Report 8
As it stands, the 508 is now 750 miles away from running out of AdBlue and ceasing to start, so it’s booked into my local dealer – Robins & Day Birmingham Central – next week for a top up for a standard £20. Last time I looked it was £10. I’ve had to wait three weeks for this slot at the dealer, which they suggested was a knock-on effect from the lockdown. But as the law of freelance work goes, I’m now working on that day and there’s no chance of a courtesy car – that was another week to wait – so I need to cancel the booking. Note to myself.
I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right, just top the AdBlue up myself. I’m way ahead of you, as there’s 20-litres of the essential urea stuff on its way to me. The reason for the dealership visit was in true clichéd fashion of a ‘typical male’ visiting the doctors once there was a list of issues (an actual doctor said that to me one time). But this is exactly what I’ve done with the 508’s (attempted) visit to the dealership, though there isn’t too much of a list. 1) AdBlue top up. 2) There’s apparently a recall on the 508 to do with the dashboard harness, which will hopefully sort out the service light that’s been on since the car was with Gavin Braithwaite-Smith. And 3) Like the C5 Aircross that Richard Dredge and I ran last year, the stop-start system has stopped working. When coming to a stop, the green stop-start light on the dashboard just flashes and the engine continues to run. AdBlue top up aside, the service light and the inoperative stop-start will have to wait.
We’re getting too close to the shorter days and longer nights for my liking, and as a result I’m spending much of my time in the car driving in the dark. I’ve found that the LED headlights are amazing, both in function and form and the automatic dip beam works really well, too – though like every other car I’ve driven with this feature, it still doesn’t work well on dual-carriageways with central reservations which hide the other car’s headlights. Apologies to anyone that I’ve dazzled. Inside the car, as last month’s report photo showed, it’s a beautiful place to be, thanks to the ambient lighting, which complements the carbon effect treatment to the dashboard and door panels really well. The only negative is that you can’t change the colour from a light blue, which would be fine, only that you can change the ambience of both the car and inside with options of ‘normal’, ‘boost’ and ‘relax’. Normal and Relax put the digital dials in a lovely copper colour, while Boost switches the drive mode to ‘Sport’ and changes the dials to red. My problem is the blue ambient lighting on the doors and cup holders don’t change with these modes, and the blue clashes with the red. I can’t help but think how much nicer and warmer feeling the cabin would be if the blue light changed to the same red colour of the dials in ‘Boost’ mode and that lovely bronze colour of ‘Normal’ and ‘Relax’, especially as the stitching on the seats and door cards are in a snazzy copper, too.
Gavin Braithwaite-Smith
Date arrived 17th December 2019
Fuel economy 52.4-62.0 (WLTP combined) 56.4mpg (on test)
Mileage 10,205
Another month, another ‘nice car that mate’. There’s a lot of love for the 508 SW.
The rear parcel-shelf has started flying open when driving, scaring me, and taking months off my life, I’m sure.