The Ford Transit is probably one of the most common vans seen on the road today and is championed by tradesmen and delivery drivers up and down the country.
With the latest edition to the Transit range the 2.0 EcoBlue TDCI you get a Timing Belt in replacement of the old Timing Chain which Ford recommend to be replaced at 150,000 miles or ten years.
What we are seeing in the trade though is timing belt failures well before either the 150,000 mile interval or the ten year time frame.
We are recommending customers to get theirs changed around 60,000 miles or five years to prevent the chance of failure and a hefty bill for un-necessary engine repairs caused by the failure.
This VW Scirocco came into us with an intermittent running fault, it would randomly put the engine management light on and go into limp mode.
Firstly we carried out a diagnostic code read to see if there were any stored codes and what they related to?
Several codes were stored relating to faults in different systems! Oxygen sensor, Boost pressure and EGR system.
We decided to carry out a smoke test on the intake system as all of these faults can be affected by an air or boost leak.
(A Smoke Tester fills a system with lightly pressurized smoke allowing the user to see any small leaks that may not be obvious to the naked eye.)
We found a leak from around the inter-cooler area but the car needed stripping further to be able to access this area, once the bumper had been removed we could see clearly that there was a split in the inter-cooler housing which was small enough to allow the car to still run reasonably well but bad enough to throw out several sensor readings.
Big Strip Down To Remove The Inter Cooler.Split Inter Cooler.
After we replaced the inter-cooler and cleared all related fault codes we carried out a road test and checked live data, all sensors were reading as they should and the car drove perfectly without putting the engine management light on and no more limp mode.
The Renault TWIZY is a 100% electric vehicle, consisting of a battery power source, electric motor and gearbox. It is an urban electric two-seater that is super fun to drive on warm sunny days.
This particular TWIZY came in for a few service items to be carried out to keep it in tiptop condition ready for our UK summer.
First job was the ‘Gearbox oil change’ but as the TWIZY is to small to fit on our ramps we had to carry this out on the floor using jacks and axel stands.
The Renault TWIZY’s gear box can get noisy over time due to the additives in the oil failing due to age and heat so it is advised as a service item to have it changed.
The little Renault TWIZY getting a gear oil change.
Once the TWIZY is safely up on the axel stands remove the under tray which will allow you ta see the gearbox.
Remove the 6mm allen key drain bung from the bottom of the gearbox and allow the oil to drain into a catch bowl, the drain bung has a small magnet on it which is designed to catch any small metallic filings from inside the gearbox, make sure you check for this and clean it before replacement.
Once the oil has completely drained refit the drain bung making sure to use a new sealing washer.
To refill the gearbox remove the 6mm allen key fill bung located above the drain bung (looks more like a bolt).
Fill the gearbox using either a fluid pump or gravity bottle, as the fill hole is very small it can take a while to get the oil in.
Refit the under tray, remove axel stands and carry out a road test.
Brake Fluid Change.
The second job on this little TWIZY was to carry out a full brake fluid flush, which consists of sucking the brake fluid through all four brake callipers until all the old fluid in the system is replaced with new fluid.
The reason for brake fluid changes is that brake fluid has hygroscopic properties which basically means it absorbs moisture from the air.
Brake fluid can reach some very high temperatures under heavy braking but it has a boiling point of around 250 degrees Celsius. As the Brake fluid starts to absorb moisture from the air this boiling point starts to get lower until eventually it becomes so low that even under normal braking the fluid will start to boil and cause brake fade.
This being said a lot of garages use ‘Brake Fluid Changes’ as a regular add on to a Service. We however carry out a moisture content test as part of our Service and only replace it when it is required, unless it is stated for warranty purposes of course.
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Number of misguided motorists that avoid servicing over cost fears is “alarming”
Half of UK drivers worry about unexpected car bills, survey finds
Don’t Miss Your Service !
Millions of motorists are avoiding car maintenance over fears of unexpected problems, with many admitting that they avoid getting their car serviced in case vehicle faults are found.
Around half of UK drivers (47 per cent) worry about having to pay for unexpected car repairs.
The survey of 2,000 motorists also found that a quarter (24 per cent) of those who worry about unexpected problems say this uncertainty is putting them off getting their car serviced.
The research suggests that drivers are paying hundreds of pounds to pass an MOT, with five per cent paying £1,000 or more to get their vehicle through the test.
Further MOT analysis reveals that around 40 per cent of cars fail their MOT at the first attempt.
Lauren French, product manager at RAC MOT Assist, the company behind the research, said: “Clearly, taking a car in for a service or MOT can be a nerve-wracking experience with many drivers concerned about what might be uncovered, and the unpleasant financial consequences that can result.
“But it’s even more alarming that this experience is enough to put some people off getting their car serviced in the future.
“Just how many people are driving vehicles on the UK’s roads that they know have problems?
“The best advice to any driver is to keep on top of servicing and maintenance work – the quicker problems are identified, often the cheaper they are to remedy.”
“Spread your Servicing and MOT costs.”
Here at Aarons Autos we advise our customers to spread their servicing and MOT if cost is an issue, this way they can plan for the up-coming months.
If the car has any advisories on the MOT they can save money and have those carried out with a ‘Service’ six months later, and also if we find anything on the service they can save and have the work done when there MOT is due.
Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world
This Range Rover came into us after failing its MOT on the rear hub lower spherical bushes having excessive movement.
Once we had removed the wheels and disconnected the lower suspension arms we could get a good look at the bushes and what we had to deal with.
The cir-clip that holds the bushes in place had completely rotted into the hub not allowing us to remove it in the conventional way, which meant we had to improvise!
Cir-Clip rusted into the bush and hub.
As you can see from the above picture we had to grind into the bush until we reached what was left of the Cir-Clip to be able to remove it.
Weaken the bush.
After grinding enough of the bush away to access and remove the Cir-Clip we cut into the side wall of the bush to make pressing it out easier.
Bush removed.
Voila, bush pressed out using our bearing and bush pulling tool, hole cleaned up and greased ready for the new bush to be pressed into place.
Bush tool.
Here you can see the bearing and bush pulling tool being used to press in the new bush, once the new bush is pressed in we just need to fit the new Cir-Clip and then begin the rebuild.
New bush and Cir-Clip fitted.
New bush fitted and a new Cir-Clip fitted, after a quick rebuild the car was ready to go back to the customer for its MOT retest.
At Aarons Autos no job is to big or to small, we will en-devour to repair any car that comes through our doors.
Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world
Peugeot RCZ engine management light on Fault code P0016 and engine rattle.
We see quite a few Peugeot RCZ’s with engine management lights on and when diagnosed the fault code is P0016 Synchronization lack of coherence between engine speed sensor (crank sensor) and inlet camshaft sensor. This means that the engine is sensing that the timing of the vehicle engine is incorrect when running. The reason for this is that on this engine model (that is also fitted in the BMW MINI and other vehicles) the timing chain stretches due to either a mechanical component being worn, not being serviced regularly or low oil levels.
peugeot rcz timing chain aarons autos derby P0016
Peugeot RCZ 2012 fault code P0016
With the Diagnostic code read taken place we first remove the rocker cover and fit the engine timing pins to see how stretched the chain is but on this one we could see even with fitting the engine timing pins how far the chain had stretched.
peugeot rcz timing chain aarons autos derby P0016
Rocker cover removed with no timing pins fitted.
Having timed the crank and inserted the timing pin we went to time the cams and as you can see they were many teeth out. The two cam timing plates should meet together in the middle and both together.
peugeot rcz timing chain aarons autos derby P0016
Timing tool fitted showing how incorrect the timing was.
We removed the Chain and corrected the timing so that the new timing chain kit could be fitted.
With the new timing chain kit fitted and a oil and filter change completed the ecu was reset and the car ran allot quieter with no engine management light or code coming back on.
peugeot rcz timing chain aarons autos derby P0016
https://youtu.be/AkQTHUgsOSM Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world
Ford Transit Chassis Cab Extra LWB for MOT Welding.
This Ford Transit extra LWB (Long Wheel Base) had been specially adapted for the customer many years ago to enable it to carry extra long loads. It came in to us for its annual MOT, whilst carrying out the MOT it became apparent that the extension section of the chassis which makes this van an ‘Extra LWB’ was made from a lower quality steel than the original chassis and was in very poor condition.
Corroded Chassis Leg & Cross Member
After removing the body from the chassis we could see what we had to deal with and realised we would have to completely replace the cross member as well as repairing the chassis legs.
Assessing the Corrosion
The structural integrity of the the chassis legs was still very good and it was just the thin outer skin that was holed and corroded so we decided to sleeve the complete chassis leg to increase the strength of the existing legs.
New Sleeve And Top Being Welded Into Place
“MOT Welding on Transit Van”
Once both chassis leg sleeves and tops had been welded into place it was time to align and fit the new cross member, the cross member also supports the prop shaft so needs to be perfectly in line as to not cause any vibrations.
Cross Member And Modified Prop Mount Fitted
Next job was to weld the top onto the cross member and seem seal and paint the chassis to help keep it protected.
Sealed & Painted
After completing this section there were a few plates to be made for the rear section of the chassis then the welding would be complete and we could refit the body.
One Rear Section Completed
“Time to refit the LWB body”
Body Bolted Back Into Place
Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world
As some of you may know we decided sell our beloved Clio Cup race car and move up to a Honda Type R which will make us able to race in higher class’s.
Over the last few months we have been testing the car to make sure it doesn’t have any issues and for us to get some well needed seat time to get used to the new car, many thanks to Chris from Circuit Days for the track time and his input into how the car handled.
The first test day was at Donington Park which is our local circuit and would be good to see how it compared to the old Clio, after the test day we realised that in general the car was very good but the suspension seemed a bit to soft for how we wanted the car to handle.
After doing plenty of home work we opted for the Yellow Speed Racing coil overs (as used in the Civic Cup) with bespoke spring rates, we managed to get the kit fitted and setup before our second test day which was to be at Rockingham Race Way.
The test day at Rockingham was a great success, the new suspension had transformed the car into exactly what we wanted, the car was now planted, balanced and very controllable, we even managed to get a few laps with one of the cars we will be racing against next year and realised that even though the car was more than capable of keeping up we needed more seat time!
Our third and final test day of 2018 was at Oulton Park and it was wet, ideally we wanted a dry day to see if our times were good but we also new we needed to test in the wet so it wasn’t all bad, with our wet tyres on the car handled brilliantly and we were getting more and more confident as the day went on.
In the afternoon the rain had died off and there was a dry line appearing on the track so we decided to try our dry tyres to see how it would handle on a drying track, the car behaved in general but was a little twitchy on the back end which was to be expected.
In conclusion we are very happy with car and have managed to get it to a point where we are happy to race it.
Now for the strip down over winter and over to the bodyshop for our new paint scheme for next year, stay tuned for more updates.
