July 2001
I have a 97 Vauxhall Vectra 1.8LS. Once the car warms up after say 20mins,
I am experiencing something that feels like clutch shudder in first gear only.
I have a recon engine fitted approx 6 months ago and a new clutch. Unfortunatly there was a oil leak in the new engine, and I am not sure if this got into the gearbox/clutch. I have brought it back to the garage that fitted the engine and they took it to a Vauxhall Main dealer who says there is no fault with the clutch.
Has anyone got any ideas.
Thanks
Tony Campbell in Enfield Middx Read more
After looking around for many months for a mpv to transport 4 kids & kaboodle i've just bought a 9 month old jtd105 and am very pleased - great to drive, park, cruise, and incredibly practical and frugal.
One small problem - the injector warning light illuminates intermittently and the manual states that the car should only be driven under low revs and for shor distances with the light on. - Stopping the car and restarting seems to cure the problem and when I return the car to the garage next week it is 100% certain that the problem will not arise and therefore not come up on the diagnostics.
Does anyone know what the warning light signifies - and what damage would it do to carry on driving with the light on??
Any known glitches/ problems with this engine? Read more
Thanks for the reply
yes - i'ts covered by warranty i'ts just irritating that the dealer had not picked it up.
I bought a used Ford Focus ('99V 2.0 Ghia 5-dr 11.5k miles) at the start of June from a place called Jeffries Farm at Billingshurst, Sussex, and was told by the salesman prior to sale that the car had one previous owner.
Last week I received the car's registration document (V5) through the post listing, you've guessed it, 2 former keepers! It states the second owner acquired the car in Feb 2001. The first registered keeper was infact a leasing firm with whom I have spoken and the second also appears to be a business address.
Having been on the phone to the supplying garage to vent my anger today I was assured that this would have no effect whatsoever on the car's future resale value.
Is this true? Read more
Cheers for the advice!
I paid £10k for it, and at the time I was quite surprised how few Focus's there were on the market that met my criteria (2.0 Ghia 5-drs silver, blue or black).
I actually intend to keep it for 3 years during which time I expect to cover about 30k miles, so hopefully it won't have too much of a detimental effect, additionally I managed to conact the second registered keeper yesterday by searching for their address on the web, turns out they are another leasing firm who simply stored the car until it was sold at auction, good news I guess...
My German motor has done a 115k (A4 1.8 20v, 95N) great car and all that, change oil at 5k, cam belt at 40k, plugs & filters every year, etc. Follow the old HJ bible...
But the engine is begining to sing like a sewing machine, well slight exageration, but certainly never 'tinkered' like this before, or not that I noticed. Its definately the tappets.
What does anyone think, I don't want to sell it, as at best it is only worth £3.5-4k, it is fully loaded, reliable and I like it. Should I have it seen too? it seems to make no difference in performance. What happens if I don't do anything?
The thing obviously I am most worried about is permanent damage to the engine.
Oh... I do like British cars as well as long as they are kit cars made in Dudley.....Have a Westfield Megblade for w/e's ;-) The audi is there to tow it... Read more
well the tinnitus is going to be hereditary, so you might be right....but you simply can't wipe the smile off your face when driving along in it!!!
They had a report on the Westfield Tiger in Autocar the other week (two motorcycle engines) which is simply ridiculous! It is already way fast enough...unless you are on two wheels.
Could anyone recommend a BMW specialist in the Birmingham area? I am loathe to trust anyone without a personal recomendation and an initial inspection of the good garages list reveals only dealerships. A local main dealer has estimated £450+ for a cambelt and service which suggests a non dealership BMW specialist.
Thanks in advance
PS car =1992 318 Read more
Hi there, I can recommend an excellent independant BMW and Mercedes specialist but it is a bit outside the Birmingham area, in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. There work is second to none and they were originally BMW/Merecdes dealer service technicians who have gone on to open their own business to provide the same service as a main dealer but at a cheaper cost to the customer. I have entrusted my own car with them and know a lot of other very satisfied customers. The business is called Burton Motor Workshop and please E-Mail me if you require any further information.
Milnes@Overseal.Freeserve.Co.Uk
My sister`s car broke down at the weekend ( misfiring then cut out ) and the Callout man from the Rescue Service says that it looked as though there was a problem with the fuel .
To cure it, so he said , he apparently swopped the leads around on the car and revved it hard..This made the engine pop and bang and produced lots of smoke smoke out of the exhaust !!!!
This supposedly sorted the problem out.
I`ve NEVER heard of this way to clear dirty fuel..
Can anyone explain what it was supposed to do, and explain the theory behind it??
I don`t think it cured the problem as it is still misfiring so it looks as though I`ll have to have a look at it.
Anyone any ideas on misfiring problems with an H Reg Nova ( with points ) ??
Thanks
Chas Read more
Treat it to a proper tune up, ensuring that a new condenser is fitted to the distributor. If it is, as I suspect, the older OHV engine, they suffer with problems in the distributor with eccentric cam-lobes making it difficult to set the points gap (dwell angle), more so with the Delco distributor. I personally set the points on these with a feeler gauge ensuring that there is adequate gap on all four cam-lobes. Look in Yellow pages under Car Engine Tuning and Conversion.
Just thought I'd let you all know about a worrying trend of evaporator failures on 850/V70 and all Chryslers
The evaporator is the part under the dash that gets cold. On all the above vehicles it is buried away in the heater box, and this requires, on Chrylers anyway, complete removal of the dash. Airbags out, column down, centre console removed, the whole shooting match you see in front of you as you drive. Volvo 850's only need a partial strip, but still a big job.
I was at a Chrysler garage last week and they had had 4 in that week alone. Bear in mind I have only done 3 in the last 2 years. Most evaporators last a lifetime, but these are lasting between 2-4 years on average. Interestingy, in the US, Chrysler was forced by consumer pressure to extend the warranty on this part to 7 years. Cost of the entire job is about £1000, bit less for Volvos. It is also hard to diagnose, so don't be fobbed off with a simple recharge until the warranty runs out. If any of these vehicles needs substantial gas in the first 5 years, then you have a leak. In order of time to failure, it seems to be Grand Cherokees 1st, then Voyagers and Neons, then Cherokees last. On Voyagers, it sometimes takes the compressor with it, spreading remnants throughout the whole system, particularly if it has rear a/c as well.
Those with 850/V70's should take a lok at the bulletin board at www.volvoclub.org.uk.
Other makes that have had the same problem, but now seem to have fixed it, are Ford Galaxy & variants, and Audi A4's.
HJ: You mught like to add this to your comments against Chryslers. Read more
Many thanks, Dave. I'll upload this to the car by car breakdown.
HJ
I am in the process of buying a VW Passat from the Great Trade Centre in London, however it has outstanding finance on it.
The GTC state on their invoice that all cars are sold without finance, can I trust them, or am I opening up a load of hassle for myself in the future.
Ken Read more
HJ, Ok fair enough - I was just surprised that it was sitting there with finance apparently on it.
And, I'm sure you wouldn't want to give the impression that any, even dealer purchase, is OK when the HPI shows finance outstanding?
Cheers
John
Please could I have some advice on buying a used police car, eg. Volvo or Omega. Read more
Oh Begger, is that another colour thats denied to me, get enough aggro with the current one!
Anyone see Tiff Needell roadtesting the new Mini the other night. You can buy a
5 year or 50,000 mile service pack including all parts and labour for £100.00.
What a deal, then reality or cyniscm creeps into ones thinking.
You get nowt for owt, is this built in to the initial price. Are servicing costs which I assume are mandatory for the warranty going to be excessive.
However what a deal which I think knocks all these third party ones into the stone age and a good thing too.
Alvin Read more
I remember the last time I went to the states, they were advertising the Ford Contour V6 (mondeo), and extoling the virtues of no maintenance, apart from fluids and filters, for 100K miles. I think it went something like "No tune-up for 100,00 miles". When I had my V6 Mondeo, I wondered what else they did on the expensive servicing, considering in the US it only needs fluids and filters.
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It is also worth checking the engine mountings(stabilizer bar if fitted). You might not have anything wrong with the clutch. Anything loose here can cause judder in a low gear.