July 2001
Presumably anyone who has bought one of these will have looked at the superficially similar Renault Scenic and concluded that CXP appeared the better buy.
If so, what's the general view now, based on experience? In particular, I'm a bit nervous of that sexy electronic instrument display (we all remember stories of way back when folk were totally incapacitated when the master module went phut). Has any Picasso owner any experience of this? Read more
Aroung July each year I have a bad day, a very bad day, Today was that day. The worse car I look after comes for its yearly MOT/service.
It's a 10yr old Seat Terra. For those lucky enough never to have noticed one they are cheap copies of a Fiat Panda in van form. If you have any concerns about trim quality on any current mainstream car just sit in one of these for two minutes without breaking somehing, that'll put things in perspective.
Talking of breaking these cars have virtually no brakes. Even with new fluid, discs, pads and shoes effort is minimal on the rollers and a pass is barely recorded. On the road they are lethal, they just don't stop.
The electrics, switchgear and ign sysyem must be sourced from recycled Christmas Cracker toys.....and the body from bacofoil. The washer is a rubber bulb on the dash and your thumb nearly drops off by the time any fluid hits the screen
I stress out getting the thing through each year then the owners (private retired - strangely) are so pleased they decide to keep it another year "as it goes so well". How do I drop the hint?
Then my newly painted re-built Land Rover diesel engine suffered some odd reaction between old and new paints and half of it peeled off. Spent the afternoon cleaning it up again, tried a nice sea green Hammerite this time.....that should stick.
David Read more
Actually, my C reg. Celica Supra sailed through as always this year, with compliments from the garage.
Reason?- I have it maintained
by the book, and of course it's a Toyota!
I bought a new Xsara in September,200. Over the past few months the engine keeps cutting out, generally when decelerating. It has been back to the Main Agents on four separate occasions and has had a new Manifold Sensor fitted and later a new "Oxy" Sensor fitted but this has had no effect. The worshop's computer reveals that there is nothing wrong. Yesterday this fault very nearly caused me to have a serious accident when joining a by-pass from a slip-road.
The car is going back to the Main Agent from whom I purchased the car next week.and I would welcome any advice on whether anyone else has experienced the same problem Read more
Marie: I have posted before about the many problems I have had with my Xsara VTR, one of which was repeated cutting out, also when decelerating (except once on the open road in fifth and being tailgated by some lunatic) and which like yours never showed up on the computer. I do know of at least one other owner who had the same problem: hers (also on a VTR) was a wiring fault which the garage cured. Eventually, after 10 months and many visits to the garage for this and (mainly) airbag faults, a strong letter to Citroen UK and the advice from them that this was a fault peculiar to some VTRs for which a new CD download was available, it was finally cured (only to do it twice more, due to a blown gasket - not mine! - and unrelated they said to the original fault. Just bad luck I think - being charitable.) I am happy to report that it is now running well but it took me a while before I trusted it - I got used to holding my breath every time I performed the manouvre which usually caused it! Good luck!
The front tyres on my mondeo are wearing but still legal.They are only a year or so old.My rear tyres are good treadwise but the rubber is about trhree years old.Should I swap them over to put off having to spend £140 for a couple of months? Is this OK to do? Read more
And I thought I'd slipped that comment past you David.
Strange that the X##tia I have the use of (should be safe admitting as much this far back in the Forum) has similar handling characteristics to a heavily abused mark 2 Granada (wallowing, weaving and pitching), without the attendant benefits of mass (for banger racing only). Have you tried travelling at a velocity in excess of 40 mph? Or perhaps I should check the tyre pressures on the X####a?
Hur, hur
M
I am getting so fed up with my 406 estate, its a generally a good economical & reliable car, however the trim/seals/mouldings keep dropping off, the last drivers door seal has been on for 3 weeks and is now coming adrift. Ive owned loads of cars, mainly VW & Rovers which have been sturdy solid reliable cars, and I've never known such poor quality. This is becoming unbearable, the dealer always does his best to replace the parts which have broken, but the car is only a year old, what will it be like in 5 years time ? Should I get rid of it now and buy a Passat ?
How do they get away with it ? Read more
I've got one too - its an utter pile of sh*t - only 5 months old and feels about as well made as a 1977 Morris Marina
My trusty ZX decided to split a CV joint boot and slowly dry up just before the MOT. I bought a complete new shaft, (front OS)and boot as it was 10 squids cheaper than just the joint. My local garage then fitted it for 15 squids.
This lasted 48 hours. The engine started to vibrate violently on acceleration. However was okay at steady speed or deceleration. I got an exchange shaft again, being told, "It must have been a manufacturing glitch, the shaft could be slightly twisted".
Anyway, a fortnight passes and I forget about things. On my way back from Leeds, over the dubiously sited and sized speed humps (see previous thread), the gearstick starts to vibrate violently. I experiment whilst driving to try to narrow the possible causes. The harder the acceleration or deceleration, the larger and violent the amplitude of the gearstick. A very steady speed minimised the movements to nil. My deduction was an engine mounting.
My local garage took it for a spin, confirmed my diagnosis, then got it up on the ramps. All mountings OK. After head scratching the front OS driveshaft was changed yet again, and problem solved.
I have had the original Citroen driveshaft on for 143k miles, yet the first lasts 48hours, the second 14days. Hmmm.
Can anyone shed any light as to why I am having these repeated problems?
Is the OS front driveshaft a dificult part to manufacture correctly?
Is the autofactor I use substituting dodgy parts for what I ask for?
Are they a bu**er to fit properly?
Would a Citroen original be worth the extra? (more reliable)
Have I been unlucky?
Simon
A mystified ZX fan. Read more
I think many driveshafts, even from decent suppliers, are exchange units. They obviously inspect the old units and retain the parts that are still "in spec". Because the outer CV joint is the one that usually wears first I think many of the inner joints are retained as apparently OK.
For some reason these inner joints can often then give rise to vibration soon after re-fitting. Not the traditional and obvious clack clack of a failed outer joint, just a hard to trace grumble.
Hence other components are checked/replaced before the "new" shaft is suspected.
I've had some odd problems in the past cleaning up old driveshaft joints prior to re-greasing (say where the gaiter has split and dirt ingress followed). For some reason they have gone tight and no amount of grease makes them feel as free as when they were full of old grease and grit. Odd.
David
Now Then,
When you are not busy strangling hitch-hikers, Whilst driving on dual carriageways like the A1 why not play a game of pretending to overtake one another despite the fact that your trucks are all restricted to 56mph, meaning it takes three miles to get past, providing you don't bottle it after 10 minutes and get back behind the other Truck. this will provide hours of amusement in between swapping pornography and scoffing greasy fry ups.
Marvellous Read more
Only if it's an Astramax dessiseal. Or perhaps the monstrously quick Passat Estate Desieal (oh alright, no need to go crazy, a Caterham
should suffice)
Hur,hur
M
The missus is after a new car to replace an aged, but still in very nice nick, Cinqecento.
She wants a sporty car, preferably a Mazda MX 5. Budget is reasonably flexible but I think £8000 to £12000 is in the ball park.
So, is it worth getting the 1.8i 'S' over the base model? It's got an LSD, but she's more interested in the ABS brakes.
Apart from the headlights, is there any great reason to go for a newer one?
What about the MGF -- are they cheap for a good reason?
What else should we consider - I reckon on the Interga type-R, Nissan 200zx, New Mini (Cooper - suspect it will have better resale and gets more kit for not much more money), Ford Puma.
I want something that's pretty depreciation resistant - so 3 year old or more for starters (except New Mini), has plenty of go and is fun for her to drive (so she stops pestering me to let her drive my Caterham..).
Has anyone any views on something like a nice GT6 or MGB GT for occasional / motorway commuting use? If well maintained I think the lack of fuel injection, ABS, catalytic converters etc should be a bonus. No road tax would be nice as well.
Are Cinqecentos good sellers privately? It's a black, base model, L reg, 55k. I'd like to think we'd get £1500 for it, but think £1000 - £1200 is likely.
Piers Read more
Mind you, if it was my money I would spend it on an MX5, not that I'd be seen dead in one.....but the sheer reliability and build quaility issue would make the choice for me. MGFs are ok if they are properly sorted out. The latest (post BMW) Rovers seem better made just like the Freelander. The best sorted Rover ever was the 200 series...
Recently bought a 4 year old Mondeo (2.0 Ghia, Manual) in good nick at the auctions. All was fine for 48 hours, until the alarm sounded continuously for a whole afternoon (I was out, but the neighbour?s felt the need to inform me!). I check the doors, bonnet etc and couldn?t find any obvious faults. Eventually, I removed the fuse to the alarm. Next day, it won?t start ? flat battery, so that?s re-charged. Lasts a few days and its flat again. It?s an original battery, so I replace it. While replacing it I check the current draw for the whole car; 300mA.
I tried the Ford website ? no use, and their Tech Help line is £1/minute!! ? Outrageous ! Having read the post on the Probe problem a few weeks ago, I realised this was quite high. So I set about removing fuses to find the faulty circuit. Somehow, while opening and shutting the door & window (so I can continue fuse pulling from the main fuse box in the footwell) the current drops to 20mA ? that?s more like it. Nothing I can do with doors, windows, interior lights, fuse boxes, relays, wiring looms can re-create my 300mA drain!
So, I?ve got an intermittent fault which I suspect is cutting back in occasionally and triggering the alarm at odd hours of the day and night. So:-
Does anybody have a list of ?prime suspects? for this fault?
Is there anywhere else I could look for fault information on a Mondeo?
Many Thanks in advance.
Chris Read more
There was a TSB in August 98 that noted a problem with the door striker that contains the light switch. It affected models between 08/96 & 11/98. If this is yours, let me know your fax number and I'll fax the TSB to you.
If I was to sell my 6 month old Golf GTI 1.8T (UK list 18k) in Jazz Blue with winter pack, cruise and pearl pant, to a dealer, what sort of money would I get? The car is as new, I have another on the way!
Cheers
Andrew Read more
Unfortunately "Jazz" bloo is no match for Volkswagen Bright Blue Metallic!
Like all of us, however, we all get fatter and slower and the Golf is no different. Give me a MkII anyday.
I *will*, however, swap engines.......but that's all.
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Scenic v. Picasso. Was unable to buy equivalent Scenic for Picasso money. Also there was more room in the Citroen. The electonic dash is no problem after the first day. Couldn't honestly contemplate the Fiat ....a step too far I think. The Tino , well it looks very oriental to my eye and more "large Focus" than MPV. Six months with a 2.0 HDI SX , no problems to date and 45mpg on the computer. Incidentally if someone had told 5 years ago that I would buy a new Citroen ........! How times change.