June 2001
Another of my contacts is inviting input into a possible car choice that is outside my direct experience.
He's looking at a 1997 Mercedes 280S, 1997 with 55,000 miles. I've seen what HJ says in the Car by Car breakdown. My interpretation of this is....... large reliable prestige car but very complex, and with just the chance it was an import or "store prior to sale" car.
I don't know but expect he is looking at about £15,000. What do you think about this monster machine?
Of course I will advise him to save a bit of cash and buy a Xantia TD for about £5000, not sure we can get him to walk of buy a Morris Minor either.
David Read more
Can anyone give me advice on what I should do to protect my car (Alfa Spyder 1998) when it is in storage for a long period of time.I've inflated the tyres and dis-connected the battery and the car is covered over in a garage.
What should I do when putting it back on the road?
Regards
Jabera Read more
honest john wrote:
>
> What's this stuff a bout battery charging? If you leave it
> permanently connected to an Airflow Battery Management System
> (a slow trickle charger that stops at 13.5volts) you will
> keep the battery in perfect condition and will not harm any
> of the car's electronics. Want one, tel: 01635 569569. There
> are others out there, but you obviously cannot leave the
> battery permanently connected to a standard charger as this
> is dangerous.
>
> HJ
Er, thought that is what I said, just backed it up with a "few" technical reasons why it was worth spending the money to get some decent kit,
we dont spend brass easily oop North tha knows!
My son has a Vauxhall Astra 1.6 Car new last August it is using nearly a litre per 1000 miles, the main Vauxhall dealer says it is normal. I just cannot believe this is normal usage of oil. Read more
This has been covered in earlier threads, and you might find it useful to search back. Most manufacturers regard 1,000 miles per litre as reasonable, although most modern engines do indeed use much less than this.
You don't say what total mileage the car has now done, but high oil consumption in the first 5,000 is not unusual, until the rings have bedded in. If a synthetic or semi-synthetic oil has been introduced early in the cars life, before the rings and bores have got to know each other, the bedding process may have been halted, known as "bore glazing". If it has been dealer serviced they will probably have used GM's own 10/40 semi-synthetic. You could try reverting to a basic spec mineral oil, and driving the car a bit harder, for a while in order to de-glaze the bores. Once / if the consumption improves, go back to the higher spec stuff.
I have heard that one respected racing engine manufacturer actually injects a household scouring solution into the cylinders during bench testing if they suspect a bore glazing problem, as this roughs up the bores at bit and gives the rings a second chance at bedding in. I don't suggest this drastic course of action, however, as I am sure they do it in a very precisely controlled manner !!
Good luck, Adam
Hi
I have a new Fabia 1.9TDi should i change the oil after 10000 miles as per the service schedule, or should I change before.
I do like to use Mobile one diesel.
Thanks all Read more
Can we please remeber to change the names of the thread if what is to be said is nothing to do with it. From this one alone Stuart made a spelling mistake and named it 'spelling', then others used this name to talk about other things, maybe im becoming pedantic too, but its irritating. Pease and thanks, J
I need some help tracking down a secondhand instrument panel for a 124 series Merc. 300TE. The problem is that the odometer has failed. Does anyone know of a specialist Merc breakers? Several enquiries on national Find-a-part have had no response.
Thank you gentlemen. Read more
Mercman (I think in leeds) see Exchange&Mart. Failing this try merecedesshop.com - an excellent american site
Hiya,
I'm in the process of buying a new car, and the dealer called me with the registration plate details for the insurance and so on. They insisted that the insurance cover note be sent direct to them, and not to me.
Is this standard practice for the cover note to go straight to the dealer - and if so, why? A couple of friends I've spoken to said they've never heard of things being done this way before...
Cheers for any advice,
Sam Read more
Thanks for the explanation - all makes perfect sense now!
Cheers,
Sam
Hi All
My wife and I are planning an overland trip to Australia in a Land Rover 110
departing London in May 2002.
The route will cover Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Burma,
Thailand, Malaysia, Philipines and
ship to Oz.
If anybody would like to join us in their own 4x4 in convoy please
email me on pkoukoulis@yahoo.co.uk
or sandhorst@yahoo.ie. Read more
There is an active Landrover club in the City state of Singapore.
Come and look us up (and take your boat to Oz from here).
Sadly my Series 3 1972 SWB Landrover - was the most fun convertible I ever had - but the most incredibly unreliable beast on this planet. Engine, gearbox, brakes, radiator, starter, the works needed replacing...and all my friends had similar experiences. Perhaps in the new millenium parts would be easier to obtain for a Toyota Landcruiser? (But your journey would be also be so mechanically uneventful that there would be no adventure!!)
Good luck on your trip. I wish I could do the same.
I am thinking about building a MK3 Fiesta based kit car. It makes no difference which engine is used in the kit as the complete car is used as a donor with the exception of the bodyshell. Having driven Citroen TD's for the last donkey's and being a true Yorkshireman, I want to use a Turbodiesel engine.
The lumps in the last of Uncle Henry's Mk3 Fiestas were not overly wonderful from what I can gather, and most were not blown. So what is the practicality of fitting a 1.8TD from an Escort and having one of the aftermarket Intercoolers added? The only consideration is that if it will fit under a Fiesta bonnet, then it will fit the kit.
Will it achieve the same surge as my XUDT after the surgery, or be several 100's down the pan? I have seen adverts for such modifications but am sceptical to their effect.
Anyone any comments?
Simon Read more
Like David W I went through the shall, I shan't I mode, best decision ever was to file all the paperwork in t'bin.
But why a diesel? OK being from God's own county I understand the inbuilt need to be careful with the brass, but surely a kit car is not going to be used as everyday transport doing starship mileages. If so you are braver then me.
Surely it makes more sense, when you consider the kit car is unlikely to be as good at insulating noise to go for a decent petrol, possibly easier to tune. Plus what about weight distribution? Really people need to think more objectively about the diesel vs petrol equation.
Now how about a kit car with a really demon bike engine? Gearbox would be a challenge which is where the project I considered previously foundered. Anybody know any details about that Caterham 7 or similar with a Hayabusa engine? Oh no its got me thinking again.
So threads gone through diesels, citroens, diesel vs petrol, and possibly onto bikes. Whats next, speed cameras? Bet John S can't get it onto Moggies, this mention does not count. :o)
What's the price of VED now?
Do you still have to pay 155gbp and claim 55gbp back on a 1.4 car? Read more
My Singapore road tax is one thousand two hundred pounds a year. But I pay twice that since I have two cars (14 years old and 16 years old Mercedes).
Enjoy your "incredibly cheap" VED.
Regards
Nigel
Trade-sales of Slough currently have Ka Collections at £6299 (around £6500 after VED and administration). The only Supersite towards the North of England (I live, for my sins, in Sunderland) I'm aware of is Motorpoint who are offering the same Ka Collection at about £7000, which with a warranty is little different than through Ford Direct.
Currently a 2000W Ka Collection with between 5000 and 10000 miles is selling for around £6500.
Is anyone aware of any Supersites in the North, and also are there any pitfalls involving Trade-sales of Slough? Should I be tempted? Read more
I went through a local dealer who, like other Ford dealers are offering a 0% finance and insurance package which would have cost me around £1K (9% APR and first insurance with no NCD). The final price was £7200 (£860 less than list) which includes Ford's three-year warranty (a similar warranty from Trade-sales is about £450).
The best price I received was from Carpricecheck.com (£7174).
I doubt the above deal is unbeatable but it seemed a reasonable package from Jennings Ford in South Shields.
Browse
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It's the 210 that had the problem.
HJ