Hi, I wanted to get some opinions/advice regarding an issue I have and wanted to know what the general feeling, or even better someone who has experienced this problem and what the outcome was.... I purchased an Audi A3 1.8TFSI and the car has the same oil consumption issue as the 2.0 TFSI (mainly Audi A5's but A3 and other models also). I went for the 1.8TFSI as I didn't think it had the same oil consumption issue but it appears it does, just less well known. My local Audi dealer is doing all of the tests and in a couple of weeks they will have all of the details to put forward to Audi UK for a solution and a cost and what they expect me to contribute towards it if I have the work done. Audi say that the more main dealer services you have had, the more favourable this will be looked at and and if you were to have the next service with them, this would help also. Through speaking with my contact, he seems to think that the dealer that sold me the car (non Audi) could be liable for the cost of any repairs as he sold the car to me and the car clearly has a fault. I countered this by saying the dealer is likely to say it's a known Audi issue therefore the issue is with Audi and they are liable. Who is liable?? The dealer who sold the car or Audi? Thanks in advance.

Palm Oil-What Is It -How Does It effect Us-And What Is It Used For. Hi Old Tawnyowl hear reporting from high up in the canopy of a tree today in Lancashire. Just chilling out. Another thread coming through.Sometimes i have just got to mention something that is bothering me. The story began the other day. There i was seeing what people were saying to each other on my favourite subject Fracking when a video came through. Completely unconnected. Now my days seem so busy researching,working,walking the Shoreline that the day seems to have vanished before much is achieved. Anyway i have not had much time to research this Palm Oil and will admit that i knew nothing about it or really what it was,used for anything. Back to the video.A lady called Tina Rothery had shared it.Some of you who read the Fracking thread will know who Tina is. The headline said. The area was being cleared to plant this Palm Oil Crop. So i hope others who have researched or know about Palm Oil will tell me and others what it is used for in everyday products. Perhaps some know perhaps how many areas of land have been destroyed to plant this crop.How many animals have been affected,anything really. I do not know anything about it as i say even which countries plant it and how. I realised shortly afterwards that i had encountered this product in a strange way and perhaps a different way to expected. When young i read so many books on Greek Legends,Robinson Crusoe,Jungle Book books like that.Perhaps made me a bit of a Dreamer. And the love of the sea has followed me through life.Most of my days or part of my days are spent On The Shoreline hunting for things. So i pick things up.I usually pick a few plastics,fishing line,nets as well as things i can use.To make things. I have seen many things including a body or two,perhaps to be expected due to the times i go there. But also many beautiful things One of the things i look for is Ambergris,i never really expect to find any.But any possibilities i pick up and look at.Even smell. Now i have just found out that ships and if wrong someone can correct me. After delivering the Palm Oil to Ports around England the ships leave to go to their next job. Once out at sea they as far as i know once more than 12 miles out can flush their tanks. This is when the Palm Oil enters the sea and like fat if put into water becomes this huge mass of floating stinking mass that can end up on beaches. After collecting Bacteria that multiplies for as long as it takes to beach.So when dogs etc smell it,taste it makes them ill even kills them. I now realise i have picked this stuff up myself wondering what this waxy,yellowish substance is many times. In fact i have seen perhaps one ton or more once in a huge mountain with ten men shovelling it into bags.I asked them what it was and they told me. I filmed them and took pictures but as usual goodness knows where the footage is. That at the moment is all i know about it. Perhaps you know much more.Perhaps you have time to research a little and share what you find. Please share your knowledge of Palm Oil.As that footage sure has bothered me.And know next to nothing about this product. Thanks very much. Tawnyowl.

I really need some help with a problem I have. I was on a 4 day touring holidayicon last week in Scotland in my second hand motorhome which I only purchased around 4 months that I have been saving up for years to buy. On the second day in Scotland the service light came on. With only just purchasing it I wanted to get it seen to quickly I booked it into Arnold Clark, Falkirk Road Grangemouth. I told them exactly what type the motorhome was and they said it wasn't a problem they could sort it out for me the following day which was the Wednesday. I took it into them and waited from 10:30am until around 3:30pm then went to the service desk and asked how the service was doing. I was informed the service had been done but they were having an issue resetting the service light and they would have to take the motorhome to another garage up the road for the light to be turned off. I agreed to wait so they took the motorhome. Over an hour later I returned to the service desk again for another update. They said they still were having an issue turning the service light off and it must be a problem with my motorhomes body computer. they said they couldn't do it. I immediately called the dealership where I purchased the motorhome from in Lancashire and they said they could turn the light off for me if I bought it into them on the Saturday. I paid Arnold Clark for the service as I wanted to get away as by this time it was about 5pm and going dark because its winter and I was booked into a campsite in Edingburgh. I got into the motorhome and drove off. I got about half a mile down the road when I noticed that now not only was the service light illuminated but the airbag fault light was also illuminated all the time, which Arnold Clark hadn't mentioned anything about. I returned to Arnold Clark immediately. They initially denied all knowledge of the airbag light and said it must of been on when I brought the motorhome in as it was impossible for them to of caused it. after a lot of heated talk they finally ask me to return the following day so they could attempt to rectify the issue. However, knowing the garage in Lancashire could turn the lights off I didn't return the Arnold Clark the following day and instead had a days holiday driving around sight seeing, which is why I was in Scotland in the first place. Plus as Arnold Clark were unable to turn the light off on the service day, it was logical to assume they wouldn't be able to turn it off the next day either and I would waste another day of my 4 day holiday for nothing. The weather from Tuesday through to Friday was mostly terrible with torrential rain and high winds, plus I was smothered in a cold. on the Friday morning I decided to drive down to my parents house in Lancashire which was mid point on my way home to Hampshire and also only 10 miles from the garage in Lancashire where I bought the motorhome from. I arrived at my parents early on Friday, it was still raining and windy I decided to immediately take the motorhome into the dealership. However, on the way from my parents house to the dealership the motorhome started to make a strange engine noise. on arriving at the dealership I popped the bonnet with the service guy standing there. We found the oil filler cap was missing from the engine and the engine bay was coated and dripping with oil from the engine. The oil filler cap was found in the window screen wiper well above the engine. I had driven in excess of 600 miles with no oil filler cap in place and oil squirting all over the place. I was smothered in a cold and with the rain and wind I hadn't noticed or smelt anything wrong. I immediately called the Arnold Clark dealership to complain. The head service guy there spoke to me and informed me it was impossible for it to be their error has after servicing all vehicles are inspected by someone else prior to returning the vehicle to the customer. Yet from the point the motorhome was returned to me after the service, I had either been driving, cooking or sleeping in it until it being parked outside the front window of my parents house for 10 minutes before driving it down to the dealership and finding oil everywhere. Arnold Clark as informed me they will investigate the issue but they seriously doubt its anything to do with them. The investigation will take several days and I must not have the motorhome worked on by anyone else in that time. they expect me to stay at my parents house 250 miles away from home and miss work until they finish their investigation. The dealership in Lancashire has had a quick look at the engine and have found the turbo has been damaged due to lack of engine oil as it is now making a strange noise. Luckily though, they don't think there is any other damage to the engine, but they can't really tell properly without taking the engine apart. All they have done is fill the engine with new oil and made sure the oil filler cap is in its correct place and apart from being noisy it seems to run. From my initial conversation with Arnold Clark I know all they are going to do is fob me off saying its nothing to do with them I will be left with, at best, a damaged turbo that needs fixing, probably at my own expense I just think it is wrong and I am absolutely disgusted. I think Arnold Clark should own up to their error and I should be refunded the £224.96 for the service, the £61 something pence I have had to pay for the engine to be quickly inspected, refilled with oil and cleaned, plus whatever the cost of fixing the turbo and whatever else is wrong with the engine will be. Incidentally, The dealership in Lancashire turned sorted out the dashboard lights in no time. So what were Arnold Clark doing??

I don't want to go into a 1000 word essay so I've tried to summarise this down into valid points and be as brief but detailed as possible. On 24th December 2014, I visited Halfords and purchased engine oil 5L bottle and engine oil top up service. When the gentlemen from the 'we fit' team came to my car he just had a orange pouring beaker and nothing else. On pouring the engine oil into the vehicle and inspecting the dipstick I was slightly alarmed that the staff member wasn't using any measuring device and was seeming freely pouring at his hearts content, I decided to take a photograph of the top op occurring. My partner and her son where in the car whilst this was all on going. I assumed being a Halfords 'we fit' member it was probably just my own paranoia that he wasn't using a measuring device or jug. On completing the top up the staff member told me I was ready to go and it was complete and was about to shut the bonnet when I quickly noticed and informed him that the engine oil cap had not been reapplied and closed to the engine oil unit. The staff member apologised saying he had been at work since 6am and was very tired. So I left the store. On driving approximately 1-2 miles from the store smoke started coming out of the exhaust of the vehicle which i noticed from my rear view mirror and wing mirror. I immediately stopped the vehicle and as smoke was starting to appear from the exhaust and engine decided to check the engine oil top up. I at this time read the engine oil dipstick and saw that it was 3 times past the maximum mark. I took a photograph with it getting into the evening and at this point it became dark quite early and also for proof of the dipstick. I then returned to the store. On this point on returning to the store a 'engine malfunction' light appeared on my vehicle. I informed them of what had occurred and 2 members of staff inspected the engine oil. The supervisor told me she'd get equipment to drain the engine oil with the staff member. When they got this equipment because of the size of my vehicle it would not fit. Therefore the supervisor said she would ring halfords autocentre and see if an 'engine oil overfill' would cause any danger to drive. After ringing them she came back and told me that a mechanic at Halfords autocentre said the vehicle would be safe to drive with engine oil overfilled. I asked why the engine malfunction light was occurring and was told it was probably a false sensor alarm on the trip computer because the car was just 'slightly' over on engine oil. I asked what would happen if my vehicle was damaged or stopped working because of this and was told by the supervisor that I would have to seek reimbursement after purchasing the repair from Halfords Autocentre by bringing the receipt in store. To me this did not make logical sense and after googling the dangers of 'engine oil overfills' on my phone I decided to go into the store and speak to the staff to get some form of written liability and promise in writing. On speaking to the original staff member in store and his colleague they would not provide me anything in writing. I therefore decided to covertly record the conversation so I had some form of proof of the incident occurring and evidence. On speaking to the staff instore the store manager was at a till behind them. The staff told me to not worry and if anything did occur that 'Halfords would pay for it' as they had 'insurance in place for these kind of things'. I was told that mistakes did happen and before staff had fitted batteries in wrong and Halfords had paid the repair. The store manager then said that he drives his car which has 150k mileage on it with overfilled engine oil all the time and it does no damage. With this recorded I left and drove my vehicle home. I decided that something still did not seem right as I had been told 2-3 different things about reimbursement (insurance being involved...paying it myself and being reimbursed..halfords paying the repair costs..). These were three different things and to me it was not logical to drive a vehicle with a engine malfunction light. I kept the vehicle parked up and switched off and did no further driving. I rang my breakdown cover and asked them to send a mechanic out for an opinion. When the mechanic arrived he told me the car was unsafe to drive and the advice Halfords gave me was wrong. It was not safe to drive a car with overfilled engine oil as it was as bad as driving the vehicle with underfilled engine oil. He put this into a report of the breakdown he emailed to customer services, which I later requested. I therefore waited until Boxing Day and in the meanwhile i was left without a car because Halfords was not open during this period. When I rang the customer services on 26/12/14 at 2pm I spoke to someone there and they promised me that my car would be repaired until I was 'happy'. I asked them provide this in writing in which they did in the form of 'case notes' that were forwarded to me. I was told this would be done ASAP and the store would be instructed on how to do this. On being taken home by my mother at approximately 5pm I got a phonecall from someone claiming to work for Halfords claim team. I therefore spoke to them and they told me that they would require proof of the breakdown report and that the car was unsafe to drive as a result of the store's misadvice and negligence. I therefore asked them to put in writing this. Which they did in a email to me on 26/12/14 at 5.23pm I sent them the breakdown report, dipstick reading and audio recording on 26/12/14 at 9.58pm On the 29/12/14 I was contacted by the claims team via telephone on Monday throughout the day who said they would get the car towed to an autocentre to be flushed. This was done and I then awaited the car to be repaired. I asked about what would happen to any charges such as taxi for transport because of Halford's error and as since Xmas eve I had been without a car. I was told to email any costs in form of receipts and they would be reimbursed. On the 30/12/14 I was told the car would be repaired at 5pm. I decided to ring the autocentre repairing the car and ask them to specifically look at the catalytic converter and gasket and do a emissions test and thorough check of all components of the car as I was worried that from seeking advice these could be damaged. I was told this would be done. I picked the car up at 5pm and was given no receipt or invoice and was told that the car was done. Neither did I sign anything. On picking the vehicle up I noticed that before the car had been towed it had 3/4 full of petrol. It now only had below half so i took a photograph of this and asked for 25% of the petrol to be reimbursed to me, as I would not have lost this petrol if the matter had not happened and I sent Halfords the original receipt. The following day I noticed that the A/C was no longer working and neither was the audio system/CD player and these components of the vehicle had been before. I therefore tried to call Halfords but was told by the customer services team that the claims handler was busy and so they would get him to ring me back. I tried to call Halfords two more times within that week with the same response. On the 6th January (6 days) later I sent Halfords a email to the email address they had been corresponding to me at informing them of the problems with the vehicle and my concerns. I received no response and when I called on the 7th January was told that the claims handler who was dealing with my case did not work weekends and had been off so to allow a few days for a call back. On driving to Nottingham on the 9/1/15 M1 the same engine malfunction light that appeared on the engine oil overfill re-appeared on my car's trip computer and dashboard with a weird smell. I decided to pull in and call Halfords customer service and demand to speak to a manager. On calling them they put me through to the claims handler who told me to take the car to my nearest autocentre. I did this and on the 10/1/15 the autocentre confirmed that the diagnosis was that the car had a 'emissions fault' and the 'catalytic converter' needed replacing. Halfords claim team called me on the 10/1/15 and told me that the repair would be started on Monday. On Monday 12/1/15 I was called by the claims handler and told the repair would take upto 1 working day but as this autocentre was under staffed that they would require further time, so a courtesy car in the form of car hire had been sorted for me with Enterprise locally to me. I was told I had to pay the deposit amount on the vehicle but the rental fees would be covered by Halfords. Therefore with no other choice I accepted the rental vehicle. I did this and got the courtesy car. On Wednesday 14/1/15 I was called by the claims handler to say that 'due to the cost of the catalytic converter' an 'investigation' was going to take place to see how the catalytic converter had been damaged and not spotted before. I accepted Halfords to do this as I knew nothing had been done. On 23/1/15 I received an email from the claims handler saying that Halfords staff had given 3 witness statements stating that only 1 litre of engine oil was entered to the vehicle which all staff witnessed and the engine oil dipstick was seen by 3 members of staff who all said it was at minimum, thus the autocentre found the engine oil amounts to be between 1.5-2 litres over therefore this did not match amounts. The autocentre had raised no concerns at the time but the investigation concluded the engine oil amounts did not match and thus Halfords stated that after Halfords topped up the oil i must have added more oil to the vehicle and damaged the vehicle myself, therefore Halfords were no longer liable for the damage/s and expense/s and the car hire would be ended on 29/1/15. On the 30/1/15 I rang the customer services and informed them I would like to speak to someone above the claims handler as at the time of the incident occurring and the engine oil top up happening my partner who was a witness to it all was there and could testify that 3 people did not check/supervise the top up. I also informed Halfords that i had a photograph of the engine oil top up occurring which had a time/date linked to it which was further evidence. I was promised that I would get a phonecall from a higher up member of the team on the Monday 26/1/15 as the claims team did not work on a Saturday. I received no call on the 26/1/15 from anyone higher up and instead was greeted by this email from the claims handler: Dear XXXXX, I understand that you have contacted us over the weekend in regards our response dated the 23rd. I can confirm that I have already discussed this case in detail with Halfords' High Level Complaints Manager, XXXXXXXX, prior to sending the email on the 23rd and that she has confirmed our stance. As previously advised if you do wish to take this further then I can only advise that you seek independent legal advice and address any correspondence to Halfords Legal, as we will not be giving this further consideration at Customer Services. Kind regards XXXXX Claims Consultant I then decided to reply with a letter before action (LBA) and sent one via post to the address I was told to send further consideration to only (the legal team at halfords) via recorded delivery and one via email to the address for Halfords I had. I yesterday received the below response to my LBA. Dear Mr XXXXXX, I confirm receipt of your email. Taking into account our prior correspondence, we are comfortable that this is our final position on this matter, and we do not propose to respond to you further in this circumstance. We refute your assertion that liability has been accepted at any point and recommend that you do seek legal advice should you wish to take this further. We await service of your claims paperwork from your legal representative and would ask that your case number of XXXXXXX is on all paperwork submitted. Yours Sincerely XXXXXX Claims Consultant I am now fed up over the matter. I am going to commence a MCOL. But need help in writing the particulars section. I have looked on the internet but found no examples of applicable use and don't know if what I have done is good enough. Can anyone help? Oh and I forgot to mention have still not had my vehicle back..and car hire was cancelled 24 hours earlier than what I was told!

Hey guys, was wondering if you could give me some advice on whether I've handled a used car situation, as after putting it off as much as possible, I've been given no other choice but to take a car dealer to court 8th December, me and my girlfriend traded in her Corsa for £400, for a Polo plus £500 cash (£900) total. The dealer checked her car, and had access to it for about 4-5 hours. I test drove one car, which broke down straight away, then test drove a similar but more expensive one, but only at 30mph up and down the local road. I refused the £50 Mot offered (Had 4 months left), as I have a very trustworthy garage that I wanted to take it to. As soon as money changed hands, the car cut out when I drove it out, to which the dealer said it was just because the car was parked on a slope and it's just the petrol and would be fine after putting some petrol in it. despite driving 15 mins back to my home, and putting in £10 petrol, the car kept cutting out, whenever going over speed bumps the car would make awful scraping sounds. when I took it to my garage they said there were two minor problems and an oil leak from the sump pan. They said the dealer illegally sold me the car, and that they would have to fix these problems straight away. Dealer argued the case, but eventually accepted that they needed fixing, and booked me into his local garage. 5 days later i took it to his garage, and when the work was done the mechanic denied that he was even told to look at the sump pan, and that he wouldn't look at that until the dealer gave the go ahead (he did fix the 2 minor problems again, contacted dealer, who reluctantly said he would book it in, to which was another 5 days away. When car was taken to garage, he kept it for a few days, and finally rang us to pick it up, but it was still cutting out while driving. due to it being Christmas, it took just under 2 weeks to get it checked by my garage (5th January) to which they said that it wasn't fixed, and that I need to take it back. Again contacted seller who arranged it for the 9th (a day after a month of having the car). On the day I was unwell and my girlfriend didnt feel safe driving the car, I text to cancel, but then the dealer started ignoring us. I tried ringing but no avail. i gave it a few days and then text him again to say that I wasn't happy with the car and would like a full refund. No response. spoke to citizens advice, who said send him a recorded letter. Which I did. But again no response, i text him saying if i dont hear back I will take it to court. Thats when he finally responded saying that it's my fault for buying a used car, and that he won't be giving me a refund and that I can take him to court but to let him know in advance. There's been a lot of back and forth between me and him, but the only thing he's willing to offer is £400 refund as he says the Corsa I traded in had a Head Gasket problem and it's cost him £480 to fix, even though I was not aware of this problem, and he had ample time to check and reject the trade in on the day. He's also listed the car without saying that he's fixed it, but is saying he's fixed pads and discs, which he never mentioned to me. I offered that he could have the Corsa for free, but the minimum I would've taken was my £500 cash back, to which he declined. Now I've applied for small claims court and am claiming over £1200 as I've had to keep the car insured and taxed to keep it on the road as I have no where else to store it I was debating whether to claim for traveling costs, as the car was bought to travel to football matches but I've had to get multiple coaches and trains on the day Do I have a good chance of winning?

My Skoda Fabia (08), which has been regularly serviced (for the two years before I owned it and the two years I have owned it) recently broke down on the M1 (had been running fine until then). My local garage recovered it for me and diagnosed a failure of the oil pump. It needs thousands of pounds of work to it (which I simply don't have). Skoda are saying that they are not responsible for it and are not obliged to offer any good will gesture as I have not had it serviced with them (although I have owned previous Skodas which works in my favour apparently). Can anyone advise if they have had a similar problem and if they had any luck getting Skoda to admit any liability?

To cut a long story short there appear to be hundreds of examples online in various forums of VAG/Audi oil pump failures - balancer shaft smoothing on end causing pump to fail and any number of other engine issues as a result - and unfortunately I've had a similar experience. I'm simply wondering if anyone has taken out a court case/small claims against either VW/Audi/Skoda - depending on the model of car you had where you experienced a similar failure causing expensive to repair damage to engine etc as a result - and on what grounds. Also more to the point were you successful in your claim? Due to a second oil pump failure - after paying £1800 to replace oil pump and blown turbo which resulted from original oil pump failure - I'm pretty much looking at writing vehicle off as scrap but now considering whether it would be worthwhile trying to recover original £1800 spent repairing first oil pump failure which was subject of a technical bulletin to dealers from VW group but never subject to a recall. From what I can gather online - posts from people more mechanically minded than myself - the oil pump should last the life of the engine and in these instances have been failing due to poor design/engineering. That being the case I'm wondering if there's the potential for me to make a claim in small claims court bearing in mind I've never given the dealer I purchased the car from or Skoda the opportunity to rectify matters in the first instance. In my own defence that was because nowhere have I been able to find anyone who got anywhere with them other than perhaps a token goodwill discount off dealer repair costs. That being the case I had the work carried out myself by an independent VW master technician. I'm really interested therefore in if anyone out there reading this has had a similar experience and decided to go to court by way of obtaining a remedy and if so was the claim against the dealer, manufacturer or both? Thanks

Should i take this garage to small claims court? I took my BMW 1 series in to the local garage for a routine oil & filter change because the on board computer said it was due. The garage changed the oil & filter then phoned me to say as they were driving it off the ramp the oil light came on so they put it back on the ramp. They told me the engine would not start now they think the oil pump has failed and they think the timing change has come off at the top. Result is that my car now needs a new engine. I've had a quote for reconditioning my engine for £4505.22 from another garage. Original garage have never stripped one of these engines and has quoted about 12 hours to strip and diagnose. 2008 2ltr BMW 1 Series 118d 95,000 miles. Full service history. One owner before me. Please help what should I do?? I did write to them asking them for £2000 as a goodwill gesture in full and final settlement and if they did not respond I would take court action for the full amount of £4505.22. I have heard nothing whatsoever from them. Would I have any chance of winning a small claims court case?

Shoppers have been warned to beware of counterfeit olive oil – as criminal gangs exploit a disastrous Italian harvest by selling potentially dangerous bootleg bottles. Consumers should be particularly wary of olive oil that appears “too cheap to be true”, experts said. Fake oil produced in unhygienic conditions could put Britons at increased risk of E.coli and salmonella. The incentive for fraud has increased because the woeful olive harvest has left a shortage of the fruit required to make genuine oil – while the resulting rising price has increased the profits that can be made from selling fake bottles. The best way for consumers and restaurant buyers to determine whether olive oil is counterfeit is to look at the price. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/food-fans-are-told-to-prepare-for-a-flood-of-dangerous-counterfeit-olive-oil-10124249.html

Since I bought my 1.4 TDI PD VW Polo in 2002 (yes I know its old but its only done 17,000 miles) I have changed the engine oil every year using the recommended 5w40 semi synthetic 505.01 oil (Millers). I have always bought a 5 litre container of oil but the engine only needs about 4 litres so I always have about a litre left, this builds up so about every fourth year it has built up so I dont have buy for that particular year.I now have a build up of about 3 litres and as it is near to oil change time I went to buy a 5 litre container of the recommended oil only to find Millers have discontinued it and say I should now use their recommended full synthetic (not semi) oil See here Millers Oils XFE - PD 5w-40 Semi-synthetic Engine Oil So now to my questions I presume it is OK to mix synthetic and semi synthetic oils. If the answer to this question is no would it be OK to mix a different manufacturers semi synthetic oil with the Millers oil ALSO I am sure a few years ago I read that if you had used semi synthetic oil for a number of years and you changed to full synthetic there was a chance you could get oil leaks, any truth in this or is it a "old wifes tale". Thanks

Dear CAG users, I recently put my 3-year-old car in for service at a main dealer that is part of a much larger chain. It was a special fixed-price deal for an interim service. I noticed the next day that the invoice listed an oil of the correct viscosity, but which is not in line with the car manufacturer's recommendations and is not appropriate for an engine with DPF. It is also suspiciously cheap for the spec that should have gone in (£20 for 4.5L), however the pricing on the itemised invoice was fudged for the price-fixed offer so I'm aware it may not have actually been £20. After phoning the dealer twice and getting nowhere, I went by in person to speak the service manager. He showed me some top up bottles of the oil they said they used on the car, which would be a suitable oil but was not what I was invoiced for. He was not aware of the differences between the oil listed on the invoice and that which they were using (from the same manufacturer with similar but still distinct names). The chain of dealers appear to have a deal with this oil manufacturer, but it wasn't clear whether they get one product that is used in all cars (in which case I got the right stuff) or several products (in which case its still possible they put the wrong one in). All through this I was being made to feel like a very awkward customer. Their normal clientele evidently don't ask many questions! I'm still not convinced that I got the correct oil, but don't know what I can do next. Any ideas? Thanks

week ago took my new (to me, my old mans perfecly serviced 4 year old 60k swift) car to be serviced at a local indy garage I supplied the oil and filter when I collected it the had used an oil flush, I was not made aware theu where going to use it (something I would never ever agree to in a million years) since then its not sounded quit right I'm suspecting serveral things 1 they left some the old oil with the flush in, and have contaminated the motul brand oil I supplied 2 they left some old oil with the flush in they used their cheapo own oil and has been contaminated, and kept my oil, or dumped it in to the barrel 3 they used their cheapo own oil, and kept mine or dumped it in to the barrel 4 the flush has done something it now has a random rattling tappets and it not as smooth feeling as it used to feel.

Hey Guys, Major advice needed, I have had my fingers really burnt at a National garage after an oil and filter service. We took the car in after having no problems at this garage previously, car had the oil and filter changed and was given back to me. I hadn't even driven off the forecourt and the oil pressure warning came on. Took it straight back and was told not to worry as it was full of oil, again back out and light was still on. Took it back and was then told don't worry they'll speak to Audi in the morning as it must be a sensor that needs resetting. Took the car off the forecourt again and got 1/2 mile down the road and the engine died and would not restart. Had the RAC come out to recover the car home. Called the garage in the morning and they came out and changed the filter, The mechanic admitted that the oil filter was "loose in the housing" and the new one was fitted in the car. The oil pressure light immediately extinguished but now i'm left with an engine that's knocking itself into tomorrow and a whining turbo. I called the garage and they denied everything stating the fault must have been there when the car arrived and if we wanted anything done we would need an independent garage to look at it and state that it was the fault of National. I then called into head office and they sent the senior mechanic up to look at the car. Computer was plugged in showing that everything was operating as it should but we found on the invoice that the wrong oil filter had been booked out. The senior mechanic called the guy who fitted the filter and he admitted the car was not knocking when it came in and there was no lights on the dashboard. He thought that the filter that was originally fitted did not engage the pressure valve at the bottom of the engine and stopped oil circulating around. That filter has now obviously vanished. They've now asked for an independent report but have authorized work of up to £500?? My garage said he can only really comment on the cars condition now but believes it needs a new top end rebuild and a turbo. They have been good with us but also very grey when its coming to the nitty gritty of sending to the dealers under insurance. What the hell do I do???? Thanks Dan

Hi all. Apologies for the length of this post. I have an ongoing problem with my car and I'm really stuck now - it has cost me a lot of money already and I have no idea how much help I can reasonably expect from all parties involved. I purchased a 05 plate Ford Focus 1.6 TDCi in December 2009 for £4000. It had 78,000 miles on the clock and a full Ford service history. When I bought it, I did so on the understanding that it had just had its 75,000 mile service done and all issues had been addressed. In early December 2010, with 85,000 miles on the clock, the car suddenly lost power. No warning lights on the dashboard. No odd noises or smoke. I booked it in at a local independent garage. This garage has been used by my family to service several cars over several years with no problems. We consider them trustworthy and reliable. The garage took the car for a few days, checked for performance, diagnosed a bad turbo, flushed the system and replaced the turbo. This cost me £950. The car performed fine until May 2011 when, with 87,000 miles on the clock, it again lost power. Again, no warning lights or noises or smoke that I noticed. I called the garage. They said that they should be able to claim for the faulty turbo on warranty and fix it for free. In order to claim for the replacement turbo as faulty, they took the car to Ford themselves. This is when it was revealed that there is a Technical Service Bulletin relating to these 1.6L TDCi engines, and specifically to blown turbos. It seems that the engine design is such that debris builds up in the system and reduces oil flow to the turbo. It is a "common concern". My local garage took this TSB and the required parts from Ford and set about following all the required steps - flushing the system, removing the sump, replacing oil pick up and strainer, replacing turbo feed and return pipes, replacing banjo bolts and replacing the turbo. After carrying out this work, they performed the test required by Ford to check oil flow, measuring 900ml in 60 seconds (against Ford's required minimum of 300ml in 60 seconds). By all accounts, the issue was now correctly diagnosed and fixed. Ford would not cover the parts under warranty since they were not faulty. The garage charged me £800 for parts. but provided labour for free. At this point I asked if the issue was properly fixed and was told that yes, the turbo should not cause me any more problems and as long as I service every 6,000 miles or so (instead of Ford's recommended 12,500 miles), the car would now be good for several years to come. Now, in August 2011 the turbo failed again. I booked the car straight in at Ford. I received a call from Ford saying "Your garage didn't do the work properly. They didn't connect the turbo reworks, so it is not receiving any oil." This made no sense to me, so I challenged it, saying "If the turbo was not connected or receiving any oil, how have I been able to drive the car for the past 2 months, with a functioning turbo?". I was put on hold for a couple of minutes and then told instead that "Your garage did not take off the sump and clear the oil ways properly". I again challenged this and explained that they were provided the TSB by that very same Ford branch and followed it correctly. By this point, I have no idea who is telling the truth. The Ford mechanic seems to change his story whenever challenged. The two garages spoke on the phone. My local garage convinced the Ford mechanic that they "did everything Ford would have done" when fixing the turbo for the second time. The Ford branch then called me back and admitted to me that they have had around 20 customers in the past year or so with identical cars, with identical problems at that branch alone, and that the only solution is getting a replacement engine. I was provided with Ford's Customer Relations phone number, but told that I won't have much luck. I called and I was fed the line that "Due to the age of your car, Ford cannot offer any financial assistance". So, I am left with a 6 year old car with around 90,000 miles on the clock which needs a new engine. This would be upsetting enough, but it has cost me the best part of £2000 to reach this point. I am pretty ignorant of car issues. I don't cover many miles and have always bought cars of around the same age and mileage (last 2 were a Mazda 323F and a Golf mk4), driven them for 4 or 5 years, serviced them regularly and never had any kind of breakdown. I accept that things can go wrong, of course, but a but of digging around online suggests that the issue I have encountered is pretty much an open secret amongst mechanics. I can't post links, but searching for 1.6 tdci turbo failure brings up discussions on Cmaxownersclub and Honestjons and similar, where mechanics are saying things like "these engines are a nightmare", "I tell my customers to avoid them", "why aren't Ford telling people?", "There are going to be a lot of unhappy Focus owners over the next couple of years". etc. As well as posts from consumers explaining similar stories - repeated turbo failures, being told they need to pay for a new engine, regardless of whether or not they used Ford garages or independents. From searching around, it appears that this engine is causing this exact problem for many customers. Ford's own mechanics admitted it to me themselves. They agreed with me that a car of that age, with a full service history should not need a new engine. Ford's customer relations representative told me that "that is the mechanic's own personal opinion". It seems outrageous to me that I could ring around every Ford service centre in the country and all of them might admit to me that this particular engine is a problem and customers are left with worthless cars as a result, but Ford themselves accept no responsibility. - Why aren't the feed pipes and banjo bolts etc replaced as a matter of course as part of the regular service schedule? - Why don't they insist on more regular servicing to check oil flow and flush the system, if that is known to help? I saw the last service sheet from Ford in December 2009 when buying the car. It said next service due at 12,500 miles. - Should my local garage have known about the TSB first time around? If they had known about the "common concern" and had been able to explain the issues to me accurately first time around I could have at least cut my losses early on. Instead I have paid £2000 to drive my car an extra 6,000 miles and ended up with nothing. Are those kinds of TSBs only authorised for circulation amongst Ford's own mechanics, or can independent garages access them on a database somewhere? Should the TSB have been supplied with the first replacement turbo? Apologies again for the length of the post. I just want to provide all necessary details. I'm really at a loss here. Do I just go out and buy a new car and move on? Would I have any chance of getting anything from Ford? A 6 year old car, which has been serviced by Ford, needs a new engine due to an acknowledged fault - it seems outrageous to me, but I appreciate that my viewpoint is a little biased now. Is my Focus worth anything at all as it is? Scrap? Part exchange? Even buying and fitting a second hand engine would feel like throwing good money after bad. If I'm paying to fix it just to sell it, I'm at a point where the sums don't add up regardless of what I do. All advice gratefully received.

OFT boosts transparency on heating oil prices 26 July 2012 Following OFT action, GB Oils Limited, the largest supplier of heating oil in the country, has changed its domestic heating oil contracts ensuring quoted prices do not increase from the time an order is made until the customer is billed on delivery. When a consumer orders from a supplier, 'spot' prices are quoted that reflect the current market price of oil. The OFT has today secured legally binding undertakings from GB Oils to change its terms and conditions ensuring prices quoted at order remain fixed until delivery. http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2012/64-12

I bought my Mercedes Sprinter van new 5 years ago and had 3 yearly services with the same garage up to 42,000 miles. For the next 2 years up to 75,000 miles I used a local garage in the NW10 area which came highly recommended {had Astons, Bentleys etc in the garage}.... anyway my van broke down and I had it towed there and have since discovered that I need a new engine. I am amazed to be told this as the van has only 75,000 miles on it. The quotes I have been given by 3 different people in the past 36 hours have ranged from £3,500, then £6,000, then £9,000 and now back to £6,000. What I would like to know is if there is a company out there that can investigate or do an inspection to check that official Mercedes parts have been used and also if I can have the oil analysed as I know that using the wrong oil can mess up the engine and void the warranty. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.