Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

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Dormouse
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Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

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I have just joined the ranks of the French Car-less brigade and replaced our Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 with a Suzuki Vitara SZ-T. Why? Because we couldn't find any reliable garages that would work on an EV. Yes, a Hybrid4 is apparently an EV. At the beginning of the year we wanted to have the main generator belt replaced after its 7 year stint so got our usual garage to fit a brand new Gates belt and new idler pulleys which we sourced and supplied. The belt lasted 200 miles and snapped. The garage said they just fitted it as tight as they could and, no, they did not use a tension guage!!?? Several phone calls later and we discovered that garages don't like working on EVs - even the EV accredited ones. Peugeot Kirkcaldy wouldn't even say they would do it. They said phone back in 2 months, they were fully booked! Well, the red mist descended and I bought a Dayco ultrasonic belt tension meter and another Gates belt which I fitted myself. My poor knees were b******d for a week afterwards. Now, scroll forward a few months and the car is approaching the 120000 mile cam belt change. Same pantomime! No one interested in working on EVs and one EV accredited garage said they had no experience of changing the cambelt!!!! It's a cambelt!? Anyway, SWMBO stepped in immediately and forebade me from fitting it myself - don't even think about it.
So, do we drive down to our daughter's for a week and get the Hybrid4 specialists to do the work, bearing in mind I reckoned she needed rear springs/shocks and probably rear wheel bearings to be right, or do we cut the ties to a lovely car and find a younger replacement?
Enter one quality, pre-owned, fully checked Suzuki Vitara from a main dealer in Edinburgh.
The day came and we swapped over our Peugeot for the Suzuki. Pulled out of the garage straight towards the M8 fiddling with the non responsive sat nav as we drove. Accelerated up to speed on the motorway and, hey presto, MIL light and limp mode. Limped back and was given an electric Corsa courtesy car which after one week at 1100 miles came up with a bright red warning triangle! A replacement petrol Mokka arrived for the next 3 weeks while they scratched whatever they scratched. They tried 3 times to deliver the car and 3 times the MIL light came on while on the M8. Fourth time lucky, as they say. I don't know how many parts they loaded into the Parts Cannon, but it was a lot! Anyway, the Vitara arrived (after 4 weeks and 4 attempts ) so, did the sat nav work? No. It didn't have a map SD card in the head unit! Well, no wonder it won't work. Replaced the map data and, hey presto, the display shows Edinburgh. But, wait a minute, we are in Fife? Not to worry, a trip to Redditch will surely get the satellites to fix? Nope! Dab radio not working great either so is it an aerial issue. Well, yes and no. After a lot of googling and trawling through Suzuki forums I had that "Marc" moment and realised that a lot of the basic info and test procedures were covered by Marc's articles in the telematics section of FCF. So, thank you to Marc and FCF for such comprehensive coverage of so many diverse subjects. It took a lot of reading and transposing over other threads but at least it was in one place, consistent and logical.
So, FCF proved how thorough and useful it can be, even on non French cars.
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CitroJim
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

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Oh gosh, what a proper ball-ache that's all been Dormouse :evil:

Good to see you back on here :) Don't be a stranger ;)
Jim

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Dormouse
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

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Why a Suzuki Vitara? Well, some of you might remember we had a Suzuki SX4 for a while and it worked great, was economical and, most importantly, was comfortable to get in and out of and drive. The new Vitara is just an SX4 in a new suit so it turned out to be comfortable and very economical just like it's sibling. We can drive to the shops or to Redditch and not feel uncomfortable. The Corsa was awful. My right knee ended up against a corner on the door rest and by the time it had done 30 miles my knee was in agony. No matter what I did with the seat I could not get comfortable and getting in and out was a real struggle. In some respects I was glad when it broke down and they took it away.
Anyway, lucky white heather as they say. Got the tee shirt to prove it.
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Dormouse
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

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CitroJim wrote: 19 Sep 2024, 08:52 Oh gosh, what a proper ball-ache that's all been Dormouse :evil:

Good to see you back on here :) Don't be a stranger ;)
This was the abridged version. You want to see what the full version was like - you honestly couldn't have written it. If I told the complete story I would be accused of making it up.
Cheers and thanks.
Gibbo2286
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

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Our local Citroen dealer who had been so for 50+ added a Suzuki dealership a couple of years ago, the storeman says it's much better to deal with for parts than Citroen ever was.
https://www.motorhousecoleford.co.uk/ev ... /about-us/
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GiveMeABreak
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

Unread post by GiveMeABreak »

What a nightmare! Lucky there wasn't too much damage from the belt snapping and this doesn't bode well. I'm glad you seem for the moment to have things under control and glad you were able to get some help from the Forum.

:rant2: 'They're' pushing us into this EV oblivion more and more quickly. I can see second hand ICE vehicles rocketing in price on the road up to 2025. We are just not ready to have this forced on us. The marketplace should dictate the pace, not clueless politicians. :rant2:
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mickthemaverick
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

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GiveMeABreak wrote: 19 Sep 2024, 09:26 :rant2: 'They're' pushing us into this EV oblivion more and more quickly. I can see second hand ICE vehicles rocketing in price on the road up to 2025. We are just not ready to have this forced on us. The marketplace should dictate the pace, not clueless politicians. :rant2:
Seconded!! :evil:
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Gibbo2286
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

Unread post by Gibbo2286 »

Got a pair of old 'stick in the muds' here. :-D
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Dormouse
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

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Gibbo2286 wrote: 19 Sep 2024, 09:41 Got a pair of old 'stick in the muds' here. :-D
Make that 3
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CitroJim
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

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I'm just thankful I have a solid pair of AXs and enough spares to run them for some years yet...

And a 'modern' which is just about within my skillset to keep running at least until all this current silliness and downright idiocy is resolved, one way or another :)

If all else fails, I have my bike...
Jim

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Dormouse
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

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About the time we had the belt "changed" by the "garage" they also fitted new pads and discs all round. Just 3 days earlier than the belt fitting which was delayed because the parts didn't arrive in time for the original booking. When I got the car back home with the broken belt I noticed a wheel bolt was missing. Turns out none of the wheels had been torqued up and they were all slack. Cue the red mist and high blood pressure! It just got worse after that.
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mickthemaverick
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

Unread post by mickthemaverick »

Sounds like you should send that garage a present: :-D
Spoiler: show
BFTW
BFTW
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I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
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GiveMeABreak
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

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Gibbo2286 wrote: 19 Sep 2024, 09:41 Got a pair of old 'stick in the muds' here. :-D
:rofl2:

Someone's go to be!

Posted this on the other thread, but clip here for an example of stupidity and regulation:

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Marc
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Dormouse
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

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mickthemaverick wrote: 19 Sep 2024, 09:58 Sounds like you should send that garage a present: :-D
Spoiler: show
Image
that was pretty much how SWMBO described me when it all unravelled

fit to burst doesn't even come close
Last edited by Dormouse on 19 Sep 2024, 10:20, edited 1 time in total.
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mickthemaverick
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Re: Feeling like a bit of a fraud! Plus, many thanks to Marc and FCF.

Unread post by mickthemaverick »

Gibbo2286 wrote: 19 Sep 2024, 09:41 Got a pair of old 'stick in the muds' here. :-D
:rofl2: :-D I have to say Gibbo that in my part of the world the mud is exceptionally crowded!! :-D
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!