JonLongstaff

So the final chapter is that the Roomster has gone off with Pete, who seems to be a throughly decent chap in real life as on the forum. Pete I hope the car got you home in one piece and I wish you many happy miles in the old dear. Now I just have to deal with the sellers remorse and accept that I will miss the old thing... All the best everyone.

I don’t want to break any forum rules here with anything else I might say so apologies if I already have. Can someone point me to the dos and donts please

Hi Pete I never thought of selling it considering the state it’s in. Is it worth the effort?

Just to put this thread to bed. Firstly thank you for all the advice and encouragement and offer of help. An electrical specialist had a look and measured things. His verdict was a new alternator, plus the battery is weak so will probably need replacing soon if not immediately. Add that to two errors on the lambda sensors in the exhaust, (probably leaky injector related) as with the cat that should also be replaced, and shocks that should be done too and it’s time to say well done good and faithful servant to the old thing. So long and thanks for the memories old girl. All the best everyone.

Looks typically difficult for anyone with normal sized hands. 🙂. I miss my 2cv….

Thanks Pete, just tried and the red battery light did light up as expected so I think we are at checking the alternator brushes as the next step aren't we?

Agree completely on anything more modern, they seem to get more and more complicated for no good reason, and that the only thing that can really replace a Roomster is another Roomster. Not validation to get rid of it, just want to make sure it sensible and realistic to try to fix the faults. It sounds as though we have 2 simple things to either do or get a garage to do, (might have to try another garage though unfortunately) , check the wire that runs to the alternator from the battery as per skomaz above, which I struggled to find yesterday, and check that the temperature lights are working correctly (which I think they are anyway). Far from getting rid, before it left us on the side of the motorway I was thinking about getting the cat and the leaky injectors fixed, if we can get it back to normal I still might. And thank you everyone for your input I'm going to have another look for that wire right now..

Fair point, the temperature gauge is not really what is bothering me, but maybe it should be. Alternators, other electricals, Oily liquid out of the exhaust is bothering me more.

Thought I posted that yesterday. Don’t want to cause an argument. My understanding of the blue light from the manual is that it warns you that the engine isn’t up to temperature yet. There’s a snowflake that appears in the little computer when the temp gets below 4 for the ice warning. Meanwhile does anyone think it’s time to let the car go? I’m starting till think so. Bear in mind that the idea of looking for a replacement fills me with dread..

Thanks steve, those checks I can do and will do tomorrow.

Re the temperature lights there are two in the roomster, one red one blue, the manual says they are coolant temperature coolant quantity lights. As far as I can remember the blue one has always come one when the engine has been cold and gone off once it has warmed up, I think the red one is for low coolant and overheating. Meanwhile when JR said you might be able to gain a little time and miles by freeing them off I'm starting to think that other than spending a decent chunk of money with inherent risk all we are doing is trying to eke a few more miles out of a car that is on the way out and the smart thing to do might be to weigh it in.

Yup it’s blue.

Latest update. First up I think the coolant warning was a red herring. I think the low temperature light comes on until the engine is warm and then it goes off. Meanwhile having sat running for half an hour yesterday, went back to the car this morning - started first time so the battery had held some charge. Seemed to run ok then the battery light came on and then went off again. Checked the obvious stuff under the bonnet, paused for a bit then going back to the car noticed a puddle under the exhaust pipe - slightly black puddle. The boy started the car revved it a bit and liquid came out of the exhaust pipe.We think it's a mixture of oil and petrol. What does the Briskoda hive mind think?

Thanks steve, those checks I can do and will do tomorrow.

Believe or not it wasn’t that long ago. I remember putting some in a couple of months ago. I’m no expert but we do try to do the what’s needed to keep the old thing going. I do think it’s time might be up though as we are now at the point where the more I spend on this car the less I’ll have for the replacement. I’m definitely upgrading recovery though!

I didn’t have the cover I thought I had. I should have read the small print. For some reason I thought I had home/onward destination cover not 10 miles only.

We are getting a bit beyond my technical skills here with phrases like ’prongs in the expansion bottle’ I’m afraid 🙂. First I suppose I need to check whether the battery is holding any charge. Coolant is below minimum by a little bit.

It’s back and it wasn’t an alternator belt. The recovery guy said it started and the coolant light was on. Could it have overheated when it died on the motorway? It has just run for a half hour so I suppose I should test it later. Really stuck now I suspect we might be throwing money away if we start trying to chase faults now.

We’ve had a cheaper quote to get it back here on the back of a truck and as you say the difference between the fuel and long distance aggravation plus 2 batteries that we would need to buy is starting to make the truck option seem the smart one.

Thanks folks that is very encouraging, I think I'll roll the dice on getting it back here on a truck. Best case few hundred quid and we roll again. Worse case I get most of the cost of the trailer back in scrap - I really hope not though. It's pretty crazy how attached you can get to a car like this - so many memories and such a great tool. As for what to replace it with when the day comes I have no idea.....

I think it's somewhere near Gatwick but need to confirm tomorrow.

Thanks Pete - I hope he is and if he is that would probably make it worth getting the car transported back here and he can fix it - if he can fantastic - if he can't, the scrap value will (almost) cover the transport cost. The biggest pain is the fact the car is 100 miles away!

Update. Well we've been running along procrastinating about a decision quite happily waiting for something to happen, safe in the knowledge that our breakdown recovery would get us home if something did. Yesterday something did (happen) and it didn't (get us home) good old insurance small print means the Rooster is now in a pound 100 miles away and I have decisions to make. Trundling along the motor way and the battery warning and power steering warning lights came on hmm that's not right - speedo flickered up and down a few times, dash went blank, came back to life - engine still running and no power steering. To the hard shoulder and the games commence getting people home having decided $450 to get the car and us back was a bit steep. Any ideas what happened? It was too cold with too many family members involved to start trying to figure it out with the bonnet up on the hard shoulder so here we are. Any ideas what went wrong. Optimistic outlook is according to my son, auxiliary belt broke and the alternator stopped charging the battery, easy cheap fix. Pessimistic outlook is something more complicated and expensive that probably won't be worth doing.

I meant to say did not have the whole story. Sorry about that

Hi folks, I have spoken to the garage and not have the whole story. It isn’t just the injectors it’s the Cat too so that explains the price, It’s decision time. I’m inclined to wait for a month or two but get the work done then unless something else happens. If e we can get another year or two out of the car it will be worth it. Cheers all