So I've got this Mercedes and I have questions

Your very good with the spanning
Why not try and tighten them up?
F T plus 1/2 turn works for pretty much all car bolts, esp the stretch ones.

Just buy a new car.

As in brand new. That way you get to make some poor after sales team really miserable by bombarding them with your automotive paranoia.

What about the old Passat? Are you going to try and sort that? Might take your mind off the Merc.

How much has this laudable attempt at frugality

I know you mean well mate but you haven't really understood this episode or in fact any of the stories, it seems.

I don't really feel like explaining it again because then it turns into a long 'isnt Molgrips stupid*' thread when really every decision along the way has been pretty rationally made and weighed up.

I get a bit tired of constantly defending myself against people who've made incorrect assumptions based on threads I start simply asking questions about cars.

* That sometimes turn into 'poor foolish molgrips we're only trying to help' which isn't much better tbh.

I'm not sure the labels of frugal or tight-arse are fair given he's spent 13k on a Merc and also just got a new EV!

Good luck getting it sorted 👍

when really every decision along the way has been pretty rationally made

Molly, in all the years you've been posting here about all the hassle you have with them (much of it self-inflicted) the idea that you make rational decisions about cars is risable.

Acceptance is the first step.

I think that we can settle this with a little straw poll....

Would you buy a used car off Molls?

😀

Molly, in all the years you’ve been posting here about all the hassle you have with them (much of it self-inflicted) the idea that you make rational decisions about cars is risable.

Well STW would have had me buy a new car and then probably castigated me for getting into the debt that would have required. You lot seem to think everyone has unlimited funds. All that messing with the old Passat was because I couldn't afford to pay anyone to fix it and I couldn't afford to even borrow money for a new one. I actually did try to pay people to fix it at first, following the usual advice of going to an indy, and he ended up ****ing it up completely and then going out of business.

I have no desire to **** about with cars endlessly, I just did what I had to do. You lot don't know the while story because you don't know the state of my finances through it all.

But let's stop talking about me shall we?

Would you buy a used car off Molls?

Mate the mockery is beginning to feel a bit less than pleasant at this point.

Sorry Molls. I'm not mocking. I'm just being my usual flippant self. You know I love you mate. I just wouldn't buy a car off you. 😉

For what its worth, I'm still driving the same Octavia vRS estate I bought new in 2005 (now with 140,000 miles on the clock and still going strong). Cars aren't something I give an awful lot of thought to. I'm the same as NickC... buy it, put petrol in it, drive it, have it serviced and maintained by a good, reliable local garage, not spend any time worrying about it.

The vehicles you own do seem to end up owning you

I don’t really feel like explaining it again because then it turns into a long ‘isnt Molgrips stupid*’ thread

And that wasn't what I was implying at all. Rather, I feel for you, I've been there myself, and it's painful watching someone else go through it.

I don't know the state of your finances but however you slice it, you've got two cars. One is seemingly in bits more than it's on the road, the other you don't like and are on about throwing a ton of cash at it to hopefully make it slightly less dislikeable. Whatever their value, one car for the price of two is going to be an improvement.

It the VW SORNed or are you paying insurance, tax, MOT on two cars as well? What's that lot costing you?

Don't worry Mols I taught Mr Wolf how to deal with situations.

1. the Passat just needs 2 washers, put 3 on, each nut, this will give you a secure fixing and an mot.

2. take the Merc to a decent local garage, tell them you have a rattle, can they look at it.

3. sell one of them and spread the cash out on the floor then lie on it, just for kicks.

I don't know why I'm responding but..

One is seemingly in bits more than it’s on the road,

No, it's done 160k miles in 15 years and is in excellent mechanical condition, because I have changed loads of stuff on it and kept it running nicely. It has the stripped bolt and that's an easy fix. I'm just not going to do it myself.

the other you don’t like and are on about throwing a ton of cash at it to hopefully make it slightly less dislikeable.

I like it now. This was stated in the thread, and clearly if I didn't I wouldn't be bothering. As for a ton of cash - I *might* chuck £250 at it if I decide it's worth it. I might also get new wheels, but I'd easily make my money back on that later and it's definitely going to improve it.

The vehicles you own do seem to end up owning you

I take an interest in everything I do. If something's wrong, I fix it, or get it fixed.

What you all have to remember is that just because I am thinking about something doesn't mean that it's a problem that I want someone to solve. I usually just post asking a specific question, and then you all pile in telling me what to do. This is actually far more stressful than anything the car actually does.

I usually just post asking a specific question, and then you all pile in telling me what to do. This is actually far more stressful than anything the car actually does.

On one hand, some of the ribbing that's taking place is becoming unpleasant, I agree with you. On the other hand, this forum has always had a sarcastic edge to it and the nature of forums is that people are going to insert their opinion (like this one).

No, it’s done 160k miles in 15 years and is in excellent mechanical condition, because I have changed loads of stuff on it and kept it running nicely. It has the stripped bolt and that’s an easy fix. I’m just not going to do it myself.

Why did you need the Merc then?

I like it now. This was stated in the thread,

I missed that, apologies. Why do you still need the Passat then? Is it your intention to move to being a two-car family?

Why did you need the Merc then?

Because he stripped a bolt on the Passat just before going on holiday. Do keep up 🙂

Of course I'm selling the Passat. I'm going to get it fixed first though.

The Merc wasn't the ideal purchase from the peace of mind standpoint, but as said I didn't have a lot of options and I was under a lot of stress. And it's a great car in other ways. Really was brilliant on holiday.

For stripped thread/stuck bolts etc just get the gas torch on it - can't be stuck if it's liquid!

I'm with molgrips on this one though, I often avoid asking questions on here due to the pile-on from folk. Just not worth it.

On a tangent, what I really want to know is how @nickc is getting on with rotaku.

(CLWRota for the win by the way)

What you all have to remember is that just because I am thinking about something doesn’t mean that it’s a problem that I want someone to solve. I usually just post asking a specific question, and then you all pile in telling me what to do. This is actually far more stressful than anything the car actually does

This is interesting, I'm fairly new to this forum and find it..fairly helpful, certainly people try to be, perhaps too much and perhaps not always very well, I don't read much sarcasm other than a few attempts at being funny(myself included) but then I'm used to forums that you can get shredded for having the audacity to have an opinion that differs, this place is a breath of fresh air, you mustn't take things personally.

@espressoal

It's hard not to take it personally after the umpteenth time. It grinds you down. There are people here that think they are hilarious but actually just tedious. Wait until the umpteenth time the front page has 10 hilarious clone threads and see if it's still amusing.

I’m used to forums that you can get shredded for having the audacity to have an opinion that differs

Welcome! 😀

On a tangent, what I really want to know is how @nickc is getting on with rotaku.

who ever thought that giving GPs holidays would be a good idea, needs a stern talking to, that's all I'm saying

who ever thought that giving GPs holidays would be a good idea, needs a stern talking to, that’s all I’m saying

I assume there are also primary care equivalents of ‘Dr A and Mr B won’t work with each other, Dr C doesn’t work Wednesdays, Dr D doesn’t do vascular or obs, it’s Dr E’s ITU block…”?

I’m fairly new to this forum

Where's PP when you need him...

This is interesting, I’m fairly new to this forum

I'm not, I hang around here all the time, but there are certain kinds of threads that promote disapproval and yes, a bit of mockery. And certain posters have a knack for posting them from time to time. It's often stuff like where someone asks a question and people say 'why do you want to know that why don't you just do something else?' and then people like me respond with a deeper explanation and that ends up being ridiculed or torn apart in some other way, then I end up trying to defend myself and it all starts to get personal.

Where’s PP when you need him…

Seriously you have a member called 'PP' ha! can't wait to meet him.

PerchyPanther, he's been AWOL for a while actually. Fae Wishy.

Mol, to be fair, you asked in your first post if the car was a liability with expensive failures waiting to happen.

We now know that it has corrosion problems, unsuitable wheels and other issues.

You asked a question.
You received answers.
You ignored the advice given in many of those answers.

Basic knowledge of human nature would suggest that this is going to result in a little light piss taking.
I refuse to believe that you are naive enough not to know that this would be the inevitable outcome.

The Merc wasn’t the ideal purchase from the peace of mind standpoint, but as said I didn’t have a lot of options and I was under a lot of stress.

A horrible situation. I have had a car fail the day before a holiday. In fact, it happened twice with the same car.
I feel for you.
But you now have time to look at this rationally and perhaps to seriously consider the advice you have been given.

Molly, I know you're not new to the internet, but I learned a long time ago* that unless you ask a [b]very[/b] specific question, with no possible way it can be misinterpreted, asking a general question on a general forum is like asking a bunch of scaffolders to solve your Rubik's cube.

You'll be told: you're thick, it's not a Rubik's cube, best thing is to bin it, it doesn't need solving, most will just hit it with a hammer because that's all they know, some genius will peer over their solved sudoku and say nothing but you'll never hear their opinion and everyone that's left will tell you that you should have bought a jigsaw, because that's what they did.

*Still haven't learned

We now know that it has corrosion problems, the wrong wheels and other issues.

I think you've completely misunderstood.

- It doesn't have corrosion problems, it has some light corrosion on swingarms that one guy thought be treated. Most cars have that at that age (if the swingarms are steel), doesn't mean the bodywork is full of holes.

- The wheels aren't wrong, I just fancy changing them.

- According to the specialists it doesn't have any problems. I think that the engine mounts are tired and I fancy replacing them, but that is to be expected on that car at that age.

You asked for advice.
You received advice.
You ignored the advice, which has not come as a surprise.

No, I didn't ask for advice, I asked specific questions about the car, from people who might've had experience of these cars. I did NOT ask what I should do. However, people queued up to give me bad advice - I was told to hand the car back which I am NOT ENTITLED TO DO; I was told to take it back to the dealer to ask for them to fix it, WHICH I DID; I was told to leave it on their doorstep and demand a refund, BUT I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO GROUNDS TO DO THAT and they'd have laughed at me.

Honestly, it's as if some people are deliberately mis-reading the thread.

@bearnecessitites yeah you're right, in my stressed out state I forgot the basics.

I’m not, I hang around here all the time, but there are certain kinds of threads that promote disapproval and yes, a bit of mockery. And certain posters have a knack for posting them from time to time. It’s often stuff like where someone asks a question and people say ‘why do you want to know that why don’t you just do something else?’ and then people like me respond with a deeper explanation and that ends up being ridiculed or torn apart in some other way, then I end up trying to defend myself and it all starts to get personal.

I was on forums before they invented the internet, there are always people who tear you down, it's just a thing, they sit there in their pants behind a keyboard and think they are winning at something, they're not, they're sitting in their pants being a dick, it was their destiny.

What you might want to avoid is asking a question then letting it become a long running saga, from responses in this thread I'm guessing this was not your first autotragedy..not that it is but it seems to have turned into one, the key is that when there is nothing left to say, and you have just spend two and a half painful minutes locating the thread and finding where you are(the forums I was on before they invented the internet were more modern) then you feel compelled to say something, and the easy option given no new news to comment on, is ask why or similar.

OK Mol.

You'll notice I changed a couple of aspects of my post before you replied.

No, I didn’t ask for advice, I asked specific questions about the car, from people who might’ve had experience of these cars. I did NOT ask what I should do.

You asked......

Is it a liability with expensive failures waiting to happen?

Did you genuinely expect a yes/no answer without anyone offering advice?
Sorry, people just don't work that way.

I'm not here to argue with you, as I've said previously, good luck with it.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but if you ever genuinely ask for advice on here I think some of your responses on this thread might have an adverse effect on the amount of people willing to provide it.

Peace.

I’m not, I hang around here all the time, but there are certain kinds of threads that promote disapproval and yes, a bit of mockery. And certain posters have a knack for posting them from time to time. It’s often stuff like where someone asks a question and people say ‘why do you want to know that why don’t you just do something else?’ and then people like me respond with a deeper explanation and that ends up being ridiculed or torn apart in some other way, then I end up trying to defend myself and it all starts to get personal.

I call this phenomenon “Renton’s Dustbin”. It’s exactly how decent people asking questions get hounded off of forums by other keyboard warriors. You know we’ve had this with Renton, Hora and Weeksy had a bad time recently, I’ve experienced it and there are undoubtably others.

Just let it go. Let the thread die, don’t read it again and stop providing ammo for everyone to comment against as I suspected even the well intentioned is being read with a bit of mental stress that’s just tiring you out now. If unfortunately you don’t have your answers quietly slope off and use other sources.

I'll update it with car things, it's meant to be a thread about cars and hopefully we can have some car chat.

bearnecessities' comment is genius :clapping hands:

Now then. My VW Passat has developed a squeaking/whistling noise when I turn on the AC. Any Passat owners on here got any tips?

new rubber band / drive belt on the compressor?
some oil for the blower fan bearing?

standard disclaimer, I've never fixed a squeaky AC, although I do own a Passat

Now then. My VW Passat has developed a squeaking/whistling noise when I turn on the AC.

I leave my AC on all the time, keeps everything in good nick.

My VW Passat has developed a squeaking/whistling noise when I turn on the AC. Any Passat owners on here got any tips?

In the words of a Haynes manual...

"and simply remove the AC unit..."

Definitely take the car to pieces. Don't forget to post plenty of pictures

Sounds like a belt. Hard to say though. Do you mean actual AC or just the fan?

Is there a decent Merc owners'/enthusiast forum where you can get a more informed answer without the noise? You'll likely find other people who've had the same issues and worked out the best solution. I've found the water-cooled VW forums brilliant for advice on specific faults, part suppliers and specialist independents and no-one's ever been snide or condescending with me.

Yeah I'd thought of that. And a popular opinion is.. engine mounts...

“and simply remove the AC unit…”

lol.

Internet says easy. Mr Knob spends an hour upside down in the passenger footwell, swears, says not. I do suspect I just need to put a squirt on GT-85 on a spinning thing.

But to get the AC unit out I have to remove the glove box assembly which gets uncomfortably close to air bag gubbins.

I am out.

I do suspect I just need to put a squirt on GT-85 on a spinning thing.

My old Polo had a terrible squeaky rattle. After beating the crap out of the interior at various points I realised it was the fan. I fixed it by spraying plenty of WD40 into the air intake in the scuttle drain with the fan going. Worked well for ages til I got rid of it.

Leaves in the pollen filter

which gets uncomfortably close to air bag gubbins.

what d'you mean you don't like to have your head next to some electrically fired chemical explosives...what could possibly go wrong?

Leaves in the pollen filter

This wont fix the engine mounts or the air con.

HTH

but will stop the trains

WD40 into the air intake in the scuttle drain with the fan going

Ah, crafty!

But it reminds me I need to change my pollen filter, good call there.

Aircon is witchcraft to me, but there are only a couple of moving parts to squeak, fan bearings? belt, bearings inside the motor thing that turns the belt?

Quite like the idea of a continually running 'car problem' thread.

Quite like the idea of a continually running ‘car problem’ thread.

Or even a non-running car problem thread 😉

wwaswas
Full Member

Welcome back!

WD40 into the air intake in the scuttle drain with the fan going

Well, WD40 into the intakes worked well enough for FAA Buccaneers.

Quite like the idea of a continually running ‘car problem’ thread.

Would we be allowed to offer advice? 🙂

Yeah I’d thought of that. And a popular opinion is.. engine mounts…

Take that, binners!

Would we be allowed to offer advice?

Only if asked for 😉

Even my wife heard the vibration when I pointed it out. I think that I've had the car long enough to notice it and I know when it's going to happen, but a test driving mechanic won't necessarily. She also thought the car more grumbly sounding since we got it. A bit like me obvs.

There are people here that think they are hilarious but actually just tedious.

"I'm in this post and I don't like it."

However, people queued up to give me bad advice – I was told to hand the car back which I am NOT ENTITLED TO DO; I was told to take it back to the dealer to ask for them to fix it, WHICH I DID; I was told to leave it on their doorstep and demand a refund, BUT I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO GROUNDS TO DO THAT and they’d have laughed at me.

Yes you are and yes you do. Your statutory consumer rights don't change even if you use capital letters. If you buy a used car from a dealer then you have the same rights as new, you can take it back for a refund within the first 30 days if it proves faulty.

It's not bad advice, it's just advice you didn't want to hear and refused to listen to. That's not everyone else's fault.

If you buy a used car from a dealer then you have the same rights as new, you can take it back for a refund within the first 30 days if it proves faulty.

Yes but as I said at the time, what constitutes a fault is not well defined and open to a lot of arguing. As we have established, there's plenty of doubt.

Sorry if I've missed the bit where you took it back to the selling dealer (and asked them to fix it) - I've read through the thread and had the impression you'd taken it to an indy Merc garage (and others places) for an assessment. What did the original dealer say when you took it back and asked them?

What did the original dealer say when you took it back and asked them?

They said it's fine, of course, and the jerky shifting and rattle was to be expected on a Mercedes.

However they did say that it needed a software update so I can take it to Mercedes at their expense. I'll ask them about the rattle. The problem is that it's not obvious when you drive it for a few minutes, but after you've had it a while and been in a few queues of traffic you notice it.

Do you actually want to turn this thread into an infinite loop?

I've had an absolute motoring nightmare today.....our old Volvo that I tried swopping with Molgrips earlier in this thread failed it's MOT after I've chucked £2.5k of parts and 6months of my time at it.
Bloody headlight bulb wasn't seated properly and threw the pattern out. MOT man on his own short-staffed so I have to take it back tomorrow!

The shame of a blighted 'MOT history check' 😢

It's a relief when it's something simple.

Have you taken into account that it's an in-line engine rather than transverse? My C-wagon gives a sideways judder when it's running stop-start.

Mrs K knock the wheel arch trim off the Beater the other day.

I hammered it back on with a rubber mallet.

Ok - it might be that Molgrips hasn’t done everything exactly how those posting on this thread may have done, but it’s clear that this thread is starting to frustrate/upset him, so why don’t we all just leave it be, and leave it to Molgrips to update us if he wishes if he gets it fixed/it gets worse.

Molgrips may I suggest doing what we've just done with our 104k mile C250D estate which was starting to get spendy maintenence issues and take it to webuyanycar then find a way of living with just your EV.

Seems reasonable @towpathman

(BTW my "infinite loop" comment was directed at Dafydd17 rather than molgrips).

find a way of living with just your EV.

This is the only reason I run older cars - I reckon 2006 is the cut off for DIY tinkering after that DMF / DPF / adblue / hybrids etc just add increased complexity. When our Volvo/Golf/Transit die then 2nd gen EV's will be in our budget.
EV's can't tow caravans yet though.

I really like the Hyundai and I'd be happy to stick with it but until my youngest finishes primary school in 11 or so months' time we still need two cars. I'm not using one (yet), but I'm contractually obliged by work to have one or give up about £430/mo. Ok so I've now lost much of that on loan payments/insurance etc but we'll get some of that back.

The Hyundai can't tow a caravan so that'd scupper our family holidays really. Some EVs can, however, and whilst they are the expensive ones it's still an option for one car. The issue currently would be heading off into rural Wales and finding a charger when your range is halved. I can't wait to be rid of ICE, the time is coming for us but it's not here yet.

I reckon 2006 is the cut off for DIY tinkering after that DMF / DPF / adblue / hybrids etc just add increased complexity.

Hybrids are pretty solid, and most 2006 diesels have DMFs I'd expect. We had a battery issue with the Prius, to be fair, but it was good otherwise. Probably cost us about a grand in repairs over the 15 years we had it.

molgrips, have you considered just not having the caravan? then you wouldn't need the tow bar, or diesel car, and the saving would give you a rather excellent hotel...in Portugal.

I reckon 2006 is the cut off for DIY tinkering after that DMF / DPF / adblue / hybrids etc just add increased complexity.

Nah, both of mine are newer than that and no problem. Not by much mind but with a laptop and suitable interface it's still all in reach.

“I’m in this post and I don’t like it.”

Lol, you tend to be more of a miserable shite TBF 😉

molgrips, have you considered just not having the caravan?

Yes, of course. We didn't always have one, in fact...

Sometimes solutions come from just not doing something.

I hate caravans, my experience was it's harder work than staying at home and when you arrive at a caravan site it's like a housing estate on wheels, with everyone sitting outside their little wheeled houses drinking beer.

Then you use the same shower noooo, I didn't like it.

I hate caravans, my experience was it’s harder work than staying at home and when you arrive at a caravan site it’s like a housing estate on wheels, with everyone sitting outside their little wheeled houses drinking beer.

Don't stay in those sites then. There are alternatives.

This was our place for about 10 days. Down the hill in the foreground is a cove with a little beach, where we took the kayak and paddleboard. The Pembrokeshire coast path runs along the top of the cliff 300m or so away. The people either side of us left a few days after this pic so there was only one other van there. Also, our van has a toilet and a shower. Site was £10/night.

[img] [/img]

Dunno about you but our house isn't in the Pembrokeshire coast national park and it doesn't have a local secluded beach either 🙂

Then you use the same shower shitter noooo, I didn’t like it.

I rocked up to my plastic khazi on a French campsite and settled in for some quality ankle pins and needles time when I heard a loud grunting/graunching/plopping/sploshing noise from directly next door with a bit of gruff German that I mentally translated to mean 'i don't remember eating that'.

My turtle pulled its head back in and I figured I'd taken a trip to the nice Thailand island of No-kan-poo. I opened the door the same time as Helga the rotund Croc wearing German woman left the traps.

Nothing has put me off camping/caravan sites more than unisex communal toilets. At least in hotels you have the privacy to urinate into your bedside kettle.

That's quite different from my caravanning experience, keep the caravan, car looks pretty nice there too, now if you had started the thread off with that...

I rocked up to my plastic khazi on a French campsite and settled in for some quality ankle pins and needles time when I heard a loud grunting/graunching/plopping/sploshing noise from directly next door with a bit of gruff German that I mentally translated to mean ‘i don’t remember eating that’.

I think I can smell it just reading that ha.

I got in a campsite shower once and the guy that just came out was still farting about doing something outside, then someone else came in and they struck up conversation with.. 'have you ever pissed in a shower?' and the answer was 'oh loads of times'.