2 questions really!
On Monday I had a 'Kueberl' tuning box unit fitted to my Vauxhall Vectra DI 16v (82 hp) by Bromleys Volvo in Chorley, near Preston I am very impressed with the improvements, as the car has more torque lower down and when I 'floor it', the car goes like a rocket!
However I had the unit fitted by them, but the installation is not as straight forward as I thought. The loom for the box connects to:
A) The white accelerator cable just above the pedal position sensor
B) The red coloured ignition cable
C) the cable to the boost pressure sensor above the inlet manifold is split, and the two ends are connected to two wires from the tuning unit
D) A cable is clamped onto one of the black wires leading into the injection pump
Has anyone got a similar unit? Anyone care to comment on its reliability or the effect it has had on the performance of your car? I am just curious!
Secondly! The next day after having the unit fitted, I started the car and drove to work with no problems. Later that day when I attempted to start the car, the battery was completely dead! The battery is the original Vauxhall Delco maintenance free battery, and is only 15 months old! How can a battery just suddenly fail without any warning whatsoever? Any one had any experience of this before?
I was wondering if it had anything to do with the new tuning unit, but I doubt it has anything to do with it.
Anybody got any ideas or experience of batteries failing so suddenly?
Sorry to ramble on....
Regards,
Richard
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I had a TuningBox fitted to my Rover 45 Diesel with great results. Just a simple 'T' plug connection to the Bosch VP44 Diesel fuel pump wiring loom and that's all.
The performance hike was amazing (128BHP and 330Nm Torque)
The only visible difference is a nice original looking wiring loom emanating from under the engine acoustic cover and a little more smoke from the exhaust under hard acceleration. MOT Smoke tests resulted in a figure of 1.89, well below the limit.
Your box may indeed have a small current draw - however I don't expect it is this that caused the battery failure. Batteries can and do indeed fail without warning - I have experienced batteries failing in 15 mins (due to an internal short-circuit?)
If you are worried, have a current draw test carried out with the car powered-down (keys out of ignition, making sure all lights are off) and see what current draw you have. Anything in excess of 20mA is considered excessive.
Rgds
David
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Thanks for your prompt reply.
My Vectra also has the Bosch VP44 injection pump. I forgot to mention that the wiring loom also earths to both the body of the injection pump at one end of the loom, and to the bodywork of the car near to where the actual box is located.
Where the loom 'taps' into the original wiring, a clamp is used which appears to cut into the insulation and onto the wire itself. These clamps are used on the ignition cable, throttle position cable and to a wire leading to the pump itself. My concern here is that dampness may over time affect the electical connection. Has anyone used cable clamps like these?
This 'Kueberl' unit semms to be more complicated to install than a standard tuning box.
The link for the box producers is www.kueberl.at/flash.html and the people who fitted are at www.bromleystuning.com .
My next step will be to see what my insurance company thinks of this! oo-er!! What will annoy me if there are any problems with insurance, is that I am certainly no boy racer!!
Thanks again,
Richard
PS I will be speaking to Vauxhall tomorrow about the dissapointing early demise of my car's battery! (Out of warranty too I may add)
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Richard - Re: battery. The Supply of Goods and Services Act says that you are entitled to goods of a reasonable quality. Any warranty is additional to your statutory rights - you could reasonably expect a new battery to last longer than fifteen months so if they quote the warranty as the limit of their liability, don't listen! Good luck.
Peter Leech
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> says that you are entitled to goods of a reasonable quality.
"Merchantable", I believe, rather than reasonable. If I remember correctly I think the "reasonable" applies to longevity.
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> What will annoy me if there are any problems with insurance,
Oh dear.
I am already cringing waiting to hear their response..........
M.
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No, the Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994 states "satisfactory" quality. The old Sale of Goods Act stated "merchantable". These terms are inserted in bills which become law by lawyers, so they can have a field day interpreting what they mean in court at huge expense to the poor old punter. The Act as it stands gives you no rights. Only the way the act is interpreted in court does. And if a judgement in an appeal court overrides a judgement in a civil court, then that becomes the legal precedent. Since the facts are different in almost every case, barristers spend hours if not days in court arguing which precedent is fitting for the case being tried. It's a nightmare for everyone apart from the legal profession.
All that said, AC Delco batteries are among the best normal batteries you can buy. It's still possible that Richard got a duff one. But more likely that the mods to his car have caused a current "leak" that did the battery in.
HJ
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Sod it, then I'm going to have to read the new act. That does %¨& me off.
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on the off chance that someone cares....
Implied terms pertaining to quality and fitness have been changed and/or amended since the last time I looked. A brief interpretation follows, but don't take my word for it, ask a lawyer !
Also HJ makes a very valid point in that all statutes must be interpreted as to meaning and purpose. This adds [sic] to the clear [sic] understanding and adherence and enforcement of lawas. This interpretation is referred to as case law, and is essentially all verdicts, comments, defences and justifications which have been used in any previous, similar and relevant case. This can substantially change things.
However...
Goods must be of a satisfactory quality if..
they meet the standard that a *reasonable* person would find satisfactory (this doesn't mean perfect !!)
subject to..
Description -
Intended and/or normal purpose - (especially if this purpose was stated to the vendor, if this purpose is not normal for these goods)
Price - more you pay, better it should be, and you should expect problems with a cheapie
Condition - except if you examined the goods before and that examination *ought* to have revealed the issue, irrespective of whether it did or not or the vendor drew your attention to it, irrespective of whether or not he explained the ramifications or implications
can be amended by..
agreement or contract or circumstances
also, comparative expertise matters. This means that if you are a mechanic buying a car you'll be better protected if you get your wife/whatever to do it for you. e.g. any examination you do *ought* to show a defect, one done by your partner who is a solicitor may not be expected to reveal a defect.
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Could anyone briefly explain what a 'current leak' is please? According to the guys who fitted the box, the amount of power the tuning box needs is equivalent to a couple of small LEDs. The car had been fine since I inserted a new battery BTW. There are no other mods to the car.
Thanks everybody for your input.
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