Halfpenny

There is a problem on these whereby the airbox plastic fasteners break causing a rasping/vibrating noise usually heard accelerating in 1st, 2nd....sounds like exhaust. New airbox needed.

This is a Renault engine that has a variety of problems and is known to fail early. It was used in Renaults, Nissans, Dacias. There was a 'class action' claim against Renault in France. A ton of info on the internet. There were improvements made in 2019. I will not touch one pre-2019. I think you could be in a difficult position with this one..

You need to establish some facts. Firstly, the car was sold in July but it seems the MoT runs from April. A 3-4 month discrepancy. What were the mileages at MoT and at date of sale? What is the mileage now? This is why we only do an MoT immediately prior to sale. Secondly, an MoT is only a snapshot of the cars condition at the time of inspection. It is quite possible for the brakes to pass an MoT but become unroadworthy a week later. The MoT standard is actually quite weak on disc condition - I speak as someone who used to be an MoT inspector until 2018. Discs can be really quite worn and corroded and still pass, whereas a diligent mechanic would recommend replacement. HOWEVER we do not warrant friction parts (brakes/clutch) - BUT we do normally replace any friction parts that won't last at least 6 months or 6000 miles in our judgement.

This has been in the news over the summer. Current DVLA contract with the PO ends on March 31st 2024. Thereafter you will have to engage with DVLA online. Good luck with that. All part of government 'cost saving'.. I know there are people getting up petitions to reverse this decision, but I won't be holding my breath. Unfortunately this is all part and parcel of living in what is increasingly 'Sh*thole Britain'. I semi-retired in 2018 (I have a business partner who does most of the work now) and spend half the year overseas, with a view now to moving away permanently. Coming back to UK is so depressing. Just about any service in the UK is dysfunctional - police, NHS, tax office, banks. Roads rammed. People ill-mannered. Crime. Ridiculous charges (councils, waste disposal etc etc).

EGC are often a complete nightmare. Its an 'automated manual'. We don't buy, sell or service vehicles with this gearbox. Best case is disconnect/reconnect battery will reset it. Be sure battery is in tip top condition. If that doesn't fix it then you may need to go to the main dealer. Not many independents will mess with these. Often its actuator failure which is couple of thousand to fix. A ten year old EGC is not something I would retail.

My experience after 40+ years in the motor trade is that very few people can make proper money fettling 'collectors' cars (i.e. old stuff that is too unreliable to use every day) if you cost your time at anything like a sensible rate. When I see an old JLR product (or even a fairly new one) I see a steaming heap of trouble and strife. A 17 year old 100k+ mile X350 that's been left sitting for months would be pretty much my worst nightmare. I used to have a trader mate who specialised in sale and repair of older Jags. He had a yard which was usually home to about a dozen hulks in various stages of decay awaiting repair. It ended up costing him his marriage, his house and eventually his sanity. He escaped to Norfolk where he now runs a B&B. I semi-retired in 2018 and the business (sales/service/MoT) ticks over under the watchful eye of my business partner with me helping out when I get bored. I have lost most of my interest in cars, especially 'classic' cars which, let's face it, are mostly pretty shite by modern standards. My philosophy is buy something from Toyota or Honda and get on with life.

I've got experience of the X350, although not had one in the workshop for a few years now... Keep in mind that this car was very much JLR 'experimenting with technology' - for example fibre optics to carry data and extensive use of aluminium. If the car is sat for many months it WILL drop. The various valves in the air suspension do not seal perfectly. There can be multiple problems with these cars quite apart from the air system - the suspension bushes themselves wear quickly. Lots of electrical problems. Unless its going to be kept as a cosseted 'collectors car' and you are prepared to throw money at it then I wouldn't bother.

Depends how its been stored for the two years. At the very least I would strip, clean and lube the pads/calipers. Last year we picked up a Mitsubishi that had been standing outside for 18 months. Discs were very corroded. Rather than mess about we just put new discs and pads on it and bled the system.

In this case it seems that the mileage discrepancy arose before the customer owned the car. The customer can therefore claim that they had no knowledge of the discrepancy and would not be liable. The law recognises that an individual can only give assurances or guarantees according to what they know, not about what they don't know. A private individual would not be expected to carry out mileage verification of a car they are buying or selling, whereas a dealer would be. I think in this case OP slipped up and has to take it on the chin.

Bunch of pirates IMHO. If it will start and drag itself a few yards then it passes 'BCA Assured'. The question is, do you need them more than they need you? Try to take any kind of formal action against them and your account WILL be terminated. I look at prices being paid, at fees and delivery, at repair/reconditioning costs and marketing costs and I really wonder at how the small time trader is making any money.

Who contracted the transport company, you or the seller? If the seller then take it up with them. If you, then you need to look at the transport co's T&C's. Sure, stuff happens, but damage in transit (whether at fault or not) is the day to day bread and butter of being in the transport business.

IIRC there are two versions of throttle body used on the Honda 2.2D. They are made by Hitachi and an insane price from UK dealers. Best part of £2k I think. Never known anyone to rebuild them (highly unlikely any internal parts are available) but you could try the likes of BBA Reman. What is the problem? Poor throttle response and flat spots on these is normally the Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor, which frequently goes bad.

Carzam, Cazoo, Cinch, Carvana.......Hmm... I think we can now safely say that their online model for used car retailing has been tested to destruction! The only 'disruption' is to their investors bank balances. Used car values have confounded my expectations so far, but I think that with rising interest rates and a likely recession on the horizon there is a reckoning coming. I gather used car demand/prices have started to drop quite sharply in USA. If mirrored in the UK that would be a stake through the heart of Cazoo..

Its anything with a cat (first cat, second cat) accessible from under the car. If its a car with a single 'manicat' then its safe. They prefer hybrids because of the higher precious metal content. A major reason for these thefts is that the 2013 Srap Metals Act is not being enforced. Dealers are buying these cats for cash with no ID checks. I was reading that in Germany the thefts have been large stamped out because the police went hard after the buyers and jailed a few. For your particular model/year of BMW even the type approved aftermarket cats are quite pricey, but still a third of BMW price.

Unfortunately in shithole Britain these guys act with impunity. We've had several stolen in our area and we lost one off a Auris and an adjacent pitch lost one off a Jazz week before last. The Jazz theft was at 9pm and caught on CCTV. People walking past and the thieves appear completely relaxed. Weak policing and lack of ID checks/recording by the recyclers mean these guys keep on doing it. They go for anything where a cat is accessible....so yes, BMW are on the list. You don't state exact model/year but type approved aftermarket may be ok if you put a spacer under the lambda sensor.