Both the Panda and Hyundai i10 have now reached 19k, the i10 is on about 19,300 and my Panda is on 19,000 exactly.
Both cars pretty much covering all that distance in south Manchester on rough pot holed and speed bump infested roads.
My Panda is just over four and a half years old (5 in May) and the i10 is almost ready for its first MOT. Both cars were bought brand new for £6500.
Driving wise the i10 has the much better engine, the Kappa engine is brilliant with a lot of torque and good acceleration, it is very quite and smooth. It is also chain driven which is one less thing to worry about. However the steering feels lifeless and is no feel to anything. The Panda has a lot more feel in the controls and generally feels a lot better quality behind the wheel. The engine is not so good, probably long term a better job because of the pure simplicity of a 1.1 8V OHC (these engines can easily do 300k). However the engine lacks power and has very little torque which results in frequent and annoying gear changes in traffic.
Both cars are about as practical as each other, and we have carried building materials such as plasterboard in both cars with little problems. My grandmas wheel chair also fits in both boots and both can carry four adults in relative comfort.
In terms of reliability both cars are a bit different:-
Panda:-
Needed clutch pedal re-assembling at 2000 miles due to lubricated problem at the factory, done under warranty.
Needed a new exhaust hose to the manifold, again under warranty.
Needed new front pads at 12,000 miles
Needed new spark plugs at 13,000 miles
Annoying intermittent engine light problem, reconnecting the ECU connector seems to have fixed it for now.
Needed new front suspension top mounts at 16,000 miles due to play.
Needed new front tyres at 17,000 as were getting close to 2mm, I also wanted to upgrade them.
Upgraded the wipers to Bosh ones at 17,000 miles which made a big difference.
Past every MOT with no advisories.
Back box is started to rot on the outer skin, but apparently they can last for years like this.
Uses about 250ml of oil per 1000 miles. FIAT say this is normal. I suspect is that the seals have not properly bedded in as I I barely did 2000 miles in it in the first year.
i10 (due to an MOT in two weeks time, so this will be updated!)
Needed three tyres due to punctures, the low profile tyres on the i10 seem prone to this.
Needed new gearbox at around 14,000 miles due to oil leaking through the bell housing - done under warranty.
Needed rear bushes at 14,000 miles as they were worn to nothing, I had to point this out to the dealer as it was missed during the routine service! Done under warranty.
Front pads now need changing as they are almost warn.
Front bushes have now worn to nothing, I am hoping the dealer will change these under warranty at least this what I suspect the clonk to be, the shock absorbers seem to be doing the job and the springs are fine.
Will need a new front tyre due to wear and tear.
Aircon could do with regassing due to lack of use.
The tailgate is not properly water tight, which means a lot of damp and crud is getting in.
Both cars have been extremely reliable and have never let us down (touch would) but I am a bit concerned that the i10 seems to be requiring new bushes every year, where as on my Panda they are 5 years old and still fine, if anything my dad is a lot more careful than I am over bumps etc.
Overall both cars have been great, but the i10 feels more cheaply built and while the engine in the i10 is excellent, as long a term (10 year) prospect, I would bet on the Panda as the build quality is just that much better and it just feels quite a bit nicer to drive despite the slower engine.
The Panda also has a lot of nice touches that are not on the specification lists, such as the interior light that comes on as soon as the car is unlocked and speed sensitive windscreen wipers.
As for the dealers, so far the Hyundai wins hands down, my dealer dried to rip me off in 2013 and have never been back since. From what I have seen of the new i10 pretty much fixes the cheap feeling of the car, it is a much classier place to be, but I wonder if it will still have the same old feeless feel to the controls?
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Whilst most of the items needing work are service items, I wouldn't describe a car that needed a new gearbox at 14,000 miles as "extremely reliable". I've never had a gearbox need replacing in 35 years driving and that sort of failure would rule out another Hyundai for me!
Last edited by: Boxsterboy on Fri 9 Jan 15 at 21:21
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>> I've never had a gearbox need replacing in 35 years driving
I had a Golt GTI 1.8T from new and occasionally the gearbox made a noise (not when changing gear)... The gearbox was replaced. It made this noise from day one but not all the time.
I then had a VW Passat 1.8T Sport manual in 2000 from brand new. Picked it up from the same dealers. It was to replace the Golf GTI 1.8T that was stolen. And in the months leading up to getting the new car, the two I 'borrowed' through the company fleet happened to be an Audi A4 (B5) 1.8T and a VW Passat 1.8T Sport.
So a soon as I was on the road, within yards, I knew the turbo was an issue. Dealer thought it was the gearbox. Replaced and made no difference. Turbo and assorted bits then replaced.
So in 20 years of driving I've had two gearboxes replaced. One was not necessary but dealer insisted (well they would).
We'll see how a dry-clutch DSG 7-speed fares in an Audi.
And just remembered the Mazda6 gearbox needed some attention at 3.5 years. I suspect the gearbox or DMF. It was 'okay' after a few dealer visits when it went back.
The Mazda6 shows as insured today (a 57 plate). It seems the 61 plate Passat CC had vanished. Not that I care.
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It wasn't the gearbox that was FUBAR, just a seal; there have been quite a few with this fault and Hyundai's solution was to replace the box for some reason.
Rats; a bit of advice. Use the aircon occasionally or risk the pump failing through lack of use. Happened to mine recently, annoyingly just outside the 5-year warranty period. also; regarding the punctures, we use our i10 on probably far worse roads than you do and we've not only never had a problem with suspension bushes after 44,000 miles, but only had one puncture in five years and that was a nail. With the greatest respect, have you been kerbing the wheels occasionally?
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Blimey, they both sound a bit shonky to me. At 19,000 miles they're barely run in and I'd not expect to have had anything other than normal servicing and maybe some front tyres given the FWD drivetrains.
My wife's Qashqai is at 6 years and 50,000 now and has had no problems, my old Qashqai did 80,000 with no trouble, my old Mondeo did just short of 200,000 with only two replacement lightbulbs outside of normal servicing and comsumables ( no not even a DMF ) and was still on its original exhaust, my Merc E Class has 112,000 on it now and so far nothing has misbehaved. None of them use/d oil between services.
I'd call those "reliable".
In fact the only cars I've had in the last 20 years which gave me any cause for concern were the acccursed Espace and a Vauxhall Signum which I really shouldn't have bought.
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>> Blimey, they both sound a bit shonky to me. At 19,000 miles they're barely run
>> in and I'd not expect to have had anything other than normal servicing and maybe
>> some front tyres given the FWD drivetrains.
>>
Ah, the difference between short run low mileage motoring and proper mile munching. Mechanical stuff likes to keep itself rotating and maintaining a nice comfy temperature. Rapid aging sets in otherwise, as with with the couch potatoes who spend their lives watching daytime TV.
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Sounds like they are both worn out and not likely to give much more service.In contrast,my 16 year old Honda Accord has done over 100k miles,has never had any suspension components replaced and apart from service wear and tear items,has only had 2 parts fail.One was a thermostat and the other a lambda sensor.
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>>..........has only had 2 parts fail.One was a thermostat and the other a lambda sensor.
>>
Probably both generic parts which could be bought by any manufacturer.
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As I've said before, there is a big difference between a car that does 50 miles a day on the motorway to one that does 20 in the city. I probably go over 50 speed bumps a day and there is pot holes every where.
I've probably done over a million gear changes in my car, all my car does is sit in traffic constantly.
The Hyundai has been ok in terms of punctures for the past year, it was probably just bad luck, my mate had the same problem on his Panda kept getting punctures in one year.
I wasn't there when the gearbox was done, but old gearbox was always very whiny even from day one and my dad complained that the gear change was a bit notchy. The dealer was very vague when it came to the service and said something on the lines of "the gearbox is leaking oil and we will replace it under warranty". The new gearbox is much much quieter and has a much smoother gear change.
I guess it is the constant speed bumps that have not helped me car but to be fair in five years the only thing that has gone wrong with the suspension is the front top mounts (a common problem on Pandas, Puntos, Corsa and some Alfas). The oil consumption is a little worry, but the always passes the emissions well within the limits and if anything the consumption is getting less as the car gets older.
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Aye but, my wife's cars get used much less than mine do and I can't say we've had any reliability issues with those either.
Lucky I guess.
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If you have been changing gear 600 times every day for 4 1/2 years I suspect that you might need to review your driving :-)
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Might had added a 0 on there some where :D
I still maintain that the cars have been reliable, none of the stuff above has stopped the car from working as a car, the gearbox didn't fail on the Hyundai it was replaced before it failed.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Sat 10 Jan 15 at 13:40
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>> I still maintain that the cars have been reliable, none of the stuff above has
>> stopped the car from working as a car, the gearbox didn't fail on the Hyundai
>> it was replaced before it failed.
>>
Reading this and the original post explains the inexplicable success of certain manufacturers in the JD Power and Auto Express driver satisfaction surveys. Clearly there are plenty of customers out there whose loyalty has no bounds. As far as I am concerned any unscheduled repair is a pain regardless of whether it is covered by a warranty or didn't dump me by the roadside. Of course to be fair to the manufacturers one also has to consider whether the drivers may have contributed to such a tale of woe ....
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>> As I've said before, there is a big difference between a car that does 50
>> miles a day on the motorway to one that does 20 in the city. I
>> probably go over 50 speed bumps a day and there is pot holes every where.
Rattle, pandas are built for, and used extensively in Italian cities as well as Italian Autostrada.
I can assure you that roads in Naples make those of Manchester look like billiard tables covered in wilton carpet. And they are driven harder than you can ever imagine.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 10 Jan 15 at 13:45
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Even 100,000 gearchanges would be more than five a mile, which still seems bizarrely high. If the traffic's that bad, you seldom get beyond first; if it's flowing a bit, you can let the gap stretch to the vehicle in front and use your anticipation to trundle in second or third. If you really are changing gear that much it suggests you're the impatient type who puts on too much speed as soon as the traffic moves, then has to brake it off 50 yards later.
I do wonder, incidentally, how many of those who said in the other thread that driving a manual in traffic is hard are making things harder for themselves with poor ergonomics and/or over-eager driving styles.
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Given that sort of short mileage in those traffic conditions, I would investigate alternative forms of transport. Would that work better for you, Rattle?
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Rattle took the trouble to post a long review of two cars. All it seems to have got him is criticism and advice. Or am I being too sensitive on his behalf?
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>> Rattle took the trouble to post a long review of two cars. All it seems
>> to have got him is criticism and advice. Or am I being too sensitive on
>> his behalf?
Its not criticism, its comment and surprise that he thinks two cars that most of us would be disappointed with from a reliability pony of view, he considers reliable.
His reliability criteria appears to be that they haven't left him stranded. My criteria would be they they needed nothing other than service items, or wear items over a commensurate mileage.
Neither, from his report, would come close to meeting my criteria.
Thats not advice or criticism, merely comment.
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 10 Jan 15 at 19:23
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Part from the ECU connection problem and the top mounts everything on the Panda has been service items. Those of you that remember me from the HJ forums will know too I like my car to be just right, so I tend to change tyres and wipers etc before they would fail an MOT.
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>> Part from the ECU connection problem and the top mounts everything on the Panda has
>> been service items. >>
I would say that in addition to the ECU and top mounts NONE these items from your list above are normal service items at your mileage:
Panda:-
Needed clutch pedal re-assembling at 2000 miles due to lubricated problem at the factory, done under warranty.
Needed a new exhaust hose to the manifold, again under warranty.
Needed new front pads at 12,000 miles
Back box is started to rot on the outer skin.
Uses about 250ml of oil per 1000 miles. FIAT say this is normal.
I can't help wondering if your original post started life as an UNreliability report but when it came to it you just couldn't bring yourself to write the obvious conclusion on your first ever purchase of two brand new cars.
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>NONE these items from your list above are normal service items at your mileage:
>> Needed new front pads at 12,000 miles
To be fair, based on my experience of fiats, they have very soft brake pads, and 12k / 3 years town service could easily be normal. I had one fiat where the pads wouldn't last from one 9k service to the next (mind I drove it like a loon and the brakes had tremendous feel and stopping power)
>> Back box is started to rot on the outer skin.
I suspect Rattles idea of "rot" is what I would call surface corrosion. 4 years on any exhaust will show some signs of surface rust. 19k miles over 4 years is however almost guaranteed to shorten exhaust life in any (non diesel) car.
>> Uses about 250ml of oil per 1000 miles. FIAT say this is normal.
Thats not an issue and nothing of any note. Some Vauxhall owners can only dream of such low oil consumption.
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>> 19k miles over 4 years is however almost guaranteed to shorten exhaust life in any (non diesel) car.
Over ten years ago I had a diesel Maestro that was getting that sort of use. The back box would, just about, last two years. I didn't consider it a problem as they cost less than twenty quid.
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>>>Its not criticism, its comment and surprise that he thinks two cars that most of us would be disappointed with from a reliability pony of view, he considers reliable.
His reliability criteria appears to be that they haven't left him stranded. My criteria would be they they needed nothing other than service items, or wear items over a commensurate mileage. <<<
What people need to remember is that his experience, prior to buying the Panda, was based on driving old clapped out cars. needing tlc and a mechanical underststanding that he really did not have.
He is treating life as a learning experience (we hope), and in the future his views will reflect experience to date.
Last edited by: sherlock47 on Sat 10 Jan 15 at 20:43
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>> Given that sort of short mileage in those traffic conditions, I would investigate alternative forms of transport.
khsbicycles.com/09_trike_3_11.htm
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If I owned a completely reliable vehicle, I cannot think that I would have any use for the warranty.
Those two cars, however, would have been a financial disaster without the warranties.
So, thanks for the recommendations for the two warranties, and perhaps the dealerships, and for the strong warnings to steer well clear of two particular cars.
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I bought my Honda Civic new in 2003. In 2011 I sold it to my son, who has just traded it in a couple of months ago.
In that time the only non-routine thing which has needed replacement was the battery (twice). It has obviously had to have new tyres in that time but nothing out of the ordinary. It did about 70,000 miles in the 8 years I had it and my son put on another 20,000.
In 2011 I bought a new C-max; that has only done 15,000 miles and has needed no attention other than routine consumables.
There are plenty of potholes in Surrey.
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Here's the equivalent review for my 2007 Toyota Landcruiser:
Year 1: Service + grease propshaft
Year 1: Propshaft changed under warranty (slight thunk when coming to a stop)
Year 2: Service + MOT (I bought it at 11 months old)
Year 2: Injector seals changed under customer recall
Year 2: New tyres
Year 3: Service + MOT
Year 4: Service + MOT
Year 5: Service + MOT
Year 6: Service + MOT
I had a minor excitement last month when a tyre blew out - I'd manged to hit something in the road, and a big slice through to the cords.
Two or three new sets of wiper blades.
No brake pads or disks yet. Still on original batteries.
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And here's the review for my 2011 MX-5
Year 1: Dealer investigated rattle from dash
Year 1: Service
Year 2: Service
Year 3: Service + MOT
Year 4: New battery (hadn't died yet, but was starting to fail)
No tyres. No brake disks or pads. One set of wiper blades.
I may have to strip the rear brakes soon - I have a feeling the sliders may need greasing.
Last edited by: Tigger on Sun 11 Jan 15 at 08:01
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I'll wait till the MOT at month end before I comment!
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Have to be honest I would have been pretty disappointed with them.
My last 3 "brand new cars" were an entry level A3 - nothing under warranty in 2 years / 20K, Citroen C5 - nothing under warranty in 3 year / 30K and a Volvo V60 - again nothing, but to be fair only mine for 18 months. Probably not a fair comparison as they were not with me long enough or covered enough miles however, we are still running our 9 year old VW Sharan - bought pre registered in December 2005. Only failure was the DMF at 90K (according to the local indy pretty common around that mileage).
Apart from the DMF Its just had routine servicing and a new battery last year. Started its life on long life servicing to, so only 3 services in the first almost 60K. Last MOT was the most expensive to date needing.......a new front number plate.
Its just coming up to 110K now and has led a fairly average to hard life as a family hack - mix of short runs, work commutes, holidays to France, has its share of war wounds and is pretty unloved, but is more my definition of a reliable motor. I want something else now (want an Auto) , but its only worth a couple of grand so guess we will just hang on to it for a while longer
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Conversely, back around the early 90s we needed an "emergency" or "stopgap" car for my wife. At the time we lived in the middle of nowhere. Her work commute was 50 miles a day and public transport wasn't available.
Her "good" car had been stolen from a railway station car park and she just needed wheels. Her insurance didn't cover a temporary vehicle so we had to go and buy something to tide her over until the ins co decided what and when to pay out.
We found a very cheap, less than a £1000, second or maybe even fifth hand Mk1 Panda with a long MOT. In the end she never did replace it until some 4 years and another 60 odd thousand miles later by which time the wee car was well into triple figures in miles. Eventually the rust got it but it never broke down.
I'm mildly ashamed to say we utterly neglected that car. I think it might have had one oil change in all that time, was washed maybe once or twice but it always kept going and passed 3 more MOTs with only some brake pads needed one year.
It, like us, lived at 1200 feet above sea level in a remote part of the Scottish Borders and it valiantly fought its way into Edinburgh and back in the most trying of conditions for 4 winters.
It had some tyres when needed but apart from that, a replacement wiper blade, and a couple of headlamp bulbs, it never needed or got any attention.
Good wee thing which I strangely enjoyed driving. It always felt much faster than it could possibly have been in the way small Italian cars used to.
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5 gear changes a mile? I do that just getting the car out of my road! There is traffic at lights at least every third of a mile (in my area) and most the roads are Victorian or Edwardian which means you have to constantly stop to let other cars past.
If I have time I try and go the long way round when the car is cold as I can usually get a good mile run without having to stop (very hard to do in South Manchester!).
The brake pads cost me £45 including labour so I am not too bothered about that, my mechanic did think it was a bit premature but just joked I must be driving it like you're supposed to drive Italian cars!.
I use my car for lots of frequent short trips as I essentially use it to transport computers or to get to jobs. It can be used five or six times a day easily but not actually do any more than 20 miles.
I think speed bumps are also perhaps for an an issue than pot holes round here.
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Neither car sounds too bad to me given the use they're getting. Ten years ago I ran a new Sprinter van on multi-drop parcels - start, drive 300 yards, stop; 80 times a day. Neither batteries nor starter motors lasted 20k miles. Two years after that, I drove a different Sprinter on long-distance transport. It did 220,000 miles before it needed any non-routine parts replacing.
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To those who've published "equivalent" reviews; both of the cars experienced by Rattle (and in the case of the i10, myself) were, at the time of purchase, pretty much the cheapest cars on the market. On the premise that you get what you pay for, for myself I've been pleasantly surprised at how good in terms of value for money the i10 actually is; I didn't expect MX-5 or Landcruiser standards of build or reliability for that kind of money but it's done it's job with minimal fuss and, the aircon hassle notwithstanding, commendable reliability and reasonable servicing costs.
Wifey is the main user of ours, and most journeys are work commutes of only two miles each way; since she works split shifts that's four short trips a day. Weekly round trip of about 40 miles to her mothers once a week gives it a bit of a run and clears any cobwebs out. The car copes perfectly well with that and it's pretty much what it was built for. We would happily consider another.
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Update
The i10 passed the MOT yesterday. It needed new brake pads but we knew that anyway, they charged £97 which was a hell of a lot, but it is still £60 cheaper than what FIAT wanted for my Panda two years ago and there will be no issues with the warranty.
They said the front bushes are fine and have 'oiled them' to try and stop the squeek. However they have also said the two front tyres have uneven wear, and looking at the tyres they are right, on the out tyre they are still 3mm but the inner 10% has worn down to nothing. Erm tracking needed I think when we get new tyres.
The service and MOT cost £260 including the front pads, but when we get the new tyres that will bump up the price to £360.
I also take issue with the fact they have ticked that they have checked the condition of the cambelt, when the Kappa engine in fact is chain driven. The other minus is the rear wiper blade is shot, yet they have ticked the section on the sheet that says all the rear wipers are fine.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Tue 20 Jan 15 at 15:52
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>> Update
>>
>> The i10 passed the MOT yesterday. It needed new brake pads but we knew that
>> anyway, they charged £97 which was a hell of a lot,
What? a hell of a lot? get out of it, new pads are 30 quid cheapest, and an hours labour at 60 quid minimum is bang on the money. Quite cheap actually.
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Might not be tracking Rats, could be speed humps, depends how your dad drives over them. Straddling can cream cracker the inside edges of tyres pretty quickly.
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Yeah but the dealers price for the pads are always inflated, a set of Pagids are only £20 for the i10.
The car isn't pulling to one side so it could well just be that, there are speed bumps every where near, and also where my dad works too.
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Road camber wears the outside of the N/S/F and inside of the O/S/F (that's outside of the left hand tyre and inside of the left hand tyre).
Try swapping the front wheels left to right, if they're not asymmetrical tyres (It'll also cure the 'pull' to the left).
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...could be speed humps ... Straddling can cream cracker the inside edges of tyres pretty quickly.
Now I've heard this before - probably from HJ - but really? A speed cushion is a metre square, so even if Daddy Rats straddles a hundred a day, it's only a hundred metres' worth of accelerated wear (times a thousand or so over three years) to the tyres. Is that really a significant contribution in 30 million metres of driving?
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Tue 20 Jan 15 at 18:06
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>> ...could be speed humps ... Straddling can cream cracker the inside edges of tyres pretty
>> quickly.
>>
>> Now I've heard this before - probably from HJ - but really? A speed cushion
>> is a metre square, so even if Daddy Rats straddles a hundred a day, it's
>> only a hundred metres' worth of accelerated wear (times a thousand or so over three
>> years) to the tyres. Is that really a significant contribution in 30 million metres of
>> driving?
Err that a bit of haring rouge, the height is causing lateral sliding wear of the tyre. Its like cornering at twice the limit, which as I know you will appreciate will kack your tyres in half the time.
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I vill take yer hareng rouge, mon vieux, and raise you an au contraire. I'm sure there's something in the physics of what you say, but isn't it more likely that drivers are using speed humps as a convenient scapegoat to cover up their own, more damaging habits - such as underinflation?
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>> I vill take yer hareng rouge, mon vieux, and raise you an au contraire. I'm
>> sure there's something in the physics of what you say, but isn't it more likely
>> that drivers are using speed humps as a convenient scapegoat to cover up their own,
>> more damaging habits - such as underinflation?
I'll fold to your au contraire if you can show me how to under inflate a tyre on one side.
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>>>>
>> I'll fold to your au contraire if you can show me how to under inflate
>> a tyre on one side.
>>
Maybe if you use a double barrel foot pump where one barrel is not working?
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An underinflated tyre will not compress correctly under a cornering load, causing who knows what effects of slippage and asymmetric wear. Only one factor among many possibles, but I bet (but can't prove, of course) it causes more tyre damage than speed cushions ever will.
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>> An underinflated tyre will not compress correctly under a cornering load,
Applies to both sides as corners go left and right.......
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>> >> An underinflated tyre will not compress correctly under a cornering load,
>>
>> Applies to both sides as corners go left and right.......
>>
Roundabouts?
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>> >> >> An underinflated tyre will not compress correctly under a cornering load,
>> >>
>> >> Applies to both sides as corners go left and right.......
>> >>
>>
>> Roundabouts?
Mostly mini, mostly drive over them.
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Underinflated tyres wear on both shoulders and of course give much reduced grip on bends and corners.
Speed cushions are harmless because most cars will straddle them, but speed bumps wear out suspension links. The only way to avoid tha t is to crawl over them. Since no one can afford to do that, mimsers apart, speed bumps are malevolent and intended to damage cars. Nothing will convince me that local builders with a bit of rubble and tarmac to use up, and car component suppliers, don't bribe filthy corrupt aldermen to install the vile things in their patches.
They are an utter outrage and no one sane should have a good word to say for them.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Wed 21 Jan 15 at 00:12
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>> The i10 passed the MOT yesterday. It needed new brake pads but we knew that
>> anyway, they charged £97 which was a hell of a lot
Sounds like a decent price to me !
The other minus is the rear wiper blade is shot, yet they have ticked the section on
>> the sheet that says all the rear wipers are fine.
If they had of changed it you would have been banging on about them ripping you off !!!
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No they should have said it needs doing, it will cost this much do you want us to do it. That is what they did with the tyres, as they offered budget Nexens the tyres were declined although the price offered was very competitive they are just ditchfinders.
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Mine needs changing the flappy bit has gone. Is there somewhere who will fit me a blade for just the cost of the blade ?
I won't tell them that the spare wheel has to come off before the blade will come off. Too cold and too bone idle to do it meself atm.
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My LEC did 25,000 miles in my care on two Nexens that weren't new when we bought it. Found no ditches along the way and I couldn't honestly find much fault with them, apart from the Terry Tryhard palm frond tread pattern. But you're right to be choosy, Rats - accept nothing less than Michelin Pilot Sports for your machine.
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The tyre thing has been done to death, but the Khumos the car came with are only £45 each and have much better web breaking stopping distances. I noticed a big difference on my car when I swapped the Eco Contacts with Uniroyal Rainxperts on my car, although my tyres did only have 2mm on them.
The annoying thing about the wiper blade is it is a job I was going to myself but it seems only the dealer sells them the rear wiper.
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>> The i10 passed the MOT yesterday. It needed new brake pads
At 19,000 miles? That's one hell of a lot of stop start journeys in that short a distance.
All the cars I've owned have managed at least 60,000 miles before needing replacement pads and discs.
Last edited by: VxFan on Tue 20 Jan 15 at 23:11
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That is stop start city driving for you, not just traffic lights but content stopping as these old Victorian roads can't really cope with two way traffic. Mine needed replacing at 12,000. Mine may have been slightly due to harsh driving (I only had about 2000 miles driving experience when I first got the Panda) but my dad is a very smooth driver.
The funny thing at the three year service, both the Panda and i10 needed exactly the same extra work doing, two front tyre and pads. Both cars do exactly the same sort of journeys on the same roads.
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>> That is stop start city driving for you,
Even so, that does sound considerably short mileage for pads.
Unless of course the garage has done their usual trick and thought the pads wouldn't last until the next service - which they base on an average persons mileage. So in turn they convince you that they've done you a favour by changing them now to save the inconvenience of booking it again in a few months time.
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Never had a car thats done just short city driving, so its unfair to compare, but 19K is not far in modern car terms.
Think the Sharans lasted about 40K for the first set of fronts and then around 80K for discs/pads, and to be fair its a fairly heavy car plus its been driven mostly by Mrs B who is not known for having the lightest of feet
The rear pads have been replaced once, but cant recall when.
Under a ton for the pads replaced sounds pretty good though in dealer terms - I'm sure my indy charged about that
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I've just bought 4 discs, front and rear pads and rear shoes for a Chrysler Voyager. Parts only...will be fitting when it's warmer !
£190.......trade price. You're lucky, Rats.
National Tyres quote for the whole job was £550.
Last edited by: Ted on Wed 21 Jan 15 at 23:04
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I paid £45 for my pads fitted, but I did give a £5 tip and probably was discounted as I repair his computer. My dealer quoted me £160 but parts for the Panda are dirt cheap, discs and pads would cost around £60 from Euro no idea about the rear shoes but next time I get my car serviced at that indie Alfa/Fiat place I will ask them to check the drums.
I think running small tiny city cars I forget how lucky I am in terms of car part costs, it helps that the Panda shares a lot of parts with other cars too.
I assume though the smaller the pads and discs are the quicker the pads will wear? I might need a new battery soon, I left the ignition on while at the tip (to charge the phone) and when I started the engine I had no PAS, restarting it cured the problem and done over 100 miles since in it without an issue. I did measure voltage of the battery next morning and it was just 12.1v. I had a job in Cadishead today which is well out of my normal area and involved a long straight run at 50mph, so it will be interesting to see what the voltage is tomorrow morning.
On the Panda the PAS warning light seems to be first sign of battery trouble.
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Our jalopy went into the indy yesterday to have the rattly suspension bushes done.
The damage was a bit over £500 to get it through the MoT at the same time, including a 50 quid or so tyre. So nice to hear its relative quietness now over our potholed drive.
The indy lent us its courtesy car while it had the jalopy, a Ford Ka with the indy's name and email address painted all over it. A noisy little thing with a sharp Ford clutch but rapid. Well capable of wheelspin away from rest on a damp road (just once, by accident, honestly).
It had a horrible driving position, seat low and wheel high, the polar opposite of comfortable. No seat height adjustment and the wheel wouldn't lower, mechanism screwed.
Apart from that and the gear whine and general clamour I loved the thing. Sort of, up to a point. But I'm soppy about hopeless cars. Sentimental.
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I have happy memories of the Ford Ka, but I cannot repeat them on here in case I get err well shot :p. Loved the simplicity of my Fiestas, but don't miss the fact they would go wrong on an almost weekly basis.
I was very impressed with the Panda today. For the first time ever I managed to test its 0-50mph speed (I have done 80 in it but only on a motorway where testing from 0 is impossible). It does that FIAT trick of making you think the car is a hell of a lot faster than it actually is. I was still in 3rd at 50mph (I did end up in 5th) and it felt like I could get another 10-15mph out of it in third too, although I have no red counter so would have been hard to tell if I was redlining it. Still I think just about everything about from lorries were over taking me!
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The courtesy Ka was damaged in my hands. Some sort of little red car came past a bit close in a lane where it had the better grass verge, its o/s door mirror hit the Ka's mirror rather hard and knocked it back. A rude piece of driving but we've all done things like that. The cowling and mechanism weren't damaged but the glass was cracked although still usable and in place.
I pointed it out to the indy and apologised. He said 'These things happen.' A new stick-on glass will only cost a couple of quid I think.
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That is great, imagine if that was a main dealer or a hire car, that will be £250 excess please sir...
I never tend to bother with courtesy cars, because living in the middle of Manchester I can easily manage without a car for the day but couldn't do without a car for more than two days.
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The Hyundai suffered its first 'breakdown' this morning. Got a call to say it is dead, I checked the battery and it had 0v. It was completely dead phoned the dealer to check if it was still under warranty who said to phone the AA (all Hyundais have 5 year AA cover) but the battery is not covered.
The AA promptly came out (in about 15 minutes from the call) who had discovered the interior light was on. The light is not very bright the journey from the main dealers is on very brightly lit main roads, so my dad reckons it was the dealer who left the light on by accident, but my dads stupid fault for not noticing it.
The AA recharged the battery and all is fine now.
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Once it's been flat, y'know, Rats, it'll never be quite right again. Daddy Rats will be holding his breath every morning as he turns the key, wondering whether this will be the time it's lost all its charge in the night. Life will be one big worry.
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You're right. Best to buy a new battery a.s.a.p.
To be honest sounds like that i10 is coming to the end of its useful life.
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Panda and i10 both done 19k - Reliability report - Boxsterboy
