March 2001
I've just had my MB 320 Coupé checked for uneven tyre wear on the front. With approximately 2mm outer edge, 3mm crown and 4mm inner edge on the outside tyre and slightly more tread but in the same proportions on the nearside, the asymmetrical wear pattern was deemed by the senior mechanic at the franchised local dealer to be characteristic of the model and well within tolerance limits. Fair enough, I suppose, but I was slightly surprised that only significantly more uneven wear would be considered to be a problem. Any opinions on this? Should I be thinking of a trip to Micheldever for a top-grade alignment check before I replace the tyres or am I fretting about nowt? Read more
A friend is considering buying an ex. Wd. Harley Davidson motorbike. (Apparently the British army use them now).
Many years ago I was told that W.D. Landrovers etc. were built to a different spec. than the civilian equivelent, and that the overall quality would be lower as longevity wasn't important. The vehicles had to be reliable for a short time, and so 'sub standard' parts were acceptable. Is this true, and would it apply to an H.D. motorbike. Read more
Richard,
Actually, you need a bit of wire as well, and a pair of pliers.
Take the single cell battery, break it open, remove the carbon rod. Attach one end of wire to battery terminal, use pliers to hold other end onto carbon rod.
(bet you've got it now) Touch cabon rod onto other battery terminal, or a handy bit of chassis. Carbon arc lamp ! Very bright, very hot.
The air blower on my Ford Escort 1.8 Ghia X has developed a malfunction. After about 5 minutes no air comes out despite the blower making all the right noises. This occurs with air-con on or off and hot or cold. I do not have a pollen filter.
Any ideas? Read more
Becareful in rotating those knobs using your feet in your escort as mine were broken by my kids doing that.
Dear all
Am I right in thinking that when a clutch makes a 'stretched spring' noise when pressed to the floor, the clutch cable is on it's way out? (I have a 98 mondeo)
Thanks
Matt. Read more
HJ is right this mondeo (98) has got hydraulic clutch.
My son and I are nearing the end of a total rebuild of a Mk111 Midget. I would like to run the engine on fully synthetic Shell oil but we are unsure wether we should "run-in " the engine first on Mineral oil. PS. Mobil 1 in the USA is only 4.50 dollars a quart. We seem to be paying over the odds here. Read more
thanks for the information. As I have already aquired 25ltrs of synthetic I will fire up the MG from the beginning and see how it goes. If the driveway starts to resemble a skid pan then I will revert to your suggestion of GTX Magnatec or perhaps try a semi synthetic. Any suggestions for the gearbox which would appear to use engine oil?.
We are in the process of replacing our car and need one fast. We are considering the Ford Mondeo Estate but want to know which is the better out of the 1.8LX and the 2L.
We have the choice of 2 1.8LX both on an X plate, mileage is 11k for one and 8k for the other and they are both priced at £9,800.
Then we have the choice of a 2.0 on an X plate with 13,600 miles for £9,500.
We have become used to our present estate which is a Volvo V70. Will these Mondeos compare favourably?
Which is the better of the following 2 cars :
Ford Mondeo 1.8LX Estate & 2.0 Estate?
WE are replacing a Volvo V70....do they compare? Read more
At the risk of incurring the wrath of Honest John, have a look at the reader reviews on the following websites:-
www.motorweb.ie/readerreviews/fordreviews.phtml
I'm looking for a car with 7 seats for family running around and the occaisional longer trip, but dont like big MPVs as they seem a bit van like. I've got about £8-12k to spend and it has to be an automatic.
My thoughts to date: Vauxhall Zafira, Peugeot 406 estate, maybe an old Mercedes E-class estate. Any thoughts? Who else has made 7 seat estates?
Thanks - Robin Read more
Well we drove the Zafira and it seemed to go ok (not fast). felt well attached to the road although higher than normal car. Certainly more happy driving this than a Galaxy.
Kids jumped straight into the back row. You really could get 7 adults in if needed. Normally we'll have the back row folded down. Then the liddle row slides back and forward so you can get huge legroom at a moderate cost in bootspace.
Thought about the Merc, but wasn't sure how long it would be before the kids grew out of the back row, and if you had luggage in the boot with them it could be dangerous. (With 7 seats the Zafira's boot reduces to tiny, but you could still get a Maclaren in there - our most important piece of luggage.
Also, my wife said she wouldn't want to be seen driving a Merc. (Funny, I thought it was meant to work the other way round).
So - chose the Zafira. Decided we should get the Elegance as Comfort does not have ABS until 2001 model year. Thought about an import at £13999, but it's an Opel & I worried about this affecting trade in later. Tracked down a Jan 200 V reg for £13995 at a main dealer (unfortunately white, but cant have it all). Got offer of £13080 accepted after haggling.
Thanks for the advice!
Audi recommends changing the belt at 80,000 miles. My car has 60,000 miles and is 4 years old - is there any history of premature cam belt failure on this model? Should I change the belt now? Read more
I agree with HJ. Timing belts are so cheap compared with the cost of a wrecked engine that I can't see any sense in trying to sqeeze more mileage out of them. It's 40,000 miles for me every time.
Cliff
My 2000 Honda Accord 2.0 Auto makes a whining whisling noise as it accelerates thro' the gears (sounds like a jet engine). When it reaches top gear a low whistling can be heard above the engine note. My local dealer has readjusted the cam belt tension to no avail. The dealer offers vague possible causes and says that its normal but admits some same year cars do not make this noise. The dealer is telling the truth as I have driven several. Has anybody out there had this problem cured which spoils an otherwise great car ?? Read more
My local dealer admits to possible alternator whine but discounted PAS pump because this whistling also occurs when the engine is revved while the car is stationary. I'm going to contact Honda UK again and mention some of the points that have come up. Thanks to everybody who has mailed.
My old ('87) Polo 1.3 is reluctant to start on cold mornings. I changed the spark plugs to no avail. It still seems to fire up one cylinder at a time. Once it's warmed a little it runs fine. I haven't been able to replicate the problem for a garage.
The coil, cap, rotor and leads are all Bosch and 2 years old. The cooling system has been flushed and anti-freeze mix filled.
I have noticed that my neighbour's car (a J reg Peugeot 106) does exactly the same thing, as does my grandparent's C reg Honda.
What could it be, and how do I test for it? Read more
I hope, touch wood, that I have cracked the problem. I changed the electronic ignition module (I must confess I pocketed a shiny obviously replaced one on a trip to the scrapyard for a speedo a while back).
Since then it fires up on the button, and cold and damp mornings are no problem at all.
I would have thought these electronic devices either worked or didn't, but it seems they can be susceptible to the elements (and 150k), and function perfectly once warmed up a bit.
Many thanks for all the suggestions.
Rob Fleming
Browse
.jpg)
Thanks, Simon. I have seen the comments in the driver's manual and was expecting symmetrical excess shoulder wear on the front, although the wording is ambiguous. It's the fact that it ain't symmetrical that keeps me wondering. I suspect that the previous owner (from new) didn't swap front and back. Indeed, the rear tyres are nearly new and the car hasn't done enough miles for them to be other than the first replacements. I guess I should relax, but make sure I remember to do the swap