May 2001
Is it just me or are other people fed up with leasing companies who push tyre life to the limit. I got turned away by a tyre fitting company, with allegedly very quick fitters, because the wear bars were not quite flush. I measured the tread @ ~2mm max. Yet if it had been my own car with my own money I would have shelled out folding for new tyres before then, but I knew the leasing company were tight wads.
Any suggestions for suitable strategies, like deliberately flat spotting tyres? Anybody tried it? Read more
My dilemma is that I have a 94 L Volvo 850 T-5 saloon which has been given to me to dispose of. It has done 82k miles and is in relatively good condition. It also has a full Volvo SH.
As the MOT and tax are due next month my initial plan was to part-ex it along with my own car (Fiat Punto) for a nearly new Fiesta Zetec. No private buyer would want a car which needed taxing and MOTing the following month.
However I have found that the dealers are unwilling to offer anywhere near book trade-in prices for the Volvo (my personal favourite was the £3000 offered by Benfield Ford in Leeds!).
Having spoken to a couple of indepenent Volvo dealers I find that the saloons are not as desirable as the estates and they won't give anywhere near book price for them.
What do you think I should do Back Room people? Take a reduced trade-in price and stump up the cash or get it through it's MOT, tax it for 6 months and sell it privately.
Any thoughts would be welcomed Read more
As a non-expert, I would have thought that at a time when one reads (and hears) that 8-9-year-old cars are 'bangers', commanding corresponding prices, it is unlikely that even a reputable car would be worth a large sum. In any case cars of this age, unless unusually good, are not really forecourt material and would give the best return sold privately - provided a buyer can be persuaded to read your ad!
I haven't read anything good about the Auto 'box on a Focus. Is this just early
versions? I need an auto for my wife and the Focus seems good value, but is it a wise buy as the car-by-car breakdown says don't buy one! What alternatives are there in this size/class of car? Read more
The verdict is still open on the Focust auto. It uses the 4 speed box from the Mazda 323, but suffered catastrophic fluid leaks on launch (a very common Ford problem with its previous CVTs). Ford says it has no got this sorted. But I want to hear about at least 18 months trouble-free running before I remove the warning. The other problem (from road tests) is that the power characteristics of the 1.6 Zetec S engine do not seem to suit the box, so it doesn't give a good drive. The Focus is a great car. The Focus auto and the Focus diesel seem to be the duds of the range.
HJ
Dear Honest John, I have a VW Golf TDI turbo Mk.IV which I bought new in 1998 when they first came out. It has done 69000 miles. I have just been offered an extended warranty for the next 2 years for £550 by VW. Do you consider this is worth taking up? It does cover the catalytic converter which is my main worry. Your column keeps me buying the Telegraph! John Read more
I import Audi's from Germany and I'm always amazed by the value people attach to the extended warranty. Firstly, Audi Germany offer only a one year warranty and it's good enough for them, Audi UK charge £850 pa for an extension to an S3 against a "market" price of £350 for a similar warranty but use this to justify the difference in UK prices.
Until recently all UK cars came with only a year's warranty, yet cars have, on the whole, become more reliable.
The extended warranty issue is a scam and profits only the underwriter as these are, after all, just expensive insurance policies riddled with get out clauses. Make sure you use that fine toothed magnifying glass!
C
Yes, I am a happy bleeder. (Can't milk this joke any further)
Gunson Ezibleed arrived 3 days after placing order on Internet for £15 incuding delivery, and worked just as you all said it would. Fluid was a bit soup-like from the rears and the pedal is better than it's ever been.
Incidentally, to my shame, I was alerted to the problem when Madame (the wife) drove the car. She said "can you adjust the brake pedal, it's too long (!), it nearly goes into the carpet". Thinking about it, I had been unconciously pumping the pedal in normal use. This is a major safety feature of the Synergie, it's so b----y slow you never need much braking effort.
Many thanks to all who replied to the earlier thread. Read more
Certainly Vauxhall and BMW list a 2-yearly brake fliud change as a service operation. However, on my company owned Vauxhall this wasn't done - I imagine the lease companies don't want to pay for any more than they have to!
On the BMW, a service light comes up on the dash - so it's slightly less easy to ignore!
Regards
John
dear john,
can you tell me when the escrot changed "marks" and when it was just upgraded or facelifted. am pretty sure about the first two marks but fuzzy when the mark iv and v started (well i have my ideas but fear i maybe wrong!!).
also, who decides when one mark begins and ends, is it the manufacturer?
david Read more
Don't forget that the very last Escorts made were built to Jaguar's quality standards at halewood....
I am currently looking to purchase a Audi / VW / Seat TDI. I am after a bit of help when trying to identify if the car is a 90 or 110 BHP model. I have just had the situation where I have been to look at a car, and was told it was the 110 model, but after a 35 mile drive to see / test drive the car I found the engine to be very flat in power for a 110 (either had a hard life or it was a 90). Are there any visable signs or engine numbers I can ask the owner for before going to view the vehicle? Read more
Don't be fooled. You can pick up a TDI with red I or even red DI (even better) for about £7 from your reputable VAG dealer. Stick it on your 90bhp model and *BANG* an extra £3000 on the windscreen price.
Best way is to check handbook against VIN plate but even then not bulletproof.
You should be able to notice the difference in the drive.
90bhp is a 1.6 Ford Orion.
110bhp is MkI/II 8V Golf GTI.
Easy!
(but not so in an estate weighing 1500kg!)
The boot lock on my 98 Mondeo GLX fails to open when unlocked and the button pushed. Its fine if the key is used. I think the mechanism is electric as if I lean on it for about 10s then it sometimes opens. I've tried switch cleaner in the lock which helped for about a day.
Is this a common problem? Any ideas on how to sort it out long term?
TIA
Jon Read more
Well its a facelifted Mondeo registered in Aug 98 (S). The remote does unlock the boot and drivers door but to get the boot to pop open you need to press the button/lock, its this bit that isn't working.
Any further ideas?
TIA
Jon
I currently own a Saab 9000CSE 2.0ltr LPT with auto box. The vehicle has covered 85000 miles and has been regularly serviced including changing the auto box oil. I have previously towed my caravan (approx 21cwt laden) with a BMW 2.8i auto with no problems. I changed that car for a 2.9 Scorpio auto and blew two boxes, one whilst towing and the other shortly after a tow trip. I am therfore a little apprehensive of towing the van with the auto Saab and am considering changing to a manual diesel ( see previous query re Tuningbox). Before I do so does anybody have experience of towing with a similar Saab, and particularly the longevity (or otherwise) of the auto transmission? All advice gratefully received.
Peter Leech Read more
Andrew Bairsto wrote:
>
> If you do buy a TDI do not black box it you will shorten the
> cam belt life by half if you use the extra power
> available.Thats why VAG limit the motors
So how about halving the cambelt replacement interval?
(Halving it from the concensus interval NOT the manufacturers suggestion
that is!)
/john
Who knows enough abough the Ford 1.8 Tdi engine to tell me what sort of 'diagnostic' checks might tell me why my Focus does only about 38-40 mpg, however & wherever I drive it? (And has done so consistently for 20k miles)
From road test figures, I'd expect at least 10% more.
I don't really want to lay out £50 or so, only to be told "It appears to be within normal tolerances" (ie"we don't know enough to find out what's wrong"!) - I'd prefer to spend it on fuel!
On the other hand, if it IS 'over-fuelling', I'd obviously prefer to get it fixed - if it CAN be!
So, you Ford/diesel experts - can you help, please?
(You helped me solve the smoking - to a large extent. However, the fact that it STILL smokes somewhat suggests, to ME, that too much fuel is going in there!) Read more
We have a Mondeo TD estate at work - which is similarly afflicted - perhaps they are all like that guv !!!
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Interested to hear about the different tyres on the front of the Mondeo. I had a June 97 2.0LX (facelift model) as a company car. The car was supplied with VR tyres. I ended up with one VR and one HR at the front (think they were the same make but can't be sure). I felt this was unsafe. I pointed this out to the specialist tyre help line for my leasing company, who said they were quite happy with the arrangement. I also pointed out that this was not original equipment and might endanger the warranty (let alone my health). Their response was that the car only actually required HR-rated tyres, and had presumably been fitted with VR tyres because they bought a job-lot at the factory. I gave up at this point. I have to say I didn't notice any problems.
I used to think that VR-rated tyres had stronger/less flexible sidewalls, but heard recently that they are identical to HRs, except that the VRs are "first quality" and the HRs effectively "seconds", not quite meeting the designed criteria in terms of balance etc. Any thoughts on this anyone?