Expert answer

Hi Paul,

Firstly Renault tell us that "All aftersales operations must be performed under very clean conditions and that work should ony be carried out by quailified person/s."
 
The Fuel filter is located behind the wheel arch liner on the driver's side.
 
1/To gain access, remove the driver's front wheel.
 
2/remove the wheel arch liner.
 
Depending on the vehicle,
 
DRAIN THE WATER IN THE FUEL FILTER - Drain the water in the fuel filter periodically

1/For filters without a water presence sensor: open the drain plug, let the water flow out, close the plug.

2/ For filters with a water presence sensor: disconnect the water presence sensor offset connector, unclip the water presense sensor connector, loosen the water presence sensor by one turn, let the water flow out,tighten the water presence sensor.

I hope this helps. If in doubt, seek the help of a trained service technician.

Expert answer

Hi Michelle,

With a car of this age it's not surprising that something may have worn out. Without knowing the mechanism of the 306 CC in depth we would never hazard a guess as to where the problem lies. Without doubt your best bet is to bring this into a Peugeot dealer to get their opinion. The service manager may know of a common problem and quick fix so talk to them before committing to any work.

If you have no joy, please come back to us.

Expert answer

Hello Niall,

Service intervals are fixed at 10,000 miles or 12 months. On top of this, the air conditioning needs recharging each year, fresh brake fluid is required every two years and coolant should be renewed every three years. Replace the cambelt every four years or 80,000 miles on diesels.

Hope that helps.

Expert answer

Hi Chris and thanks for your enquiry,

We asked Ciaran Lowe, an ex-service manager for Nissan Ireland, to answer this one for us. He said, "In order to avail of the warranty franchised dealers require vehicles to be maintained according to manufacturer standards using genuine parts.

However, by law, if the car has been serviced at the correct intervals outside of the franchise network and there is proof that GENUINE parts were fitted then the warranty should not be affected.

The genuine parts fitted is the key (if parts are not of merchantable quality it's a different story). There should be no problem as you have all the receipts of genuine parts fitted. Some service advisors can make it difficult depending on the approach."

Hope this helps

Expert answer

Hi Ronan,

We asked Ciaran Lowe, a former service manager for Nissan Ireland, to answer this one. He told us. "I can understand your reasoning for removing the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) because of the excessive cost of replacement. However, the DPF on diesel vehicles plays an important roll in reducing vehicle emissions. In fact these filters can reduce diesel soot emissions by up to 80 percent, so by removing the DPF it is interfering with the emissions on your vehicle. By re-mapping the ECU it is only tricking the engine management  system to see emissions within spec regarding the DPF system. However even with the ECM re-mapped the vehicle will still fail any future emissions tests. The fact your light is on indicates the system has identified out of range emissions."

I'm afraid the best solution all-round is to seek a used DPF filter.

We've talked to a few people in the industry and short of messing with the actual lights in the dashboard there is no way around this. We can't recommend this route, but it could be done by any auto electrician.

Expert answer

Hi David,

According to the NCT website:

"All cars should be tested on or before the anniversary date of first registration of the car in the country of origin. There is no link with motor tax or insurance expiry date.

PLEASE NOTE: NCTS can issue your certificate up to six months early for a first time NCT and three months early for subsequent NCT tests. For example, a car was first registered on the 5th June 2006. The car was due for its NCT on the 5th June 2010, the car is brought for its NCT on the 26th January 2010 and it passes. An NCT Certificate is received with an expiry date of 4th June 2012"

If your car is eligible for the NCT (please refer to the testing chart) then please phone us on 1890 412 413 or you can check our on-line service by simply typing in your car registration number and date of first registration of the vehicle (which can be found on your vehicle registration book, registration certificate or licensing certificate."

So, it would appear that you need to contact the NCT to check if your car is eligible for a test. 

I hope this helps. 

For more visit the National Car Test Website.

Expert answer

Hi Eric,

I know that Nissan are experiencing enormous delays with the Qashqai and that it can mean waiting a few weeks more for your car. The fact that you are being offered a loan car is quite good service on the part of the dealer. Usually, the car would be put on to your insurance unless of course they have another arrangement. I think they are being very fair with this, some dealers would just tell you its delayed and leave you to your own devices.

Expert answer

Hi Nessa,

There are a number of companies that do GPS tracking in Ireland, so I guess that would be similar to the ones you are talking about. 

Here is an example of a company that does the service here in Ireland. 

Expert answer

Hi Barbara,

It is always hard to give a proper price estimate on a car without knowing the mileage and condition but you should expect to be offered around €12,000 for the Avensis depending on the condition and the dealer you go to.

The RAV4 would probably be worth around €14,500 as a trade-in. It is not unheard of for two cars to be traded-in, but you generally have to find a pretty understanding dealer or one who really wants the cars you have to trade-in. Remember that a dealer has to service your trade-in, perhaps put new tyres on it and add a warranty, so this all adds cost. 

I hope this helps. 

Expert answer

Hi Keith,

There are some really good independent dealers around these days, because there are so many people who bought high-end cars during the boom years and they find that they now want to spend less on servicing. With a 2001 Jaguar X-Type I wouldn't be rushing to a Jaguar dealership to get it serviced. These guys GTi Direct have a good reputation for servicing high-end cars at a good price, so maybe they would be worth checking out.

I hope this helps.