Aixam 500 SL Review

trim just randomly falls off, the front subrame had dissolved with rust(only apparent after having to remove parts to repair other problems),mirrors fall out, it EATS pads,engine mounts,variator tips and belts, the exhaust vibrates to bits on a regular bassis( i say regular, all this has occured in approx 4 months) the gearbox is incontinent, the electric windows are intimitant at best, panels fit badly and suffer vibration fractures,
the car is noisy, the steering is vague to say the least,not even the stereo works!
all in all a complete poodle(well, it is french!)
all this in a vehicle that hasnt even covered ten thousand miles,and i know for a fact it hasnt been thrashed or abused
thinking of getting one?buy a reliant instead, they only lose out to the aixam in terms of mpg, but are so far ahead everywhere else AND they are far cheaper to buy
The only two good things about the aixam are the kubota engine and the fuel economy

I'm half-French and have driven Aixam's on the continent for several years.

In France Aixam's are not looked upon as cars. Aixam's are regarded as quadbikes, i.e., four-wheeled motorcycles with steering wheels! If you use an Aixam to drive down to the shops and make short trips of, say, 10 miles or less per day, have them serviced regularly and keep your speed below 40 mph, an Aixam will last for several years. You English people have been duped into thinking Aixams are real cars, e.g., you go to work in them, do the school run, drive them at top speed all the time and clock up 10,000 to 15,000 miles per year in them just as if they are "real" cars. Quadricycles are simply not designed for this kind of treatment. No wonder you English keep "blowing" your gearboxes!

It has been my observation that many garages in the UK are unreliable and dishonest establishments manned by untrained staff. French mechanics receive a thorough technical training - most hold diplomas or advanced diplomas. In France when an Aixam is serviced French mechanics always use the best quality synthetic oils for oil changes of the engine AND gearbox. In England more often than not this is not the case. British garages often substitute cheap non-synthetic mineral oils of the wrong grade when servicing Aixam engines and gearboxes with disastrous results. Aixam gearboxes need 75/90 fully synthetic gearbox oil of the highest quality not semi-synthetic blends and certainly not EP 80/90 bog standard mineral oil! I have heard that some garages only change the gearbox oil every 10,000 miles and don't bother to check the gearbox oil level between such wildly extended oil changes! Idiotic! Criminal! Aixam gearboxes are known to lose oil and need to be checked and topped up every 5,000 km (3,000 miles). If you don't top up your gearbox it will run low on oil, its bearings will overheat, expand, seize and destroy the gearbox in a non-survivable way. Gearbox failure on the continent is very uncommon mainly because we ensure that the correct oil level is maintained by frequently checking oil levels and topping them up when necessary. Why do you British put up with this kind of treatment? Why don't you ever sue such people or complain to the authorities?

You English punish your Aixams too much and don't have them properly serviced by competent mechanics. For the most part, because your mechanics are poorly trained, uncertified, semi-skilled, dishonest and stupid people they are unable to service and repair cars or quadricycles as well as French motor engineers. Unscrupulous garages in the UK wreck quadricycle after quadricycle while their owners and Aixam (in England) do nothing to curb or stop them. In France unscrupulous garages are stripped of their franchise and blacklisted. By their complacency Aixam in England have single-handedly demolished the reputation of the quadricycle they are trying to market.

An Aixam is called a quadricycle because its a FOUR WHEELED MOTORBIKE with a steeling wheel! An Aixam is NOT a car!

In France they're used to pop down to the beach or shops or for very short journeys. Usually most French drivers clock up 50 - 60 miles a week at about 30 mph. If you start using an Aixam like a car, e.g., going 20 - 30 miles a day to and from work, you'll end up with a blown gearbox. Aixam (Comex) gearboxes are absolute garbage! Eventually catastrophic gearbox failures will kill the ex-Reliant driver market Aixam currently exploit in the UK. If Aixam don't sort out this problem the'll end up with no market for their currently shoddy and disreputable products.

Aixam's are toys!

Not real cars!

If you're thinking of buying an Aixam do this: walk up to the vehicle and gently push one of its doors, when closed, inwards. It'll bow like a plastic squeezy bottle!

These cars are garbage. Their gearboxes (originally designed for ski-mobiles) regularly fail and cost in excess of £500 to replace! Aixam dealers all seem to be spivs! I took my Aixam for a service and, after checking the oil level in its gearbox - oil that was supposed to be replaced - found that the gearbox was almost empty! The Aixam dealer charged me for gearbox oil that he hadn't actually filled the gearbox with! I've written to Aixam about this matter and they're investigating!

If you're thinking of a quadricycle go for a Microcar!

The Aixam is a fun vehicle, it is NOT a car. I made the mistake of buying one thinking it was a small car and, three years later, have had replacement gearboxes, balljoints, brakepads... just about ever part of the blasted car has had to be replace or repaired. Hardly twon months goes by without the thing needing some expensive attention or the other. A service cost £80.00 - £120.00 depending on what parts need renewing (filters etc.). Don't buy an Aixam thinking its like a Ford Ka or other small car because it isn't! Steer clear unless you've got very deep pockets!