Replacing The SpaceStar?

[Harry Bloomfield]

The scrap I bought post ulez had an engine management light on.
2 garages were unable to find the fault.
I, a diy basic mechanic only able to do basic stuff, open the bonnet and found a coil cable that needed pushed properly onto the spark plug head.
Light gone and never returned.
These garages get paid and can't diagnose a simple fault.

Step g/son bought a similar car, with an occasional misfire and EML coming on. I never even resorted to diagnostics to track it down, I simply had him swap the ignition modules. Changing the modules, changed the misfire enough to prove it was a module fault - getting one from a scrap car, and fitting it to each cylinder in turn, proved which one was faulty.

 

[securespark]

Isn't checking the mileage history, simply a matter of checking the recorded mileages in the MOT history?

One of the cars has only had one MoT, the other has had two.

I think the mileages were gleaned from other places.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Again here, am I missing something?

View attachment 325804

I'm just curious why BVRLA would know the mileage at those dates.

 

[securespark]

It must have been a rental car?

But as to why the mileages are not consistent, I cannot say.

 

[securespark]

Step g/son bought a similar car, with an occasional misfire and EML coming on. I never even resorted to diagnostics to track it down, I simply had him swap the ignition modules. Changing the modules, changed the misfire enough to prove it was a module fault - getting one from a scrap car, and fitting it to each cylinder in turn, proved which one was faulty.

Ours, I'm sure is a similar issue, but added together with all the other issues that needed fixing made the car uneconomic to repair.

 

[securespark]

Going back to the cars we checked with mileage issues, the second car we did Car Vertical on was a 2020 car that had only had 1 MoT.

IDK where Car Vertical gets their information from, maybe service records, but this, added to the very low price, was a red flag for us.

 

[securespark]

One potential purchase we are looking at is being inspected tomorrow. If the report picks up no major flaws, we will buy.

 

[securespark]

Hmm.
Major flaws.

Engine overfilled with oil, idle speed high, throwing a fault code for the turbo.

No thanks!

 

[Burnerman]

Just a wee point, but if you are going for diesel avoid the types that overfuel to increase the temperature of the DPF.....this wrecks the engine big time - Insignia owners beware! The oil level rises dramatically and the engine oil is seriously compromised.
Eloys and Adblue systems are much better in this respect but I’d be looking at petrol.
Good luck with the search.....you’ll get there!
John

 

[securespark]

Thank you very much, John.

My lad doesn't fancy a Diesel. It would help the budget if he did because they are so much cheaper.

I'm a bit put off the 1.0 Turbo Kia lump now, or perhaps we should try and aim for a lower mileage, or a non-turbo engine. I was under the impression their engines are reliable.

I suppose it could be a car that has had a hard life. But I wouldn't expect that after 80K.

 

[securespark]

Well, we have just taken delivery of a replacement for the unfortunate Mitsubishi Space Star.

 

[securespark]

Thanks to everyone for their help and input, especially JB.

We started off with a list of his wants, which were 4 electric windows, rear parking sensors, Android Auto and a large boot.

He didn't want a hybrid, which ruled out most of the Toyotas: the others were too small.

We went to look at Civics, but he did not like the styling, inside or out.

We looked briefly at Vauxhall Astra and test drove one in Brum, but he felt it was too poky, especially in the boot.

Then we started looking at the Kia Ceed Wagon, 12-18 model. But only one model in his price range had Android Auto and it was the GT Line, which had keyless. I read an article saying there had recently been a huge rise in the theft of keyless cars and in particular, keyless Kias.

We looked at many Ceeds but they were either in budget and dodgy, like a late plate one with 60K for silly money that turned out to be hugely clocked, or in budget and silly miles or out of budget.

In the end, he plumped for a 2018 Hyundai i30 Tourer SE Nav with the 1 litre engine and just over 60K on the clock.

It's a tidy motor, with a clean bill of health from Car Vertical, a warranty and 12 months AA breakdown, a vehicle inspection from the AA, near full service history and an advisory-free full MoT.

Edited for clarity.

 

[Burnerman]

It looks very good, ticks all the boxes and we wish you all the luck with it!
I personally do rate Kia / Hyundai but most of the vehicles that have come to me have been diesel.
If it was mine (don't want to sound patronising here) I'd reduce the oil change interval to around 6k and very carefully observe the oil level and therefore consumption, and it's at this mileage that I replace the alternator belt, whatever the make.
Be lucky!
Regards
John

 

[carmanmemoranda]

I rate them too.

Good luck with it

 

[Diver Fred]

It looks very good, ticks all the boxes and we wish you all the luck with it!
I personally do rate Kia / Hyundai but most of the vehicles that have come to me have been diesel.
If it was mine (don't want to sound patronising here) I'd reduce the oil change interval to around 6k and very carefully observe the oil level and therefore consumption, and it's at this mileage that I replace the alternator belt, whatever the make.
Be lucky!
Regards
John

I'm a great believer in regular oil changes - Much to the local dealers surprise. The last (BMC) A-Series engined Car I had I did just over 150K miles in it; Oil change every 3-4000 miles, Oil and filter every 6000 miles and full service every 12000. When I sold the car the dealer didn't believe how 'sweet' the engine sounded.

Present car I change oil and filter every 6 months or 6000 miles, present annual mileage is around 8000 mile.

Worst car I ever had was a 'one careful lady owner' with a full service record. After buying it I wished I took a more detailed look at the service record, Yes It was regularly serviced, every 6,000 miles but the service intervals was something like 18 months or more. Found out it was a daily driver but only driven around 4 miles a day.