December 2009
I have a long running problem where one of my neighbours or his visitors park opposite my drive which can make reversing out of my drive tricky. My street is very narrow so even a small obstruction can cause problems - usually the cars are parked partly on the verge which gives a bit more room but for the last three days I have had a visitor's car parked entirely on the road opposite my drive which has been a real nuisance. The car has moved a couple of times and each time it returns it parks in the same spot.
I have politely asked the owner of the car to move it and he refused, saying there was nowhere else he could park (not true) and that as there are no parking restrictions, he is within his rights to park there. My neighbours wife then smuggly informed me that the owner of the car is a policeman and can therefore do as he pleases!
I have contacted the police about the obstruction (as has one of my other neighbours) and have been told that provided I can get my car out of my drive, they won't get involved. I have tried to explain to the police that the only reason I can get my car out is because I have a double width drive and only one car, so have more room to manouvre. If I had a second car on the drive, I would be unable to get out without driving over parts of my garden. Effectively the obstruction means that visitors are unable to park on my drive which obviously puts even more pressure on available parking.
Can anyone tell me what the law is with regard to causing an obstruction, is there a legal definition? Were the police telling me the truth, or was I just being fobbed off?
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Four years ago we bought a 2005 Ford C-Max 1.6 TDCI Auto Ghia, demo car. It's
been carefully driven, regularly serviced and has done 46,000 miles. Last
weekend it showed an amber "transmission malfunction" warning light,
followed by minor variations to revs at constant speed on a flat road.
Our local dealer told us that the car is not safe to drive and the only
remedy is a replacement transmission and torque converter at a cost of over
4,000 pounds. He referred us to Ford Customer Service to see if they could offer
any better alternatives. We're awaiting their feedback.
Before this we had a 1.8 manual C-Max with no problems at all. We
part-exchanged it for the diesel automatic after eighteen months (from the same Ford dealer, at considerable cost) only because my wife had a frozen left shoulder and we needed a car with automatic transmission and electronic handbrake.
We use the car for driving a disabled elderly relative, so the high seats and easy access of the C-Max are very important.
Are there any reliable, lower-cost alternatives to a replacement
transmission? If we went for the replacement transmission, how can we rely
on it lasting more than 46,000 miles? What should we reasonably expect from
Ford Customer Service or our local dealer? Can anyone suggest a similar
alternative car with automatic transmission and electronic handbrake?
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Yes - see "C-Max CVT settlement" thread http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=99134.
I know some other dealers have tried to pretend since then that my case was different, but all the material I used to persuade my dealer and Ford to agree to a settlement related to C-Max CVTs in general, not to my car in particular....
Hi all new to this so please bear with me!!
Can anyone help with my A4 1.9 tdi awx engine 2001 140k?
Car drives ok from start up especially when cold, however once you get in to fourth gear and accelerate the engine goes limp and won?t go above 3000 revs in any gear. There is no engine management light on.
I have changed I think it?s the n75 sensor, removed and de-coked the turbo, I have tried fitting a second hand turbo, and tried a new mass air flow meter, all to no avail.
#
Can anyone suggest where else to start looking? Could it be an injector problem? I do feel a judder every so often though not necessarily when it goes limp.
Many thanks ash
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I have no shudder with mine just when i go over 3k revs or 80mph the turbo seems to cut out and i cant get it to go over 2k revs after that unless i turn of the engine and restart it! Now i have also started hearing a rattling noise when i release the accelerator, any clue on what that could be?
This might be better in technical but would welcome various views, feel free to shift it mods if you prefer it there.
My 96 MB W124 will stand for 2 weeks before i return to work (did i mention i finished last Friday heh heh), so before return i'd like to give the car a day on the battery charger (4A low setting).
Is it vital to disconnect the battery during charging or will the vehicle cope OK, i'm fairly sure the engine management ECU has to 'relearn' following reconnection but i may well be totally wrong.
The car is running so perfectly i'd rather not disconnect if possible.
Whats the proper procedure? Read more
When driving the car, the battery is left connected once the engine is started, and charges for the whole time the engine is running. Why then would you consider dis-connecting while charging from anothe source?
Modern cars have a lot of electronics running 24/7, so the battery can be slowly dis-charged.
Can any-one please advise me. I was caught speeding today. Was doing about 40 mph in a 30 mph area. Wrong i admit.And admited it to the poice officer. The marked police car that stopped me gave me a section 59 notice, and said if i was caught again, I would have my car siezed. My gooness , I would rather have 3 points and a fixed penalty than this. Clean licence for 25 years. Please advise.. Worried.. Thanks all. Graham. Read more
Like you we are a law abiding family. However we have had a similar occurence.
There is no way of appealing at the moment; however there is an e-petition:...
Hi, I've just test-driven a Suzuki Jimny. The salesman explained I could put the car into 4wd by (after stopping the car) pressing in the clutch and depressing the footbrake at the same time - I could then move the 2nd, smaller gearstick. It seemed to have 3 natural positions but I'm not sure what they do!
Could anyone explain how 4wd on the Jimny works? I don't intend to use it a great deal but it would be essential to understand. What function does the 'normal ' gearstick serve in 4wd? Any advice appreciated. Read more
Yes, I can confirm that from Jimny forum.
It is usually RWD. But has an engageable FWD if necessary.
So, it won't run in AWD in normal road surface.
Grand Vitara, on other hand, does have a lockable centre differential.
I am looking at buying a 2006 TDi Passat, either in a 1.9 or 2.0 litre engine.
Can anyone tell me at what mileage the timing belt should be changed on these two engines and is it a costly / difficult job.
Thanks,
S. Read more
Thanks for your reply John M.
I will have to look at each cars service book when I am assessing their cost of servicing, before I make an offer.
It never ceases to amaze me the parts / servicing differences in one engine over its lifespan .
I have had several Golfs and there are all sorts of variants of the "same" engine.
It looks like the Passats are going the same way.
Thanks again,
S.
Looking for procedure to reset the service light, no buttons in the main clock cluster, only the button on end of right hand stalk and that dont do what 'autodata' books says it should do.
thanks for viewing. Andy Read more
apologies for late reply.
Done it, cheers
Hello folks, I really need someone's help.
My car was bought in July at a well known car supermarket. It's 3 years old.
Having resolved to try and work out why I had such a bad condensation problem in my car following the truly torrential rain a week ago, I found several litres of water in the passenger side footwells, most of which I've mopped up.
I've done a search on the interweb and found LOTS of references to Focuses leaking into the footwells but only for the old shape (98-04) models.
I know this is difficult to diagnose because of all the little crevasses and cracks there are everywhere on any car but I'm hoping that someone else has had this problem and managed to resolve it. I've held a torch and peered into the engine bay but, not knowing what I'm looking at, it just makes the whole thing more depressing. My gut feeling is that the leak is originating at the front of the car, though the water has managed to soak into many areas along the passenger side.
I don't have £1000 to fix this problem and I don't want it to start stinking and creating mould.
Any thoughts extremely welcome :) Read more
Hi. I have exactly the same problem with my 2002 1.6 Zetec. Temporary solution to passanger footwell issue which solved the problem for me, was to apply a clear silicone seal where the windscreen meets the scuttle plate. I have to reaply every three months or so but it stopped my leak dead in its tracks. Luckily, the carpets have been saved thanks to Focus rubber car mats which have a raised lip that has prevented the water overflowing on to the carpet.
It is a well know fault with this model, or so I'm told. As the car ages the seal becomes less effective, causing leaks. ...
Hi,
We've recently acquired a Freelander 2, TD4. Having owned various disel fuelled cars in the past, I'm used to waiting for the glowplug light to go out prior to a cold start. On my old ZX TD (indirect injection), this could take over 10 seconds in sub zero temperatures.
On a more recent Golf TDi (direct injection PD engine), this only ever took a few seconds. On the Freelander, you insert the 'key' into its port and then push the 'Start' button, so there is no option to turn the ket to a preheat position. Reading the manual, it says that in cold temperatures, the glowplug light will illuminate and a message along the lines of 'Cranking will commence after preheat' will be displayed. I would therefore expect that after having pushed 'Start', there would be a delay on a few seconds and the above messages, before the engine cranked over and fired up.
The other morning, is was minus 2 degrees and I was expecting to see the above message. However, I pushed the start button and it fired up straight away, with no delay for any preheat. I imagine that the electronics would still activate the glowplugs during cranking and after the cold start to aid smooth running and minimise emissions. Two questions:-
To other Freelander 2 owners, how cold does it have to be before there is a delay while the glowplugs do their stuff?
To other users who have this 2.2 engine in other vehicles (Peugeot 4007 and 407, Citroen C-Crosser and various C5s and C6s, Mitsubishi Outlander 2.2, Ford S-Max and Mondeo etc.), which may have more conventional ignition keys, do the glowplugs on your car activate in cold temperatures and does the engine start OK if you ignore the glowplug warning light?
I know this is a modern direct injection common rail engine, but I'm still surprised that there is no glowplug delay in sub zero temperatues!
Cheers
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well done Dougie_mac. We had -14 the other morning but the freelander fired up instantly following the starter delay whilst the plugs heat. Glad to hear yours is sorted.
I must admit with winter tyres & snow mode & HDC it certainly goes everywhere I want. managed to scramble over a heap left by a snow plough great fun. Good job it has short overhang!
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Further supporting evidence, this morning I read that a number of Protected 200 - year old oak trees have been illegally lopped at a planned development: will the local council prosecute the guilty parties? Will a 100 to 1 outsider win the Grand National on Saturday? Comparable odds, I think.