March 2001
I'd like to add to David's enquiry and ask for views on changing to a different oil. I have heard/read some opinions suggesting that you should stick to the oil that was installed when the car was manufactured, which seems a bit extreme to me and puts Mobil 1 in the shade for a start. Read more
My diesel car had the oil replaced with mineral oil. However, when it required topped up I added half a pint of Mobil 1. I have now been told that the two oils should not be mixed. Is this the case? and if so what damage is likely to occur? Read more
My one-year-old Focus tdi has always smoked heavily when accelerating and had a rather excessive thirst.
I have been advised, by a producer of ECU chips, that there is a known problem with some Focus tdi's which has been traced to the Exhaust Gas Recirculation valve, and that some dealers get around the problem by "simply disconnecting the pipe at the valve".
Do you or your readers have any experience of this, or advice to offer, please?
(I am planning to have it diagnostically tested at my Ford dealer, as advised by the tuner Read more
Andrew
Thanks.
Is it possible/probable that such a 'mod' would affect consumption as well as smoke?
Or are there other possible adjustments to the Ford tdi engine which might help? ( I imagine that most settings are 'hard-wired' into the ECU these days?)
If any of you have been told by Vauxhall (as I was) that the only way to have fitted front foglamps retro fitted to your new Astra is to fit an Irmscher front dam and lamps at a cost of nearly £800.00, take heart. Hella now make a tailored kit for the Astra at about £150.00
David Read more
Tim Guymer wrote:
>
> Agree with you on the Welsh roads Gwyn, I was fortunate
> enough to live in Aberystwyth for four years where driving is
> actually fun! However now live nr Southampton and having to
> travel along motorways and dual carriageways where bikers
> believe it is wholly reasonable to drive between the 2nd and
> 3rd lane of traffic even when theres only one car in front of
> them! Don't fancy their chances if a car driver decides to
> move slightly to the edge of the lane!
Probably due to the fact that 97% of the traffic on the M27
uses lanes 2 & 3, completely ignoring the existance of lane 1.
Probably due to the higher than normal incidence of yatchies
in the Portsmouth & Soton area - too scared of getting close
to the bank :)
/John
I have a 1994 Vauxhall Astra Convertible which has paintwork that seems to scratch very easily. Is there any product I can use ( a polish maybe?) that I can use to protect it? I also have trouble polishing out the scratches and am wary of using anything too abrasive. I've tried the polishes with colour in but they don't seem to work as well as on previous cars I have owned.
It is a light grey colour ( Flint Grey I am told but I have yet to find the exact Vauxhall match) and I have heard that Vauxhall were experimenting with "environmentally friendly" paints at the time.
Any help gratefully received Read more
Polish with Autoglym Super Resin Polish, then top off with two coats of Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection.
HJ
I read a couple of years ago about how good remoulds were. Honest John told me it wasn't his column. anyway I believed it. apparently the Germans import lots of them from British Manufacturer Colway of Durham and fit them to high performance cars. This is because they are not allowed to repair punctures. I wonder if anyone else had tried to buy them and met tyre fitters telling me such action was dangerous folly or they are not made in many sizes which is untrue. Charlie Browns don't even sell them. They were keen to sell me new tyres that were made in Argentina or Poland. Read more
It used to be possible to buy top line new tyres that had a cosmetic imperfection. These tyres had the same spec as the full priced item but were priced between remoulds and new.
Some years ago I saw a Granada fitted with four brand new high performance tyres. They looked good, but each tyre had a small, crudely stamped warning on the sidewall. "max speed 50 kph"
Many thanks to Alvin and John for the responses to my dormant Capri tyres question below. I now have another. The handbook for my M-B 320 Coupé says that more shoulder than crown wear is characteristic of front tyres and the opposite is to be expected with rear tyres. The wear on my front tyres is asymmetrical, with more wear on the outside than the inside. Should I worry about that? Read more
Mercedes seem to be stating that the wear is expected to be even, ie both shoulders worn. Assymetrical wear is where one shoulder is worn more than the other, which is typical of misalignment (alhtough if the car has pronounced negative camber as do some rear suspensions, this is a characteristic, not a fault).
So if you have assymetric wear, it's an alignment problem. If it's even, but the centre is worn more than the shoulders, both sides, it unlikely to be a fault - could be inflation pressure a bit high though.
Regards
John
I wish to buy a used car, but only have a limited budget. Iam used to driving a 11992 cavalier 1600 which has given sterling service and which my husband will still continue to drive.I am looking at similar Cavaliers but wonder about alternatives. My maximum budget is £2,ooo. Ido mostly short journeys to and from work and reliability is my main priority, any advice please. Read more
Hi Mag,
It sounds as if a smaller car would be most suitable for you with your present useage.
I would look for one of the cheapest to run and repair.
I think a Fiesta or a Nova would fit the bill in this case.
Spares, running costs and insurance would probably be the cheapest for these cars.
You can buy quite exotic older and larger cars for £2000.00 but I would keep well away from them in case anything goes wrong with them, and your'e saddled with repair costs above the value of the car.
Also don't be attracted to cars which have anything like GTI or any other performance tag on them. Your insurance company will suddenly have a good cause to double your premium. Go for the lower spec.
regards
Alvin Booth
I had a sticking piston on a dual piston front brake. I booked it in to a Toyota main dealer to have the piston freed off and new pads. i was told that they had tried to free it but failed, and I needed a new caliper £358 + VAT, (which was not in stock) new discs £240 + VAT the pair, and new front pads £68 + VAT Plus labour. ie well over £800 in all.
I took the car home and then had a go myself and put a "VICEGRIP" (much better than a MOLE) on the piston and hammered gently. it immediately began to turn. In no time it was completely free and would go back in by hand. I bought some aftermarket pads for £22 inc VAT, which will only last half as long but so what.
I feel as if I've just made £778. I think I will go out to dinner. Read more
Well done!
I feel sorry for those motorists who have no mechanical knowledge and trust these large outfits.
For those who cannot DIY, it pays to shop around and find a small business (best of all recommended) where you can build up a relationship and even be able to speak to the person who has done the work--not usually an option at Main Dealers.
I bought a new car in September 2000, and was wondering if anyone could tell me how it will be charged. Is it by CO2 emissions or engine size?
Also do the charges apply to used cars as well? Read more
Am I the only one to notice that the chancellor is trying to put one over on the motorist with his reduction in VED for cars between 1200 and 1549cc?
When the reduction was announced, he said that the change (which comes in in July 2001) would be backdated to November 2000. So I assumed that my wife's car (whose VED was renewed for a year in October 2000) would be eligible for a rebate of 11 months worth of £55 per year - just over £50. It wasn't until I read the small print on the DVLA website that I found out that the rebate will be a flat rate of £55 - anyone renewing their VED in October 2000 or prior will get nothing, and anyone renewing in November 2000 or later will get the full £55.
In other words, the change isn't backdated to November 2000. It's backdated from July 2001 to your VED renewal date unless that renewal date was before November 2000. November 2000 is the earliest date and October 2001 is the latest date that motorists will benefit from the reduction.
The same thing didn't apply for the reduction in VED for cars between 1100 and 1200cc - the reduction took effect from March 2001 but was backdated a full year to March 2000, so all motorists benefited from the backdating.
I queried this with DVLA (who confirmed my understanding) and asked whether we could surrender our current VED disk (say at the end of March 2001) and buy a new one (say at the start of April 2001). They said that this was OK and we would then qualify for the full rebate. Doing this will save us £25 (rebate of 6 months at £155 = £77.50; save 6 months at £105 = £52.50; rebate of £55; less 12 months at £160 = £160). I asked what the point in having to go to all this palaver was, and the DVLA staff member said "it was typical of the government". I couldn't agree more.
The method for giving the rebate is also unnecessarily complex. Instead of giving a reduction off the cost of the next renewal (which would have cost virtually nothing to implement) DVLA are writing to the registered keeper to ask them if they want the rebate and then (after the cost of processing the reply, which I suspect might say "YES") and only then will send them a cheque.
Browse
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Couple of years ago I was in a Mercedes taxi in Limassol Cyprus and noticed his speedo was reading 495,000. Is that kilometeres I asked.
No No he said its miles.
He was very proud of his Merc and was telling me with some pleasure that the highest mileage on a taxi in Limassol had just blown its engine at 500,000 miles.
Another 5000 he said and my car will have the record.
Had any work done on it I asked. Only a water pump has had to be replaced, everything else is origional.
Coming to the present subject I asked what oil did he use. From new every 4000 miles I change the oil and have always used Castrol HD.
I imagine one or two may remember this oil but I didnt know it was still made.
As I remember it was a single viscosity oil and I was using it in a VW beetle in the mid 60s. I think it was about then that the first multi-grade came out which I believe was Duckhams Q20/50.
My cousin has recently retired from the haulage business and was an owner operator with a DAF lorry which had done over a million miles.
What oil do you use Norm I said. Bloody cheapest I can find was his answer.
regards
Alvin Booth