January 2003
Dear All,
C5 Hdi Estate. Auto Gearbox. Next to the gear stick are two buttons, one is sports setting, which is explained in the handbook and another button which is marked with a snowflake.
The handbook helpfully states that it is useful in wintry conditions, and thats it! So I used it today.
But what do you experts think that this buttons does and how does it work?
Or is it like those buttons on pedsetrian crossings which light up when you press them and do nothing else?
Regards
Vercin Read more
hi everyone and happy new year, sadly im looking to replace my trusty snap-on socket set which was recently nicked and whilst looking on the e bay auction site came across a guy who sells a lot of hand tools branded "u.s pro" which he claims are close to the top american/german makes but a lot cheaper i however can find no info anywhere about this make and am a bit sceptical of his claims as i beleive as in most things you tend to get what you pay for, so before i part with my hard earned cash have any of you tecno guros out there any knowledge of this brand? many thanks Read more
Britool were excellent, but bought out by Facom (French) who then transferred all production to France (Quelle surprise!)
Now owned by Sykes Pickavant (try www.sptools.co.uk/aboutusframeset.htm)
Noone mentioned "King Dick". I still have one of their ratchets. Made famous by Graham Hill on a TV interview many years ago.
Anybody know how to fix the radio display,as it is unreadable and starting to annoy me, or any way of turning it off, i think i'd rather have it completly blank Read more
Hi I've recently had new bulbs put into my centre clock console on my vectra C and my clock has reset to midnight I also have a aftermarket stereo so lost my steering wheel controls is the away of getting my clock working again? Somebody told me to plug it back in at midnight and it works again have you heard this or is it something I need to go to vauxhall with??
My father-in-law has a 306 xrd which is refusing to start after the battery went flat and has been recharged. All other electricals work fine, it just seems as though the starter motor has been isolated. There is an isolator switch under the bonnet but he doesn't have a key for it. He's spoken to an auto-electrician (a so-called peogeot specialist) who doesn't want to touch it with a barge pole. He's considering cutting wires and tring to bypass the switch!
Any ideas before he takes drastic measures?
{changed header because the drop down menus weren't available at time of original posting} Read more
I've an 806td, and tried the method of pushing the button for several seconds before starting, and it worked!! Top advice thanks. Just got to switch the car off now....wont with the key! :o/
Hi,
I've searched for somewhere relevant to post this, but couldn't find anything anywhere.
I should know the answer to this, but I don't, so....
In the event of an accident, (I haven't had one, touching every bit of wood I can find, but just in case, I need to know...)what are the legal requirements for details that you should swap with the other party?
I know you're supposed to give your insurance details, but personally, swapping companies as I do most years, I probably wouldn't have a clue as to what company I was with, let alone any other details.
What if the other party said they couldn't remember their details either? Should I still give mine (if I knew them), bearing in mind this could be abused if they weren't insured, and particularly if the accident was totally their fault?
I presume you also have to give your name, but what about other details? Address, etc, surely that would/could be dangerous?
If they don't provide details, should I just take a note of their reg. no. and somehow take it from there?
Any info gratefully received.
HF Read more
FFX - You have had the car checked in a bodyshop haven't you? At first I thought my car was OK, but been a bit paranoid I had it checked, and the guy pointed out the fact that when you crawled underneat the car, the back panel had been bent by the impact, and my boot floor was lifted, but there was still no visible damage when standing outside the car...
Blue
The radiator on my '96 Xantia diesel has a small leak.
I was thinking of adding some sealant as a temporary fix and fitting a new/exchange radiator in a couple of weeks.
Do these sealants cause problems with pumps, seals etc sealants, or should I top up with a pint-a-day coolant/water until the new rad arrives.
Read more
IIRC the Wynn's stuff I bought is supposed to be used as a preventive. It stays in the cooling systems until a leak develops then seals it immediately. I saw it demonstrated by someone putting water into a tin with a hole in the bottom , then adding the fluid and it immediately sealing the holes. Apparently it's used routinely by a certain F1 team in their engines. If anyone wants more info. contact
Wynn's on
0118 950 4090.
or e.mail
helpline@wynns.uk.com
My recently aquired Mk3 Astra came with very little documentation. One thing it did come with was a radio handbook - but unfortunately for a completely different model!
Currently the radio is working fine, but I can foresee a time in the future when the battery will become disconnected for whatever reason, and on reconnection I expect I will be challenged for a code to reactivate the radio. Since I don't have it and neither did the previous owners, I believe there is a way to take the code protection off with a combination of key presses/turning off/on etc. so long as the radio is activated at the moment.
When you turn the radio on "CODE" appears in the display I think indicating that code protection is set on. Anybody out there got one of these beasts with a handbook or knows how to disable the code protection?
Thanks in advance
Chris TD Read more
What genius decided it would be a good security measure to
pencil the code on the side of the radio?
A lot of repairers do it. Imagine 10 stereo's lined up on the shelf to repair, and each has got a post-it or other type of label taped on. Someone opens the door and all the lables blow off. At least if written in pencil it should stay there. However a good repairer should clean the number off afterwards. Some leave it on for the customers benefit, and the customer should have the common sense to clean it off before refitting. Notice I said should.
Yes, with the Vauxhall stereo's you can disable the code before removing from the dash, but if the fault is with the display - it's impossible to do.
I drive a 93 Vauxhall Cavalier V6 which will only allow me to listen to the stereo when the ignition is on. Is there a quick and easy wiring 'fix' that will let me listen to the radio without even having the keys in the ignition.
I have a face off radio which I always remove when leaving the car, so there would be no fear of the battery draining (I hope).
Thanks in advance....
Read more
Wally, I know exactly what you mean. I had to do the same rewiring when I replaced the factory fit Grundig for a Kenwood system with boot mounted cd autochanger.
Glad you got it sorted.
A while ago I posted about my intention to start fuelling my recently acquired 525 TD on biodiesel. For those who don't know, I've been using biodiesel in a Seat Leon TDi for a year and in a Renault Clio dci, both with no ill-effects and both from new. Anyway, I had about a third of a tank of derv when I brimmed the BMW with biodiesel for the first time yesterday evening (both fuels are completely miscible), and drove the 50 miles home with another 100 litres in containers in the boot.
So far, so good - the engine seemed to run a little quieter, and the mpg needle seems to be a little less frightening. Actually, the mpg indicator seemed to show no change from normal driving (usually hovers around 40mpg), but with the fuel in the boot as well as a luggage bearing passenger (my brother is visiting) I'll hopefully see a more obvious improvement in consumption once the car is empty again. Power seems to be about the same. As there was a frost last night, I get to find out pretty quickly whether or not there will be any problems starting up, not that I expect any.
I do expect that when I change the oil and filter in roughly 1000 miles of driving, some, most or hopefully all of the sludge which has been building up on the bottom of the fuel tank will have been deposited on the old filter. I'm not really anticipating any other effects other than improved NVH and fuel economy, as well as a much more pleasant smell from the exhaust. I'll post here about any progress. Read more
hi andy i run my mercedes vito on bio and looking a supplier can i ask do you have a number for your supplier and how much per litre is it thanks
Could do with some advice please from you experts out there.
I had the cam belt and tensioner/pulleys changed about 3 weeks ago on my Astra 1.6 16v 99 reg, 41000 miles. Ever since, there has been a constant pronounced whine from the belt area. Left it a while as I thought it might "bed in" and disappear (always the optimist!) but finally took it back today. The garage (which by the way is entirely reputable but not main dealer)listened to it and their diagnosis is that the cam belt cannot be over-tightened as the belt tension is governed by the tensioner itself.They think the whine is the alternator bearing and as a new oneis about £200, not worth doing anything about it just yet. I'm not convinced as the noise only began immediately after the new belt was fitted. So what's going on? Could it be an over-tight drivebelt putting more stress on the alternator bearing or what? I don't know what to do next apart from take it to a GM garage for a second opinion. Does anyone have any experience of this type of problem and/or advice on what to do next? I need the car to be reliable for long commuting and driving abroad.
Cheers
Baz Read more
A fascinating story - mirrors my noise having had a replacement belt to my Rover 218 diesel. The garage (usually very fair independent bunch) listened to the noise and pronounced it "a rattle in the plastic somewhere that customers often complain about after we've worked on a car".
I actually re-adjusted the alternator belt just after they did the work because I, too, was concerned they'd simply tightened it too much, But the whine continues.
anybody know whether my problem is the same as bazza's and it's simply wrong parts fitted? If ther's any suggestion of this, then in view of the dangerously expensive consequences of a foul up on the timing belt scene, I'll take action for sure!
Browse
.jpg)
Hi DD
1) Dealer very helpful and confirmed that it starts the gearbox in 2nd gear. So the sites advice was bang on.
2) The customer services at head office technical seemed surprised that a punter had got through. There followed a short sterile conversation but basically confirmed the info.
many thanks one and all
Vercin