October 2004
I used to think they were, but after dismantling 4 brands (more to come)I was very surprised at the results. If you want to see the results, together with pictures, then follow this link: www.autoair.co.uk/Filters.htm (maybe a moderator can make this a \'clickable\' link) Read more
Got my car in September, washed it using Autoglym shampoo, used the Super Resin Polish and then applied a coat of Extra Gloss Protection.
So what do I do in future when I wash my car? Do I just wash it with the shampoo and thats it, or do I have to go through the polish & extra gloss protection stages every time? Read more
Autobalm ? Have to try it sounds a bit like a Egyptian mummy must be everlasting.:)
I have an intermittent starting problem on my mk 4 golf which has done 53000 miles, which my local vw garage have been unable to rectify. They now tell me that one of the cylinders is down on compression and this will be confusing the engine management system and causing the problem. They are proposing stripping down the engine which will be expensive and in my opinion probably not the cause. I have had an independent garage do a compression test and the cylinder is only 4% down, they believe it is a waste of money to srtip the engine. I am confused anyone got any ideas?
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I've just been through this for 2 weeks on a 99 GTI, replaced the blue temperature sender unit in the top hose for a green one,checked out the fuel pump relay for dry joints and correct operation on the key turn, it puts the pump on for a few seconds and then drops out, had the cover off the fuel pump and felt it run on key turn,then the starter was always noisy and slow to disengage so replaced that as well in case it was pulling so much power it wouldn't spark. then it ran perfectly for a day before once again failing. This time it failed to start cold wheras it had been failing after a short run previously.
Checked for a spark and there was nothing. Changed the dry coil pack and no difference. In desperation had a proper techy put a diagnostic gizmo which produced no error codes whatsoever except for no rev counter. This I had failed to spot and pointed me to suspect the crank position sensor. I was not enthusiastic about this because my understanding was they fail or they work, but don't go intermittent.
Crank sensor was pulled and it was rather oily and had a chunk of metal stuck on the magnet which was cleaned off and put back in for a try with no success, next I cut into the wiring to test the continuity which was perfect so no cracked wires before finally biting the bullet and replacing it with a pattern replacement at £28. Spark returned and it starts first time, every time.
I almost don't believe all this starting when it felt like it for over 2 weeks was a failing crank sensor, which up to the point of failure worked better stone cold and the engine ran perfectly if it started. But it was..
My wife has a 14 month old Focus which is a great car generally.
However the one thing that annoys me when I drive it is the high point of engagement of the clutch, compared to most other card I drive.
I know the focus (1.6 Zetec) has a hydro clutch, but is it possible to adjust this bite-point at all ? Read more
A common feature (fault?) I'm afraid, Roly93. My wife's Focus 1.8 Estate is the same. The clutch takes up over the final 20% or so of pedal travel. You get used to it but it is a pretty poor mechanism - especially if it isn't adjustable.
Everytime I drive over a raised bump or sleeping policeman, I get a hollow knock from the front, happens on both sides, had it checked at my local ford dealership and they said it was OK.
Anyone have the same problem or know what it might be, only done 12,000 miles.
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I presume Mk 6 is the latest Fiesta? If so my dad has just had a new shocker on the offside rear as it was really knocking. Ford denied a problem, but persistence paid off. When you spend 50+hours a week in a car teaching the last thing you need is a constant knocking, even some pupils commented on the noise as it distracted them.
Hi,
I have a Ford KA 3, and the heater is blowing out cold air. Apparently it is the heater valve that is causing the problem, and I would like to try and replace this myself. Can anybody give me any advice please on how to do this, or should I give in gracefully and take it to the garage. Any advice would be much apppreciated.
Thanks
Fifi Read more
How did you get on with the heater fifi? Ive hit the same problem I detected it wasnt working in the summer but wasnt to concerned.. Brrrrrrr cold mornings.. so now its time to spend money :(
Been quoted £60 for part and £40 labour.. Total=£100 Is this a good price?
Also, I was told by garage that it's a common fault in the KA's..
Ford should be recalling them if that's the case!!
Tried to open the bonnet of my wife's Fiat Punto (yr 2000) this evening but could not do it. Pulling the handle under the dashboard as usual had no effect. The handle moves OK but the bonnet does not move. Is there another way to do it or is it a trip to the garage? Read more
its a common problem. adjust the rubber like stops on the sides of the bonnet to push the bonnet open when the handle is pulled.
Why are the mileage adjustment tables in Parkers so steep? A car I'm interested in has 48k on it, and as a late 2001 51 reg it should have about 30k on average. It's a diesel, and according to Parkers the price should be adjusted down by about £700. Does this make sense? If the car's been serviced properly, and you'd have to imagine a lot of those miles would be motorway...well I'm just surprised it makes such a difference. Read more
When I was negotiating the price of my new Hyundai Trajet I said I wanted to p/x my old Volvo.
All three dealers did the same thing to me.
1. Gave me a price for the Trajet as if I was a cash buyer;
2. Rang a few mates for the underwritten price for the Volvo; then
3. Deducted 2 from 1 and that was the cost to change.
When I suggested that if I sold the car privately, then the first figure would reduce further, in all cases they said no. In the end, I sold the Volvo privately for more money than 2 but there was no further discount.
What was going on there?
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
My offside front tyre is about due (2mm tread left) to be replaced. However, the nearside front tyre still has 5mm tread left. Should I replace the offside only, or is it safer to replace both?
(Why the difference, you ask? Well, I had to replace the nearside wheel and tyre following an unplanned severe kerbing and off-road excursion last winter in the snow. I will exercise more discretion in future.)
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature. Read more
As far as I know, from have talked to people in
the trade, the current advice to put the new tyres on
the rear is really related to the motor industries opinion that
people are incapable of handling any oversteer (discuss!).
Once the back end comes around, there's very little that *most* people can do about it!
I'm new to posting on forums so apologies if I miss something out.
I've just bought an '01 VW polo 1.9 tdi (90bhp).
It has a full vw history and was serviced just before I bought it, but the oil doesn't look too clean so I though I'd change the oil and filter but am unsure of which grade/spec of oil to use as it's my first diesel car.
I'll use a genuine filter after reading earlier posts on the topic.
So, if anyone can point me in the right direction I'd be really grateful.
Thanks.
Neil. Read more
It's covered here :
tdiclub.com/TDIFAQ/
rgds
alec
Browse
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"The Champion is reasonably priced, has a good filter area (2nd highest), good overall construction, but a poor anti-drain valve let it down. In fact, it wasn't just poor, it simply didn't work."
I'm slightly concerned that you may be doing the Champion filter a dis-service: according to the filter database at gif-filter.com the Champion F208 is pattern GL815, which doesn't have an anti-drain/non-return valve..