RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted June 28, 2015 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 28, 2015 That is why, since 1996, all cars over here are required to have an OBDII (On Board Diagnostics) port. Standardized diagnostic codes are available to anyone with a simple, cheap reader. Apparently European cars have been required to have EOBD (European OBD) since 2001 (2003 for diesels) which is almost identical to OBDII. Adrtian I did not know that. But the AA man had the necessary gismo to plug into it which is why we know the problem is exhaust related. It might be a good idea if Euro regulations stated where this port/socket should be positioned in the car. Took us ages to find it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted June 28, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 28, 2015 If a major car company did market a stripped down budget car here (noting that Renault effectively do it already with their Dacia brand)then they would still be faced with emissions regulations, a tax regime which pushes low emissions and insurance companies which would bump up premiums for losing active safety devices. I can see there might be a market for losing the more frivolous extras but fundamentally I think the market demands a level of efficiency and emissions performance that can only be met using advanced engine management and the market and insurers are driving a demand for active safety devices (air bags, collision avoidance, stability control etc). Most companies do offer an entry level version of each car in their range (disparagingly referred to as the "poverty spec" model by magazines and dealers) and they tend to be quite rare as most people see a Ford, VW, Vauxhall, Toyota or whatever with the mid range niceties and go for that rather than the base model. As a rule of thumb the mid range model tends to be the one to go for, giving you quite a lot more than the entry level without paying silly money for stuff you probably neither want nor need on the top model. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I did not know that. But the AA man had the necessary gismo to plug into it which is why we know the problem is exhaust related. It might be a good idea if Euro regulations stated where this port/socket should be positioned in the car. Took us ages to find it! The OBDII port on North American cars is usually (always?) under the steering column. Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kernowtim Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Diesel particulate filters are a current problem on diesels, bought in to reduce harmful emissions they regenerate every so often and clear out the accumulated crud, problem is they need to be at working temperature for a certain amount of time for this to work, on regular short distance driving this does not happen and the unit needs to be replaced, parts can cost over £500..Using the wrong engine oil can also cause damage. My 1994 Citroen bx 1.9 diesel will never have this problem however!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted August 15, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 15, 2015 Diesel particulate filters are a current problem on diesels, bought in to reduce harmful emissions they regenerate every so often and clear out the accumulated crud, problem is they need to be at working temperature for a certain amount of time for this to work, on regular short distance driving this does not happen and the unit needs to be replaced, parts can cost over £500..Using the wrong engine oil can also cause damage. My 1994 Citroen bx 1.9 diesel will never have this problem however!! That explains the newish diesel car that that passed me emitting a cloud of crud the other day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crosland Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Diesel particulate filters are a current problem on diesels, And the EGR (Exhasut Gas Recirculation) at least on some fords, causes dirty exhaust even without DPF problems. Ford stopped fitting DPFs for a while, at least on some models, whilst they redesigned them to make them more reliable. You need to check against the chassis number if you are thinking of buying 2nd hand. Andrew Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 I'm quite happy with my '54 plate Connect (Luton-bodied Focus), and although it has a lot of electronics and other 'bits', I can do most jobs on it. I've had to do a head job (burnt out valves), probably due to the fact that it is a bi-fuel (factory option) and that it's done in excess of 260,000 miles! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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