I’m not sure why, but from the beginning, I wasn’t too keen on driving this car. I don’t know if it was because I was afraid something might happen or because, at the time, I was commuting to work by bike. Either way, this car was meant for long trips, like to Poland or other far-off parts of the UK. However, when the weather was bad, like when it was raining, I would drive it to work. One morning, though, I noticed the check engine light had come on. My stomach dropped, like before an important exam. Thoughts flooded my mind—had the person who sold us the car tricked us?
The error code was P118B: particulate matter sensor. After a quick search, I found out that fixing it could cost us £400, and my stomach twisted again. I saw that many people reported having the same error, driving with it, and experiencing no issues. So I told myself, “Okay, let’s just keep driving.”
I arranged a visit with “The Best Mechanic in Town” (TBMT) to check out the situation. I told them that if everything looked good with the car, they should go ahead and change the oil, filters, etc., and we’d be good to go. I waited all day for a call and finally couldn’t stand it any longer—I called them myself. They told me everything was fine, they had done a forced DPF regeneration, took the car for a drive, and everything was running smoothly. The car would be ready to pick up after 5 PM. A huge weight lifted off my shoulders.
TBMT advised me that with a car like this, it’s best to stick to longer drives; otherwise, the DPF will regenerate too frequently. He also said to come back in a week so he could hook it up to the computer again and check everything over.
However, the next day, as I stood at the intersection, white smoke surrounded me and drifted along the ground. The Zafira was puffing like a steam engine. How humiliating that was. The following day, I went back to the TBMT, where they hooked up a diagnostic device, cleared something, and told me, “Take longer trips from time to time, and it’ll be fine.”
So, I did. I even took a trip to Brighton, during which to my surprise the car lost power. At the time, I didn’t know what was happening, but the Zafira had entered the “limp mode”.
“Alright,” I thought, “let him check what’s wrong, and if necessary, replace the sensor—maybe that’s the issue. I’ll just bite the bullet and spend the £400 plus labour.” I hoped that, being the best mechanic in the area, he could figure out what was wrong with the car. The earliest appointment was in two weeks. The date for our holiday trip was fast approaching, and on top of that, family was coming to visit in two weeks as well. So, if everything went according to plan, the car would be ready on time. We were planning several trips in that car so we could all travel together. After all, it’s a 7-seater.
In the meantime, while waiting for the mechanic, I shared my situation with a friend. He recommended his neighbour, who is also a mechanic and agreed to take a look at the car. However, it turned out that the guy was about to leave for a long holiday, so that was a dead end. He just hooked the car up to the computer and did a forced DPF regeneration.
Finally, the long-awaited day arrived when the best mechanic in town was supposed to check our car. Early in the morning, I showed up at the garage, holding a piece of paper with a detailed description of my observations about what was happening with the car and when. I was greeted by one of the mechanic’s employees. I described everything as accurately as I could. That day, I rode my bike to work, got lost along the way, and had to make up a few extra kilometres.
At 10 a.m., I got a phone call. Feeling hopeful, I answered, ready to hear the verdict. To my surprise, they told me they had a problem because they didn’t know which of the two sensors was faulty and suggested I go to a Vauxhall dealer, where they could diagnose and fix it. After a moment of thought, I asked them for an estimate to have some idea of the potential cost, as I was beginning to come to terms with paying a higher bill once and moving on with life. Unfortunately, the lady at reception told me that she didn’t want to be rude, but they wouldn’t do it anyway. I couldn’t believe they were brushing me off like that. It seemed the “top mechanic” could only manage oil changes. I think I won’t be using that garage again.
Feeling completely disheartened, I checked the value of our car on a car-buying website, taking into account its current condition. I don’t remember the exact amount, but it was around £1,300. I’d heard about the practices of these services, where once they get your car, they look for every possible way to lower the offer even further.
It dawned on me that in today’s world, people only care about quick and easy money, and I was left alone with my problem.
I’d never been particularly interested in the mechanics of cars. However, as I began to deepen my knowledge about the issues with our car, I discovered it’s actually quite an interesting subject. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m a mechanical engineer by education and work as a toolmaker, producing injection moulds for plastic. It’s a highly demanding job, as theoretically, there’s no room for error, and the parts for these moulds are made with a precision of 5μm. Various solutions are used there, including gears, transmissions, pistons, proximity sensors—basically, each mould is unique and requires a unique solution.
And that’s when I thought…
I’ll fix Zafira myself!
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