...Autobiz Tales from the workshop Remote trouble - Opel Zafira How could this key ever work? One of my regulars had just bought a Opel Zafira, as a replacement workhorse for his painting and decorating business. The previous estate had been long overdue a replacement, and a failed head g...
...Autobiz Tales from the workshop Chevrolet Lacetti - Bad brake wear By only checking the nearside, the offside wear had gone unnoticed Unfortunately, it can be the case that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. This is often the case when applied to vehicle brakes. The owner of this...
...Citroen Relay - Auxiliary belt trouble A nice easy job, plenty of access to fit the new tensioner and belt The owner of this 2006 Citroen Relay 2.0 HDi knew his way around the workings under the bonnet. When the ignition warning light suddenly flickered on, he opened the bonnet to di...
...Škoda Kodiaq - Haldex mesh filter The filter was quite clogged after only 20,000 miles (top is as found and bottom after cleaning) The Haldex coupling on the VAG range is something which I know is often overlooked. This 2017 Škoda Kodiaq 4X4 was in for service and one of the owners...
...SEAT Ibiza - A few missed oil changes The oil had deteriorated over time and was no longer doing a good job and the engine failed I will share a secret which the owner of this 2006 Seat Ibiza was apparently unaware of. He had owned the vehicle from new, and once the main dealer warra...
...One wheel speed sensor causing multiple systems faults Vehicle network diagrams were used to identify modules on a common circuit The connector may be grey or black depending vehicle configuration As more and more systems share data from various sensors, vehicle manufacturers have...
...Sensor Plausibility – A missed diagnosis It is critical to determine what is the boost pressure data before the engine is even started When a technician starts the diagnosis process, one of the most common of mistakes the Helpline sees is when a plausibility check of all sensors is...
...Small but significant - Rough when cold Ford Fiesta Ecoboost 1.0 M1DA This Fiesta had been in the workshop many times over a few months, for a rough running issue when the engine was cold. After a warmup period, the engine returned to perfect running and no codes were present. While all...
...Cause and Effect - Non-starting 2016 1.4 TFSI Audi A4 When it comes to diagnosing an issue, there are two things we need to remember, cause and effect. These are better known as the initial symptoms, the reason we are diagnosing the vehicle in the first place. The underlying root cause...
...SEAT Arosa - Alternator issues Charging problems on modern vehicles are not always straight forward. Not only can the alternator fail, but on some motors the smart charging system control unit may be at fault. No longer can you just replace the alternator because the charging light is o...