Your fleet running reports

[Sundayjumper]

The van left a small, about 2” puddle on the floor overnight. It looks like engine oil rather than diesel. Two steps forward, one step back.

No sign of the new fuel hose yet.

Tow bar has arrived. Thanks to an eBay voucher it was £143.09 brand new delivered from Italy. Seems decent quality and bizarrely was cheaper than most of the manky incomplete s/h ones.

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[speedingfine]

£2500, that amount of stripping down sounds a lot of labour...

[KevH18]

First update on the Kona EV.

Just over 2200 miles since getting it two months tomorrow. Been almost faultless so far with just one hiccup with the infotainment two weeks ago. Reset using a pen in the tiny button next to the screen and no more issues.

Going to Surrey in it tomorrow, just over 600 miles round trip. My wife did the same trip already on her own two weeks ago and had no issues at all with charging once each way and using family's 3-point plug in the garage to tricke charge. Wouldn't fancy doing that all of the time with an estimated charge of over 37 hours from about 30%.

I've just spent 45 minutes putting some 10mm self-adhesive sound insulation in the boot ready for the journey to hopefully quieten it down a bit. It's not too noisy but you notice it more without an engine. I imagine it's going to be an absolute bitch to take off when I hand it back at the end of the lease though. Hopefully plenty of cans of Sticky Stuff will get if all off.

Also found the totally space-inefficient spare wheel storage box fits perfectly under the bonnet as well. Once I've taken out the false floor and other tray, I've probably got 100-120 litres extra storage space and can get access the charging cables easier if I need to.

[Sundayjumper]

Mechanical installation of the tow bar complete. Really pretty straightforward. Most of the tow bars available have the crossmember hanging down below the bumper which felt untidy so I deliberately chose one that’s tucked up inside the bumper. I’m quite pleased with it.

I’ve also removed the old “GB” badge and fitted new internationally-recognised badges.

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[tim]

£945

Plus another £250 today for a new alternator. I got a call at 5.25pm to say it was done, they'd sourced one and fitted it free. So now it's back back, and fully functional! I shall look forward to driving it between petrol stations tomorrow.

[V8Granite]

That is incredibly cheap.

Dave!

[tim]

£40/hour labour. You can see why they're so busy.

[DeskJockey]

Galaxy threw an engine malfunction warning again this morning. Having learnt my lesson from last time I checked the coolant and it is too low, so will source some. Will also book it into my mechanic to find out why it has started losing fluid. There's no mayonnaise on the oil cap, so I'm thinking it isn't the head gasket. Presumably it'll be some hose that's given out. I've not seen any suspicious puddles or stains, and it has been fine since October, so it can't be a major leak.

[Jobbo]

Have got got an OBD reader, Alex? Worth getting so you can see more accurately what the cause is. You may be chasing the coolant when the code was generated by something else.

[Mito Man]

Low coolant would shirley have its own warning light?

[DeskJockey]

Ned to get a code reader. There is no low coolant warning. Blame Ford for saving at least 5p in the development of the car.

[John]

Water pump? They often leave very little trace of a leak and it can be difficult to see without removing "stuff" to access.

[KevH18]

Galaxy threw an engine malfunction warning again this morning. Having learnt my lesson from last time I checked the coolant and it is too low, so will source some. Will also book it into my mechanic to find out why it has started losing fluid. There's no mayonnaise on the oil cap, so I'm thinking it isn't the head gasket. Presumably it'll be some hose that's given out. I've not seen any suspicious puddles or stains, and it has been fine since October, so it can't be a major leak.

Was yours subject to a recall for the coolant level sensor to be fitted? Our 2011 Focus had it fitted. It also started leaking coolant in to the footwell so maybe check it's not wet. The coolant pipe in to the hatrix had corroded but it was quite a quick leak when it happened.

[DeskJockey]

Hasn't had a coolant level sensor recall. Has had a new head courtesy of poor design by Ford. I've ordered a code reader to see what it says and will drop it with my mechanic to take a closer look.

[tim]

Y'know when I said "fully functional"

Drove it to Gt Yarmouth today for a day out, wafty goodness turned into "what's that noise?" low grumbling, worse around 48-50 mph. Coming back it was getting louder. By the time I was within 5 miles of home it was so loud I was considering abandoning it and calling the RAC. Will said he could feel the floor vibrating in the back. Changed with road speed, not engine speed or gear selection.

I'm pretty sure the n/s rear wheel bearing they replaced has gone, or is otherwise not right in some way. That wheel was noticably hot compared to the others which adds weight to that theory. Simple enough if that's what it is.

Also the fuelling issue which we're still chasing is, I think, a duff coolant temp sensor. I had my OBDII reader open whilst driving today and it did not come out of open loop citing "open loop due to insufficient engine temperature" on both banks. For the sake of a tenner delivered I'm going to try that first.

Bit liking painting the Forth Bridge these cars. Lovely inbetween issues though

[IanF]

At what point does it become trigger’s broom?? Hope you get a clear summer of wafting dude!

[tim]

It will always be triggers broom I think. It's part of the experience of running a 20 year old Jag I was fully aware of when I bought it.

[DeskJockey]

In less exciting news the Galaxy is back on summer tyres and I've topped up the screen wash on both cars.

Had to choose between several different scent options!

Code reader (and some shoe laces, not related to any of the cars) will be delivered tomorrow. Hopefully it won't show anything other than the low coolant code.

I've also noticed that the start/stop kicks in sooner than before. Whether that's down to a recent battery or a rise in ambient temperature or both I don't know.

And finally, both cars are filthy.

[16vCento]

Y'know when I said "fully functional"

Drove it to Gt Yarmouth today for a day out, wafty goodness turned into "what's that noise?" low grumbling, worse around 48-50 mph. Coming back it was getting louder. By the time I was within 5 miles of home it was so loud I was considering abandoning it and calling the RAC. Will said he could feel the floor vibrating in the back. Changed with road speed, not engine speed or gear selection.

I'm pretty sure the n/s rear wheel bearing they replaced has gone, or is otherwise not right in some way. That wheel was noticably hot compared to the others which adds weight to that theory. Simple enough if that's what it is.

Also the fuelling issue which we're still chasing is, I think, a duff coolant temp sensor. I had my OBDII reader open whilst driving today and it did not come out of open loop citing "open loop due to insufficient engine temperature" on both banks. For the sake of a tenner delivered I'm going to try that first.

Bit liking painting the Forth Bridge these cars. Lovely inbetween issues though

IIRC (and its a long time ago now!) The rear wheel bearings on X308s are tightened to a specific torque, and there should be an amount of top to bottom play if the wheel is rocked when the car is suspended, as you would normally expect to find if a bearing has failed.

If these guys aren't aware of that and tightened it up until there's no play then the bearing will be fucked.

[Matty]

When all the petrol stations are closed and you need to get home, the Alfa can still challenge the Up for economy....