austin
Well-Known Member
My current car is a Subaru forester and there is a lot about it I like: big, comfy, "hewn from granite" feel, heated leather seats, and enough toys and extras to keep me happy. Its an 07 with 80K on the clock its never left me stranded .....yet. BUT it has a few niggling faults all of which seem to be outrageously expensive to fix: The check engine light comes on frequently with one of four faults: catalyst out of spec (overheating by the smell of things), air pump valve stuck open (bleeds air into exhaust at start up to speed warm up of the cat); one (of two) lambda sensors failed; and one (of two) throttle stops stuck. Clearing the faults can leave it ok for a few hundred miles but will always come back. At tickover the engine is lumpy but is fine on the go, and on a cold start it is awfully noisy like a bearing worn (but I haven't pinned it down yet) but once warm is just how you would expect it. Finally the power steering occasionally gets a bit of a judder on.
It also has an LPG conversion which I think is a poor install and a couple of years back I had some horrendous problems caused by the LPG wiring loom. This was sorted but it has never run that well on LPG and now won't switch from petrol to LPG. I have given up with it for now.
I could sort all the issues by chucking a thousand pounds (or more) at it but am far from convinced its worth or that would be enough to cover it all - the air pump alone is £600, plus two valves at £200 each and about 4 hours fitting (or a blanking kit and engine remap at about £700). Any other components are probably equally expensive, and I feel like I will just end up with other issues to chase down. I suspect that 80K miles on badly adjusted LPG has not done he engine any good at all. OR I could buy another car, but I am fed up of buying someone else's castoffs and looked at a hugely discounted pre-reg 2016 Astra the other day, which was V nice, V up to date, and a good deal in the offing on either a PCP or an outright purchase. But still way way more than throwing money at the Forester.
What do you reckon: new/nearly car, or fix the forester? I keep lurching between the two.
It also has an LPG conversion which I think is a poor install and a couple of years back I had some horrendous problems caused by the LPG wiring loom. This was sorted but it has never run that well on LPG and now won't switch from petrol to LPG. I have given up with it for now.
I could sort all the issues by chucking a thousand pounds (or more) at it but am far from convinced its worth or that would be enough to cover it all - the air pump alone is £600, plus two valves at £200 each and about 4 hours fitting (or a blanking kit and engine remap at about £700). Any other components are probably equally expensive, and I feel like I will just end up with other issues to chase down. I suspect that 80K miles on badly adjusted LPG has not done he engine any good at all. OR I could buy another car, but I am fed up of buying someone else's castoffs and looked at a hugely discounted pre-reg 2016 Astra the other day, which was V nice, V up to date, and a good deal in the offing on either a PCP or an outright purchase. But still way way more than throwing money at the Forester.
What do you reckon: new/nearly car, or fix the forester? I keep lurching between the two.
, hadn't even considered a Series 1 BMW. But they look to be just about affordable at 1-2 years old. I am planning to keep it for 5+years so a BMW makes good sense.
Quarter ends are great even and though they spotted all the issues with my car I still got a whopping 20% discount and a decent part ex. Pick up tomorrow and I even got a refund on the insurance 
