107 fettling…. 0 advisors MoT shocker!

[Notyou]

My Qashqai is very much testing patience! 
 

The engine had a falling out with its cylinder head way back in October. Impressive external oil fountain occurred and we are still nowhere near fixed. 
 

for about 6 weeks this hateful piece of automotive garbage has been stranded at the garage. It may be longer, I genuinely can’t remember when I drove it last before today. 
 

we have gotten as far as the replacement engine being fitted but all is not well. 
it’s throwing random fault codes relating to the exhaust gas pressure sensor. We have even swapped this out for the known good unit from the old engine without change. 
 

clear codes and take it for a drive, the second you hit 30mph it has a tantrum and the ABS and Traction control lights both come on. 
the replacement engine had a kanckered egt sensor and in the classic ‘I told you so’ way,  the mechanics declined my suggestion of swapping the manifold and sensor while both engines were out on the bench! 
So now we have an egt sensor fitted that works, but it’s stripped the threads. The egr cooler on both engines have faulty actuators too and it looks like £175 part to replace the whole bloody thing! 
 

The current standing bill is £950 approx and to be honest I am now doubting it’s going to be repaired. 
The massive concern here is that it will be collected from repair place and put straight over the bridge as it’s really past the point of any sort of economic repair now. 
 

In other news and an excellent way to see out 2025 …. My other car (a Peugeot 107) has decided to try and become a 2 stroke and burns so much oil it’s doubtful it will pass the required Mot in around 4 weeks! 
 

this is the offending Qashqai paperweight …

What a way to end 2025 😆

[Jazoli]

Annoying but there’s not much of a dilemma as  it’s sounds like a load of hassle to continue any further with it, so there’s only really going to be one outcome, cut your losses and recoup as much money as you can and bridge the remains, once you get into paying garages for major work it never really works out if things go wrong along the journey.

unlucky with the 107 too! Cars can really kick you in the bollocks sometimes.

[sierraman]

I’m surprised the garage has entertained fitting an unknown used engine of I’m honest. Once the engine has gone these days then that’s it unless you’ve got the £ to go full hog and put in a new exchange engine and deal with unexpected shit like the clutch/DMF being knackered upon inspection and requiring replacement. 

[BorniteIdentity]

Throw it away. 

There are a million cars out there that will give you a couple of years loyal service for less than you’ve already paid out. If you’re happy playing the Bangernomics game then you’ll find this out pretty quickly. 

The £1000/Full MOT/50 miles away game is alive and well. Despite what others will tell you. 

[beko1987]

Qashqais are mega cheap atm, i'd cut your losses on that one and start again if your already at a grand

Just check the boot floor corners aren't packed with mud and rotted out when viewing new ones... 😬

[warch]

My petrol one was so reliable and easy to live with that it was practically unkillable. I miss it at the moment because it could happily negotiate floodwater you’d think twice about driving through in a 4x4.

[beko1987]

24 minutes ago, warch said:

My petrol one was so reliable and easy to live with that it was practically unkillable. I miss it at the moment because it could happily negotiate floodwater you’d think twice about driving through in a 4x4.

Their really stable in shitty weather too, mine's been great in all this rain.

 

Does the op have space to buy a tatty but mechanically good matching year one then make one really good one from two the frag the silver one? I did that with my 2 laguna 2's and tbh it:s my current game plan if my current QQ shits itself. Buy one with a really common TADTS problem that makes it dirt cheap (basically any of the issues that I had wrong with mine 😂) but mechanically sound with a long mot then make one good one and bin GX09DWG 👌 With the big rust holes fibreglassed up I think even a clutch would be more than the vehicle is worth despite it being fine otherwise.

Plenty of sub £1000 ones on fb with either fucked wiper motors, needing a cambelt and service 2 years ago but itll be fine or something else diy-able over a weekend (they are very nice to work on I've found so far 🪵)

[Brigsy]

K9k is a doddle to work on, id have fixed the original engine.

Being honest, sounds like you need to use a better garage, sounds like its got more issues now than it went in with. Probably time to cut losess if you cant sort it yourself.

 

[sierraman]

4 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:

Throw it away. 

There are a million cars out there that will give you a couple of years loyal service for less than you’ve already paid out. If you’re happy playing the Bangernomics game then you’ll find this out pretty quickly. 

The £1000/Full MOT/50 miles away game is alive and well. Despite what others will tell you. 

I was working on one of these ‘£1000 bargains’ this morning. Dead on arrival, battery terminal sulphated to fuck, cleaned that up and another battery, fired it up and it runs like a total bag of shit. Vibrating like fuck probable DPF problems. It’s running now anyway so at least it’s capable of a test drive when someone comes to look at it ‘bargain hunting’ 😂

[Notyou]

Thanks for that input guys. 
 

I think it’s time to wipe the deck clear with this pair and get something else. 

there’s a nice range of bicycles for cheaper than the garage bill alone 😆

[Notyou]

On 06/12/2025 at 11:02, beko1987 said:

Their really stable in shitty weather too, mine's been great in all this rain.

 

Does the op have space to buy a tatty but mechanically good matching year one then make one really good one from two the frag the silver one? I did that with my 2 laguna 2's and tbh it:s my current game plan if my current QQ shits itself. Buy one with a really common TADTS problem that makes it dirt cheap (basically any of the issues that I had wrong with mine 😂) but mechanically sound with a long mot then make one good one and bin GX09DWG 👌 With the big rust holes fibreglassed up I think even a clutch would be more than the vehicle is worth despite it being fine otherwise.

Plenty of sub £1000 ones on fb with either fucked wiper motors, needing a cambelt and service 2 years ago but itll be fine or something else diy-able over a weekend (they are very nice to work on I've found so far 🪵)

I find these atrocious to work on! 
I personally would rather have a dose of the clap than purchase a second one to repair (haven’t seen the workings of a petrol one so they may be different). 
 

the K9k unit in these has one of the worst designed engine mounting solutions that I have ever seen!
Rear suspension is super simple and you can get under it without a jack if you absolutely need to. 
But there are indeed not many redeeming features to compel the purchase of a second one. 
 

super slow, both crashy and wobbly ride at the same time (that’s an achievement in itself), noisy, crass and not great parts support. 
Those are my key takeaways of time with mine.
It is however comfortable to a point and easy to get in and out of. 
 

for reference the 3 piece clutch kit is £180 in parts alone and most are only available including a new dual mass at £440 or so.

bottom arms are about £80 per side.

timing belt kits are about £94 for a decent one.
water pump is extra.

more than the residual value of the car for most of those repairs in labour costs. 

[beko1987]

1 hour ago, Notyou said:

I find these atrocious to work on! 
I personally would rather have a dose of the clap than purchase a second one to repair (haven’t seen the workings of a petrol one so they may be different). 
 

the K9k unit in these has one of the worst designed engine mounting solutions that I have ever seen!
Rear suspension is super simple and you can get under it without a jack if you absolutely need to. 
But there are indeed not many redeeming features to compel the purchase of a second one. 
 

super slow, both crashy and wobbly ride at the same time (that’s an achievement in itself), noisy, crass and not great parts support. 
Those are my key takeaways of time with mine.
It is however comfortable to a point and easy to get in and out of. 
 

for reference the 3 piece clutch kit is £180 in parts alone and most are only available including a new dual mass at £440 or so.

bottom arms are about £80 per side.

timing belt kits are about £94 for a decent one.
water pump is extra.

more than the residual value of the car for most of those repairs in labour costs. 

I've not touched anything big, and the price and condition of the car means I probably never will and just run it until it dies!

The ride can be a bit crashy and boaty, I figured that was just it's size and height (and me making it do 45/50 round corners the highways agency advise 25 🤷) Enough room to chuck a belt kit on the engine and £100 for a decent belt and pump kit isn't too awful.

For an car for a medium term prospect I think there's worse to be had. I'll not go as far to say their a great vehicle though

[Dick Cheeseburger]

1 hour ago, Notyou said:

I find these atrocious to work on! 
I personally would rather have a dose of the clap than purchase a second one to repair (haven’t seen the workings of a petrol one so they may be different). 
 

the K9k unit in these has one of the worst designed engine mounting solutions that I have ever seen!
Rear suspension is super simple and you can get under it without a jack if you absolutely need to. 
But there are indeed not many redeeming features to compel the purchase of a second one. 
 

super slow, both crashy and wobbly ride at the same time (that’s an achievement in itself), noisy, crass and not great parts support. 
Those are my key takeaways of time with mine.
It is however comfortable to a point and easy to get in and out of. 
 

for reference the 3 piece clutch kit is £180 in parts alone and most are only available including a new dual mass at £440 or so.

bottom arms are about £80 per side.

timing belt kits are about £94 for a decent one.
water pump is extra.

more than the residual value of the car for most of those repairs in labour costs. 

Front steering and suspension setup is a pain in the arse. Water leaks into the boot are a pain in the arse. 

Otherwise, the 1.5dci runs on fumes, is super reliable, secondhand parts are easily available and dirt cheap, the cabin is airy and a nice enough place to be and j10s especially are cheap to buy in the first place. Every single time I consider selling mine, I remember what a decent old workhorse it's been for the last three years and that there's definitely something in the saying 'better the devil you know'. 

Throw this one away and buy another J10.

[Notyou]

1 hour ago, Dick Cheeseburger said:

 Throw this one away and buy another J10.

I’m not 100% sure that I would want to buy another J10 at this juncture. 
 

Mine is awesome on fuel …. Only used 1/4 tank in 2 months but it hasn’t moved since late October which is about 6 weeks of that time 😆

I keep hearing that the k9k is such a great engine and is so simple to work on. Unfortunately that has not been my experience. All of the stuff that requires replacement has been seized solid or broken as soon as being gazed upon. After looking around on the interweb, this is not an isolated one off either. All the fault problems are common place that have afflicted my own k9k …. Dw8, dw10 and xud were all superior engines in my opinion. 
 

maybe the pre emission control units were better, maybe I have just been unlucky … we will never know. 
All I know is that it seemed perfectly fine when purchased in September and then suddenly without any warning it wasn’t fine anymore! 

[Notyou]

The issue is now solved …. I weighed the hateful thing in this morning for £350 😆

And the 107 soldiers on. 
an entire year, 11k miles total, including a holiday to wales camping with a dog in tow. 
All it has ever asked for is tyres, front brakes and a backbox. We gloss over the fact it tends to identify as a 2 stroke. 

completely stripped interior, lhd corrected headlights and looks like crap …. But it soldiers on 😆

the best mpg we ever had was just over 70 on a trip to wales. These are the car to buy if you can only afford to buy and run a bicycle! 

[Lord Sterling]

1 hour ago, Notyou said:

These are the car to buy if you can only afford to buy and run a bicycle! 

Perfect car for me then 😕

An old work colleague of mine had a Qashqai and the cylinder head decided to let go. So he scrapped it and bought a Mercedes C220 CDi.

[Notyou]

1 hour ago, Lord Sterling said:

Perfect car for me then 😕

I would say that it beats getting wet when it rains …. But they have a propensity to leak like a sieve when it rains! 
 

light seals, boot seals, door membranes, front door seals and to top all that off the more door ones like to have the rear door windows fall off for fun! 
They are truly awful build quality and it shows that they are super cheaply built. They do however allow much mobility for very little cost and with basic maintenance alone seem to plod on regardless of how broken they are …. It’s the Fisher Price ‘my first car’ option 😆

I love mine despite its being dire. 
 

currently paying thought to an older berlingo van simply for the fact that I have a 45kg malamute/husky mix and a 25kg Siberian husky too. At least that way I could separate the floof from the people area of the vehicle! 

[Notyou]

Fettling the 107 today and replacing the 80k  and 19 year old bottom arms that it so desperately needs aaaand …..

absolutely seized solid! 
I had so far snapped 2 spanners (thankfully lifetime warranty ones) and it’s slightly rounded off too. 
 

typically the n/s fell to bits and put me into a happy mood so I have the patience to wait for the incoming dremmel tool so I can grind a slot in it. 
I am NOT willing to remove the entire hub assembly to enable ugga dugga activities with it. 
 

it will probably drive straight once done as the n/s rear bush is almost falling out of the arm 😆

[Notyou]

this does explain the wobbly drive 😆

[sierraman]

Looking out the window, rather you than me! 😂

[Fat_Pirate]

3 hours ago, Notyou said:

Fettling the 107 today and replacing the 80k  and 19 year old bottom arms that it so desperately needs aaaand …..

absolutely seized solid! 
I had so far snapped 2 spanners (thankfully lifetime warranty ones) and it’s slightly rounded off too. 
 

typically the n/s fell to bits and put me into a happy mood so I have the patience to wait for the incoming dremmel tool so I can grind a slot in it. 
I am NOT willing to remove the entire hub assembly to enable ugga dugga activities with it. 
 

it will probably drive straight once done as the n/s rear bush is almost falling out of the arm 😆

Deffo no remnant of a locking pin in there?

[vaughant]

On 06/12/2025 at 07:15, BorniteIdentity said:

Throw it away. 

There are a million cars out there that will give you a couple of years loyal service for less than you’ve already paid out. If you’re happy playing the Bangernomics game then you’ll find this out pretty quickly. 

The £1000/Full MOT/50 miles away game is alive and well. Despite what others will tell you. 

Totally agree. 

Bit bored in work last night, haven't done them in a while and it's pretty quiet here luckily on nights as I was feeling it yesterday, so I played that very game and up to a grand I genuinely saw some really decent cars. 

Same criteria as yourself. 

I think I'm going to mix it up a bit tonight, go up to 2k, over 10 years old and max mileage of 50k to see what appears.

Ironically this was how I found one if the best vehicles I've ever owned, a Partner hdi quicksilver in great condition with working AC, modutop, 2 owners etc etc. Gave £800 for it with a years ticket and took it up to 205k with only the radiator needing changing that I had free with another Berlingo 🤣🤣🤣. That 2.0 hdi is genuinely fantastic in the m49 range of vehicles, so lazy to drive, great on fuel and made for really easy motorway driving.

I haven't tried the 1.6hdi but I've heard they're actually ok despite what the interweb says and offer silly MPG.

The 2.0 wasn't actually that great on fuel, about 40mpg but I do have a bit of a lead foot and that was pretty much at 80-85 indicated on the motorway and round town. I suppose sticking to the limits would have improved it a bit. 

Gutted the clutch lever arm thing went, it needed a belt and a few hundred to pass the MOT. Scrapped it when it was really high for like £400 odd from memory. 

Years motoring for that, can't go wrong.

[Notyou]

1 hour ago, Fat_Pirate said:

Deffo no remnant of a locking pin in there?

Had the original weird clip jobbers in there. The MOOG replacements have a split pin (aka total arse). 

and even that needed spannering off as it was not wanting to leave its home of 19 years without a fight! 
 

as for the anti roll bar links… they are the worst design in the universe! Even with load off the entire front of the car I still nearly lost fingers along with the will to live 😆

 

happy to report that nugget is back in 1 piece and no longer as wobbly as a geriatric in the pension queue. 
The old battle scarred thing may pass an MOT yet as I can’t actually find anything else wrong. 

[bangernomics]

Throw it away. 
There are a million cars out there that will give you a couple of years loyal service for less than you’ve already paid out. If you’re happy playing the Bangernomics game then you’ll find this out pretty quickly. 
The £1000/Full MOT/50 miles away game is alive and well. Despite what others will tell you. 

Bangernomics -
£1000 -
Full MOT -
50 miles away - ?

Sorry for hijack etc

Buy my polo.

[Notyou]

11 minutes ago, vaughant said:

Ironically this was how I found one if the best vehicles I've ever owned, a Partner hdi quicksilver in great condition with working AC, modutop, 2 owners etc etc. 

Nothing wrong at all with a racing bungalow, doesn’t matter what badge is on it.

[Notyou]

Just now, bangernomics said:

Bangernomics -
£1000 -
Full MOT -
50 miles away - ?

Sorry for hijack etc

Buy my polo.

I dislike VAG offerings. The engines are a bloody liability with emphasis on the auc engine and related as found in polo/lupo etc. 

The diesels get needy at high miles too with constant small bills …. I have had both and disliked the experience immensely. 

[Notyou]

Sometimes I have to keep off the internet so I don’t do a buy with things I don’t need 😆

new tyres to be fitted so correct size. Not crazy large wheels either as only 15’s instead of 14’s 

have to do something I suppose to cure the boredom 

 

also ran the calculations on annual maintenance bill … a staggering £600 for all running repairs over 10k miles. That’s all maintenance tyres and road tax  … insurance is +£600 for the year and fuel is anyone’s guess …. Grand total of bloody cheap! 

[tom13]

I loved our 107 but the only thing that put me off eventually was getting rear ended with the little one in the back. There wasn't a lot of structure back there. I will get another again at some point as like you say they are cheap.

[Notyou]

5 hours ago, tom13 said:

I loved our 107 but the only thing that put me off eventually was getting rear ended with the little one in the back. There wasn't a lot of structure back there. I will get another again at some point as like you say they are cheap.

Agree there isn’t much structure at the rear! 
Front ends are fairly solid though 

[Notyou]

Today has been very busy! 
 

First order of the day was to find some 175/50/15 tyres (harder than it would seem).

Next up was to go to Barnsley to get my custom made wheel spacers to fit the wheels …

Then fully fit the wheels with new tyres to Nugget and hotfoot it back to chesterfield before my son got home from school ….

 

Back home with 5 minutes to spare and the end result looks great (in my opinion) … one more job for the MOT, sort out the slight bind on the rear o/s brake which is most likely a creepy wheel cylinder or lack of use.