I just wanted to have a bit of a rant about my car!!!!

I am a peripatetic teacher so I rely on my car constantly. A year and a half ago, I bought a car that was just over two years old, thinking that if I bought a newer one, I'd have less problems with breakdowns etc.

Back in October, one day my exhaust fell off.........£123! The following day, I was parallel parking outside a school when my steeering wheel started locking. It was happening only when the steering wheel was on full lock............£250.

Now today, my steering has started locking again whilst parking........rant rant huff huff.......rang up Fiat who can only fix it on the 13th. Well, they could do it next week but they have no courtesy car to give me until 13th and I can't do my job without a car!

As it's doing the same thing as last time, I'm hoping that mechanically it's the same thing too, as the part they fitted in October is covered by a 12month warranty so won't cost me anything. It's driving me up the wall!!!

Any volunteers to come and steal my car or set fire to it or something so taht I can have a new one from the insurance??!!!!!!!!

Cars can be a pest, can't they.

We had a bad year last year with the car. Towards the start of the year, we spotted a hole in the exhaust so had that replaced; £120 for the job. Fair enough, it was due one after that many miles etc.

A month later, there was a distinct whining sound coming from where the timing belt bearings are on the engine. Timing belts aren't something to take any chances with, so I got the garage to have a quick listen to it and they said the belt self-tensioning bearings were shot and needed replacing. £180 of a job, as the engine needs lifting to reach them.

A month later, the car started clanging when it went over bumps. We knew it wasn't the exhaust so we took it to the garage; it turned out the front right inner coil for the suspension had gone and the front left was on the way out; they'd need to order two springs in and it'd be the next day before it was ready.

So we waited, gave them a call in the afternoon and the springs hadn't arrived - it'd be tomorrow. Tomorrow came, I rang up, and it turns out the wrong springs had been sent but they'd fitted them before they'd noticed and the new ones were much too short. The proper springs had been ordered though.

The day after - the springs came and they were fitted. I managed to get 20% off the work as compensation for being car-less for four days whilst they messed up, still came to a shade over £200 though .

This year - quite cheap in comparison. Needed new steel brake discs fitting with the service and a couple of new tyres, but nothing too drastic.

This is on top of everything else in the last year too! Someone drove into it whilst it was parked and drove without leaving any details so that cost me £330. Then someone broke into it a few months later and that cost £80 to sort the lock out. At the service I needed new brake pads, but I can cope with that as it;s wear and tear. It also needed a new horn as it stopped working (never heard of this happeneing before) and that cost £25 just to make my car beep again! Luckily the MOT was fine. It then needed a new battery in August. This is as well as what I described in the 1st message. My car is still only 3 and a half years old now!!!! I swear it's jinxed!

Ouch, you have had a bad time of it .

Ours turns nine years old in August. We've had it since it was six years old; the three years prior to that it was AP's mum's car so we knew there weren't any hidden problems when taking on a six-year-old car.

What sort of car do you have, by the way?

I had a car like that once. An Austin Metro.

I had no inkling what trouble it would be - I bought it from a friend who'd had no bother at all with it, but then she and her husband were emigrating, my Mini had died and it seemed like a good bet - a car I already knew, had driven and was aware of its full service history. Somehow it changed its character utterly from as soon as I took ownership of it.

Well, when it got wet - even the tiniest drop of rain - it stopped. If it got too hot - in the faintest glimmer of sunshine - it stopped. If it got too cold - slightest hint of a frost - it stopped. It stopped on Wednesdays pretty much every week. It stopped while I was doing 70mph in the outside lane on the M4 in the evening rush hour. And sometimes it just stopped for the fun of it. It got to the stage that I knew the local breakdown rescue guys by name!

It was hit by other vehicles six times - each time while it was parked and I was nowhere near it. The first of the six was after I'd paid for the car but hadn't yet collected it - my friend's husband opened the passenger door without looking and a cyclist hit it! I should have taken that as a warning of doom, but, silly me, I didn't. The seventh lot of body damage was when some scrap iron fell off a pickup truck, bounced across the carriageway and hit the front of it.

None of the four theft attempts was successful, although each made a mess. The last one was reasonably spectacular. I'd taken the battery out of the car and was charging it in the garage when the thieves decided to help themselves to the vehicle. They pushed it away, and then abandoned it across the gateway of the local postman....who was dead chuffed, as was I when the police made me retrieve it at 4am! Anyway, the insurance repairer took the car to be fixed, and managed to dent the passenger door in the process. They then put the car through their car wash, saturating the passenger seat and carpet. And finally, after my mum took me to retrieve the vehicle (which I did reluctantly) it stopped again on the journey home!

I only had it 18 months, but it was total trouble. Thank goodness the Jaguar's better behaved (although the individual cost of repairs is a bit of a pain, it's only needed minor works )

Just something that might interest you :

According to What Car?'s reliability survey, Fiat came 18th out of 30 manufacturers, but they are more reliable than Fords and Vauxhalls!

Car Expert

Have you thought of leasing a car instead as it's for business use?

Thanks KatyJay, I don't feel quite so bad. It's a Fiat Punto, 02 reg, and was incredibly low mileage when I bought it. I got it from the dealership, but think it had been a little old lady's who had just used it as a little run around.

As for Fiat coming 18th out of 30 in the reliability survey..................I think my car alone should have it's own little place at number 31!!!!! My car is quite reliable actually, doesn't randonmnely break down or anything. Just when things happen, they're major things!!!! Nothing little happens to my car!

I knew I missed something off that list for the year: we took it through possibly the most expensive car wash ever, after we were £78 down for the cost of a new driver's side wing mirror .



The latest figures show Jaguar's are now more reliable than any of the German car makes . One day, one day....

I suspect the next car I get will be a Ford Focus: AP's dad has a six year old one that's not needed anything doing to it other than replacing consumables (brake pads, oil, exhausts, tyres). Even Jeremy Clarkson has a five-year old one that he says 'nothing has happened to'.

Really?!

Car Expert

Yes. I believe they lie somewhere between Lexus and BMW.

According to What Car? (these are used cars by the way, are you referring to new cars?):

Lexus: 5th (1st survey, though)
BMW: 17th
Jaguar: 25th

Car Expert

I'm chuckling to myself that my little Fiat should be more reliable than a Jag!!! Cheers Car Expert for making my miserable car day a chuckling one!

CE what models of Jag? The old old ones are horrendous for reliability, but the new models have been re-engineered really well and are much better.

S-type, XJ8, XK8

Car Expert

From what years - I mean XK8's have been around since the early 90s, and they've come on a lot in this time.

S-type: (99-)
XK8: probably 96 onwards
XJ8: old model (97-03)

Car Expert

KatyJay please stop trying to make Jaguars go up in this reliability rating I'm still enjoying the fact that my little punto is better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My stupid car's driving me up the wall so don't take this little bit of comforting information away from me!!!

OK. If it makes you feel better K-flute, then enjoy!

thanks xx

I've only just had to give up on my 1988 Ford Escort XR3i, not because of mechanical problems (although it would sometimes be a bit lumpy first thing when the weather was damp), but because I can no longer control the rate of increase in rust.

To replace it I bought a 1997 Volvo 850 estate. It is in stunning condition with a full Volvo service history. I chose it because I wanted quality, reliability and safety too; with the size and weight of a Volvo estate, only an idiot would try and pick a fight with one. Ironically, Volvos seem quite popular with musicians; I know of a least ten other musicians who also own a Volvo estate and are very happy with them too.


Had a friend who owned a Fiat Uno that developed niggly problems. To make matters worse, a Fiat garage she went to even had problems getting the spare parts; and the car was only about 4 years old!! In the end she reckoned FIAT really stood for, First In All Troubles.

I seem to recall that some Fiat models were given a 'Don't buy' flag in the latest Which? annual car review.

I have mentioned my Vauxhall Zafira elsewhere on the Forums. Five years old, 55,000 miles, owned since new, and has been in the garage much more than either of my Ford Fiestas. The latest probelm took six weeks to find and fix, and cost a shade under £1000. It also has an armrest that has fallen off, two front seatbelts that won't retract properly and windscreen wipers blades which groan across the windscreen within a few weeks of their being replaced.

Like Kflute, I need a car for work - if I don't teach I don't get paid - and I've been reduced to tears after it went wrong again after paying for the first £200 repair.

I'm going to start looking for a replacement very soon.

Do you need help with choosing a car?

Car Expert

Change to a C!!!! I prefer French cars because they are very comfortable.

Do you get the hidden meaning? The clutch is situated so high on Fiats...

I've only got little legs so I high clutch is not an issue I need to worry about!!!!!!

The Renault Clio 182 Cup's driver's seat isn't very comfortable!

Car Expert

What would you recommend? I'm looking for another medium sized MPV, but 5 seats would do. I need room for 5 adult sized passengers, their luggage and a dog. Alternatively I need room for a student's belongings when he's off to Uni for the first time.

These are the cars I would recommend:

'Mini-MPVs':
- Vauxhall Meriva
- Honda Jazz
- Renault Modus

'Midi-MPVs':
- Renault Scénic
- Ford Focus C-max
- Fiat Multipla (six seats; three at the front, three at the back)
- Honda FR-V (six seats; three at the front, three at the back)

If you suddenly decide you want seven seats, I would recommend:
- Toyota Corolla Verso
- Volkswagen Touran
- Mazda 5 (has advantage over rivals by having sliding side doors)
- Vauxhall Zafira NEW

Car Expert

What might not be comfortable for one person or 2 or 3 just might be comfortable for another person.Always best to test drive.French cars have cheap insurance too.

I see you didn't get the hidden meaning...lol

Nope!

Car Expert

Buy a Jag and let the boys take the bus

Unfortunately, Jaguar do not do MPVs!

Car Expert

No, CE. That's why I said "let the boys take the bus".

Ah yes! I wouldn't mind a Jag myself when I get older, but I might consider the new Honda Civic first!

Car Expert

Thanks for the suggestions, CE. I'm considering the Touran and the Scenic at the moment. Apparently the Touran comes in 5 and 7 seat versions. The C max would be nice, but I get sore ankles driving my husband's Focus because of the pedal position, and the boot space is tiny with all the seats up.




Can't afford either the petrol for the Jag or the bus fare.

My husband said that about our previous car - A Ford Escort Estate - which he finally wrote off in a slow speed but particularly nasty accident, after a series of minor accidemts.




We replaced the Escort with a new Ford Focus Estate, which is now 4 years old and has been trouble free until this last week when we had to have an electrician look at it because the light fuses kept blowing. It's a very comfortable car, both to drive and to ride in as a passenger, even in the back seat, which takes 3 reasonably sized adults in comfort. It also has plenty of luggage space (except when my cello is occupying a lot of it!)





I'm surprised about your sore ankles in a Focus, Andante-in-C, unless the Estate version of the Focus is different from the saloon or hatchback. I used to get cramp from the clutch in the Escort as it was too far away for my leg length, but you couldn't put the seat further forward without having the steering wheel in your waist. It was such a rlief to have the Focus after that.

5 and 7 seats for the Touran? Only the very first models came in five and seven seats. These days, you can only buy the 7-seater version as a new car, but the two seats at the back fold neatly into the floor, and the middle row of seats have to be taken out.

For the Touran engines, I would recommend the 2.0-litre diesel or the 2.0-litre petrol, but avoid the 1.6-litre petrol!

You might want to have a look at these reader reviews.

Car Expert

Thanks for the information. I was going on the Which? new car report, which comes out in spring, so is probably out-of-date now.

I heard it stood for Fix It Again Tomorrow

I'm on my third Fiat, I had a H reg Uno which cost me £400 and did 25000 miles without any major problems, then an L reg Uno which cost £750, then last year I bought a new Panda which I love.

If you're wondering FIAT actually stands for Italian Cars Made In Turin (translated into English)

The new Fiat Panda is a great car!

Car Expert

Yes, it's something like Frabrico Italiano Automobile Turin.

Similarly, BMW is Bavarian Motor Works. Hmmm, doesn't have quite the same romance does it once you know what the letters stand for

Mercedes Benz wasn't Mercedes Benz at the start of the 20th century, it was simply named Benz after the owner of the company. It changed when Benz made the decision to name one of his newly designed cars after his daughter, Mercedes.

The German car designer Porsche also brought us the Volkswagen 'Beetle' - The Peoples Car - which Hitler was keen to promote.

After Ford launched their four-wheel drive Sierra in the early 1980's, with disc-brakes all round, Audi followed suit with the Quattro.

Volvo is latin for "I roll". Yes, it applies to what cars do, but at the time Volvo was the name of a ball bearing being developed by the Swedish company SKF and they offered monetary input to a few employees to get a motor vehicle manufacturing business up and running.

And there's plenty more in my tankful of motoring trivia.........

There are so many cars these days which are based on each other, such as:

- Citroën C1 / Peugeot 107 / Toyota Aygo
- Citroën C8 / Fiat Ulysee / Peugeot 807
- Ford Galaxy / Seat Alhambra / Volkswagen Sharan

Out of these cars, there is a winner in each group!

Car Expert

Two main reasons come to mind here.

1. One of the most aerodynamic shapes in nature is an egg. And let's face it, a lot of cars (esp MPVs) do look a bit egg shaped. Good reason for design; less drag = lower fuel consumption. Bad thing about design; they're all clones of each other.

2. Most motoring manufacturers are no longer their own boss, they have all been bought out several times (by other manufacturers) and are now part of a huge group; probably Ford Motor Group - they own almost everything these days.

Yes, I know that VW shares company with Audi, Seat and Skoda; and Ford shares it with Jaguar, Mazda and Volvo.

e.g. The Focus uses the same underpinnings as the Volvo S40 and Mazda 3.

Talking of eggs, has anyone seen that Nissan Pivo at the Tokyo Motor Show?

Car Expert

No, but now you've mentioned it I shall go and look that one up. Egg of all eggs is it????



Only Nissan could do it this well, or should I say badly!

The cabin of the Pivo rotates to make parking easier!

Car Expert

It's eco-friendly, it's small, it's easier to park, but that's about it. A glass bubble is not much use for todays motoring, but concept cars like this have been appearing at motor shows for years. They also tend not to be aesthetically pleasing on the eye.

Lets face it the human race has an ever increasing obsession with big cars, going fast and jetting off on holidays around the world. Quite what will happen when the fossil fuels run out in in a few decades, I have no idea, but I can't imagine we will have developed a replacement fuel that will satisfy our lust for speed. We may need to accept that nuclear power could be our only answer.

Otherwise, back to the horse and cart I guess!! Imagine what the traffic reports would sound like for the M1; motorway closed due to an overturned four-in-hand Landau carriage.

I fell in love with them after first driving one, they seem to be holding their value pretty well too, and seem to be rarer than Porsche 911's. How's the guitar playing going ?

Usually, Renault make the strangest concepts, such as the Racoon, Zoom, Argos, Initiale (which is now a Renault trim level), Ludo, Modus (a different version is now on sale), Fiftie and Pangea. These are all based on a book I've got called 'Cars' by Martin Buckley & Chris Rees.

I watched that programme (think it was on earlier this year) about 4x4s, and if they should have certain laws. What Car? did a report in one of their magazines about this; I'll have a look for it. It might even be on their website.

Yes, I know! The whole contry could be gridlocked!


The guitar's going fine at the moment! Got no lesson next week because the music service are busy!

Car Expert