May 2001
Hi,
Can any one help with the following problem on a 1997 Mondeo Saloon.
When it rains I sometimes get water in the boot, this only happens if it has been very heavy rain. If the car is wet but no water in the boot and I drive the car, water finds it way in.
It is always in the same place on the left hand side just under the fuel filler inden.
I have checked the sun roof by opening the roof and puting a hose pipe into the drain and left it running
I have sprayed water into the fuel filler housing with the flap open and I have sprayed water along the bumper where it meets the rear wheel arch.
The water is clean so I don't think it is coming of the road wheels
Please can some one help?
Ian. Read more
Is it just me or is Top Gear on BBC2 just a pale imitation of CH4's excellent Driven? Read more
Check the Channel 4 website:
www.4car.co.uk
Another excellent source of running costs are
www.glass.co.uk
www.fleetnews.co.uk
Is there an easy way of getting at a disconnected line at the bottom of the winscreen washer reservoir? On earlier Mondeos you could reach it easily from underneath, but not on 2000 model. Read more
It's a bitch of a job from '97 facelift onwards. And you have to do it from time to time to clear accumulated sludge from the filter.
The only answer is old clothes. Front wheel off (and stowed under the suspension in case the car falls off the jack) then time and effort removing the front belly pan.
HJ
Could anybody tell me if it is possible to fit air con to a 1997 2Ltr Sharan and what the cost might be Read more
Go out and buy a SEAT Alhambra - cheaper than Sharan and far better bulit than the Galaxy. Get one with a decent dealer warranty and stick to the servicing intervals (Keep the warranty valid!) and you'll not regret it.
Which is the best small e.g. Yarris type car for people with arthritis who find it difficult getting in and out of cars, must have 4 doors, electric windows and wing mirrors, central locking and if possible air conditioning. Read more
I never thought I'd recommend it, but friends with a Wagon R reckon it's great for elderly relatives.
Regards
John
Any thoughts from you lot in the know on the Fiat Punto 1.9JTD Is it a good nearly knew buy?? Oppinions welcome Read more
Try instead for a 1.9 TDI Fabia Comfort. I've driven the Punto as a hire car, and a number of other small cars.
The Fabia is an excellent environment to be in and generally cannot be faulted except by badge-snobbery.
Build quality, ride, handling, and residual values are all superior for the Fabia.
The other car I'd consider is the Seat Arosa 1.4 TDi. Again, build quality, interior, and residuals are all good. Even better fuel economy. The only downside is the small (and unfurnished) boot.
Neil.
There is a problem at the moment with people fitting cheap pattern unapproved connectors to trailer air lines. Usually the problem is that the length of the central pin is a little bit wrong, with the consequence that when the tractor unit connects up the trailer brakes don't work properly.
Now I know that there are very responsible firms out there who leave no nut unturned in their quest for efficiency and safety, but there are a lot more who don't. So when it was suggested that legislation should require that E-approved connectors be fitted there was an outcry.
At a conference a speaker stated that it was not acceptable to enforce this due to cost, it would cost the UK industry £10million. I don't know if that is true, but in the same conference (it may have been in the same speech which makes it worse) it was stated that there are 250,000 trailers in use in the UK. Again I don't know if that figure is accurate.
But maybe I'm being thick but it seems to me that simple arithmetic suggests that a very vocal part of the UK transport industry is resisting implementing a safety measure for the sake of £40 per trailer.
Any views? Read more
I read a snippet in the new the other day about a driver fined £120 or so for using a fake 'Personalised' plate on his car - a new Ferrari! He also had no tax...
So given that the penalty for using a fake plate is so low surely the 'criminal' element will use fake plates and so not get caught by speed cameras... And if stopped by the police he gets a relatively tiny fine....
And, given that any number plate can be created for a few quid, what's to stop you renting a car and putting fake plates copied from an identical car on it - then driving past an active speed camera 4 or 5 times, thus losing some poor chap his licence? DNA and fingerprints are used as evidence to convict people because they are almost unique - 1 in 10,000,000 or so chance of a match. But number plates can also be used to take away your freedom and livelyhood - and you can buy any plate in minutes anywhere in the country!
Piers Read more
Maybe as a motorists protest we should have a day when everybody takes their plates off. It would cut the takings from speed cameras a bit!
I have been asked on a couple of occasions for info on converting customers' cars to LPG. Also whether Diesel engines can e converted. I recently saw an advert in Car Mechanics magazine for such kits to convert Diesel engines. Considering offering it as a service. Any opinions/ horror stories???
Thanks
Andrew Read more
No - small diesel engines cannot be converted to LPG operation - I've tried it and it don't work!!! Just makes the engine sound a tad rattly.
In reply to the safety of LPG, I personally would rather have an accident in an LPG fuelled car rather than a car with a flimsy tank of petrol. Have any of you guys actually seen/lifted an 80 litre LPG tank? It is a tested & certificated pressure vessel similar to that of an air compressor, pressurised to 160psi, if my memory serves me right.
Hello All
A pal's daughter wants a new car rather than an old banger. Can anyone tell me where the cheapest current offers are?
Any make will do.
MotorPoint in Derby have some Saxo & Corsa's at just under £6,ooo.
Any others?
Thanks
Martin Read more
New Corsas, Fiestas and Kas all have had the insurance. I think the 106 has if you are over 19.
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Ian - water ingress into a car is a complete s**t of a job to trace. In our workshops, it is common practice to place the YTS trainee/Apprentice/Work Experience lad in the boot, suitably armed with a torch and told to look in the suspect areas whilst we - (a)Spray the offending area of the car with a hosepipe (b)Take a teabreak (c) Take the car on a roadtest involving a few roundabouts! (Only joking!)
Yes, as HJ says, check the boot seal, pay attention to body seams (Where two or more panels join, look for pinholes in the sealant) also check around the fuel filler pipe to bodyshell gasket/seal - water could well be seeping past this seal. We had a car in for a very similar problem a few weeks ago - and it turned out to be exactly that! Good Luck!