yet? I'm not going to mention oil burning

Just some more common problems no one wants to admit to. Or will tell me to shut up :rolleyes:

I had similar problems with the radio in my Corolla, refused to pick up any stations. I took it out and made sh*te of it with a hammer, then inserted a Pioneer unit in its place

No issues with the Avensis brakes (so far anyway) or lights (other that the usual bulb replacements). I've long since learned to avoid Halfords own-branded bulbs - they only seem to last about a year or so

Now that you mentioned oil burning ... Toyota Ireland did a recall of the 1.8VVTi engines and replaced them due to excessive oil consumption (which happened on mine before I bought it)

Interestingly they didn't on the far more common 1.6VVTi engines which apparently have the same issue. Maybe it's not as bad on those though

IIRC, in the UK (where the 1.8 is more common), they didn't do a recall but replaced the engine if the customer complained loudly enough

Vicxas

My first car, a 02 Seat Ibiza 59hp!

Bought it when it was 4 years old, and had it for 4 years. Cant remember how much the repairs cost. But heres the list of what went wrong.

Car was in the main dealer for a service and the timing slipped
Passenger electric window collapsed and the winder broke
One of the injector coils failed, cost me an absolute fortune to replace
More Tie rod ends replaced than i care to remember
The boot flooded, constantly
Was driving it home one night and the car died, literally died. Couldn't move it for love or money. Had to wait 2 hours for a tow. Turns our the car went into emergency mode for no reason that the mechanic could find.

My brother crashed it one day and i was never happier to see the back of it.

fancy pigeon

speedbird834 wrote: »

No issues with the Avensis brakes (so far anyway) or lights (other that the usual bulb replacements). I've long since learned to avoid Halfords own-branded bulbs - they only seem to last about a year or so

Now that you mentioned oil burning ... Toyota Ireland did a recall of the 1.8VVTi engines and replaced them due to excessive oil consumption (which happened on mine before I bought it)

Interestingly they didn't on the far more common 1.6VVTi engines which apparently have the same issue. Maybe it's not as bad on those though

IIRC, in the UK (where the 1.8 is more common), they didn't do a recall but replaced the engine if the customer complained loudly enough

The tail light had a nasty habit of burning the board, usually always the laft hand side. It was very bizare as this never happened on the pre face lift. Never affected the laftback pre or post facelift.

The engines were something else. I watched an e12 Corolla have its engine replaced 3 times in 2 weeks, each time with a rattling unit. That will tell you some of the unprofessional environment i had to be in... The last one was from an 04 car, it worked well.

Thats not an isolated incident either, dud engines that is....

Vicxas

My first car, a 02 Seat Ibiza 59hp!

Bought it when it was 4 years old, and had it for 4 years. Cant remember how much the repairs cost. But heres the list of what went wrong.

Car was in the main dealer for a service and the timing slipped
Passenger electric window collapsed and the winder broke
One of the injector coils failed, cost me an absolute fortune to replace
More Tie rod ends replaced than i care to remember
The boot flooded, constantly
Was driving it home one night and the car died, literally died. Couldn't move it for love or money. Had to wait 2 hours for a tow. Turns our the car went into emergency mode for no reason that the mechanic could find.

My brother crashed it one day and i was never happier to see the back of it.

CJhaughey

speedbird834 wrote: »

No issues with the Avensis brakes (so far anyway) or lights (other that the usual bulb replacements). I've long since learned to avoid Halfords own-branded bulbs - they only seem to last about a year or so

Now that you mentioned oil burning ... Toyota Ireland did a recall of the 1.8VVTi engines and replaced them due to excessive oil consumption (which happened on mine before I bought it)

Interestingly they didn't on the far more common 1.6VVTi engines which apparently have the same issue. Maybe it's not as bad on those though

IIRC, in the UK (where the 1.8 is more common), they didn't do a recall but replaced the engine if the customer complained loudly enough

Toyota did the shortblocks in a lot of the VVti's 4zz, as well.
The problem is the piston design, later ones have more and bigger holes in the oil control ring to allow drainback.

job seeker

Dad had a Skoda Octavia afew years ago. It went through 3 clutches and 4 flywheels. Brought it to a local Skoda dealer each time something went and they couldn't find anything wrong any of the times. Dad then sold it for 800 euro in the end. Brought by an indi mechanic. He got a call week later and told the old fella it was a coding error.

jca

job seeker wrote: »

Dad had a Skoda Octavia afew years ago. It went through 3 clutches and 4 flywheels. Brought it to a local Skoda dealer each time something went and they couldn't find anything wrong any of the times. Dad then sold it for 800 euro in the end. Brought by an indi mechanic. He got a call week later and told the old fella it was a coding error.

That doesn't make any sense. How could a coding error cause a clutch/flywheel to fail.

neris

jca wrote: »

That doesn't make any sense. How could a coding error cause a clutch/flywheel to fail.

with the amount of electrics, sensors and computer stuff in cars now a days i wouldnt be surprised

job seeker

jca wrote: »

That doesn't make any sense. How could a coding error cause a clutch/flywheel to fail.

I don't know to be honest. But that's what he said all caused by a coding error. Would he have any reason to lie? I don't see why.. He sold it on after that when he had it back on the road, or he says...

Into The Blue

99 Carisma deisel.

Pure junk from the start. Loads of little jobs, gearbox hopped out of gear on the motorway..

When i finally got sence and went to get a trade
-in price, i had to push it off the fore court.....

catbear

Early 90s Peugeot 309, 1.9ltr Diesel. Beautiful to drive but within a year it had cost me more in repairs than I had paid for it. It was frustrating as it was the most economical car for fuel consumption but when something went wrong it went wrong big. Plus my regular mechanic didn't have some of the tools required for peugeot so I was at the mercy of the dealership. It put me off french cars for life but my girlfriend at the time a diesel 205 and it was solid, never had a problem with it.

flatty

To be honest, it was the most beautiful xjs. I bought it for 4k and it was utterly lively, but I rarely drive, and don't have a garage, so it sat out under a bag. It seeped a tiny bit of oil, and needed a new radiator as it ran hot in standing traffic, but my word it was stunning. Midnight blue with white oatmeal leather. Wooden gearknob and steering wheel. It smelt like you imagine the orient express would,leather and old cigars.
I began to realise that it was too much a heritage car to be treated like I did, so I sold it in the end for a profit enough to mostly offset the work I did on it, though I.let it go cheaply enough as I really liked the lad who bought it.
It's being properly looked after now, and I slept a little easier when it was gone.

visual

Bought a Laguna II 1.9 Diesel it was beautiful car at the time I was considering a Mondeo diesel. but the Renault had everything as standard that would be extras on the ford.

I decided to keep it away from indy garages as I had a couple of cars messed up in the past.

up to 80K it just needed services then strange thinks started to happen.
Drive electric window 3 months later Passenger electric window.
parked car at work to come back to front coil spring snapped damaging shock
about 6 or 7 months later the passenger coil spring broke when driving over a speed bump at low speed.
Oil leak a few times.
ABS ring on back wheel
Turbo blew at 100K and needed intercooler repaired.
Control for heater fan replaced 3 times over 3 years (2 of these switches failed with smoke coming out of dash when put on maximum speed to defrost window.
left Rear light bad connection cause it to burn
Electric sunroof would something's refuse to close (had to be reset)
New key card couldn't get one anywhere at the time only from Renault (they refused to programme one I bought of ebay)
Tyre pressure sensors from day one where always troublesome eventually had to get them turned off (Renault where very reluctant to do this)
window washer would only put out water on back window. new washer motor
Alloy wheels had to replace 2 as they cracked but that was more the roads than cars fault.
EGR valve (learned from a forum it should have been cleaned or replace when turbo went)
Intermittent warning lights throughout the life of car.
Rear suspension bushings (very common problem)
front tie rods and ball joints
spend over 6K on repairs only with Renault main dealer in just in 2.5 years
consumables below was extra
Serviced on time every time with Renault main dealers not cheap
Battery
Tyres a set every 12 to 18 months
Discs and pads all round
wiper blades

Car developed cutting out problem at 120K miles and my heart was broken.
high pressure pump and might have injector problem so sold it for scrap... it was beautiful looking car with leather Air con all the extras including 6 speed box but it spent more time in the garage than my driveway as Renault dealer always took a long time to get parts in. nothing seemed to be in stock everything had to be ordered in.
Car was that unreliable I actually bought a 2nd car as I needed a car for work.

On a Renault forum I joined non of the problems I had was unusual and many had much more. satisfaction even among Renault enthusiast was very low with most saying they never buy another. At the time everything was to be better with the 2004 model but it wasn't then it 2008 model but I would be sure it was.

Collecting car from last repair at Renault dealer I was asked would I be interested in a new Renault, my reply was you have the service / repair history in front of you what do you think. embarrassing smile and he said fair enough.

I really treated this car well but it was the front coil springs braking that made me lose faith.

I can understand someone buying one new or newish thinking they are great and only doing low to middling mileage
But they where not to last.

pred racer

98 vectra 1.6 petrol 2 years old with 36k miles on it.

Timing belt bearings seized
Rear suspension collapsed, every bushing went at the same time.
Rear doors started to rust at the catch
Random electric problems, windows going up and down by themselves.
2 starters
1 alternator
Water pump seized
That was one year, all repaired under warranty, I reckon Opel had the car more than me.
Traded it in after the year, lost my shirt on it and as is the way with these things, the woman that bought it had it for 4 yrs with not one bloody issue

Redderneck

Freelander 1.8 petrol. Couldn't be more specific model-wise than that. Was a company car when I was working in a part of the world when not being able to trust the motor you were driving was a little bit more than invonvenient. I detested every panel. Every nut, bolt. Every piece of glass, or plastic or fabric. A bigger piece of sh1t has never rolled off any production line of any company ever.

Thing is - it never broke down. Not completely. It limped about the place as frequently as a gimp with a booze problem, but never did the decent thing and died on me. You know things are bad with a car when your first thought on being told everyone's employment contracts were not likely to be renewed was relief that you'll never have to drive the yoke again.

And I say that having had as a previous company car in a similar pat of the world where reliability is at a premium;a Lada Niva 4wd. I bloody loved that car.