March 2007
Surrendered my company car today and was told by the driver that it was heading for BCA auction at Bedford. If anyone's going there soon, and are after a Toyota Avensis T3-x D4D (53 plate), then I can vouch that RV53 YOW is a sound car - shame LEX didn't accept my offer to buy it....
Would be interested to know what it went for as my offer of £6k was rejected.....
John Read more
Hi, I've a high mileage (135k) 2000V 2.0 petrol Espace that sounds like diesel at tickover. The car has been serviced, new cambelt, modified tensioner and hydraulic tappets fitted yet the noise persists. As soon as the revs rise the noise disappears and the car runs fine. Any ideas?
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have you managed to get the noise problem sorted yet? I have an espace 2.0 ltr petrol and have exactly the same noise problem as yourself ,noisy on tickover and coming from engine area ,but slightly increase revs and noise goes ,only difference is mine has only done 35,000 mls
After weighing up options suggested in my previous discussion on what vehicle to tow a one horse trailer and horse, I am now in a quandary as to what 4x4 diesel to buy. I want the smallest vehicle capable of towing a minimum of 1500kg, with the most economical fuel consumption, as I clock up a fair mileage. I have had conflicting reports about the Landrover Freelander, any feedback welcome! I have a budget of up to £8000.
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Have seen a few owners very happy with the X-trail for towing horses. One has used his for the last 3 years to tow a horsebox and a 16.2 and a 15.1 horse weighing 1800Kg all up. Honest grown-up looks rather than the hairdresser styling of some in the class with a wash-down plastic-lined boot for the mucky stuff and the dogs. Top of the range models have leather seats, sat-nav, sunroof, xenons and all the toys as standard. With 4x4s it tends to be a trade-off between off-road and on-road ability but the X-trail does pretty well on both counts. Like the Honda CR-V it automatically switches from 2x4 to 4x4 as it detects wheelspin but unlike the Honda can be locked in 4x4 if the going gets heavy or 2x4 for economy. The Kia Sorrento does well off-road but not so good a ride on tarmac, then there's the heavier stuff if you need more weight.
I'm seriously starting to feel the pinch recently with my car, I put it into an independant specialists for a new clutch yesterday as the old one feels a bit saggy and sometimes I get a judder through it, I also asked them to check the handbrake as despite a main dealer Inspection 2 it still wasn't working right on one side of the car.
The garage were excellent and called me within an hour to say that they think that I'm being premature with the clutch but that they've looked at the rear brakes and they need replacing completely, new discs, handbrake shoes (it was totally non-operational on one side of the car) and a recommended new set of brake pads as the ones that were on were very cheap. I got the whole lot done and I've noticed the car does seem to brake a little better now, and the handbrake works correctly, which is a novelty for me. :-)
However, they've checked the rest of the car whilst it's in, and for the MOT it's going to need new front wishbone rear bushes, new brake lines from the front right to the rear, and new rear suspension top mounts. Total cost of all of that work will come to around £500, plus the cost of an MOT, it's going to be an expensive month! :-(
Oh, whilst it was in he also mentioned that my front brakes were worn but still serviceable, apparently they're fitted with very cheap quality components, which came as a suprise to me as I put it in at another (no longer recommended) local garage recently and asked for OEM fit replacement front brakes. I'm not a happy bunny!
Anyway, there's no particular point to this post, I just wanted to ramble about how unfair it is that everything seems to always go wrong at once! :-)
Actually, now that I think about it, Aprilia may be able to help with this one - The guy at the garage said that he has M3 wishbone bushes available which can be fitted to lesser models, he believes that they will prove to be more durable in use than the standard ones. Do you think it's worth trying this or could it have adverse affects on the geometry of my front wheel alignment given that the bushes aren't meant to go onto a 323Ci wishbone?
Blue Read more
Anyway, there's no particular point to this post, I just wanted to ramble about how unfair it is that everything seems to always go wrong at once! :-)>>
This statement, for me, defines the difference between running a banger and a non-banger. My old Mondy is a banger - and I just wish that everything would go wrong at the same time so that I could make the easy decision to throw it away! It was a new battery last month, new tyres this month, new cambelt/service in two months time and goodness only knows what the MoT test will throw up in August.
Just noticed a problem while accelerating recently.
Driving along and I change gear from say 3rd to 4th or 4th to 5th etc... if I press hard on the accelerator the car judders a bit then settles down...
i.e. rather then smooth acceleration it is jerky for a few seconds.
Happens from 2nd gear upwards, especially say coming to a turn off and I have to go from 3rd down to 2nd, turn corner then accelerate and up to 3rd it starts..
weird, I was told it might be fuel-injection issue.
Anyone any ideas?
tks. Read more
I didn't know Ford made plugs.
The Ford plugs I bought to service my mum's StreetKa were in Ford boxes, but were actually NGK plugs.
That said, they were actually a couple of quid a set less than Halfords wanted for identical plugs in an NGK blister pack, so it didn't matter particularly.
Especially the Pug 306 TD. A mate here recently sold his R reg 306 TD 100k-miles ish with 12 months MoT for £1400. it needed its' aircon sorting, had 7 year old rear tyres with extensive cracking and was bought by a trader (I assume he saw some money in it ??!!)
But why so much ? A 10 yr old non-prestige car with 12 months MoT is worth about £500 to me as long as it has some sort of service history, hasn't been a taxi or had as many owners as I've had hot dinners. At this level, if it goes 'bang' then throw it away or sell it spares/repairs.
Why do people like these old 306 diesels ?
another case was a mates Rover 220 SDi. again, R reg, 170k miles, no MoT or tax and it went for best part of £500 ??!!!
I'd suggested putting in as 'spares or repair" (box had taken to jumping out of gear occansionally) for £100. I wouldn't have given him any more than that for it should I have been in the market for such a car.
Why ?
The Pug case seems unreal. £1400 for a 10 year french car. it's a banger, why would someone pay a 4-figure sum ?
thoughts most appreciated, the buyers of these 2 cars are beyond my understanding...
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This makes me think I sold our 12 year old Xantia
1.9 TD for too little (£500). I had only recently
spent about that amount on it to have it serviced, new
spheres and rear brake discs. It was a snip at
that price, considering it also had two nearly new tyres and
a new rad fitted only about a year before.
I've had mixed reactions to my PX values on my DERVS
First was my 306xtdt bought 11.5k and PX'd for 8 with 2 years and 48k on the clock. Needed new tyres and body work damaged (prob 5-700 in all)
After that I had an e36 325tds that I PX'd at 5yrs and 88k miles for 6k. Not happy with that as I thought that it was a great car (and some scrot knocked 45k miles off a year later)
Hi there,
I'm hoping somebody can help.
We've had our V Reg Citroen Xsara for about 6 months, and over the last few months we've been having problems with over-choking.
Basically, on occasion it can over-choke so it revs between 3000 and 4000 rpm when idling. When driving these can drop away and then kick back in sporadically, causing you to bunny-hop.
I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem, and how to fix it?
Many thanks in advance. Read more
I would check for an air leak first, check all vacum pipes, If you have an air leak it makes it run rich & with extra air going in can make the rev's higher.
Diagnostic check may save time & money, even an air leak would be spotted on live data by a lower than normal vacum reading
Yesterday I was overtaken on the M3 by a brace of Priuses (Prii?)
I was making what I like to class as keen progress. They were doing a minimum of 90mph.
I wonder just how self-satisfied they felt at being in an eco-wagon and saving the planet at that speed? The physics is incontrovertible. The only source for the power to keep them cruising at that speed on the motorway was petrol, so they were exactly as inefficient as any other car at that speed, aerodynamics notwithstanding. i wonder what the "smugness" meter on the dashboard was showing? (I assume they have one).
Or am I missing something. Were they saving the planet more than me in my Jag 2.5V6 gas-guzzler? Should I be racked with guilt?
V Read more
We run two of these Honda IMAs as pool cars. (old shape), better fuel economy from a similar sized diesel, the stop start system is a nuisance if not dwonright dangerous if it's not your everyday car.....
As a disabled driver I notice an increasing number of people[ who are not disabled in any way obvious to me ] using disabled bays especially in supermarkets.
In a Sainsburys park the other day, a large people carrier pulled up and mum and dad and four children got out. All were walking normally. Is having children and a large vehicle now classed as a disability?
Cumhead Read more
Our local large store has plastic signs pointing out the error of their ways that the security guy places on cars that are offending. They have also been known to call out the registration number of the car/s and request the driver to come to Customer Services - although I haven't heard them do that recently.
On the bays at 'Recreation Centres', we take 13 families with a special child to a swimming session at our local centre - usually half the 8 spaces are already taken by the able so I am afraid we often need to block the area nearest reception while we decant our children then park elsewhere. As Angelman says, being closer just makes one little bit of life easier.
Hi everyone I hope somebody can help me please !!!
When driving the car I have noticed that it slants to the left like the suspension or shock absorbers have gone, this is especially noticeable when there is a passenger or you go around corners.
I had a mate look at it and they have said that the rubber bits on the suspension( possibly the upper arm - but not sure if its callled this) have perished and when they go competely it will cause the car to steer really badly. Trouble is I have no idea what the rubber parts are called and i need ot get some !!! ? Trouble is I can't find anything that looks like the rubber bit on the internet and when i lok at upper arms they do not appear to have this rubber bit attached.
Can anybody help me please? Read more
Problem on passat and A4. There are about 8 bits to suspension but dont be fooled into having lot changed. I have paid between £70 and £200 quid in the past. Last time was cheapest when local garage only changed one part and its been fine for last 18 months. There are a few previous posts on this site and many peopole will have had same problem. I'm probably due for another part to be change!
Browse
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Lex always seem to want close-to-retail money for end-of lease cars. I was interested in my 330d but they wanted silly money.