Evoque TD4 - Running Report

Window sticking problem - and a DIY solution!

So, it happened again. One frosty morning and I tried the drivers window and it wouldn't drop - and since then it wouldn't go down again.

I put a call in to LR servicing, who said that they have had a lot in recently with the spate of cold weather and there is a simple solution. So here it is, if anyone gets a similar issue;

When you drop the window, if it is frozen shut then the anti-trap mechanism kicks in thinking there is something in the way of the window. This then sets this position as being the lower most down position and therefore you window won't go down any further.

Solution... (when it isn't frosty!)... press the window switch down fully until the window stops, then pull the window switch up fully and once at the top, hold for 5-6 seconds (you hear the switch make 2 clicks, which is the point where the one-touch window is normally activated). This resets the upper most position. The window will now go down. When it gets to the bottom, do the same again for the lower position by holding the switch down fully for 5-6 seconds (same process as the up-position). This resets the lowest position of the window.

Ta-Daa! One fixed window.

Hope that helps someone! I had to do it a few times to get it to work, but it did work.

Should put that in Tips and Tricks! Mine stuck this morning, but worked after as I don't hold the buttons if they are stuck!

Iv been told 7% for my PCP...

Small update, nothing major to report really. The car is now 1 year old, and so due its service. I took out the service plan when I bought the car to take advantage of the (relatively small) discount on offer by paying upfront.

LR called me a few times to book it in and we took it to the dealers, left it there for the day and it came back all serviced! Hurrah. Very straightforward, no problems at all.

In other news, the car has coped with the recent snowfall very well - no problems whatsoever.

Mileage just hit 11,000 so its getting some good family use. It will be interesting to see how the interior holds up to the punishment its getting over time...!

Baby Seat foibles!

With our daughter having just had her second birthday its time to start looking at the next stage of babyseats.

We currently have a Maxi Cosi (Pearl?) which is connected via an ISOFIX base unit. It is a very nice car seat and fits nicely in the Evoque.

For the next step we were going to max out on pinkness and go for one of the Cosatto range. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be as when the experts in the shop tried to fit it, they said it wasn't safe due to the shape of the Evoque's rear seats. We tried several, none of which fitted and were ultimately told that ISOFIX would be our best option as it is unlikely that a seatbelt fitment child seat would be safe on the Evoque seats.

Point to note is that it did fit in, but told it wasn't secure enough due to the shape of the seats. Something to consider if you are in a similar position.

So, we are now looking at IsoFix seats and Brittax have a new range out which fits the bill. We'll be purchasing in the next few months so will keep you posted. If anyone has got a different seat, please let me know your experiences and which one you went for.

Try the recaro range. One of the few next stage seats with isofix and goes in the back of the evoque no problem.

(06-08-2013 11:41am)Paul O Wrote:  Baby Seat foibles!

I use the Maxi Cosi Tobi for almost a year now: secured with the seatbelt, fits fine in the 5-doors, and is very stable.

Happy New Year, folks!

Car Seat

We have now purchased a new car seat for our little lady - who had outgrown her old car seat. In the end, we went for the Maxi Cosi RodiFix, in pink. This fits via the IsoFix and slots in nicely in the Evoque.

Recall and Problems

We've had a letter through advising of a recall on the Evoque and need to get this booked in. However, its due a service in a couple of months so might just get it all done at the same time. A few niggles have developed in that time which I will get looked at. Firstly, the boot squeaks from the right hand side bar when you close it. There is also a piece of trim that doesn't stick correctly; this is the black window trim on the rear passenger door. It protrudes slightly upwards and needs sticking down. It has been like it since we bought it, but keep forgetting to mention it to the dealer.



The final thing - in an act of buffoonery with an overloaded car packed with Christmas goodies, I snapped off the small plastic screw which holds the parcel shelf to the boot. I'll ask for the dealer to fix that come service time in early March and report back.

Other stuff

MPG is still woefully circling around the 32mpg mark - a far cry from the official quoted figures. Everything else is fine though and is proving to be a great family car - it took us to Centerparcs in November for a week’s holiday. We packed all of our holiday goods and the Evoque provided a lovely comfortable journey to Cumbria. We are considering a roof rack so that we can journey further afield and not have to use the passenger seat for 'stuff'. The roof bars are expensive though, but still on the to-do list for 2014/2015.

January update

So, I’ve mentioned in my previous posts that the Evoque needs to go in for a recall. I also want the parcel shelf fixing and the trim on the window replacing/fitting properly.

As the service is due next month, I was going to wait until then and have a job-lot done together. However, earlier this week, my wife mentioned that she has smelt burning a few times so thought we’d better get it in pronto.

Booked in for next Wednesday – will let you know what they find!

---

February 2014

The Evoque went into the dealers and they have fixed the parcel shelf and carried out the recall work.

With regards the burning smell, they couldn’t find anything wrong but have said that under normal circumstances this could occur and shouldn’t be cause for concern. Apologies, I can’t elaborate further as the good lady Wife was in charge of the drop-off and the return due to work commitments on my side.

What she did get for the day though was the new SD4 complete with the 9-speed automatic gearbox. This went down a storm, to the point whereby we are considering possibly upgrading our TD4 manual to this. Just looking at the financials at the minute to see if we can make it work for us. Cost to change is about £3,500 as things stand but I’ll report back with the full financials once I’ve done all the maths!


Today....Service time and refinancing.

So, a couple of things happened this month. The Evoque was due for its second service and along with this it had a new piece of window trim fitted to the rear passenger door. This black piece of plastic had always been slightly warmed on ours, so a new part was ordered. This was fitted as part of the warranty and, as I have a service plan on the Evoque, this was also completed with no bill to pay.

Warnings from the service checks were the brake pads, which have reached 4mm at the rear, and one of the tyres is now down to 3mm. I think both of these have still got plenty of life left in them to be honest and to change would be slightly premature. I'm told the rear brake pads start at 10mm, with the fronts at 12mm with MOT failure at 1.5mm. At the close of summer I think I'll get both front tyres and the rear brake discs sorts.

For now though, a clean bill of health. And a clean car too - LR give it a good wash as part of the deal.

In other news, as the Evoque is now 2 years old the finance agreement was ending with a balloon payment owed. Now, they wrote to us six months ago but since then nothing. Not a word of reminder. I realised, purely by chance when sorting out some papers at the weekend that I'd got two days left to pay!! LR Finance will automatically request the whole amount via direct debit at the end of the agreement. So we had two days to find twenty grand. No mean feat as most of our money is heavily tied up and can't be quickly released.

If push came to shove, we could have got the money but I wanted to refinance the deal. A call to LR Finance and a conversation with the most disintegrated female operative I've ever spoke to meant they wouldn't be getting any repeat business. I hung up and called the payments line instead and asked for a few days grace whilst I got the money in place. "No problem" they said, which was great.

In the meantime I called Tony at Supercar Finance. I've used them in the past and they are fantastic - and turned the whole thing around in 2 days!

So deal all done and we're back at £250 per month for our lovely Evoque. Can't grumble at that.

We had also considered upgrading the Evoque to a new SD4 Auto model, but with the bathroom deciding to eject water into the dining room a few weeks ago, that idea has been put on hold for 12 months. We were due a new bathroom anyway, so might as well go the whole hog and we'll look at the cost of a new Evoque in 2015.

(19-03-2014 03:48pm)Paul O Wrote:  We were due a new bathroom anyway, so might as well go the whole hog and we'll look at the cost of a new Evoque in 2015.

Good read! Well at least in 2015 you will have the added option of spending some serious coin on the Autobiography editions too.