[chris j]

How do recalls work?

I just had a letter saying there's a recall on my car. Do I now have to panic and rush to the nearest dealer immediately, and would be uninsured if anything happened before I did? Or can I just take the recall letter with me when I take the car in for its annual service which is due in a few weeks?

It kind of depends what the recall is for, the letter should say if it's serious! Generally you'd phone the dealer and they'll fit you in when they've got time  so I would think getting it done at the service would be no problem. I'd give them a ring soon to make sure they allocate time to fit it in, they might have a rush on or be short of the part needed and not be able to do it if you just tell them on the day.

This article suggests ignoring it could invalidate your insurance but surely they'd have to give you a reasonable length of time to get the work done before going to that length.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/94036/car-recalls-uk-check-if-your-car-is-subject-to-a-recall

[tomtom]

Yes - it depends what it is.
Usually car companies only issue recalls if its something they think they'll get sued to shit for.. so usually safety OR something major (read expensive and widespread) mechanically.

[James Malloch]

Probably not the bulb. You can tell by looking at the markings on the headlamp glass - where there should be similar shading/opaque parts to direct the light down and left. These should be the same onnleft and right - NOT mirror images of each other if that makes sense. If they are mirror images then it sounds like maybe someon has fitted a LHD lens to the car which would be really really odd. It might be easiest to take it to your nearest most amenable looking independent garage and say any chance they could take a look and adjust them for you? I'd suggest it's a £20 cash in the lunch hour job at the most....

TT - thanks for the advice. I ended up popping it in the garage as I wanted the Auxiliary belt changing anyway. He said that is does actually have European headlamps on which seems odd. No idea why - I'll have to look through my service history to see if or when it had them changed.

They just put some tape across as a temporary measure and it passed the retest the morning. Only cost £10 on top of the work I got done anyway so not bad at all.

[tomtom]

Probably not the bulb. You can tell by looking at the markings on the headlamp glass - where there should be similar shading/opaque parts to direct the light down and left. These should be the same onnleft and right - NOT mirror images of each other if that makes sense. If they are mirror images then it sounds like maybe someon has fitted a LHD lens to the car which would be really really odd. It might be easiest to take it to your nearest most amenable looking independent garage and say any chance they could take a look and adjust them for you? I'd suggest it's a £20 cash in the lunch hour job at the most....

TT - thanks for the advice. I ended up popping it in the garage as I wanted the Auxiliary belt changing anyway. He said that is does actually have European headlamps on which seems odd. No idea why - I'll have to look through my service history to see if or when it had them changed.

They just put some tape across as a temporary measure and it passed the retest the morning. Only cost £10 on top of the work I got done anyway so not bad at all.

Thats weird! maybe its spent a while overseas before! The whole headlamp unit probably has to be replaced to sort this out without using tape ~ and I suspect they'll be £50-100 each second hand.. so maybe not worth doing.. Anyway, as long as its passed its MOT etc..

[James Malloch]

Yeah it's pretty odd. It was a van used for a building firm in the SE so I can't see why it would have been abroad as they owned it the whole time for business purposes. I've every receipt for it so I will have a scan through them tonight.

But yes, it's passed it's MOT and will be up for sale once I've managed to give it a clean. I'm not expecting much for it (<£1000 definitely) so there's not much point in replacing the headlamps if some duct tape does the job.

I got an additional advisory as well today on the retest - object (sat nav) in the window, but not obscuring the drivers view. Not one I'd heard of before... I'd have taken it down if I knew!

[tomtom]

Yeah it's pretty odd. It was a van used for a building firm in the SE so I can't see why it would have been abroad as they owned it the whole time for business purposes. I've every receipt for it so I will have a scan through them tonight.

But yes, it's passed it's MOT and will be up for sale once I've managed to give it a clean. I'm not expecting much for it (<£1000 definitely) so there's not much point in replacing the headlamps if some duct tape does the job.

I got an additional advisory as well today on the retest - object (sat nav) in the window, but not obscuring the drivers view. Not one I'd heard of before... I'd have taken it down if I knew!

:D love the council MOT's...

Mates dad was a tester once.. He had quite a few tales..

[James Malloch]

Hoping to look at an 09 Berlingo car tomorrow and just checked it's MOT history.

In October 2014, 2015 and 2016 it failed the MOT for the same two reasons:

Nearside Outer Front constant velocity joint gaiter insecure to the extent that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc (2.5.C.1a)
Offside Outer Front constant velocity joint gaiter insecure to the extent that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc (2.5.C.1a)

I've seen this as a failure on a number of berlingos that I have looked at but never the same thing three times in a row. So I guess either it was bodged each time, or something is up with the car that means it wears quickly for some reason.

If anyone has any thoughts it would be interesting to here as I've pretty clueless as to what this actually means...

[tomtom]

Okay so the CV boot is a rubber boot on the universal joint at the end of the drive shaft near the wheel. It's like a little rubber cover to stop all the dirt getting into the joint. However if it's been split open in Dirt can get in could cause the joints to be worn.

It's really common thing to happen in many front wheel drive cars. The way to tell if it has caused any damage is to take the car for a test drive and at low speed do some turns at full lock and if you hear any clunking noises from the wheels/joints whilst driving slowly eg at 1 mph then that might mean there is some wear in the joints.

Aside from checking that the work has been done, this bath check should give you an idea whether they are worn or not. If they are broken or break in the future it's not a massive job but might be 2 to £300 so

[tomtom]

This is a super bad example.. it's rarely this bad normally a clicking.

[James Malloch]

Cheers TT - I should just start PMing you questions :D

Glad to hear it's not a hugely expensive job should it need doing. I'll be sure to do some slow turning too!

[James Malloch]

On the subject of cruise control, you can easily retrofit it on most berlingos, just check it has the right pedals before you buy.

I bought a Berlingo yesterday (to pick up next week) - YYFY! Just wondering what I would need to check on the pedals to see if it can be retrofit?

Also, does anyone know how easy it is to add parking sensors?

[Paul B]

Aftermarket ones? If so, fairly easy although it will require some drilling of your bumper.

[James Malloch]

Aftermarket ones? If so, fairly easy although it will require some drilling of your bumper.

Yes - not sure what type we would be after but happy to do some drilling if needed. Ideally I would install something with a screen (we need to upgrade the stereo anyway) and have the sensors linked to that and display the radar-type effect of distance.

However, I think this would probable get expensive so we will probably just get a sound-based one and a crappy stereo.

[Paul B]

Mine has it's own little indicator bar (Green, Amber, Red etc.) and a distance indicator in the middle. Similar to this:



It chirps when you put it in reverse to let you know that it is indeed working. If you were going for a new head-unit it may be worth thinking about a rear camera as an option?

[cha1n]

What's the spec of your Berlingo? I don't think it's as simple as checking the pedals, I think it depends on the type of fuel injection system you have (Bosch or Siemens). It's been on my to do list to look into this but because mine is Bosch, I think chances are slim. There's more info, but not masses on the Berlingo forum. I'm not sure I like the idea of the after market cruise control systems personally, aren't they a slightly more sophisticated version of shoving a block against the accelerator when you've reached the desired speed? If I'm wrong then fair enough.

I've fitted after market parking sensors before (on my old T4) and it was easy enough to do. I personally wouldn't bother on the Berlingo as the visibility for parking is fine and I just go for the 'drive really slow until you touch the other car gently' approach for tight parallel parking spaces! If I was going to do it again, it may be worth looking for wireless kits if they exist? Saves taking all your plastics off to hide the wires.

*** Edit, cruise control comments were assuming you have a M49 or M59 berlingo, I have no knowledge of the newer ones ***

[James Malloch]

Mine has it's own little indicator bar (Green, Amber, Red etc.) and a distance indicator in the middle. Similar to this:

It chirps when you put it in reverse to let you know that it is indeed working. If you were going for a new head-unit it may be worth thinking about a rear camera as an option?

Thanks for that, Paul. Looks like a good system and there are some available in Maplin for under £50. Have you got a wired or wireless system?

Yeah I've looked at some cameras which are pretty reasonable too. Though I'm not sure on the head unit itself yet. Those with a screen seem to be much more expensive than I imagined. That is assuming the cheap versions on ebay etc aren't that great...

What's the spec of your Berlingo? I don't think it's as simple as checking the pedals, I think it depends on the type of fuel injection system you have (Bosch or Siemens). It's been on my to do list to look into this but because mine is Bosch, I think chances are slim. There's more info, but not masses on the Berlingo forum. I'm not sure I like the idea of the after market cruise control systems personally, aren't they a slightly more sophisticated version of shoving a block against the accelerator when you've reached the desired speed? If I'm wrong then fair enough.

I've fitted after market parking sensors before (on my old T4) and it was easy enough to do. I personally wouldn't bother on the Berlingo as the visibility for parking is fine and I just go for the 'drive really slow until you touch the other car gently' approach for tight parallel parking spaces! If I was going to do it again, it may be worth looking for wireless kits if they exist? Saves taking all your plastics off to hide the wires.

*** Edit, cruise control comments were assuming you have a M49 or M59 berlingo, I have no knowledge of the newer ones ***

The berlingo I have gone for is a 2009 1.6 HDi (90bhp) VTR 5d

http://www.parkers.co.uk/citroen/berlingo-multispace/estate-2008/16-hdi-(90bhp)-vtr-5d/specs/

That's all the info that I have unfortunately (pick it up next week). Would there be a way to know which fuel injection system is in there? Or if it's an M49 or M59 even?

Yes I'm still undecided on the parking sensors - I've never hit anything yet! We live in an area that's very limited on space so it might be useful now we've got a bigger car. Though it'll be a little bit before we buy/fit it I imagine so we may find we're okay without it.

[Duma]

M49 is pre 2002, m59 2002 -2008

[Paul B]

Mine's wired.

[sdm]

What's the spec of your Berlingo? I don't think it's as simple as checking the pedals, I think it depends on the type of fuel injection system you have (Bosch or Siemens). It's been on my to do list to look into this but because mine is Bosch, I think chances are slim. There's more info, but not masses on the Berlingo forum. I'm not sure I like the idea of the after market cruise control systems personally, aren't they a slightly more sophisticated version of shoving a block against the accelerator when you've reached the desired speed? If I'm wrong then fair enough.

*** Edit, cruise control comments were assuming you have a M49 or M59 berlingo, I have no knowledge of the newer ones ***

The berlingo I have gone for is a 2009 1.6 HDi (90bhp) VTR 5d

http://www.parkers.co.uk/citroen/berlingo-multispace/estate-2008/16-hdi-(90bhp)-vtr-5d/specs/

That's all the info that I have unfortunately (pick it up next week). Would there be a way to know which fuel injection system is in there? Or if it's an M49 or M59 even?

Yes I'm still undecided on the parking sensors - I've never hit anything yet! We live in an area that's very limited on space so it might be useful now we've got a bigger car. Though it'll be a little bit before we buy/fit it I imagine so we may find we're okay without it.

Yours is the B9 (second generation).

To be able to retrofit cruise control, your Berlingo needs to have 3 things:
1) A switch on your clutch pedal to tell the car to deactivate the cruise control when you press the clutch. The switch usually has black wires coming out of it, going in to a blue housing and can be seen by getting down by the pedals and pressing the clutch. A mirror and torch may be necessary.
2) A switch on the brake pedal to deactivate the cruise control when you press the brake. All Berlingos have a white switch (I think this activates the brake lights), the switch you want is a second red switch to the right of the white one. This one is more awkward to see. There are some pictures on the Berlingo forums if you are struggling.
3) Have the right version of the software installed in your car. As I understand it, this shouldn't be a problem on yours. Some of the earliest B9s didn't have the right software but I haven't heard of any problems from anyone with an 09 plate.

You then just need to fit the stalk and get someone to plug it in to Lexia to change the right values to activate it.

There is a switch on the throttle which is required if you also want the speed limiter activated. Most Berlingos don't have this switch as standard and the replacement throttle pedal is expensive so most people don't bother with this. If you install a cruise control stalk with the speed limiter but you don't have the right throttle, the cruise control will still work fine.

There's quite a few threads on berlingoforum.co.uk on the subject and you may even find someone local on there who has access to Lexia for a good price.

[cheque]

OK, not long after I started my Seat Altea this morning there was a long warning beep, an "ESP Fault" message appeared on the dashboard, some lights lit up and the power steering stopped working. 

I drove it round the corner, turned off the ignition, waited 30 seconds and it was fine when I started it again so I drove the 25 miles to work with no problem whatsoever.

A bit of online research suggests that that error message can mean many things and it needs plugging into a VAG computer to find out exactly how much of my new camera fund I'm goinf to have to part with.

Anyone know a good independent VAG place to get it looked at in Sheffield?

and

If I show up with no lights showing will they even be able to diagnose anything?

Thanks in advance!

[tommytwotone]

OK, not long after I started my Seat Altea this morning there was a long warning beep, an "ESP Fault" message appeared on the dashboard, some lights lit up and the power steering stopped working. 

I drove it round the corner, turned off the ignition, waited 30 seconds and it was fine when I started it again so I drove the 25 miles to work with no problem whatsoever.

A bit of online research suggests that that error message can mean many things and it needs plugging into a VAG computer to find out exactly how much of my new camera fund I'm goinf to have to part with.

Anyone know a good independent VAG place to get it looked at in Sheffield?

and

If I show up with no lights showing will they even be able to diagnose anything?

Thanks in advance!

Pretty standard VAG oversensitivity that - my 06 Skoda randomly lights up the ESP and the engine warning lights from time to time, then reverts to being fine on next startup. I heard somewhere that someone who'd been speaking to an RAC man reported that a lot of their callouts were for these warning lights, and unless you're in "limp mode" you're totally fine to carry on driving.


Yes, the faults are stored so if you get it plugged in you'll find out what it was but it could just be a bit of dirt passing through your lambda sensor. I guess depending on your appetite for spending money on your car / maintenance you can decide whether you want to do that. If you were to search the Pistonheads / a Seat specialist forum you could well find a local person / garage mechanic who could hook you up out of hours for a bit of cash in hand.


Sorry but can't help in a VAG place in Sheff - if you were talking Leeds I can heartily recommend German Autocare in Pudsey, which has the added benefit of being opposite The Depot.

[bigtuboflard01]

Heard good things about this place The Garage Sheffield
3 Sheaf Gardens, Sheffield S2 4BB
0114 273 7333
https://goo.gl/maps/JeYzpLJNHsj


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[James Malloch]

What's the spec of your Berlingo? I don't think it's as simple as checking the pedals, I think it depends on the type of fuel injection system you have (Bosch or Siemens). It's been on my to do list to look into this but because mine is Bosch, I think chances are slim. There's more info, but not masses on the Berlingo forum. I'm not sure I like the idea of the after market cruise control systems personally, aren't they a slightly more sophisticated version of shoving a block against the accelerator when you've reached the desired speed? If I'm wrong then fair enough.

*** Edit, cruise control comments were assuming you have a M49 or M59 berlingo, I have no knowledge of the newer ones ***

The berlingo I have gone for is a 2009 1.6 HDi (90bhp) VTR 5d

http://www.parkers.co.uk/citroen/berlingo-multispace/estate-2008/16-hdi-(90bhp)-vtr-5d/specs/

That's all the info that I have unfortunately (pick it up next week). Would there be a way to know which fuel injection system is in there? Or if it's an M49 or M59 even?

Yes I'm still undecided on the parking sensors - I've never hit anything yet! We live in an area that's very limited on space so it might be useful now we've got a bigger car. Though it'll be a little bit before we buy/fit it I imagine so we may find we're okay without it.

Yours is the B9 (second generation).

To be able to retrofit cruise control, your Berlingo needs to have 3 things:
1) A switch on your clutch pedal to tell the car to deactivate the cruise control when you press the clutch. The switch usually has black wires coming out of it, going in to a blue housing and can be seen by getting down by the pedals and pressing the clutch. A mirror and torch may be necessary.
2) A switch on the brake pedal to deactivate the cruise control when you press the brake. All Berlingos have a white switch (I think this activates the brake lights), the switch you want is a second red switch to the right of the white one. This one is more awkward to see. There are some pictures on the Berlingo forums if you are struggling.
3) Have the right version of the software installed in your car. As I understand it, this shouldn't be a problem on yours. Some of the earliest B9s didn't have the right software but I haven't heard of any problems from anyone with an 09 plate.

You then just need to fit the stalk and get someone to plug it in to Lexia to change the right values to activate it.

There is a switch on the throttle which is required if you also want the speed limiter activated. Most Berlingos don't have this switch as standard and the replacement throttle pedal is expensive so most people don't bother with this. If you install a cruise control stalk with the speed limiter but you don't have the right throttle, the cruise control will still work fine.

There's quite a few threads on berlingoforum.co.uk on the subject and you may even find someone local on there who has access to Lexia for a good price.

SDM - Thanks for the very comprehensive reply. I'll check the pedals next week when I get the car from the dealer. Are these the type you mean (so I know what I'm looking for)? https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt266/mechcanicolee/100_2371.jpg

After a bit of googling I've found a place with Lexia in leeds, but I'll search the forums you mentioned to see if there is anyone else out there once I get a quote.

[bigtuboflard]

Heard good things about this place The Garage Sheffield
3 Sheaf Gardens, Sheffield S2 4BB
0114 273 7333
https://goo.gl/maps/JeYzpLJNHsj


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sorry, dont know what the %^$£ Tapatalk has done with my profile on here.

[cheque]

Awesome, cheers TTT (&BTOL for the garage details). That's exactly what my colleague's just said to me as well.

If I'd have have thought about it properly I would have realised that there's an error log saved by the computer. 

It's working fine so I'll just carry on as usual. Service & MOT due in a month so that will hopefully pick anything up.