...Tales from the Workshop Steve Rothwell Some owners are quite happy to drive around with a couple of problems, others are not. Some drivers will immediately rush to get the smallest problem fixed, others will run around with quite serious though not mechanically dangerous problems. The...
...tales from the workshop Steve rothwell Xsara Picasso - Oil stain after new clutch This was one of those jobs that always feels a bit awkward, I had been asked to have a look at this 2005 Citroen Xsara Picasso 1.6 by the owner, to try and determine where the oil was coming from that had...
...Tales from the workshop Steve Rothwell Mercedes C-Class - Plastic drain plugs This was one of those jobs that always feels a bit awkward, I had been asked to have a look at this 2005 Citroen Xsara Picasso 1.6 by the owner, to try and determine where the oil was coming from that had form...
...Steve Rothwell Takles from the workshop Slipped suspension bush - Nissan Juke Coming up for the NCT, this owner was confident that his 2013 Nissan Juke was going to sail through the test, to be fair most owners are pretty optimistic about their vehicles when it comes to the NCT and many...
...BMW X5 - Brake pipe corrosion Steve Rothwell Tales from the workshop One of the misconceptions that I often come across is that low mileage means that less maintenance is required. This is not the case, and it’s not just use that causes problems, many problems can develop even when the...
...VW Scirocco - Window cable failure Steve Rothwell Tales from the workshop The last time the owner had used the driver’s window on this 2008 VW Scirocco 2.0 TDi, she had heard a couple of strange noises that she described to me as scrapes. Once the window stopped working altogether and...
...The problem vehicle was a 2009 Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 TDi (Engine code CASA). The customer complaint was this vehicle was having multiple system failures, based on the instrument cluster warning lights having random activation. The AC control panel was switching on and off intermittentl...
...Diesel Particulate Filter - Pressure, Temperature and Beyond The Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) was introduced in 1985 by PSA, to reduce the emissions from road vehicles. The particles emitted from poor or incomplete combustion have been attributed to respiratory health, so the design of...
...The owner of this 2010 Opel Astra 1.6 was one of the good guys, who regularly checked the coolant and oil levels at least once a month. He had noticed that the coolant level was dropping, and took to checking this every couple of weeks. It now needed topping up every week and so he thought...
...Ford Focus Zetec - Easier cam timing A friend in need is a friend indeed it is said. A good friend of mine owns a 2007 Ford Focus Zetec, which was just coming due for the timing belt replacement. While telling me the job was due, he seemed to have persuaded me to carry out the replaceme...