December 2001
There's a new site to help motorists with technical problems. If you can't find what you want, then apparently you can mail in and the panel of experts will answer your technical query. They say that at the moment it's free, but they will be charging for advice at some point in the future.
Site is at: www.auto-solve.co.uk
All technical advice from the Back Room boys will still be free !! Read more
Not sure if this has come up on any of the other cold weather threads.
Halfords now sell a Night Before de icer, spray on the screen before retiring as it were!. Bought on the off chance, probably a gimmick I thought.
Excellent product. Minus 2 celcius this morning in Northants, quick squegee over the pre treated glass and away. No scraping, no re freezing and best of all:-
NO STEAMING UP INSIDE. Read more
I rubbed some very soapy water on my windows the night before last - BINGO - they weren't frozen up despite the sub - zero temperatures- i just thought it might be worth a try and it worked a treat !
Our 1995N 1.1 Fiesta (73,000 miles) has developed a habit of starting OK, running for 2-300 yards, stopping, then refusing to start. This tends to happen when slowing down to negotiate a junction. There's plenty of life in the battery, but it won't fire. If you then tow it, it will start and run perfectly well. The breathers have been cleaned, it does some decent runs, and the oil is the correct grade. I suspect something is going awry with the engine management system. I'd be grateful for any ideas. Thanks BigAl Read more
Many thanks for your thoughts, guys. I will print everything off and go through it with the chap who maintains the car - he is a decent bloke, but was at a complete loss - diagnosis is difficult because of the intermittent nature of the fault. I believe that our Fiesta has a conventional carb - 1. because the lump under the air filter looks (to me) like a carb and 2. the space for the emergency injector cut out in the passenger foot well has no switch - just a few wires passing through. I'm afraid that carbs are my achilles heel and the handbook that came with the car tells you sod all!
Once running, the engine purrs along very well and I'm looking for at least 100k miles, Andy. With 2 lads at uni, we don't want to buy anything new for my wife just at the moment! Oil consumption is only about half a litre between annual changes (about 7-8,000 miles).
Others have commented - and it seems a common problem. When it is all sorted (fingers crossed) - I'll post a note. Again, many thanks and seasons greetings. BigAl
I have changed many, many bulbs front and rear during the 1 year of ownership of my P Reg Rover 400. A colleague with the same model (S Reg) has changed bulbs about 6 times.
I see these cars running around in twilight with very often, one of the brake lights or side lights not working.
Is this typical of this car or am I becoming paranoid ? Read more
This definitely sounds wrong. I've only replaced a rear brake light in 11 years on my 1990 Rover 200, which is not all that dissimilar from your 400. Get a good Rover dealer to check it out - try Crown garage in Soham if you are near Cambridgeshire.
I've read with interest the comments about changing oil every 5000 miles. Looking through my Accord's service book, Honda have left spaces for "intermediate oil change" every 4,500 miles.
Is this necessary for a certain type of driving (i.e all motorway or all town driving), or is it a good idea irrespective of what the car is used for?
Andy Read more
If you use decent oil, just do it evry 10,000m - plus filter. My passat has done nearly 200,000 and is still well within VW tolerance [1l every 1000km]. It would have cost a great deal to have done it every 5000m
It is clearly in the interest of garages to advise as much work as possible.
Any recommenddations for a car that can tow a smallish trailer and is fun to drive when not towing? Costing up to £8K secondhand? Read more
Take your point Martyn. On reflection it does look a bit carelessly put. Should have phrased that better.
So here's an official confirmation..........Martyn's not a tart. :-)
(I don't usually put those smiley things in, but I think now would be appropriate),
Regards, KB
I have a Citroen Xantia and need to know how to enter the code into the stereo.
I have the code but no manual, i've tried the obvious(press the numbered buttons) but nothing happens, also my code starts with a zero and there's no zero button Read more
Volkswagen here, in the 80s, produced a CitiGolf (Golf 1, with no frills at all) in a variety of funky colours, with white bumpers and lower doors - and one of them was pink.
Sold very well, and you still see them on the road.
Hi all,
A few months ago i posted a topic about my car engine cutting out on me while driving and also facing going to court as the police didn't believe me.
heres the link again to recap on what i said at the time....
www.honestjohn.co.uk/phorum/list.php?f=1&t=17676&a...2
Well the good news (on my behalf) was that on Friday my solicitor rang me with some good news that the court have dropped the case as the mechanic who my solicitor hired said that when a car engine decides to cut out it will be hard for the person to fully regain control of the car and would likey to swerve and lose control, and also that the history of the car itself which was enough to have the case dropped entirely....so i am happy with the outcome......
William Read more
Ian is right. If William e-mails me with the full story I will run it. But I don't have the time to assemble the bits and pieces from previous postings in the Backroom. Unfortunately, because the case was settled out of court it did not set any legal precendents, which is, of course, precisely why the case was settled out of court.
HJ
A colleague in my office wants to sell his car privately and has asked me for a value on it. I've been out of sales for 7 years, and the market's moved on a bit. Can anyone help please?
Hyundai Accent 3dr spirit, 1300
Dec 98 'S'
50,000 miles
1 owner, history.
Honest enough and straight.
It books at £2300 I think, so would it make £2000? ( Nottingham area)
Thanks
Mike Read more
£2,000 seems fair enough to me for a 3 year old car which cost less than £6,000 new.
HJ
Why is it that I am travelling on a dual carriageway, I have just overtaken a vehicle there is a car approaching immediately behind me, I maintain my speed and move over leaving the car I had overtaken behind me. The car immediately following me then sits in the overtaking lane practically level with the back of my car. I am gradually approaching a car in the lane ahead of me and the clown will neither come past me or drop back behind me, he is too close for me to indicate and move out, he sits until I have to slow for the car ahead and then decides to overtake at the very last moment. No matter how you try to read the road ahead there is no accounting for drivers like this. There is also another scenario when I am travelling at a steady speed in the near lane another driver is in the overtaking lane he travels for a mile or two like that overtaking nothing. Just as I am approaching a car ahead and just as I am about to indicate to overtake he speeds up and starts to overtake me. Why do drivers drive a stupidly as that. Read more
Marman wrote:
>
> In reply to Martyn, at
> least this post is about motoring and seems to have attracted
> a fair amount of sensible comments and replies from motorists
> as concerned about this problem as I am.
And as I am too, Marman. If, instead of justifying your contribution against an imagined adverse remark from me, you'd care to read what I put in my reply to "careful driver", you'd see I'm arguing against the re-revival of an entirely different discussion. I then go on to give a reasonable explanation for what may have been the cause of your experience (and mine -- see my reply to Darcy Kitchin).
Browse
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Brill wrote:
>
> >"... this site ... that has become addictive."
>
> You too eh Simon? Oh dear.
And me! It's worse than The Archers because it's here 24/7.
Back Roomers Anonymous, anyone?