Newbie near Northampton

[ian8831]

After 5 happy years in my W203 Estate it reached 200k miles so I decided to sell it and upgrade - as I sit here I'm waiting for an eBay idiot to come and waste my time, but beggars can't be choosers, and with that high a mileage and bodywork with scratches, flaky paint and a couple of bruises it was never going to be a sought after car. In that time I found a couple of fantastic local garages, a couple of not so good one, but essentially the car was completely trouble free.

I'll get the hang of the forums I'm sure, but I do have a query about my new car:

I set my heart on the 125 limited edition C Class Estate and have bought one through the trade (it was traded in at a performance car centre who do ferraris and rollers, and it was below their price threshold) I got it via a guy in the trade who'll be charging me a finders fee (so far so good and I got a really good price)

It has all the toys and I can't wait to start playing with it. Anyway, whilst the guy was driving it home, the engine management light came on, and he took it to his local specialist (non main dealer) garage who I also know and trust. They told us that the dpf needed a regeneration, and it was a 2 hour process.

They started this but then discovered that the additive tank was empty, and nobody had it in stock, so I'll have to wait till Tuesday. I also rang the previous owner who told me it was routinely serviced at the Main Dealer, had no problems or accidents etc. She did admit it had been used only for short journeys without a long run since last August.

I've emptied my bank account to get this car, and I am a little concerned about the engine management light - I'll continue researching, but from my explanation above does this sound like something routine that the main dealer forget to fill up at the last service, and once resolved should be ok, or are there any other questions I should ask of the garage before I part with my last few pounds?

Or should i be posting this in a different forum. Hopefully there's some bored experts over the bank holiday who can guide me

Many thanks Ian

 

[IanA2]

After 5 happy years in my W203 Estate it reached 200k miles so I decided to sell it and upgrade - as I sit here I'm waiting for an eBay idiot to come and waste my time, but beggars can't be choosers, and with that high a mileage and bodywork with scratches, flaky paint and a couple of bruises it was never going to be a sought after car. In that time I found a couple of fantastic local garages, a couple of not so good one, but essentially the car was completely trouble free.

I'll get the hang of the forums I'm sure, but I do have a query about my new car:

I set my heart on the 125 limited edition C Class Estate and have bought one through the trade (it was traded in at a performance car centre who do ferraris and rollers, and it was below their price threshold) I got it via a guy in the trade who'll be charging me a finders fee (so far so good and I got a really good price)

It has all the toys and I can't wait to start playing with it. Anyway, whilst the guy was driving it home, the engine management light came on, and he took it to his local specialist (non main dealer) garage who I also know and trust. They told us that the dpf needed a regeneration, and it was a 2 hour process.

They started this but then discovered that the additive tank was empty, and nobody had it in stock, so I'll have to wait till Tuesday. I also rang the previous owner who told me it was routinely serviced at the Main Dealer, had no problems or accidents etc. She did admit it had been used only for short journeys without a long run since last August.

I've emptied my bank account to get this car, and I am a little concerned about the engine management light - I'll continue researching, but from my explanation above does this sound like something routine that the main dealer forget to fill up at the last service, and once resolved should be ok, or are there any other questions I should ask of the garage before I part with my last few pounds?

Or should i be posting this in a different forum. Hopefully there's some bored experts over the bank holiday who can guide me

Many thanks Ian

Welcome from another Northamptonshire Ian. I'm in the middle of a field outside Oundle. I use HA Lock at Rushden, who may already use/know. If not, I'd give them a whirl, unbelievable knowledge and very reasonable charges; you'll not be disappointed.

 

[ian8831]

Hi Ian

I love Albert & Andrew - they are an acquired taste but have saved me hundreds by identifying annoying faults like a handbrake cable that was making an infuriating noise which 2 other garages had failed to identify - they did it without asking (which they tend to do) but for £1.15 (I kid you not) I didn't mind.

My new one is with Templetons over the road, and with it being a 2011 model with COMAND and every conceivable accessory I am wondering whether Lock's is still the right place to have it serviced - that's my next search on here for recommendations.

 

[IanA2]

They have another unit around the corner (on the estate off Norris Way) which is run by Paul. That's where I go.

 

[ian8831]

They've told me about the other unit, but I was uncertain how it worked - would I annoy Albert by going straight to Paul?

Listening to Albert talk about his work on the pagodas makes me wonder if he can be fully up to speed on COMAND and DPF, but I'm willing to stick with him if he is?

They keep saying they're selling up and moving, but I can't imagine how they'll ever clear that site

 

[IanA2]

They've told me about the other unit, but I was uncertain how it worked - would I annoy Albert by going straight to Paul?

Listening to Albert talk about his work on the pagodas makes me wonder if he can be fully up to speed on COMAND and DPF, but I'm willing to stick with him if he is?

They keep saying they're selling up and moving, but I can't imagine how they'll ever clear that site

No problem. Albert would probably prefer you took the new cars to Paul

I think the plan is still to move.....but when