mattytowel

My scout group has lost it's regular volunteer for towing our trailer to camp, but you can't blame the guy for being 75 and not wanting a Chelsea tractor. I could add a towbar and electrics to my wife's Rapid, and be sensible about not over packing the trailer, but the car is now at 9 years and 135000 miles, and I wonder how long it will last. It was serviced by the main dealer for 8 years and 130000 miles, and it's just passed it's MOT with advisories for pitted brake discs, so it is looking to be in good shape. What mileages have you got on yours, or did you get, and what failed in the end that wasn't worth fixing? Thanks in advance

That's the difference between what I thought happened, and what I observed when deliberately paying attention. It idles at around 700 and 800 rpm, I've tried resetting the ECU by unplugging its fuse for some hours but it hasn't changed anything that I am aware of. It was worth considering, we will learn to live with how it behaves. Thank you all for your input.

Thanks for your thoughts, here's what I've found on a flat empty road when the car had warmed up. Trundling along at 30mph in 4th gear, take foot off the pedal, it slows to between 20 and 25mph and continues at that. Trundling along at 15mph in 4th gear, take foot off the pedal, it speeds up to between 20 and 25mph and continues at that. Trundling along at 20mph in (it was either 2nd or 3rd) gear, take foot off the pedal, it slows to about 15mph and continues at that. When I take the foot off, then the instantaneous mpg use jumps to 200 mpg, then '----' then levels off at 60 to 70 mpg or so, so it is still deliberately fuelling Both my wife and I are sometimes dropping down a gear to aid slowing without applying brakes. I think tomorrow (if it's dry out) I will look to see what sort of accelerator pedal position sensor it has, and what the outputs are.

Thanks JR, I'll check that when I'm out next,but I think it does go to 199mpg. Wouldn't the butterfly also close, creating the partial vacuum and making it harder for the engine to run and so it slows down?

Hello This is our first diesel car, so what I'm about to describe might be normal, but my wife and I find it unsettling. When we are out and about, say doing 30mph in 3rd or 4th, we can take our foot off the throttle and the car continues at 30mph. I haven't yet worked out if it is related to being warmed up if it's the same in each gear or what. My wife actually reckons that when she takes her foot off the pedal it speeds up a little and then slows down slowly. I've read that engine braking isn't as significant with diesels but I'd have expected some, but changing gear or going into neutral helps. The car has done about 130000miles, apart from the above it drives alright. We've had it two months, it has been regularly serviced at garages, and we bought it from friends who had it from new. I went from Manchester to Portsmouth and back with no issues and got 13miles per litre, which I was pleased about. The previous owners had averaged 20 to 25 thousand miles a year (motorway work trips) till the start of Covid, then under 10 thousand a year (mosty urban) since then. It idles at under 1000 rpm, I can check exactly when I next use it. I wonder if: the TPS or a pedal sensor is an on-off switch that isn't recognising that the throttle is closed / foot off the pedal the throttle body or something else is all gummed up and isn't closing properly something has been tweaked in the engine management settings I look forward to getting some pointers, thanks in advance.