Posts made by hyacinthkernott

I'm at my wit's end with my 2013 Fiat 500. The car went into limp mode about a month ago with the check engine light on. I took it to a shop and they replaced the throttle body because that's a common failure. Drove fine for two days then back into limp mode. Took it back, they replaced the accelerator pedal sensor. Fine for three days then same thing. Now they're saying they don't know and I should take it to the dealer. I found the Rapid Fiat Repair from 800Sayara Dubai online and I'm hoping they have more experience with these Italian cars. Has anyone had a persistent limp mode issue on a Fiat 500? Could it be a wiring issue or a bad ground? The car runs perfectly when it's not in limp mode. The codes are P0221 and P2135 if that helps anyone. I'm getting tired of spending money on parts that don't fix the problem. Any advice on what to check next would be amazing. Also any recommendations for a Fiat specialist in Dubai who won't just guess and charge me for parts I don't need? I love the car but I'm about ready to sell it. Thanks.

I've got a 2012 Nissan Patrol that's been amazing but I've noticed some rust bubbles starting to show on the bottom edge of the rear tailgate. It's not huge yet, maybe the size of a coin, but I know rust spreads fast here with the humidity. I took it to a detailing shop and they said I'd need a proper body shop that can cut out the rust and repaint. I'm in Sharjah industrial area often for work and I see a lot of body shops but no idea which ones do quality work on Japanese cars. I heard about Premium Vehicle Repair Industrial from a guy at the petrol station but I don't know if they do rust repair or just mechanical work. Has anyone had rust repair done on an older Patrol or similar SUV? What should I expect to pay for a small spot like this? Also am I better off just replacing the whole tailgate if I can find a used one in good condition? I'm trying to stop the rust before it eats through completely. The rest of the car is in great shape so I want to keep it for a few more years. Any recommendations for body shops in Sharjah that actually know how to treat rust properly instead of just painting over it would be great. Thanks.

I've got a 2016 Lincoln Navigator that I absolutely love for family road trips, but lately the ride has gotten super floaty and bouncy, especially on the highway. Every time we hit an expansion joint or a dip in the road, the car keeps rocking back and forth for way longer than it should. My wife gets car sick easily and she's started refusing to sit in the back because of the motion. I'm pretty sure the original shocks are still on the car at 130,000km so they're definitely due. I found a place online that does the Veteran Lincoln Shock Absorber Replacement in Suspension Repair Dubai and they seem to know the Navigator's air suspension system which I think mine has because I can hear a pump running sometimes when I start the car. Does anyone know if the standard Navigator has air on all four corners or just the rear? Also has anyone replaced these with aftermarket parts instead of dealer parts? The dealer quote made my eyes water but I also don't want to put cheap stuff in and have it fail in a year. Mostly I just want the ride to feel planted again and for my wife to stop complaining every time we go over a speed bump. Any advice on brands or what I should expect to pay would be amazing. Also how long does the job usually take? Can't be without the car for a week because we use it daily for school runs. Thanks.

This might be a dumb question but I've been staring at battery specs for way too long and I'm still confused. I get that ACDelco is supposed to be good, especially for GM cars, but when I compare the numbers on paper to a budget brand they often look similar: similar CCA, similar reserve capacity, similar warranty length. So what am I actually paying extra for? Is it better internal materials? Better quality control? Or is it just brand tax? I was reading about the Innovative ACDelco Battery Installation Service in Battery Zone UAE and it got me thinking whether the installation quality matters more than the brand itself. Like could a cheap battery installed properly with clean terminals and good connections outlast an expensive battery that gets thrown in carelessly? I'm the kind of person who overthinks everything so I'd genuinely love to hear from someone who's worked on batteries for years. What fails first on cheap ones compared to premium ones in this climate? Is it the plates warping? Drying out? Internal shorts? I'd rather understand the actual failure modes than just follow brand names blindly. Anyone here cut open a dead battery to see what died? Too nerdy? Probably. But I'm curious anyway.