December 2007
Some people seem to use full beam at all times. Some dip them when overtaken. Some dip when there's approaching traffic. Some drive on dipped beam all the time!
What's your "take" on this? Read more
I'll try to describe this as best possible ;
Car has been running great.....until today
Pulling away from rest,fine until I tried to accelerate in 2nd gear.Felt rough until I change to 3rd.If I tried to accelerate hard in 2nd,it was terrible.Tried again on a quite stretch of road and the emissions indicator flashed on/off (disappeared again).(this indicates an emission problem that could detroy the cat - according to the manual)
Car has covered 47K miles.Runs fine apart from this flatspot issue and also when approaching a junction and depressing the clutch,the revs drop really low then recover to 900(ish) rpm.Flat spot is noticeable in 3rd but much worse in 2nd.Fuel is from Tesco and is around 1/4 tank left. NO warning indicators while driving,all fluid levels correct.
Dirty petrol or something worse ??? Read more
I had the same problem occur on the same day. Car is the Vectra C 2.2 Direct SRi as described. Had just had it serviced and thought might be a servicing issue. RAC had never heard of the problem when called. Been back to garage and fuel filter re-replaced and pipes cleaned. Told that fuel pressure is very high but may be a fuel pump problem. Car was out of warranty on 31 October and has covered 36,000 miles. Looked at various threads and this appears a very common problem with this engine. Is there nothing that can be done through Vauxhall ie recall to resolve the problem.
This is not a new subject - see for example www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=31...2
I was chatting to some people today about the problem of frozen washer jets. It seemed to me that my Berlingo had a particular problem here, and that my old Mark III Fiesta was a lot better. A Peugeot 206 driver said that the washer jets on the 206 were also pretty useless in freezing weather. I turned to a Saab driver and said "I suppose you won't have a problem with this?" He told me that his Saab had real problems as well.
I would imagine that it should be possible to design washer jets in such a way that they are less likely to freeze up in cold weather. Are some manufacturers better at this than others? Read more
I've doubled the amount of concentrate in my washers. My normal 10% of Halfords yellow stuff was not enough in the recent cold weather.
A previous VW had heated nozzles and yes it did work pretty well but still did not stop the water freezing when it hit the screen.
Many years ago I made a heat exchanger from brass and plumbed it into the heater circuit of my A series engined cars. Never sure if it actually helped but the "steaming" was impressive in cold weather.
Don't tell me to RTFM, because it's on my desk at work, I am on leave tomorrow, and my intrigue wont let me wait that long.
I've discovered a new button in the Golf. It's down by the base of the driver's seatbelt, and it's got a key on it, which lights up in red.
It's not the central locking, because that's on the door, and surely it can't be a child lock because I have no back doors. I thought it might be the boot release I've been searching for, but I don't think it can be, tucked away down there.
Answers on a postcard please... and no, I haven't pressed it yet! Read more
Make sure yours isn't a South African import - the button may be to operate a "Blaster" (see link: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/232777.stm )
The ultimate, ultimate, car accessory. Just imagine...
* Get that flame grilled whopper just right next time you go to a drive-in.
* Fastest defrost you've ever seen.
* Never, ever, ever be troubled by squeegee merchants again.
ANYBODY HELP PLEASE >>>>
I have a 6000CD radio with the centre knob for switching on/off and also for the volume control. Hope that identifies the model ok. Car is FOCUS 05 Reg.
QUESTION
I have a problem making the day/month/year remain on the screen when i set the correct info... the only read out i get is the TIME .
Can anyone advise which buttons to press to keep the day/month/year and the time showing when the radio is not in use.
I assume it is possible or the settting options would not appear on the menu ?
I am doing everything printed in the handbook but to no avail.
Thanks.
Ken Read more
Many thanks for you replies... The 6000CD i have does not have RDS and also has the centrally located on/off and volume control which is mentioned in the manual download you refer to , which is slightly different to the manual which came with the car.
Your manual mentions pressing the "clock " button to SAVE the adjusted time etc. This clock button does not exist on my 6000CD model.
The change time and clock operation is accessed via the menu button only and it lets me change the date and time etc but i cant understand how that option is then SAVED.
THANKS AGAIN for your help.... maybe somebody else with exact model to mine can
H E L P !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers
Ken
My son wants SupaGuard Starter pack for xmas present.
Had a look on the internet but not that clear on the product range.
Anyone got any experience with these products and where to buy for the best deals.
Any help would be much appreciated
{Shouting in header amended} Read more
I am a hobby detailer myself. I have to say I am somewhere newbie but I do put effort tO make some exceptional good work for my cars and friend's. I have start off with some use of Autoglym. You could get easily off eBay for fraction of what you pay for in dealership I get myself a life shine full bag plus pdi kit for 40 quid. Would have been 200 from dealer.
Talking about detailing my car I would say look at tutorial from detailing world
Always use a wash mitt not sponge and use two bucket washing system
If you want to do anything polish, wax or seal please please clay the whole car first if you haven't for at least once or twice a year otherwise you are wasting your product and put more damage to the paintwork.
For myself I do super resin polish> collinite 915> extra gloss protection to seal off. I have tried to put few coat of same product maybe result is not significant that's y I'm not too bothered lol
OK folks, I buy and sell cars a bit on the side for fun, buying stuff I fancy owning for a while and then selling on. I have a chance to pick up a 2001Y 156 1.8TS saloon, in red with a factory rear wing, leather, alloys, CC etc., 73k, FSH but not had its 72k cambelt, few dents but otherwise good nick. Recent service and MOT, when new tyres were put on.
But I'm scared. Never had an Alfa, mainly because I hear SO MANY horror stories and they always come near the bottom of those 'car satisfaction' tables, that I'm terrified of having huge bills that I can't pay. But how unreliable are 156s? Are bits going to drop off/grind to a halt/malfunction within a few months of ownership at this mileage and age? I've test driven it, and loved it. No squeaks or rattles, just an occasional slight buzzing noise that sounded like the exhaust heat shield? No variator issue, or really bad flat spots.
Bloke wants a grand for it. I would then promptly do the cambelt for £225 at local Italian Specialist. I'd want to see to the dents so that's a couple of hundred more. So it will set me back around £1500. This sounds like cheap thrills to me, which is why I'm tempted, but I don't want to be a sucker and buy with my heart when really I need to be able to enjoy it for a while and sell on, hopefully making some profit but definitely not wanting to lose anything.
What do you lot think?
Thanks in advance....
p.s. Is that gigantic wing a good thing or a bad thing in resale terms?! Read more
Big end failures generally attributable to oil stravation due to an owner who hasn't kept an eye on it.
Camshaft variator issues are indeed identifiable by the diesel like rattle at start up, but are not necessarily a reason to avoid the car. They aren't a reliability issue, and will cause no further problems with the engine or car.
And if you're going to get the cambelt changed on buying the car anyway, the variator can be easily changed at the same time.
Well, after 6 months of suffering the botch job Renault call the Megane I've decided to ditch it and go for something mainstream and easy to live with.
I've seen a few 2004 model Vectra 1.9 CDTis which come into my bduget at around £6-6.5 which is what I reckon my 2005 Megane 1.6 is worth (if anyone buys it!)
Having read the CBCB ad Parkers reviews it seems like a fairly dull but good all rounder. Having made the mistake of not researching the Renault properly I would appreciate honest opinions of anyone who owns/has owned one of these cars, expecially regarding:
1) reliability - I'm not expecting Merc build quality but are they generally OK?
2) comfort - I'm 37 with a dodgy back and need a car with reasonable comfort. I've had a short test drive in a 2004 vectra but long term opinions would help
3) economy - what have you got (especially in the 1.9 diesel) in the real world?
I'm not overly concerned about handling, or performance as I spent most of my commute at either 50mph or stationary in the mile long queue at the Tyne Tunnel!
I wish I'd gone for the Vectra instead of the Renault but thats life - I always bought Fords and Vauxhalls in the past so I will learn by my mistake. Read more
"I have a `beanbag` type mounting for a Garmin, bought from Halfords. "
Less obvious than windscreen marks is to use one of those circular pads to stick to an area of the dash.
I'm fortunate and have a Mazda6 (well I like it) with a map pocket on the dash. I've put velcro on the lid and the suction cup and it works well. The weight of the sat nav is not really taken by the mount as it rests on the front edge of the map pocket. Close map pocket after removal of sat nav (before I arrive) and no evidence ;-)
Can somebody tell me if all engines on this model are chain driven, petrol and diesel ?? Cheers Read more
From HJ's FAQs, no. 28:
Which Engines Have Timing Chains or Gear Trains instead of Timing Belts?
Toyota: Aygo 1.0 petrol; all 1.0, 1.3, 1.5 VVTi and 1.4D-4D Yaris; 1.5 Prius; 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 Corolla VVTi petrol; all Auris engines; 1.8, 2.0 and 2.4 Avensis and Verso VVTi petrol, Avensis 2.0 and 2.2 diesel only from July 2006; 2.0 RAV-4 VVTi petrol, 2.2 RAV-4 diesel from 2006; LandCruiser LC 4.0 V6 petrol.
Hi there... i have a p reg escort i have had for around 3 months now. it is a really clean car but the only thing i have with it just now is the cluch... it is very light... dosnt seems to be slipping though.... should the cluch be quite a high biter? somone told me fords are like that ...?
The car only has 61k on the clock but it was owned by somone elderly so there may have been some (fun moments) with the clutch before i got the car...
If this does not seem normal.... how much rougly would a cluch renewal be? is it a fairly easy job or does the subframe need dropping like in the mondeos?
Thanks and all replys are really apprieciated (c: Read more
Not sure about your Escort but the earlier one's had an awful self adjusting ratchet
mechanism.
His does too. This problem will cause only free play, and I believe is a non-issue on 90s' vehicles.
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Mike Farrow
Browse
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"and it actually advises using full beam whenever possible!"
No, it doesn't! You might want to read that again!
;-)