Referral for Scheduled Servicing CDTi

PerciUrwin · 6th July 2019, 07:10

I've only been with the club for just over a year now, but during that time I've used Chris (T4) in Farehem to service my CDTi, twice.

( Facelift Firefrost Saloon '04 CDTi ).

On both occasions he has been absolutely spot on and I woudn't hesitate to whole-heartedly recommend him to anyone.

He takes time, is careful , extremely thorough and knows all of the little 'nuances' which only comes over many years of experience as well having an attention to detail as well as making a superb cup of tea !

I'll give you some examples of what I mean.

Changing the Oil filter....

First of all he has the correct 35mm socket , to get it off. If you've seen the nut on the top of the filter housing you'll know how huge it is and that most socket sets will NOT include this one in its set.
Before he starts, he places a rag around the Alternator, (which is located just below and to the left of the filter housing ). This 'rag' prevents any of the oil from the filter dripping onto the alternator brushes as he lifts it upwards.
He uses a vacuum pump to remove any excess oil in the bottom of the filter so that when he lifts it out of the engine bay so there is hardly any oil dripping at all.

Oil....

Now 'Lates' (club recommended service centre based in Coventry...www.lates.com I think ), says that the engine oil for a diesel should be ACEA A3 B3 rated and not to skimp on a cheap one.
I found one of the very few oils on the market to have this rating , which is Castrol Magnatec 10W40 ( it says A3/B4 on the front , but if you look on the label on the rear of the bottle is actually says A3/B3.
This oil can be upwards of £45 for a 4ltr bottle ( and you'll need 2 of them , as the car requires 6.8 litres, but if you shop online at EuroCarparts and use a discount code then the price comes down considerably.
Chris uses a vacuum pump to remove all and I do mean ALL of the oil and didn't even ask me to take the dirty oil away with me - how good is that !

Changing the Fuel filter....

This item is held in place with a clamp. and has a plastic fuel housing screwed onto the top of it.
With the fuel lines ( 3 of them) carefully removed from their housing , he places his vacuum pump just inside the exposed lines to remove any fuel that would otherwise drip onto the engine below.
He loosens the clamp enough to wiggle the housing and the filter upwards and then tightens the clamp again to give some grip while he unwinds the fuel housing from the filter, then loosens it again and lifts the filter out of its clamp with ease.

Pollen filter....

A nasty job this , since it's a big item and is located standing upright, behind the ECU. Exchanging them is tricky with such limited room. I volunteered to have a go, but couldn't for the life of me get the new one back in place, since there are a few plastic clips which you only fell to the touch as the are out of sight.
It was no use , I had to give up . Chris took over and had it all in place in no time at all. He even used his arm , which he placed right across the scuttle to stop the plastic clips from 'pinging out' and launching themselves into orbit.

EGR Valve cleaning....
Mmmm an extremely messy job this.
Again, Chris has all of the correctly sized square Allen keys and/or heads on hand (which I didnt !).
I had already brought some STP Carb cleaner with me but was a bit nervous of meesing up Chris's driveway.
Chris used an old Chiminea at the end of his garden to clean away all of the grime so this was completed i n no time at all.

On both ocassions now , Chris has been precise and careful.
I wont tell you what Chris charges - suffice to say I always give him more than what he asks for.

Oh yes, and he also undid the Bonnet release coupling and turned around the small housing inside , to prevent it from slipping out, which can often happen.

So finally, a special thank you to you Chris if you are reading this and long may you continue to offer me such a fantastic service.
I wouldnt want to take it any where else.

Kind Rgds to Chris and all members,

John(PerciUrwin).

marinabrian · 6th July 2019, 08:46

John, how refreshing to see an honest appraisal of a forum trader, it is all too often that the little things they do that are overlooked.

Brian

6th July 2019, 07:10	#1
PerciUrwin Regular poster Rover 75 Saloon Join Date: May 2018 Location: Swansea Posts: 50 Thanks: 20 Thanked 22 Times in 10 Posts	Referral for Scheduled Servicing CDTi I've only been with the club for just over a year now, but during that time I've used Chris (T4) in Farehem to service my CDTi, twice. ( Facelift Firefrost Saloon '04 CDTi ). On both occasions he has been absolutely spot on and I woudn't hesitate to whole-heartedly recommend him to anyone. He takes time, is careful , extremely thorough and knows all of the little 'nuances' which only comes over many years of experience as well having an attention to detail as well as making a superb cup of tea ! I'll give you some examples of what I mean. Changing the Oil filter.... First of all he has the correct 35mm socket , to get it off. If you've seen the nut on the top of the filter housing you'll know how huge it is and that most socket sets will NOT include this one in its set. Before he starts, he places a rag around the Alternator, (which is located just below and to the left of the filter housing ). This 'rag' prevents any of the oil from the filter dripping onto the alternator brushes as he lifts it upwards. He uses a vacuum pump to remove any excess oil in the bottom of the filter so that when he lifts it out of the engine bay so there is hardly any oil dripping at all. Oil.... Now 'Lates' (club recommended service centre based in Coventry...www.lates.com I think ), says that the engine oil for a diesel should be ACEA A3 B3 rated and not to skimp on a cheap one. I found one of the very few oils on the market to have this rating , which is Castrol Magnatec 10W40 ( it says A3/B4 on the front , but if you look on the label on the rear of the bottle is actually says A3/B3. This oil can be upwards of £45 for a 4ltr bottle ( and you'll need 2 of them , as the car requires 6.8 litres, but if you shop online at EuroCarparts and use a discount code then the price comes down considerably. Chris uses a vacuum pump to remove all and I do mean ALL of the oil and didn't even ask me to take the dirty oil away with me - how good is that ! Changing the Fuel filter.... This item is held in place with a clamp. and has a plastic fuel housing screwed onto the top of it. With the fuel lines ( 3 of them) carefully removed from their housing , he places his vacuum pump just inside the exposed lines to remove any fuel that would otherwise drip onto the engine below. He loosens the clamp enough to wiggle the housing and the filter upwards and then tightens the clamp again to give some grip while he unwinds the fuel housing from the filter, then loosens it again and lifts the filter out of its clamp with ease. Pollen filter.... A nasty job this , since it's a big item and is located standing upright, behind the ECU. Exchanging them is tricky with such limited room. I volunteered to have a go, but couldn't for the life of me get the new one back in place, since there are a few plastic clips which you only fell to the touch as the are out of sight. It was no use , I had to give up . Chris took over and had it all in place in no time at all. He even used his arm , which he placed right across the scuttle to stop the plastic clips from 'pinging out' and launching themselves into orbit. EGR Valve cleaning.... Mmmm an extremely messy job this. Again, Chris has all of the correctly sized square Allen keys and/or heads on hand (which I didnt !). I had already brought some STP Carb cleaner with me but was a bit nervous of meesing up Chris's driveway. Chris used an old Chiminea at the end of his garden to clean away all of the grime so this was completed i n no time at all. On both ocassions now , Chris has been precise and careful. I wont tell you what Chris charges - suffice to say I always give him more than what he asks for. Oh yes, and he also undid the Bonnet release coupling and turned around the small housing inside , to prevent it from slipping out, which can often happen. So finally, a special thank you to you Chris if you are reading this and long may you continue to offer me such a fantastic service. I wouldnt want to take it any where else. Kind Rgds to Chris and all members, John(PerciUrwin). __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]John (PerciUrwin)

6th July 2019, 08:46	#2
marinabrian MG ZT Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne Posts: 20,151 Thanks: 3,565 Thanked 10,837 Times in 5,718 Posts	John, how refreshing to see an honest appraisal of a forum trader, it is all too often that the little things they do that are overlooked. Brian