June 2001
Is there ANY room for manoevre on/in these prices.
Looking to buy used @ £15,000 but wonder if I can squeeze a few hundred of their list.
Note that OTE earnings for sales people at trade centre are £35,000 but do not want to contribute too much to this as I will be self selecting my car and I do not see where the SALES value is otrher than trying to get you to buy a warranty. Read more
Hi Guys first time on HJ so please be gentle on me,
just acquired a brand new VW Passat 1.9 td pd (red d and red i letters on badge) from a car supermarket (S Ireland import).
I am trying to acsertain exactly what engine spec I have 100hp or 130hp. I bought it as a 100 but information supplied with the car is at odds with itself supplying supermarket does not have a clue either.
Having gone over various components the latest manufacturing date I can find stamped on any would appear to be march 2001. Most appear to be Feb 2001.
So I presume it left the factory in March or April this year. Documents supplied with it give the manufacturing date variously as feb 2001 or Nov 2000 which is a bit odd.
When going through the owners pack supplied with it (published Aug 2000) the illustration given for the various engine compartments clearly shows it to have the 130 engine cover (with ribbed recesses and shiny VW badge on coloured background) and layout not the 100 which has a differant cover (plain, no recesses) and layout. But the paper sticker id in the spare tyre well claims it is a 100 (74kn).
I suppose the question is have I been given the relevant owners manual, does the one I have show the engine layout of a previous passat variant for 2000 and were engine covers changed for 2001 or is info in book correct and and I have a 130 engine fitted.
Bit wary of approaching VW dealers at this stage given feedback on this site about them and given it is an import.
But I would like to have peace of mind for insurance purposes more than anything.
thanks
mark Read more
I'll look into our SEAT service paperwork tommorrow and see if I can tie up the engine code to power output for you. Both SEAT and Audi/VW use the same engines.
I am interested in buying a second hand car from private seller and the car is worth £5500, however the seller has told me that he has £7000 HP finance outstanding. How do I go about making sure I don't get stung or is it best to leave it well alone??
Ian Read more
David,
A "faulty" clutch was how I came to buy my early Xantia TD last summer, as a rock bottom trade sale.
A local Citroen main dealer had been preparing it for retail sale. They had spent a fair bit already on hydraulic pump, front discs/pads, rear pads, glowplugs and service. The car was mint with full Citroen history and sensible miles so justified this preparation.
Then the mechanic finishing off these jobs test drove it and marked up "stiff clutch" in the prep sheet comments section. That was it, the sales department didn't want to know about funding a clutch on one of these so offered £600 off for me to take as-is.
When I test drove it I thought the clutch was perhaps a bit heavy but it didn't have that odd feel that is particular to a failing Citroen clutch. After purchase and just a few hundred miles it freed off to normal and has been fine for a year, I did notice the car had been standing for a month so maybe just a sticky cable.
I was quite prepared to do the clutch but was well pleased it wasn't needed. Having said that swings and roundabouts came to mind when the ABS failed. Could cost more than the clutch.
David
With so much info available about performance of cars, where can I get the facts on tyres which must make so much difference ?
I would like to know
grip in wet or dry
grip when new or when half worn
wear rates
noise levels
ride
cost
all to suit different models of cars ? Read more
The Consumers Association "Which" magazine has done tests on tyres.
The big advantage is that they are, of course, independant and unbiased.
I have just fitted a TuningBox to my company demonstrator and just thought I would let everybody know the results. I have spoken to many people in Europe, where VAG TDi's seem to rule the roost - many talk about their Golf/Ibiza etc TDi fitted with a TuningBox. Having owned many Diesel cars over the past few years I was quite interested in this supposed 'Box of tricks'
Anyway, it arrived on Thursday morning all the way from Belgium, nicely packaged and not broken(!)
Fitting the unit entailed removing the engine acoustic cover and unplugging the wiring loom to the Fuel Injection Pump and connecting in the unit by means of a 'T' joint. Took less than five minutes and only needed a screwdriver.
Ran the car up the road and WOW! what a difference!
It's difficult to explain the driving characteristics here but when the standard engine used to run out of puff @ 3750rpm ish, but now there is now another powerband, useable right up to the 5000rpm red line - to this effect I can be on the motorway at 95mph, put my foot down and the car accelerates rapidly. The car also feels much more tractable at low revs. There is no increase in engine noise or exhaust emissions. It is a little early to guage fuel consumption, but early impressions point towards a slight increase, but that is due to my new-found eagerness with my right foot!
So I now have a two litre diesel car with nigh-on 130BHP and 330Nm of torque (It's the +60Nm torque that gives the car the performance boost) I just need better brakes now..........
Any of you sceptics out there, go to their website at www.tuningbox.com - it's full of performance data & information etc. The car will be performance-tested on a rolling road soon to see the 'real' gains.
I can honestly say it is the best £425 performance add-on you could have Read more
As I've reported on earlier threads, the TB has completely transformed my Focus tdi's performance & 'Fun-factor', in all thge ways claimed by others above. Fuel consumption 'with TB' is not significantly worse than 'without', although I seem to have got a particularly thirsty car!
I did have a duff TB for a while, so if you buy one & it doesn't 'perform', talk to the (v friendly/helpful) importer.
Roger
After eight years of running a diesel, the other night I done the inevitable and started filling up with unleaded. Fortunately I noticed almost straight away, and only put 2.7 litres in.
A phonecall to the AA brought the assurance that this would not do any harm in a full tank, so I brimmed it, gave the car a good shake to mix it in, crossed my fingers, turned the key and the nice man was proved right. I don't intend to do this again, but out of interest what is the most petrol I could have survived? My tank holds 45 litres. Read more
In the manual for my Pug 309 diesel it said: where winter diesel is not available, use up to 25 percent petrol. A couple of litres in a full tank will be just fine.
Chris
which insurers offer affordable premiums to young drivers Read more
Dear Readers,
If you are a looking for insurance for male drivers then the best I can think of are the Co-Op, tel no 08000 282929 or Bell Direct and Admiral.
I am a broker myself AAM Insurance based in Brightlingsea, Near Colchester, Essex I unfortunately cannot help with male drivers but do have two schemes for lady drivers with Insurers Link and Provident.
They offer 6 month cover with a bonus at the end (upto 30% depending on Insurer). If I can be of any assistance please ring and ask for me
01206 303245 or email me
.... graham cook wrote:
>
> which insurers offer affordable premiums to young drivers
My retired neighbour has an old Alvis she wants to sell, but doesn't know where to go.
It looks pretty classy and has been well looked after and used sparingly, however it recently had a suspected big end incident and was stretchered back to its garage. Are there any owners groups, or people who might be able to advise on its value / best place to sell?
Help! Read more
Oops ! Sorry HJ.
To save you looking, Harry, it's "www.alvisoc.org".
Adam.
Does anyone collect or re-distribute redundant Haynes' manuals? Read more
Help! Does Anybody produce a manual for 1989 F'reg Honda Integra EX 1.6i ?
I've heard not sufficient were sold in the U.K. to warrent Haynes producing one
Can anyone help? -- Robin (remove NO-SPAM to reply ;-)
Has anyone re-vamped the rear lights of a Shogun so as the clusters on either side become useful repeaters of those set lower down in the "bumper"? I'm sure I've seen this. My R reg model has appropriate blanks in the clusters, but before I embark on an exploration, I'd appreciate prior info from anyone who has done this previously. Read more
The same can be seen on Land Rover Discoveries
Browse
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My recently retired Dad - after 40 years of economy cars new and second hand (sacrifices in bringing up 4 children!) - finally bought a EU imported Mercedes SLK230.
It makes sense:
Posh
Low Deprecation
Low petrol consumption
Small - so easier to drive - will not dent the corners so often!
Auto.
Reliable.
I recommend pre-2000 C-Class as boring but excellent vehicles.
Both our C200 Sprt Estate and C200 Saloon were excellent and stronger than the E200 W210.