I will share a secret which the owner of this 2006 Seat Ibiza was apparently unaware of. He had owned the vehicle from new, and once the main dealer warranty had run out, he no longer went to the dealer. He had chosen to just get the bits done as they were needed.

At some stage, someone had shown him how to reset the service indicator and so whenever this popped up he simply reset it. The secret of course is that when the service indicator appears, it is time to get the oil changed. Whoever gave the owner the knowledge to reset the indicator, did not pass on this piece of wisdom.

The owner drove countless miles without the engine having the vital oil change and merely topped up the level when needed. I last saw the motor when a coil pack had failed and at that time mentioned that a service would be a good idea. With the misfire cured, the owner was not too bothered and said he would have it done at the next NCT.

The engine was never going to make the test though. As when out on a trip one wet and windy Sunday, the motor started to lose power and then he was stranded on the side of the road.

I found the Ibiza on the forecourt the next morning with a note from the owner asking if I could fix it and give him a ring when ready, it didn’t take too long for me to discover the problem was terminal. The owner had missed too many oil changes, which had taken a heavy toll - the con rod had pushed its way out through the engine block.

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