Evening all - is it safe to return to the fold?

[fat controller]

Evening all,

Been a while since I have been around these parts............

As many of you know, I departed into Nissan Qashqai ownership, which was a reasonably successful move in some respects, but in the past few months its French DNA has slowly bubbled to the surface and it is showing itself to be the 5hitBox that it actually is. Manufacturers warranty ends next week, and I currently have a Stop/Start System fault (as of Thursday) caused by a duff FIAMM AGM battery, a mysterious hollow metallic knock from the rear at low speeds (intermittently), various electronic gremlins intermittently. as well as door rubbers popping off, paint that is **** thin and door rubbers that keep popping off the back doors.

Better still, booking in the car for its service with the Nissan dealer and declaring the Stop/Start System fault and the knocking noise at the same time, drew the sharp intake of breath and the words "well, the warranty is really strict, and we can't see the car until the 19th, by which time it will be out of warranty......... we can try for goodwill..."

So, a widely known defect, reported under warranty but cannot be fixed under the warranty because the dealer is too busy and it is going to lead to a battle. Suffice to say, the service manager was given a flea in his ear and informed that this was my first, and last, foray into the Nissan brand and in not so many words was told where he could shove his dealership.

I am tied to this box of bolts until next summer, by which time I should hopefully have reached the stage in my finance deal where I can whack it in and get something else. I have started looking already, and there are a few on my shortlist so far:

Audi A6 Avant Ultra TDI
Audi Q3 (no specific model in mind)
Audi Q5 (or even a 7 if I happen to strike gold and get one at an uber-bargain price!)
VW Touraeg
Jaguar XF estate
BMW 5-Series estate
BMW X3
Skoda Kodiaq (if I can afford one!)

and at the opposite end of the spectrum....

Kia Sorento
Kia Sportage
Hyundai Tucson
Hyundai Santa Fe

mainly because of the 5 / 7 year warranties, and the fact that they actually seem to give a damn about customers.

However, my heart lies with VAG (despite being bitten with BKP engines and crappy DMF's!), so they are on the top of my list. So guys, what is good and what is not in the current VAG stable?

[Gazwould]

Welcome back .

The Cashcow is infamous , but uninformed peeps keep on buying , last month it outsold the Ford Fester .

[Crasher]

Qashqai may be fragile but it gives British chaps jobs as does a Jag and if I was buying new I would have the Jag.

[fat controller]

Evening gents

Aye, it does seem as though the MK2 has a whole load more issues than the MK1 did - I still think that part of that has to be due to the tie up with Renault........ never did rate French cars.

My original intention was to keep this one for 5 years, then purchase something brand new thereafter, but I doubt that I will stick it for that long, so its replacement is likely to be used. Fair point about the jobs Crasher - we've lost far too many in this country over the years. I would like to be able to add the Jaguar F-Pace to that shortlist, but I seriously doubt I could afford one of them.

What about the VAG stable - any stand out motors in terms of reliability or performance?

[Gazwould]

The 3.0 quattro tdi or petrol supercharged are nice .

[fat controller]

Much as I would love a petrol supercharged, I think my bank might complain as the fuel bills rolled in......

3.0 quattro tdi is more like the thing - does it appear in the Q3?

[Crasher]

Diesel is dead, move on....

What about the VAG stable - any stand out motors in terms of reliability or performance?

I think the Skoda Superb L&K 2.0 TSI 280 4x4 is untouchable, fully loaded it costs less than the competition and can be remapped and modified to silly near 400PS levels and it cleans the air from the nasty diesel in front of it, tailpipe emmisons can be less than those which go into the intake.

[fat controller]

Diesel is dead, move on....



I think the Skoda Superb L&K 2.0 TSI 280 4x4 is untouchable, fully loaded it costs less than the competition and can be remapped and modified to silly near 400PS levels and it cleans the air from the nasty diesel in front of it, tailpipe emmisons can be less than those which go into the intake.

Fair point about diesel being dead - I just wonder how long it will take for the manufacturers to catch up, as many of them still have the bulk of their ranges diesel powered.

Now that Skoda DOES sound interesting - I have a VERY soft spot for Skoda (we have had a good few in the family, and all have been nothing short of outstanding), and even at 280PS that would be more than enough for me. I have recently driven a friends A1 1.4TSI and have to admit that it was very impressive - a motorised rollerskate with a bit of grin factor thrown in. The chances of finding one of those used at less than a year old is going to be a tough call though? Particularly in estate guise? Mind you, I have a year at least to play with.... Hmmmmmm.....

What year did they start with that model Crasher?

[Gazwould]

Electric is dead too..

Electric car ban warning - London air pollution sees call for crackdown | Cars | Life & Style | Express.co.uk


The solution .

[Crasher]

Sorry about the dislike, fat vodka fingers on the pie pad. Electric cars are THE next transport disaster but the fallout from them will make a bit of NOX and particulates look like a dust cloud, the nightmare of batteries and not being able to charge them will be a comedy sketch to watch from afar and laugh at if it wasn't for the fact that it will affect all of us.