Anger

[Shorty1979]

ouch this sounds just awfull

i realy hope it is just the fuel filter

[Gord]

I was always told never let the tank go lower than just under a 1/4 tank as petrol does break down/go off so keeping it filled with fresh clean petrol and keeping it nicely mixed up. You've probably just picked up a bit of crap in your tank as was said earlier.

Fill it up and give it a blast. :D

old wifes tale in my opinion

petrol if left untouched, will deteriorate but not for at least 2-3 months only after 12 months should you be concerned

the crap in the tank is as likely to be sucked in if it is full or a 1/4 empty, as its being agitated all the time its moving, the pump sucks from the bottom anyway

any crap has to pass through the pump filter and the fuel filter

most petrol tanks are allmost spotless inside even after many years of use

True Bazza, and i have to say the same, if you have crap in your tank, if will fall to the bottom of your tank, and as Bazza has said, that where it empty's from anyway :D

[Ellz]

Well im hoping its just the fuel filter it has done nearly 100,000 miles and is 7 nearly 8 years old.

The only other thing if it is the fuel side of things is if the uprated pump from the monster has run dry it may have caused damage to itself, hope not but could be another cause.

[Rikos]

Hopefully it will just be the fuel filter then Ellz and also i like the reply to the obvious mechanic who posted up earlier.

[The Transporter]

Ha... You guys are amazing... A car is a complex machine and as such from time to time will develop faults.. 99% of the time they will develop in your charge where you will simply take it and have it repaired but have you ever considered that your car could just as easily develop a new fault whilst it is being repaired at a garage through no fault of the mechanic?

It is not uncommon and indeed sometimes required that a road test is carried out on a vehicle, a road test can show problems that simply spinning the wheels cannot show...So if the cam belt was to fail whilst under such a road test, then why is it the fault of the garage?...similarly ABS sensors can and do fail.. consider where so many sensors are and how they would react to being disturbed.. I have seen cheap junk sensors fall apart in my hand when they have needed to be removed for other work.. the sensor was old and there was no way to do the work without its removal, it is just another expense that needs to be incurred it certainly isn't the fault of the mechanic, the majority of whom are professionals who know their job well..Remember that YOU are the one who chose the garage and if you feel that they would "Thrash" your car then why the hell did you take it there?? I would suggest that it is the culture of "Blame someone else" I would strongly suggest that all those who have responded here in a negative "Yeah sounds like the gits ragged your car" type of response should learn to work on your own cars as clearly you are incapable of trusting anyone else to work on them

Well after the garage broke the car it seems that it had simply run out of petrol...It is down to the customer to ensure that there is enough fuel in the vehicle....Perhaps you should have had the gauge fixed before they started on the bearings...So it wasn't the fault of the garage at all...Do you feel a little silly?

Please don't measure others by your own lack of standards.

Firstly i would have done this myself but dont have a hydraulic press avalible as im sure 99% of people dont. I replaced the ABS sensor about 1 year ago and is very easy to take out and put to one side, whilst changing the bearing. this was a part from lexus so not a "cheap junk sensor"

Secondly i did warn them about the sensor and advised them to be careful.

Thirdly no matter who you take the car to they will do a test drive, considering mine is turbo'd just gives them more insentive to give it a trash, which is something i doubt i will be able to obviod.

Forthly I have never had any problem with the fuel gauge before if that is a new fault i will deal with that asap

I dont know who the hell you are but your saying if you took your car in to get A done then pick it up and B and C had gone wrong which had never gone wrong before would you be happy, when you dropped it off B and C where working fine ???? Also where he got towed from was miles from the garage I see no reason for a 15-20 mile test drive.

The reason i chose this garage is they have done work on it before (when it was NOT turbo'd) and was happy, the reason i didnt take it to lexus is they charge £96.50 an hour PLUS VAT which i think is a effing joke.

And no i dont feel silly if you can do all the work on your car then fine or if you can afford to pay out on bits and bobs that you havent broken then your a mug with to much money.

My comment about you feeling silly referred to you jumping to conclusions about how your car was treated and that the garage was responsible for its breakdown when in fact it was simply an issue of not enough fuel...Hardly the fault of the garage

All automotive components and electronic sensors are cheap junk.. the components are all made to very tight prices and naturally quality is shaved.. Japanese components seem to be less bad than European Bosch / Valeo garbage but make no mistake that they are all cheap and nasty.

Naturally I would be concerned that my car had developed a problem whilst in the care of someone else but to automatically assume that they had damaged it and that they must pay is bizarre to say the least, especially since the vehicle had been fitted with a new throttle body and the job hadn't been completed, and also the fuel filter had not been changed for some years... This to me suggests a poor maintainance history, what else is on its last legs? Both my car and my van are serviced by a local garage who I trust implicitly to give me good service and to take all reasonable care of my vehicles. There is no job that I cannot do on either my car or my van but my free time is scarce and quite frankly it works out cheaper for me to pay a garage than it does for me to do the work myself.

I love my IS200 and feel that there is no other car that I would rather have and yes, when it is out of warranty would rather enjoy fitting a super charger to her, but lets be real here an IS is hardly exotica and I am sure that the mechanics see many turbocharged cars pass through their doors, do you think that yours is different to any other turbocharged car that they see? Most mechanics see a car as just another metal box, I know of very few mechanics who get exited about cars..Its just a job so I am a little mystified as to why they would make a point of ragging yours.

In short I would say that you are all wound up about nothing, your car developed a fault (Run out of petrol) through no fault of the garage and has an issue now following this incident which now needs further investigation, I really do hope that a new fuel filter sorts your problem but it sounds like it may be in need of a new filter anyway it is strange that you should ignore a service item whilst fitting an expensive turbocharger

By the way, NO I'm not a mechanic...Just in case some of you felt the need to jump to conclusions..

[Rsarin]

are you sure that your car isnt running slightly rich after the fitting of the ecu.when mine was fitted i had a similar experience.I took the car for some bodywork,when i got back in the car the tank displayed a 1/4 full.3 miles later it just cut out,started it again and carried on,a few miles later it cut out again,the gauge stopped working,but it took ages to realise it was due to lack of fuel.it started straight away once the fuel was in.I also had a go at the bloke who was doing the bodywork,accusing him of taking my car out etc,but afterall it turned out it was my fault not theres.

[Rob]

just for info i do think " the transporter" has made many valid points but without knowing the exact facts nothing much can be proved/disproved etc.

But for info the fuel filter is not in the service schedule and does not get replaced for the life of the vehicle - unless there is some form of problem

[The Transporter]

Thanks for that Fluff, I must say that for a filter not to be changed as a service item than I am very surprised indeed. Although we are comparing totally different fuels, I was shocked at how much black crud came out of the diesel filter of my van which I have changed at every 20000 mile service, but as I said totally different fuels.. I'll keep an eye out for the fuel filter , my car is due its 20000 mile service shortly and feel that if it is a reasonable price,then would have it replaced as a matter of course.. It has always been my belief that if a filter is there then it will need replacing or cleaning as part of a decent service.. I don't drive my car much but like to know that if I need to drive it to the other end of Europe (As I did need to last year, well Munich) I like to know that it is ready to go with no problems

[Rikos]

At the end of the day all that matters is that the car gets fixed without major expense and mecganical problems.

Any more news Ellz?

[Monster-Mat]

I'll keep an eye out for the fuel filter , my car is due its 20000 mile service shortly and feel that if it is a reasonable price,then would have it replaced as a matter of course..

the filter DOES NOT get changed, it is part of the pump assembly, however if you want it changed, id save yourself some money by removing the rear seats first so they have access to the filter panel in the top of the tank

[Dave-Ellen]

did you get a fuel line upgrade elliot ?

who fitted the fuel pump from the monster ?

[Ellz]

did you get a fuel line upgrade elliot ?

who fitted the fuel pump from the monster ?

I got the 550 injectors then uprated lines and pump from the monster all installed and mapped at the sametime by TDi, i went for a drive today, still doing it. going around the car the fuel pump sounds a little different so i think i'll take that out at the weekend and see if its ok or not.

[Firemansam]

Well I have to agree with 'The Transporter' on his valid points.

I run a Service dept at a Toyota Centre & have served my time on shop floor as an apprentice right through to Aftersales manager.

I get seriously ****** when ppl accuse my techs of damaging or causing faults which are later proved to be not related.

I just hope the "self fitting" of the throttle body does'nt become the cause of the problems as a loose throttle cables would not cause cutting out.

With regards to the wheel bearing issue,how do you test a wheel bearing properly on the floor with a jack,how can you load a bearing with it jacked up?

You'll be blaming the weathermen because the weathers bad next!!

Quote: People are clueless when it comes to something they know **** all about

I do agree that there are some garages out there who are undesirable BUT dont tar everyone with the same brush,we pride ourselves on customer service.

[Ellz]

Well I have to agree with 'The Transporter' on his valid points.

I run a Service dept at a Toyota Centre & have served my time on shop floor as an apprentice right through to Aftersales manager.

I get seriously ****** when ppl accuse my techs of damaging or causing faults which are later proved to be not related.

I just hope the "self fitting" of the throttle body does'nt become the cause of the problems as a loose throttle cables would not cause cutting out.

With regards to the wheel bearing issue,how do you test a wheel bearing properly on the floor with a jack,how can you load a bearing with it jacked up?

You'll be blaming the weathermen because the weathers bad next!!

Quote: People are clueless when it comes to something they know **** all about

I do agree that there are some garages out there who are undesirable BUT dont tar everyone with the same brush,we pride ourselves on customer service.

Ive not accused them off it yet as i want to be 100% sure thats why i posted up on here first. Its just **** annoying and slightly dodgey that the fuel gauge has always worked for me, it has never has the issue it now has and its all when i dropped it in to get a wheel bearing done, and i get 2 calls from friends saying "your cars broken down" miles and miles from the garage it was put it at. Thats why i'm ****** off.

Transporter has got some good points but the whole issue is ive never had these problems before i handed to them.

The throttle body has nothing to do with it cutting when driving along, when pulling up to traffic lights the idel is set too low so sometimes is stalls but i know about that and it will be dealt with accordingly.

[Rsarin]

ok i think he gets everyones point about wrongly accusing the garage,but that really isnt his fault,he panicked and got angry,it happens,ive even done it.The main thing is,is finding out why his car is doing this and fix it asap.Ellz i ask again,are you sure the car isnt running slightly rich?it could maybe explain the fuel situation and cutting out,as this is exactly what happened to mine after it was fitted with vpro and mapped.

[DINO]

Ha... You guys are amazing... A car is a complex machine and as such from time to time will develop faults.. 99% of the time they will develop in your charge where you will simply take it and have it repaired but have you ever considered that your car could just as easily develop a new fault whilst it is being repaired at a garage through no fault of the mechanic?

It is not uncommon and indeed sometimes required that a road test is carried out on a vehicle, a road test can show problems that simply spinning the wheels cannot show...So if the cam belt was to fail whilst under such a road test, then why is it the fault of the garage?...similarly ABS sensors can and do fail.. consider where so many sensors are and how they would react to being disturbed.. I have seen cheap junk sensors fall apart in my hand when they have needed to be removed for other work.. the sensor was old and there was no way to do the work without its removal, it is just another expense that needs to be incurred it certainly isn't the fault of the mechanic, the majority of whom are professionals who know their job well..Remember that YOU are the one who chose the garage and if you feel that they would "Thrash" your car then why the hell did you take it there?? I would suggest that it is the culture of "Blame someone else" I would strongly suggest that all those who have responded here in a negative "Yeah sounds like the gits ragged your car" type of response should learn to work on your own cars as clearly you are incapable of trusting anyone else to work on them

Well after the garage broke the car it seems that it had simply run out of petrol...It is down to the customer to ensure that there is enough fuel in the vehicle....Perhaps you should have had the gauge fixed before they started on the bearings...So it wasn't the fault of the garage at all...Do you feel a little silly?

Please don't measure others by your own lack of standards.

Firstly i would have done this myself but dont have a hydraulic press avalible as im sure 99% of people dont. I replaced the ABS sensor about 1 year ago and is very easy to take out and put to one side, whilst changing the bearing. this was a part from lexus so not a "cheap junk sensor"

Secondly i did warn them about the sensor and advised them to be careful.

Thirdly no matter who you take the car to they will do a test drive, considering mine is turbo'd just gives them more insentive to give it a trash, which is something i doubt i will be able to obviod.

Forthly I have never had any problem with the fuel gauge before if that is a new fault i will deal with that asap

I dont know who the hell you are but your saying if you took your car in to get A done then pick it up and B and C had gone wrong which had never gone wrong before would you be happy, when you dropped it off B and C where working fine ???? Also where he got towed from was miles from the garage I see no reason for a 15-20 mile test drive.

The reason i chose this garage is they have done work on it before (when it was NOT turbo'd) and was happy, the reason i didnt take it to lexus is they charge £96.50 an hour PLUS VAT which i think is a effing joke.

And no i dont feel silly if you can do all the work on your car then fine or if you can afford to pay out on bits and bobs that you havent broken then your a mug with to much money.

Nice reply, would not be suprised if the other chap is a mechanic, I think he is. It would be an understatement to say I would be ****** OFF. Hope it gets sorted mate.

Edited August 31, 2007 by janey
evasion of profanity filter

[janey]

Can we try to keep on topic please guys :)

[Ellz]

ok i think he gets everyones point about wrongly accusing the garage,but that really isnt his fault,he panicked and got angry,it happens,ive even done it.The main thing is,is finding out why his car is doing this and fix it asap.Ellz i ask again,are you sure the car isnt running slightly rich?it could maybe explain the fuel situation and cutting out,as this is exactly what happened to mine after it was fitted with vpro and mapped.

Well i know it was mapped slightly richer as thats better than lean, but it was driving fine before so the map wouldnt have changed so i see no reason for it to be to do with that now i know the FCON can be wiped.

[yemgi]

ok i think he gets everyones point about wrongly accusing the garage,but that really isnt his fault,he panicked and got angry,it happens,ive even done it.The main thing is,is finding out why his car is doing this and fix it asap.Ellz i ask again,are you sure the car isnt running slightly rich?it could maybe explain the fuel situation and cutting out,as this is exactly what happened to mine after it was fitted with vpro and mapped.

Well i know it was mapped slightly richer as thats better than lean, but it was driving fine before so the map wouldnt have changed so i see no reason for it to be to do with that now i know the FCON can be wiped.

How can the FCON be wiped ?

Mine is mapped rich as well and the fuel gauge no longer go lower that 1/6. Last week, I put more than 66 liters in it and the needle was just below 1/4. From what I know, it is a common issue with the FCON.

[Gord]

ok i think he gets everyones point about wrongly accusing the garage,but that really isnt his fault,he panicked and got angry,it happens,ive even done it.The main thing is,is finding out why his car is doing this and fix it asap.Ellz i ask again,are you sure the car isnt running slightly rich?it could maybe explain the fuel situation and cutting out,as this is exactly what happened to mine after it was fitted with vpro and mapped.

Well i know it was mapped slightly richer as thats better than lean, but it was driving fine before so the map wouldnt have changed so i see no reason for it to be to do with that now i know the FCON can be wiped.

How can the FCON be wiped ?

Mine is mapped rich as well and the fuel gauge no longer go lower that 1/6. Last week, I put more than 66 liters in it and the needle was just below 1/4. From what I know, it is a common issue with the FCON.

Thats not good then is it ? do you have to drive about with can of fuel in the boot just in case you run out ?

[Dave-Ellen]

think ellz missed a ' and its can't

[Bazza]

the fuel guage on the starlet doesnt work since the f-con was fitted either

strange !! you would have thought HKS would have problems with a simple fuel guage

[sparkystav]

Prob a ploy to buy a Gauge from them lol.

Stav

[Ellz]

yeah i meant it CANT be wiped, that is very random that the fuel gauge doesnt work, i must have been lucky so far then as i've filled her up quite a few times and usually run her for a good 300 or so miles so it must have been getting pretty empty each time LoL