All is not good in Daveland

Having owned Dave2 for 7 weeks I'm sad to say all is not good with the new car, now I've often been accused of being a Dacia fanboy and I've always said I'm not, I say it as it is, to that end my experiences with Dave1 was always so positive, hence my blog and thoughts of the brand have always been so good.

Fast forward to Dave2 ownership, firstly paint issues that were identified when he was collected, the drivers door had been dinked that morning, the dealers took the car back within a couple of weeks and rectified the issue, however the other paint issue involved cracking and damage to the laquer due to bird poo, a small mark the size of a 5p piece on the roof and two similar size marks on the tailgate spoiler. Still waiting for these to be rectified and disappointed that they weren't sorted at the same time.

Now the other issue and this is a BIGGY!

Dave2 has a lack of power/torque, this has only just started to come to light as because I was 'running in' the car I've avoided using the turbo to its max, however after 1500 miles I'm starting to stretch Dave's legs, this has highlighted a lack of torque, especially at midrange when you most need it for those overtakes.

Last year I moved house, this now makes it almost 50 miles for me to get to Jaybee Motors in Banbury, but as they have always given me exceptional service I will continue to use them.

So on Monday I drove the hour and a quarter to drop the car off, got given a 67 plate Stepway diesel as a courtesy car and noticed instantly on the drive home the difference between the two cars. Well Dave has been plugged in, poked, reset, checked and the diagnosis....No fault found! This is where I have a problem with modern tech, 'computer says no', however over 30 years driving, almost as many years working in the automotive and associated industries and having rebuilt many engines in the past, I know something isn't right.

Back to the dealers today and spent a couple of hours with their chief technician (that's what I call customer service) going through everything, we took my car for a drive, the Stepway courtesy car for a drive and also a Logan demonstrator out as well, all having the same 1.5 turbo engine. Both the latter cars had huge amounts of torque and pulled through the gears well, whereas Dave feels flat through the similar rev ranges.

Time for a little digging further, the tech plugged in his little box of tricks and printed out the readings on all three cars, it would appear that although all 3 cars have the same software updates however their are some differences with some of the other settings and appear to have different ECU codes, unfortunately they aren't just plug and go ECUs (contrary to popular belief) and they require programming to each car so we couldn't just nick one out of the two good cars to try.

So things are being referred to Dacia UK's technical team to get some feedback as to how they want things progressed, Jaybee's are going to need authority to replace parts, particularly when they don't know where the issue is. Could be an ECU, could be fly by wire, could be a turbo related issue or a component part of the turbo, obviously this potentially could stretch to thousands of pounds to replace the lot and still may be no further forward, so this is now down to Dacia to progress.

I am also considering getting Dave to the local rolling road centre, just to get an idea of power, torque and powerband readings.

Now the real dilemma, this was the last unregistered diesel Logan Stepway Summit left in the UK, so I'm very very reluctant to reject the car, as I really want to love this car, but at the moment I'm really torn.

Hoping Dacia UK can do me proud and make me sound like a fanboy again by sorting Dave to be the car I so desperately want him to be.

Fingers crossed.

First milestone

As I pulled into work today I looked at the dashboard, low and behold Dave2 has already hit his first milestone.

Looking forward to the long weekend, lots of stuff has arrived in the post so Friday will be spent fitted some little bits before trying out my new snow foam gun.

Automobiles, planes and trains

Unfortunately not me, but my partner who has headed off to Switzerland for a travel conference. But our reference is the fact that historically with the Sandero Stepway we have had to put luggage on the back seat when we go away together. By total contrast her main travel bag took up less than a third of the bootspace meaning there's room for everyone and the dog's gear in the boot for future holidays.

So having stopped on the way back from Heathrow for a quick coffee I took Albert for a great walk around Black Park near Pinewood Studios, then drove up the M40 and off towards Christmas Common giving a quick chance for a few more snaps.

Really love the rugged look, the car just looks so natural in this enviroment, again the physical size of the car and the Stepway styling suits the Logan so much.

What I have noticed on Dave2 is how dirty he gets on the lower rear panel, behind the rear wheels, from road spray, never really liked them but may have to consider getting some mud flaps.

Got home and found some parcels to open. For those that don't know the Summit has orange piping around the seats and orange detailing on the dash and heater vents. I'm already looking at a couple of little additions to enhance the externals with a touch of orange, something small and subtle, unlike what some have done in the past to there Stepway! (though I know a certain Duster that has nailed the orange brilliantly). Back to the parcels, new boot bag for the wellies and some small luggage cases, one for the first aid kit, the other for bulbs, tools and cloths. The later all fit behind the boot liner in the alcove for the jack etc.

Interior light swap

So the new Logan's interior light is the single bulb version, my old car had three lights, normal middle light plus left and right map readers.

Carried out a very simple upgrade costing less than a tenner and as you can see in the video only a couple of minutes to do.

These ones were from 2003-2008 Renault Megane, but I'm sure other Renaults of the same era had similar fitted.

And so it begins.....

Nearly 72 hours since picking him up and last nights drive home from work reminded me of one of the first things I did before.

Headlights appear to get mentioned by many new owners with criticism about alignment and brightness, alignment is fairly easy with an allen key. 

So what to do about bulbs Osram Night Breakers are very much a favourite for Dacia owners wanting to upgrade (I already had this set as spares). Fitting can be a little fiddly, particularly if you have large hands, with very restricted access and some relatively sharp edges. After about 30 minutes and a few quid in the swear box I managed it.

Interesting to note on the newer model the bulbs only push in to secure, no securing springs.

Next job was just to see what the new car looked like with the bonnet protector fitted, would love to hear people's views on it.

Sunday Sunday, so good to me

First full day with Dave2, first job reroute the power cable for the dashcam to a permanent position, easy to do as I had removed it from Dave1 before.

While I was sat there looking at the roof lining I realised that the interior lights were single bulb only, not 3 bulb units with map reading lights on each side. Quick Google and they appear identical to early Megane ones, off to order some from eBay.

Sunday morning has a bit of routine here, nice long walk in one of the nearby woods, now most of them are a nightmare to get to and with the big thaw underway we decided on the easy option for today.

 After a great walk, it was time for shopping, interesting in the car park to see just how physically big the Logan Stepway is parked next to a previous generation VW Passat and a current BMW X3.

Since as long as I can remember UK Dacia owners have been commenting on the annoying issue whereby you have use either the key or the lever by the drivers seat to open the tailgate, it's never really bothered me that much, but within a day it's really began to get on my nerves.

Time for a little bit of clever thinking, involving relays, interior lights, a push button switch and either a motor or solenoid.

Goodbye Dave..................

So after nearly 4 amazing years of ownership of Dave today saw me say goodbye to the old boy.

After the weather over the last few days we did wonder if we were going to be able to get to the dealership today. After some frantic phone calls first thing this morning we established that the roads had cleared considerably, so at 10am we set off for the couple of hours drive to Epsom.

The roads were amazingly clear, obviously people had finally listened to the warnings and stayed at home, result, it meant it only took us 90 mins to get there. Lots of spray though so Dave arrived looking dirtier than ever.

So now for the paperwork, a checklist of things, 'mileage?' funny you mention that I just took a pic (didn't realise how dusty the clocks were!)

Then that awful moment when I signed Dave over to the dealers, sad in some ways but excited in others.

Speaking to the dealer they will be selling Dave themselves and not sending him to auction, which is good as I gave them a huge folder of paperwork. Dave has been left with many bits still on him, towbar, RGM rear boot protector, Automotiva door protectors, Heko wind deflectors and the Media-Nav Evolution that I fitted. Would be great if one of our readers decided to buy him, whoever does I'll give them loads of hi-res images of him.

So what did I get?

Well last March I flew out to Geneva for the motorshow and did a live feed for DaciaWorld for the launch of the Logan Stepway, on the Dacia stand they had the Summit SE on a turntable, I said then it's the only thing I would consider changing Dave for and after lots of calls to various dealers around the country I located an unregistered diesel version, one of only 3 left (now 2).

Have to give a massive shout out to the guys from Wilsons at Epsom, from the first phone call ten days ago to the handover today, they have been absolutely superb, so nice to experience such professionalism and customer service. Neil is such a genuine guy, very knowledgable and not your usual pushy salesman. Also want to mention a massive thank you to Stuart, not only for getting everything 'sorted' but importantly for the hospitality extended to Lewy, copious amounts of coffee, water for Albert and a desk for Lewy to work on while Neil and I did the boring stuff.

So before we left the first job was to fit the new dog seat cover, god forbid he goes into the boot, that has a dog guard fitted. My god how big is the boot on the Logan, it is cavernous.

Think Albert is happy with the new car and his seat cover, which has orange piping to match the cars interior.

So now for the drive home, firstly leaving the dealership (cant believe someone insisted on these pics)

So fans, cast your mind back nearly 4 years (or read the early blogs) and the day I collected Dave and you may remember the photos on the way home. So it only seemed fair as we were in the area to try and recreate a couple of those shots. Firstly Brooklands.

Then off to Runnymede, where we have also held a brilliant DaciaWorld Sunday breakfast meet previously and WILL be do another this spring.

And there you go day 1, oh and incase you are wondering.......

Ladies and gentlemen meet.......

Dave2

Think of Dr Who, he (she now) transforms from one body to the next, but the same soul remains. Dave2 will carry on the adventures of his predecessor and will continue to share them on here.

So as we wrap up for today we'll leave you with image overload from Runnymede.

And so.......

It begins, what promises to be a pretty emotional week here at Dave Towers.

It's been nearly 4 years since my adventures with Dave began, we've had some great times, we have visited some amazing places, met some even more amazing people and featured in a couple of videos.

One of the biggest disadvantages of a PCP is that at the end of the period you have to make some decisions.

1) Trade the car in against a new one.

2) Pay of the outstanding balance and keep the car.

3) Refinance the car to pay off the outstanding balance (I have to say I was very impressed with the terms offered by RCI)

or

4) Hand the car back and walk away.

So now, does your heart or your head rule this one? If like me you consider your car somethingmore than a mode of transport to get from A to B then your heart can be the controlling force, even moreso when you have spent so long sharing your adventures with others, you, the reader, Dave's fans.

So as I began it's going to be an emotional one. Let's see how the week progresses.

DaciaWorld at Carsington Water

May saw a group of DaciaWorld members meeting at Carsington Water in Derbyshires beautiful Peak District.

During the day we had 16 cars attend with family and friends on board and Bristol Street Dacia in Derby sent along a representative and a lovely new Stepway , the weather was fantastic and and everyone had a fantastic day.

After the main event most of us took a little drive out to a nearby village and had lots of fun going through the ford.

After the underbody car wash, most members went home, however four of us decided to head off to a local green lane for a little adventure and to enjoy the surroundings.

DaciaWorld at the Jet Age Museum

Firstly a massive sorry to all of Dave's fans, I have been so busy with www.DaciaWorld.co.uk stuff that I've neglected Dave's blog. So I'm going to do a couple of retrospective entries over the next couple of days.

So the first thing to catch up on was DaciaWorld's visit to the Jet Age Museum at Gloucester's Satverton airport.

We had a fantastic turnout, with a couple of new members appearing for their first DW meet. We had a group tour of the museum and a few of the members got to sit in the Vulcan cockpit.

The Jet Age Museum is a wonderful location, full of amazing planes and lots of history.

DaciaWorld Runnymede Meet

Following the success of the Brecon meeting of DaciaWorld in mid January (sorry will need to write as report as we were there), Dave hosted the first DW meet in the South East on Sunday 29th January 2017 at the Runnymede Pleasure Ground, near Egham in Surrey.

Geraint drove up from Wales the night before in the Tango mobile and stayed at a local Travelodge, I drove across early and had to find a car wash enroute, not easy at 8am on a Sunday, thankfully a nearby service station had a working pressure washer. I'm normally not keen on these, but needs must, and a clean Dave was a must!

Just after 8 I arrived at the venue to find G already there, the gates were open so we made our way down to the hardstanding area we were setting up on. G managed to borrow a Dacia flag from his local dealer.

It was cold but thankfully dry. Now the wait, and hope, for other owners to turn up. Just before 9 the first of our members arrived, a lovely grey Duster belonging to Chris, then the steady stream began. It wasn't long before we had half a dozen cars.

It was really nice meeting everyone, including a lovely couple who had ordered their new car from SMC but were waiting for it to be delivered in March. Lots of chatting about the cars, the modifications and owners experiences.

The weather was kind for us for the first couple of hours, then the rain came. It was a great excuse to move to the parking area near the cafe and grab a tea or coffee.

So there we all were under cover, enjoying hot drinks when in the distance we saw something red approaching. It was rumoured it would make an appearance, but when the Shifterossa arrived it stole the show. What a lovely piece of Dacia history.

All in all a very successful first meeting and a huge thank you to all that travelled so many miles to attend. We discussed another meeting at Runnymede later in the year and are toying with the idea of a summer picnic event.

The new Stepway

Don't worry fans, Dave isn't being replaced, I've finally had the opportunity to look over the new Sandero Stepway in the flesh thanks to Hartwell Kidlington.

So now for a quick run down of the visual updates.

Firstly and probably the most obvious is the grill, now when I first saw the photos I was very much meh, not sure, a bit marmite, but now I have seen it first hand I have to say it does look fabulous.

The restyled front end gives the car more 'presence' and a slightly more aggresive look, hey those pesky Evoques need reminding not to kick sand in our face. The front bumper is slightly tweaked and those of you who are super observant will notice a square cover to the towing eye.

While we are at the front, new headlights, firstly LED daytime running lights that look uber cool.

And the headlights looking more angular and fit well with the front grill.

Moving around the car we have new style wheel trims, yes they are still trims and yes they still look like alloys, again looking chunkier to fit with the new style.

A very subtle change, that I hadn't notice until it was pointed out is the roofbars have had a colour change to a darker carbon colour.

And now to the rear, new style lights that look very nice, however I was disappointed (though I should have remembered budget) to find they weren't individual LEDs, they are just shaped externals with a single bulb behind all four, the positioning of the bulb makes two of the squares light up brighter when the brakes are applied.

Lower down we have a new rear valance, slightly different shape again and a new style exhaust with chrome tailpipe at the rear, rather than the previous pointing downwards.

One more finishing touch and one that I thought finished the new look off nicely was the introduction of a LAUREATE badge on the tailgate.

Moving inside the first thing you notice is new seat design, they look and feel a little more hard wearing and definately appear firmer than the previous ones. My only concern would be the grey outers of the base could be easily marked and the material looks harder to clean.

Then you notice the steering wheel, looking smarter with the chrome edging, smart looking buttons and THE HORN IN THE CENTRE, sorry I had to shout that I'm so pleased. The wheel also has a far chunkier feel which is great.

If you look closely you will see the electric window switches where they have always been on the centre console.....WHOA....what? I thought they had moved them....no panic those switches are now for the driver to control the rear windows.

This is something pretty amazing a car manufacturer who has listened to the feedback of it's owners, one of the biggest gripes that I have read from many fans of the car has been the positioning of window switches, now they have moved them to the doors.

Just one final thing from inside, the media unit surround has been updated and looks very smart.

Oh sorry I nearly forgot the Stepway Laureate now has a reversing camera fitted.

So all in all lots of great updates and the new Stepway looks fabulous BUT and for some it's a small but, for others it's HUGE, they still haven't fitted a push button lock to the tailgate, something I find a little strange as all the European models have it.