Car Mechanics February 2022

Editorial Astra J petrol project Martyn Knowles, Editor Email martyn.knowles@kelsey.co.uk Follow us on Facebook @ Car Mechanics Our next project car, replacing the Jaguar XF turbodiesel, is a Vauxhall Astra 1.6 petrol. Do any readers run an Astra J? I found myself looking at my BCA app for weeks trying to locate a half-decent Astra from 2009 onwards. Those at the auction nearly all had body damage to some degree, lack of service history and a few with coolant issues – according to BCA’s Essential Check. In the end, I avoided a black car (there are many black Astra J models – plus our DS3 is black) and aimed for the rest – except red. Vauxhall red paint once had a bad reputation for going pink after a few years…

INSTANT EXPERT CLUTCH REPLACEMENT DSG7 DSG 7-SPEED CLUTCH REPLACEMENT While many technically-interested owners understand conventional dry friction three-piece clutches, Rob Marshall explains how the versions, fitted to Dual Clutch Transmissions, differ. When is an automatic gearbox not an automatic gearbox? When it is a Dual (or Twin) Clutch Transmission (DCT). While the gear lever might possess the familiar ‘P’, ‘R’, ‘N’ and ‘D’ gate, the hardware is not a traditional epicyclical geared/fluid flywheel torque convertor ‘auto’. Instead, the transmission contains parts associated more with manual gearboxes, which is why DCTs are not automatics in the technical sense but should be considered by the knowledgeable car owner as automated manuals. Their dry clutches, therefore, should be thought of as similar to those fitted to manual transmissions, even though the replacement procedure…

CM Insider Ben Hackney-Williams brings you another month of news and reviews from the automotive industry Retailers cost motorists millions as they refuse to pass on savings RAC Fuel Watch has highlighted how motorists paid £156m more than they should have at the pumps in December, as retailers refused to pass on wholesale price savings. Forecourt prices had reached new highs in November 2021 as the average cost of a litre of petrol was 147.72p, while diesel hit 151.1p. At the time of going to press, RAC Fuel Watch reported the latest UK average petrol and diesel prices as 145.61 pence per litre for unleaded, 157.83 pence per litre (super unleaded), 148.75 pence per litre (diesel), and 75.33 pence per litre (LPG). The prices for unleaded, super unleaded and diesel…

News in Brief Hazel Chapman (1927-2021) Our thoughts are with the friends and family of Hazel Chapman, wife of Colin Chapman and co-founder of Lotus, following her death aged 94. A successful racing driver and businesswoman, without her there would be no Lotus brand. Team Lotus has described how Hazel prided herself on working with some of the motorsport greats, including Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna, and in addition to playing a matriarchal role within the business, she also founded The Dog House women’s motorsport club. Castrol kicks off new Premier League partnership Building on previous successful football sponsorships of the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championships, Castrol has announced a new partnership as of 2022 to engage…

Tales from the workshop Fixing advice from our garage proprietor Steve Rothwell BMW 1-SERIES Timing chain A rattling timing chain is not something which you want to hear, and especially not on the BMW engine. The N45 engine in this 2004 BMW 116i Sport, has the timing chain at the front of the engine, and providing the correct tools are used the job is not too bad to carry out. With a book time of 3.95 hours this one can comfortable be done in the day provided all the parts are available. The chain assembly comes out of the engine complete with the chain tensioner and guides in a cassette type fitting and fits back in place by simply sliding the reassembled chain back down through the cylinder-head and into…

Project Vauxhall Astra J 1.6 CM project 2011 Vauxhall Astra J 1.6 Star car gamble PART ONE: Rob Hawkins takes delivery of a 2011 Vauxhall Astra 1.6 petrol, bought at British Car Auctions for £2280. Sponsored by..... AUTOVAUX CAR PARTS CALL NOW QUALITY CAR PARTS FOR ALL MAKES & MODELS 01924 376003 The last time CM took on a Vauxhall Astra as a project was back in 2011 when I bought a 2003 diesel-powered estate. That particular marque is known as the Mk4 or Astra G, whereas our latest project is the Astra J and the sixth-generation of Vauxhall’s competitor to the Ford Escort and Focus. This was manufactured until 2015 when it was replaced by the Mk7, which was in turn replaced by the more angular and current Mk8 in…