Alix
10th July 2018, 07:41 PM
After 12 (mostly) happy years my AH CDTi will be heading to a wreckers shortly. I'm going to miss it.
Terminal issues:
- Battery is dead. Got 7 years out of this one, so not surprised.
- So is the alternator (2nd time now). There's a another few hundred.
- Gearbox sounds awful. M2 bearing fault for sure. Been quoted $3K to fix. I've been avoiding 5th and 6th gears for a few months now.
- It has an wheel speed sensor fault which multiple mechanics haven't been able to track down, most likely because it only appears on a hot day, or after about 500kms of driving. I suspect that it's a front hub as I had generics fitted a few years back.
Oh, and the rego is due. And the paintwork has gone just about everywhere.
Added to that the family is growning up, and my three kids find it a tight squeeze these days. So, I've just taken delivery of a brand new Skoda Octavia wagon to get me through the next few years. At least it's still a Euro!
Despite that laundry list of problems, its the longest I've ever held onto a car (bought it new), and I've really enjoyed it. I'm going to miss the torque, the handling and the effortless towing of whatever I threw into the trailer. Until the end it was pretty reliable, with only a few issues over its life:
- Alternator died under warranty, as did most others of its series
- Front wheel bearings, but you'd expect to go through a set of those in 12 years of ownership
- I killed whatever the big silver thing next to the battery is once by over-enthusiastic cleaning. My bad.
- Regular service stuff.
- Had to clean out the ignition barrel once as it got a bit sticky. Cost me nothing but about an hour of my time.
- A few broken things in the cabin and on the bodywork. Fair wear and tear mostly, just annoying seeing it deteriorate.
Before heading off I wanted to say seeya and thanks to all those who've provided advice and assistance over the years. Even if you didn't directly interact with me, know that I read the threads and appreciated your insight just the same. You're a bunch of top folks, friendly and helpful. Drive on!
Alix
Terminal issues:
- Battery is dead. Got 7 years out of this one, so not surprised.
- So is the alternator (2nd time now). There's a another few hundred.
- Gearbox sounds awful. M2 bearing fault for sure. Been quoted $3K to fix. I've been avoiding 5th and 6th gears for a few months now.
- It has an wheel speed sensor fault which multiple mechanics haven't been able to track down, most likely because it only appears on a hot day, or after about 500kms of driving. I suspect that it's a front hub as I had generics fitted a few years back.
Oh, and the rego is due. And the paintwork has gone just about everywhere.
Added to that the family is growning up, and my three kids find it a tight squeeze these days. So, I've just taken delivery of a brand new Skoda Octavia wagon to get me through the next few years. At least it's still a Euro!
Despite that laundry list of problems, its the longest I've ever held onto a car (bought it new), and I've really enjoyed it. I'm going to miss the torque, the handling and the effortless towing of whatever I threw into the trailer. Until the end it was pretty reliable, with only a few issues over its life:
- Alternator died under warranty, as did most others of its series
- Front wheel bearings, but you'd expect to go through a set of those in 12 years of ownership
- I killed whatever the big silver thing next to the battery is once by over-enthusiastic cleaning. My bad.
- Regular service stuff.
- Had to clean out the ignition barrel once as it got a bit sticky. Cost me nothing but about an hour of my time.
- A few broken things in the cabin and on the bodywork. Fair wear and tear mostly, just annoying seeing it deteriorate.
Before heading off I wanted to say seeya and thanks to all those who've provided advice and assistance over the years. Even if you didn't directly interact with me, know that I read the threads and appreciated your insight just the same. You're a bunch of top folks, friendly and helpful. Drive on!
Alix