March 2001
Along with PV Reading 10/03/01 I have had out balance and distorted tyres on my Volvo S40 "T"reg 3rd set in 28000 miles on front are there any others out there? Read more
Does anyone else have either of these minor but very irritating problems with their Lexus IS200? Mine's a March '00 SE model.
1) Severe internal misting of all windows, which can last for hours, then disappears for weeks, then suddenly re-appears. The only way to keep the windows clear is to keep the A/C on all the time. Has happened in summer and winter with no apparent logic.
2) Lousy radio reception on FM. Radio doesn't hold a signal, and needs frequent manual re-tuning, And when RDS is turned on, the radio chops and changes from one station to the next, irrespective of whether its receiving traffic news. Similarly, it will switch from CD mode to radio and vice versa for no apparent reason. I've driven from London to Newcastle through the evening rush hour with the RDS on and not picked up a single traffic bulletin! Most of my driving is within 50 miles of London, so we're not talking about a remote area! The radio/CD unit has been replaced, but its still as bad.
Minor niggles which spoil an otherwise excellent car. Read more
Regarding point 1) when the misting occurs is the air recirculation switch set to fresh air or recirculating? Recirculated air becomes more and more moisture laden unless the A\C is on to "dry" it.
I passed my driving test in August of last year, and on my photocard I have to code 115 which I know means organ donor. I was looking at a friends photocard licence today and noticed that she had 122 written on the back of the photocard as well as 122. What does this mean? I have been on the DVLA website, which has not helped.
Thanks. Read more
It's a new one - it came as an addendum with my new driving licence today. It says:
"Valid on successful completion: Basic moped training course."
Hi,
I need a 7/8 seater car (for school rota) and am looking to spend £4/5000. Am i correct in thinking that my choice is limited to a Mitsubishi space wagon. Galaxys etc seem to start higher than this.
Where is the best place to buy one? I have kept an eye on the BCA web site but they dont have many. It must be automatic.
I saw an aution house in Southampton that sells 2nd hand imports from japan. Is that cheaper and can i get parts for it in the uk.
I live in N London.
I would appreciate your help
Simon Read more
There are lots of imported Toyota Town Ace diesel automatic 4x4s around, most about 10 years old with 100,000 miles but with asking prices of £4,000 - £5,000. This isn't a recommendation; merely information. A taxi driver I use actually lost money importing two of these and a Toyta Lucida, which is a slightly narrower Jap market Previa.
HJ
VW MKIV 1.6 needs new discs and pads, front and rear.
VW dealership quoted £520 (didn't even bother checking whether this included labour, but assumed it did!)
Well known tyres / brakes / exhaust outfit quoted £223 (includes £30 for labour) all in.
Obviously VW dealership would be using VW-approved parts and the labour will be more expensive, but is there something else I should know about? Will the discs and pads last half the time if not fitted by VW, for instance?
Seriously, though, is anyone aware of a genuine reason for the price difference other than the ones I've already mentioned ? Read more
I've had my car serviced by Halfords a few times, and they've been fine. The bill's always what they say it will be, and they provide detailed advice on any extra work that needs doing, but with no pressure whatsoever to give them the go-ahead.
My only gripe is that they are poor at phoning you to let you know when the car's ready for collection. I usually drop it off first thing in the morning, but end up having to ring them late afternoon, only to find it's been ready for a while. I've been to 2 different branches, and both have been like this.
My Laguna (18 months old) has its radio aerial built into the rear windscreen. The problem is that the connecting wire (which is soldered onto the windscreen) keeps falling off. It's virtually impossible to solder onto the glass and I am despairing at getting decent radio reception.
My Renault dealer wasn't interested and seemed to think I was the only person with this problem.
Any suggestions? Read more
Andrew
Good point. I've used this in the past to repair damaged heated screen elements. Takes 2 - 3 coats, but with careful masking, it's nearly invisible.
Regards
john
I have a '96 Citroen Synergie diesel. In early '99 I successfully (so I thought) drove it through about 50m of floodwater up to bumper height, avoiding a collection of locals who were offering to tow me through using assorted tractors and 4x4s, and not for free, either. This is the only time it has seen serious water. At 72,000 miles (last week) the dealer changed the gearbox oil and reported getting a quantity of rusty water out of the gearbox as well as the oil. He says it must have come in through the breather on top of the gearbox. There have been no ill effects until yesterday when gear selection became really difficult after a 40 mile run.
What do I do; is there a magic additive out there or do I write off the gearbox?
All suggestions from the team would be most welcome. Read more
A bright fitter at the Citroen dealer thought the clutch was heavy when he drove it onto the ramp. The clutch cable had rusted and was badly swollen preventing free movement. I drive the car most days and hadn't noticed. One new cable and a change of gearbox oil later and I consider myself very lucky as the clutch operation and gear change is much sweeter.
There's obviously more to driving through flood water than keeping water out of the air intake and the exhaust.
Thanks again for your input.
My VW Golf 1.9 turbo diesel has developed an annoying chatter uo throught eh clutch pedal that id driving me mad. The car a 1994 model with 60,000 on the clock develops the chattering between 1500 and 2000 rpm on light load and at irregular intervals. I can stop it by resting my foot on the clutch pedal,just enough to take up the slack. I've checked the pedal pivot bearing,its not that.
Has anyone had the same problem? What was the cause? Read more
My Focus has brakes which creak badly when the car stops on a hill and then is inched slowly down the hill with light pressure on the brake pedal. This happens frequently since I travel down a busy steep hill which has traffic control part way down it most days. The noise can also be heard sometimes when getting into the car .
The two local Ford dealers say there is nothing wrong and that lots of cars do it. My son' s doesn't nor does my sister- in -law's or the man to whom I sold my Sierra. Neither have any of the Fords I have owned over the past 35 years.
I wrote to Mr McAllister the MD of Ford but of course have just been referred through the usual Customer relations circuit again. Has anyone else had this irritating problem? Read more
I'd agree. Seems to come and go though.
Regards
john
Someone else was asking about Pirellis being weaker than other tyres, but could the same question be asked of Italian cars too, not to mention their other industrial goods?
I used to have the import rights for various ranges of Italian manufactured goods, mostly furniture. In every single case I found that the approach of Italian industry is to concentrate on looks. True flare and beauty yes. Real emotion in the design. But quality underneath? Try thinnest, cheapest, quickest to produce.
On the other hand German industry is renowned for its almost fanatical pursuit of engineering excellence. Their stuff often lacks emotional involvement, but they dont skimp on materials or machining.
The same approach can (I believe anyway) be seen in cars. I love the new Alfa 147 - but will it last as long as a hot VW? Read more
1. Most Pirelli tyres bought here wouldn't be made in Italy.
2. A lot of German cars have Pirelli tyres as standard.
3. The company originated in Milan where they have a more "Saxon" attitude to engineering.
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This is off the thread. See threar Dunlop SP200 tyres.
HJ