treks

@Danny has hit nail right on the head. I would take both his and @hanifs advice seriously.

I'm in two minds about this particular Mini version- on the one hand it looks like something Uncle Fred can use as live bait on his next fishing trip, and on the other hand it reminds me of a cross between a Z4 and a lawn mower. I do agree with you though; whatever it is, it is not a Mini.

Hi Ghalib, Sandeep is right, if the engine warning light is on, there must be a fault code stored, and in your case, it could be any code between P0012 and P0025. These codes are related to valve timing, and there must be at least one of them present for the warning light to be on. Mazda CX models from 2008 (to about 2010 in some markets) are known for a problem with the timing chains that stretch due to a manufacturing defect. This problem causes issues with the valve timing, with the most common problem being valve timing that is over retarded, meaning that the position of the camshaft does not agree with the position of the crankshaft. It also causes the rattling noise you describe, because the chain is not being tensioned properly. This issue on Mazda CX engines is a serious one, and if you don’t get it fixed, the timing chain can break and destroy the engine. I would suggest you take the car to the dealer to have the problem checked out and repaired before the timing chain breaks. However, this is not a cheap repair, but it has to done if you don’t want to lose the engine.

Hi AdamRay, @amitaj makes some good points, but with F-150 trucks of the 2011/2012 model years, the problem is more likely to involve the electric vacuum pump that supplies the brake system with vacuum assistance. Diesel engines, such as the one you have in your truck cannot supply vacuum assistance to the brakes in the same way that petrol engines do, with vacuum drawn from the inlet manifold. Diesel vehicles have separate vacuum pumps- some are driven from the engine, but these particuar models have electric pumps that have a known problem with water entering the pump, thus causing corrosion. The corrosion damages the pump, which results in poor vacuum assistance, which in turn causes long stopping distances because the brakes don't have sufficient vacuum assistance. The only fix for this problem is to replace the vacuum pump, but be sure to have the brake discs checked out for signs of overheating as well. The poor vacuum assistance can cause the brakes to overheat because the brake force generated is not enough to stop the vehicle, but because the brakes are used for longer than normal, the overall time that the brakes are clamped are longer than would have been the case had the brakes worked properly.

What a pity that a once great culture has sunk so low. The Chinese were once the world's greatest astronomers, philosophers, and physicians, but these days it seems to be all about the money.

@Technician makes a good point about JDM cars being awesome, but the problem is that many JDM cars don't comply with emission regulations and other standards in many markets, especially the USA. In the USA it is imposible to register some used JDM cars without first making extensive modifications to make them comply with the Clean Air Act, which modifications rob a JDM car of performance. Another problem is that the safety systems on JDM cars are programmed differently- Japanese roads are mostly twisting, whereas roads in the USA are mostly relatively straight, meaning that JDM safety systems might never reach the point where they would activate. Many of these issues apply to the UAE as well, but with the added problem that JDM cars are mostly incapable of handling the heat (Pajero's are good examples) unless their cooling systems are upgraded. I am sure Technician is aware of the potential problems involved with upgrading cooling systems, so to my mind, the climate in the UAE is the main reason why no, or very few used JDM cars are seen in the UAE.

Unless Mazda can get the apex seals sorted, this new version won't last any longer than the first rotaries did- which is sad, since rotary engines have a lot going for them.

@nutbolt, you are spot on about a lot of things in your post, but a forum can get as nasty as any club in a split second. I belong to an international offroad driving forum, and the politics there is sometimes terrible to behold- which is why I have not contributed to that forum during the past year or so. Carnity is as you say, a forum in the true sense of the word. I have yet to see a nasty post or a snarky comment, which is like a breath of fresh air in the world of forums.

As did the Alfa-Romeo's of the same vintage!

The Opel Ascona was released as such in Southern Africa. Perhaps they don't have many Spanish speaking people there.

In my considered opinion, nothing made in China is worth considering. If I were in the market for a new car now, I would definitely pass the Geely by.

@Ak, the prolem is not so much overheating if the thermostat is removed, as it is about the fact that without a thermostat, the engine does not get hot enough. @Tecnician explained what happens when a thermostat is removed in a thread in this post. Your engine may not overheat anymore, but you could destroy it because of increased mechanical wear.

I like the "Russians Be Like" meme. It reminds me of some of the taxis I have seen on my trips trough Africa...

@Technician, I could not have said it better myself...

Much depends on the energizing medium in a laser, so I guess in this case, the medium would be some sort of crystal, rather than a gas, so the light beam is not energetic enough to melt the car's metal. Speaking of lasers as propulsion systems- some gas lasers are powerful enough to move pieces of space debris into other orbits. In one famous experiment about 15 years ago, a laser was pointed (from earth) at a piece of burnt-out rocket engine in orbit around earth, and after 48 hours, the orbit of the piece of space junk was changed by several km- enough to prevent it ever falling back onto the earth. So yes, with some fine tuning, we might see laser engines in cars yet.

1000 Watts? I use a 20 milli-watt green laser as a pointer when I present astronomy lectures, and with that laser, I can burst a party balloon at 6 meters in less than a second, and light a cigarette in under 7 seconds at a distance of 1 meter. I have also accidentally sustained serious burns with it. Just imagine what this 1kW monster could do to the thin metal of a car body! Less powerful gas lasers are used to cut thick steel plate, but this particular laser should work well to clean gunk off ships and such though.

Hi Luqman, @ethan is right, and Pajeros can, and do overheat very easily. Along with the viscous fan, I would also have the thermostat replaced, but only with an OEM part. You may also want to fit a thermostat that opens a little sooner than the standard unit- just ask the salesman at the dealer to check the opening and closing temperatures of the thermostats that fit your model, and take the one that opens at the lowest temperature. What ever you do though, NEVER fit a non-OEM thermostat on a Pajero.

Lately, there has been some talk about OBD II fault codes on the forum, which is why I have decided to post a series of posts in the Car Maintenance section on what some commonly occurring generic OBD II fault codes mean, what causes them, and what needs to be done to fix them. We all know that it is sometimes difficult to perform our own repairs here in the UAE, which often forces us to rely on the word of (often inexperienced) mechanics when they say that this, or that, or the next thing is wrong with our cars. It often happens that mechanics present customers with a list of fault codes extracted from a customer’s car that in the opinion of the mechanic, “Will be very difficult, and therefore very expensive to repair.” However, in many cases, fault codes are the result of relatively simple and easy-to-fix causes, but how do you know this to be the case if you don’t have a code reader, and have to trust that what the mechanic says? With knowledge comes the power to tell when a mechanic tries to rip us off, so with these posts, I am hoping to provide Carnity members with some basic knowledge of a particular fault code to help them understand what caused a particular generic OBD II code to be set, and how the system(s)/component(s) that relate to the code work. More importantly though, these posts are designed to provide some basic knowledge of the diagnostic and repair procedure(s) followed by mechanics to resolve the issue, and my hope is that this knowledge will prevent Carnity members from being ripped off by dishonest/inexperienced mechanics and garages. Of course, it must be said not all mechanics are dishonest, and some codes are indeed very difficult and expensive to repair, but having some real knowledge of what a trouble code means will hopefully enable Carnity members to avoid getting ripped off by mechanics who are out to make a quick buck, or in this case, a quick Dirham. Members are welcome to suggest a particular generic code they may be having trouble with, or have difficulty with in diagnosing and repairing. The first post will be in the Car Maintanance section later today.

@Technician You are correct of course, but I would not advise this method unless you are an expert in interpreting the flashes. A code reader or scanner is far more reliable, and with using one, the avarage DIY mechanic has no chance of acidentally jumping or bridging the wrong pins.

@Saleem True, but no matter where you read the code from, it still needs to be resolved, and that is often easier said than done! Scanners, no matter how advanced, hardly ever pinpoint a particular part or component, instead, they mostly just point a mechanic in the direction of the area in which the fault occured and in most instances, the root cause can be any one, or a combination of several possible failures or malfunctions.

Flushing an engine is not a bad thing in itself, but it should not be required on a 2015 model. If any sludge is found at this point, the better option would be to find and correct the cause, instead of relying on flushing agents to prevent continued sludge formation. The biggest problem with flushing agents is the fact that you can't get all of it out of an engine after an engine flush and oil change. The remaining flush may help to help keep the engine clean, but it also dilutes the fresh oil. I would only ever use a flushing agent if there is actual sludge present, and then change the oil twice to make sure all the gunk gets removed. A great way to prevent sludge is to use a fully synthetic oil, since it does not oxidize as easilly as regular mineral oil. It may be more expensive, but it lasts nearly twice as long, and you get almost double the lubricity of mineral oil.

@Technician I fully agree with you that people have the right to fix their own cars. That was never in dispute, but personal experience has taught that illegal copies of diagnostic software are often corrupted, and in one case (there are others, but I fixed this one) the user of an illegal copy wiped the operating system from his BMW when he tried to clear a code. I also applaud you for once being hired by MB without formal training, but here is the thing- Google is no substitute for formal training, and growing with new technologies over decades. Moreover, forums are more often than not, fraught with wrong diagnoses, speculation, guesswork, and the opinions of people who, apart from their own problem(s) with their own vehicle(s), have for the most part, no clue about what a reliable repair entails. An opinion is one thing, and everyone is entitled to one, but the owner of a repair shop, such as myself, can never rely on Google and Internet forums for information on how to perform repairs on a customer's vehicle. When a customer presents me with a problem on his vehicle, he relies on my training, knowledge and skill as a mechanic to resolve the problem, not my skills in internet research to find a solution that may, or may not work. The customer pays me, the owner of the shop, to resolve the issue, and comebacks are for my account, not the mechanic's account to whom I had assigned the job. Being self-taught is a great thing, but a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. You may know your way around an OBD system, but to suggest that all the average car owner needs to fix a/his car is a laptop and a ripped copy of some diagnostic software, is disingenious to say the least. You, as Technician, may know that a generic fault can trigger one or more vehicle-specific codes, and how to resolve the root cause of a code, but to seriously suggest that the average car owner in the UAE, or anywhere else for that matter, only needs a laptop and a ripped copy of software in order to decode the freeze frame data or code setting parameters where this has happened might create opportunities for DIY mechanics to make expensive mistakes. One example- an emission control -related code could be the result of using the wrong engine oil, and there may be nothing wrong with any component, circuits, or control modules. If you knew nothing about lubrication technology, would you be able to trace the cause of a damaged catalytic converter to unsuitable oil? If you didn't know that the molecules in synthetic oil are all the same size, and that the oil therefore provides better lubrication, would you be able to ascribe the code to excessive mechanical wear because the owner tried to save some money by using mineral oil, or would you try to find the cause elsewhere? Another example is the analysis of wave forms in ignition, and/or charging systems. You and I may know the difference between the electrical waveforms generated by two-, and three-wire Crank Position Sensors, or how long it should take a sine wave to decay in a defective alternator, but do you seriously expect the avarage DIY mechanic to know this? I also agree with you that we all have to start somewhere, but the cars we worked on in the early 1990's are as far removed from today's cars as a kite is removed from the Space Shuttle. The cars of 20 years ago simply did not have the miles of wiring, several hundred fuses, dozens of relays/control modules, or the thousands of electrical connections we see in modern cars. You cannot seriously expect a DIY mechanic to find a high resistance, out-of-spec reference voltage, loss of ground, or an open circuit in a modern German SUV with just a laptop and an almost-certainly outdated version of a diagnostic program in such a vehicle. At best, he may be able to extract a code or two, but without a wiring diagram, pressure to Hertz charts, or an oscilloscope (and the ability to interpret the data), the avarage DIY mechanic has no chance to find the cause of any problem, and even less so if the problem involves captive technology or diagnostic/repair information that is not available to the repair industry outside of the dealer network. In conclusion, I must say that a "professional" mechanic who relies on Google to find solutions to problems on internet forums should not be allowed to work as a mechanic. Period.

"But to answer your original question, American or German? Japanese every time." Well, yes- if you want a leakproof engine, then Japanese is the way to go, no doubt about it.

".... they're overpriced and unreliable." As are most cars today...

Bear in mind that cars with 17-,18-,19-inch rims usually have uni-directional tyres on the rims. This means that the tyre can only be used on one side of a vehicle, since the tyres were made to rotate in only one direction at high speeds. Therefore, these tyres cannot be fitted to the other side of the car, even if they are the same size. Rotating this tye of tyre to the other side of the vehicle will almost certainly cause catastrophic tyre failure, so have a good look at what type of tyres you have before you rotate them.