MCAMRA

Ok….long story short. I live in France with a LHD 140 4x4 yeti…owned from new. Bought in France. The turbo has gone on our yeti. Needs a new one. They are very expensive. Also needs a two new front tyres. But that is neither here or there. It is just another cost. Other than that….it is in good condition. The thing is, whilst I love the car to bits and would buy a brand new Yeti tomorrow….I don’t really need it as we have 2 other younger cars. I am just keeping it going for nostalgia. So I can spend money and insurance keeping it on the road….or let it go. So what do I do. It has value but not so much in France. If any. So the question is…France or UK to scrap ? Break it down for parts ? I have no idea what to do. Useful thoughts would be very welcome. Kindest

The part fitted like a treat. Everything is back to normal. Boot opens, lights work, and the back windscreen wiper does its stuff. Again, thank you very much for your help.

With my transporter van I check all the levels every 2 k kms. Water, oil, brake fluid etc. At the same time I top up the adblue until it is full. It that’s simple. Ps…don’t get adblu on your hands…apparently. Wear gloves.

I live in France and go skiing very often. Tyres…smaller the better in my opinion. Skis…try doing ‘la chasse neige’ in fat skis. You go backwards not forwards. I remember 20 years ago going up the chicanes of Alpe du Huez in an old Renault 5. As is snowed everyone was putting chains on and we just overtook the lot of them. I remember in the UK as a kid being taken to school by my dad in snow (proper snow) in a Vauxhall Chevette. Lol. Today, that school would be closed because the fat wheel tyre suv brigade can’t get out of their drives. Lol

When skiing…….I prefer narrow skis than wide skis anyday. Is it that the same principle as a tyre…? A smaller width tyre is better in the snow IMHO. Think of a saab 900 classic that is regarded as one of the best cars in snow. Very narrow tyres. But that might not work for everyone.

You have these in Redhill…..which I guess you have tried ? ? https://www.vdsperformance.co.uk/ or these.. https://www.tcgarage.com/ I would go for a more rural garage to be honest. Even if means driving further. I wish you all the luck in world to solve your problem. We have all been there and share your pain. Kindest.

I get your point…but I am guessing here that whole exercise is going to cost 2.5 - 4 k maybe if you go down the replacing the engine route. Then you are going to drive it around and thinking…..have they done this right ? What you really need is to find an age old wise mechanic that can give you an idea of what is going on. In my day there was one in every town and village. Now you just have garages that want the most expensive and easiest solution. The engine could be fine ! You need a mechanic to solve your problems.

You clearly like the car…..but I personally think this is a lost cause. Especially at the prices you are being quoted. I was checking prices on autotrader for a similar spec car to yours and they come out at about 5k in the UK. Just thinking out the box here, would it not be best to spend your dosh on a similar car and keep the one you have as a clone. Lets be honest, you will have a lot of spare parts when something goes wrong. Just a thought.

The choice of car whilst being blind in one eye must be very driver specific. I actually just googled it and there are no cars that stand out. Last November I hired in the UK a RHD. It was the first time I had driven a RHD in 20 years or so. I thought I would struggle but I had no problems whatsoever. My conclusion after a couple of days that it is far more comfortable and easier to drive a RHD than a LHD. It felt more natural. For me. And I have driven mostly (90%) LHD. Blame Napoleon.

One thing that has never been dicussed or mentioned by reviewers is that the Yeti is a very easy car to drive on the wrong side of the road. It is probably is the most ambidextrous car ever made. My yeti (living in France) is left hand drive and I find it such an easy car to drive in the UK. The visibility you have, the size of the mirrors etc makes it perfectly safe to the point that it does not make a difference. And you can see the potholes coming lol. Other left hand drive cars I have driven in the UK can be a handful. Especially in cities or joining busy duel carriageways. Yeti…no problems. I guess it is the same the other way around….driving a right hand drive Yeti in Europe must be very easy. The Troc or the skoda/seat equivalents do not have that same visibility. There you ago, the Yeti is a true European car.

Many many years ago I said on this forum that the Yeti would become a classic car. Most Yeti owning peeps at that time on this forum scoffed at my stupidity. Most of those I guess have since replaced their cars. Ha ha. The Yeti is still the best all round car ever invented. It can do everything. And it is still the best looking suv. We bought ours new in 2011 and it will stay with us until it dies.

I’m getting you. Electrical stuff is not my forte. In cars or houses. But…we all have a purpose in life. Just need to find mine. 😀 Thks for your help. Kindest.

Done and ordered. Thanks mate.

Thanks for everyone's help. Very much appreciated. Last question...how to I fix that ? Crimps ?

There is the break.

My apologies…the wiring on the left gaitor (as you look into the boot) resembles your picture. I can’t see no break in the wires…but I am guessing it somewhere. How do I find the break ?

That is way above my pay grade to be honest. The wires have not broken somewhere. There is something else causing this.

I live in France. There is a very expensive VAG garage two minutes from where I live. They service the car and are very good in what they do. Just hoping there is a quick fix to this before I spend money.

Thanks for the reply. I checked that as far as I could….and they seem fine. There are only two wires that go through the gaitor on each side. And besides, that would take out the the back lights. Which work fine. Something else is going here….and less expensively to fix….I hope.

Ok 1) Boot won’t open…just happened randomly at Lidl when trying to load my shopping. 2) Number plate lights don’t work….although just checking now… one bulb has gone. 3) Brake light (the one on top of the boot) don’t work now. I’m guessing all these gremlins are all connected (excuse the pun)….but what is it ? Can the blown number plate bulb cause all the problems ? Any help would be gladly received and hopefully prevent me from paying stupid money at some vag dealership. Kindest

I appreciate it is your last word. But if you have time….look … at this… https://www.lyon-france.net/2023/04/explications-zfe-lyon.html This is just for Lyon. Get it ? I can read it…so I get it ?…….ummmm no actually…..lol. You ask anyone in France what Crit Air means……and they will just shake their head. So how is Johney Foreigner supposed to know ? Will you get fined being a foreigner ?………no. Anyway it is 4O degrees outside today. Prefect time to visit France in Crit Air 1 car. Vivre la France.

That is from RAC website. The reality is different, Actually, Cit Air was introduced to only allow cars above a certain Crit air staus to enter a given city on high pollution days. Lets say Lyon, Greonble, Paris…etc. So if you are Crit Air 1-3 you are fine. Crappy cars…no good. Parisian range rover 4x4 sports are OK ?? Before, you would alternate on your number plate on high pollution days. Cars ending in an odd number for example could not enter. The next day it would be even. Now it is the Crit Air system . So yeah, unless you need a Crit Air to commute to work in a high pollution city, you don’t need one. You can still go skiing In France in a Yeti without a crit air sticker. I think. Nobody knows.

OK….my transporter van is Crit air 2. No joke. The nature of its shape, the weight it is pulling will burn more fuel than a small crappy French diesel car. It might produce less NOx and particulates but over a period of time it will produce more. I guess. And we are still trying to understand what the Crit air thing is all about.

It could happen to be fair….but unlikely. The thing about the Crit aiir sticker is…. nobody knows what it is for. Not even sure I do Lol. The police certainly don’t. Makes an awful lot of money for the French government though. Run out of mugs in France so lets go for the Brits. The Dutch, Germans the Swiss…Polish…they don’t have one. The Brits being the Brits will get one. My wife has a Crit Air sticker on her super dooper 170 bhp planet destroying berline…..because she does actually need it going to work in Paris. The car has a sport mode button that will destroy the planet even quicker if she wants. That car it Crit air 1. Lol….how does that work ? Oooh hang on…..its a money making scheme. There are no rules.

Yeti drives all over France. I think you will be crit air 1 https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/ If you follow the link there is place for foreign vehicles. If you want another sticker on your vehicle go for it.