September 2001
i anybody would like a cheap runner, my sister is trying to sell her fiat 127, its done 41.000 miles has lots of history, and is currently on a yahoo auction for £100, its just had a valet, and a full service. Read more
Sorry about various puerile posts posted on my PC using the above names and others that are forgotten, but you know the IP address.
A friend with a sick sense of humour and a little the worse for drink, who has now been duly reprimanded.
Can someone delete them for me please?
Thanks,
James. Read more
The clutch on my Mondeo ('96 last of the first style) 1.8LX is light to use from cold. When the car has become hot (ie travelled a distance) or sat cooling for a short while after a journey the clutch pedal is much stiffer in operation. Otherwise the clutch is fine. When the car cools right down clutch operation becomes light again. Is this the slave cylinder embedded in the bell housing causing a problem or should I look elsewhere? I'd appreciate your thoughts. Read more
Many thanks for your thoughts folks. I guess I'll carry on for the time being, I'm at 43k miles now and the 'problem' has been there since I can remember. I did get the idea that there may have been a Ford recall about it but can find out nothing, apart from a mention in HJ's Car by Car breakdown.
Somewhat inspired by comments on the Vectra...
You just have to remember that the motoring press and many people besides, loathe Vauxhall. Their bad rep from a little while back and the none to clever Frontera are usually what people quote when slating Vauxhall.
Mention the Lotus Carlton and people say, yeah but it's a Lotus blah blah, nothing to do with GM owning/part owning them and co-operating with them to build a car that is still the fastest standard production saloon in history.
Mention the VX220, that's just a Lotus Elise with a different chassis and badge, yeah lotus had a hand in setting it up as well.
However, so many people think the sun shines out of Ford's exhaust, I have had 2 but would never buy another out of choice and I am far from being alone on this. I know they are popular, proven blah blah blah and the new mondeo, focus are all 'good' cars. In recent history Ford have perhaps made better cars. The new corsa is cack, I quite like the new Fiesta, to look at anyway. But Fords feel sloppy and gutless.
If all you want to do is get from A to B (not via donnington on the way to work, pointing into a corner 10 seconds before you get there) then Fords do their job. The new breed are cheap and reliable to some extent. But if you enjoy driving then I wouldn't have another Ford. Performance wise the Vauxhall will always win, especially in the days when cars were the most appealing.
Ford seem to aim at the family and small car market with the 'individual' Ka, Fiesta and Focus. Seems Vauxhall still have the bearings to take on BMW's and the performance niche.
Technology has advanced a lot with regards to cars and they are 'better' in many respects than 10 years ago, but don't you think you have to spend entirely too much money to get something 'as' fun?
Look at all the Jap/Korean stuff available, Daewoo, Kia etc etc if you like cars you wouldn't own one. Subarus are excellent cars but notorious for burning clutches if driven hard, parts and insurance are very high too.
I am well aware that some people on here think I am a Max Power idiot stuck on the wrong BB, but that's not really fair or accurate. I just think Vauxhall make very good cars and they get entirely too much grief. My opinion.
I prefer older cars, but yes they do have their problems, new cars are clean and perhaps more reliable so it is largely horses for courses.
If I had the money I would probably own something with more pedigree, however until such time i'm more than happy with my Vauxhalls.
Give me a Vectra GSi over an ST200 any day.
Rant over... let the abuse commence! ;o)
P.S To my mind the best things Ford ever made were usually created with some people called 'Cosworth' or something. Read more
Nah, the world is obsessed with drugs,sex and cars, sometimes in that order. When mentioning Journalism, my first attempt at a website drew parallels with Max Power because:
a) I drive a car that is modified and from the 'good era'
b) I like quoting performance figures, not boot space and mpg.
c) I'm 23 not 53 so I still like driving fast.
d) Cars are a hobby for me not just functional transport.
Max Power is not my fave magazine at all. Total Vauxhall is now available and is much more to my liking since it is more a Vauxhall Motoring Enthusiasts mag than porn with cars in it.
However, I have to say I am surprised by the responses to this post. I was expecting to get slated for liking my Vauxhalls, but seems to me that's not the case.
I am on my 4th Vauxhall and all of them have been excellent. My cav Gsi would have cost £18k or so when new so it's far from a typical boy racer car. It also affords me the luxury of very cheap performance. With some sensible engine modifications it's quick enough to trouble 90% of the things on the road and it still looks great too.
i have just seen a car on yahoo auctions, its a 1800 light blue austin, 38000 miles, FSH, full mot history, mint condition, £900, its only got 2 days left on the auction, if you go into yahoo.co.uk, then go into auctions, then click on travel and transport, then cars, then the catagory 'other', you can see it, or you can search the website for it. i am only telling you about this car because i know that some people on this forum like these cars. Read more
If i had the cash, the room and the time i'd make a bid Chris !
As it is my 18/85 is awaiting some tlc and my cash flow meter is registering a negative reading !
Rgds,
Ash.
today i have had some geezer, that looked a bit like phil mitchell from eastenders, coming into my garage to say i must pay him and his 'friends', some money to keep me safe. he wants £1000 per WEEK??? Read more
Demanding money with menace is a serious offence and one that should be reported to the police. In reality, you have to ask yourself what will the police be able to do to protect you from retribution or another miscreant doing the same in the future.
I find the protection racket deplorable as its a form of bullying and these 'insects' tend to prey on the weak in our society, but even the best of us cannot thwart their criminality as it's impossible for us to maintain vigil over our business premises 24/7.
At the moment it would be difficult to prove any criminal offence took place as I am assuming you have no corroboration of the conversation between you and 'Phil Mitchell', so reporting the matter to the police would unlikely bring about a satisfactory resolution to your problem at this time. If they were so willing, the police could set up covert cctv at your garage and capture 'Phil' & his mates on camera, providing his demand for money was accompanied by threats of assault and/or damage. Remember, for every action... There would likely be a backlash for which in all reality the police would be unable to protect your business from. This is where you now have to consider the cost of overt cctv security measures, but if your garage is torched in the middle of the night and the perpetrators are wearing balaclavas the police will get no where and your business is in tatters. Sorry mate it's a carp deal!!!!!!!!!
Rules of the jungle apply here... You've gotta find out if Phil is a real player or just fancies himself as a slightly more grown up school boy bully; i.e. has he other businesses he 'protects', is there a known history of him resorting to violence, arson etc. You've gotta let him know you're no pushover though. Principles, morals and the law of the land are one thing, but you've gotta make a business decision here mate.
Are there any Vauxhall experts out there who can perhaps advise me. My high mileage 96p 2.0SRI has an intermittent fault with either the ECU or one of the transducers.
The problem initially started some eight months ago as an intermittent failure to idle which was sometimes accompanied by the ECU warning light. The engine would usually restart without problem. In June the problem reoccured and a trip to a local vauxhall dealer for a diagnostic readout indicated Airflow meter problems. A suggestion was also made that the idle valve was probably sticking. I cleaned the idle valve and removed the airflow meter thinking it was of the mechanical pattern and probably had a worn potentiometer track - only to find it is a hotwire device.
On reassembly all was well and the car ran without any problem for several months until a few weeks ago when the ecu light started to light up usually 2miles or so into a journey. The engine no longer stalls and after an initial hesitation which is the precursor to the light appearing then appears to run quite well. Switching the ignition off and dipping the clutch and then restarting will often clear the light which may then stay off for the remainder of the journey. My question is does the airflow meter have a reputation for intermittent problems of this nature. I suppose the problem could be something simple like a bad electrical connection or indeed may be nothing to do with the airflow indication of a few months ago. However before I start further investigations has anyone any information which may be helpful?
Many Thanks
Peter Bowman Read more
Peter
I agree with John Slaughter about the sensor diagnosis. The early Vectras & the later Cavaliers suffered from this. Both crank & camshaft sensors went regularly on a Cavalier I had. I also had the idle valve cleaned & finally replaced. At some point ( about 5 years old with Cavaliers apparently) they seem to become overly sensitive to something - Vauxhall dealer said electrical spiking due to loom problems and suggested £500+ to fit a new loom, a suggestion I declined.
Just a hunch but after having the battery flattened trying to start after one of its peridic dos I charged it overnight and found the sensor problem seemed to have disappeared - it recurred again but made me wonder if a failing battery might somehow sensitise the thing.
Good luck
Dave Y
Just in case anyone is seduced by those Citroen ads on TV, in which substantial cashbacks are mentioned, the car is virtually unobtainable.
Strange marketing, isn't it, that pushes a car at vast expense then is unable to supply! Read more
Have now heard that the 1.6 8 valve is to be discontinued and replaced by 16 valve (that would make sense since the 1.6 Scenic is 16 valve).Therefore perhaps Citroen is deliberately running down stocks. Maybe this is also leading to knock-on stockouts on the 1.8 16 valve.
Has anyone experience of the Peugeot 307 with the new 1.4HDI engine? It would seem too small for such a heavy car, but at £900 less than the 2.0 HDI, it might be worth looking into especially if its like the new diesels ford are using in the Focus Ghia.
Also does anyone know if 307 are not selling. A couple of local dealers are offering aroud £1K off some models ? Read more
There are to be 2 versions of the 1.4 HDI: an 8-valve with 8-valve petrol performance (70bhp), and a 16-valve with 90bhp (on a par with a 16-valve petrol).
Curiously, last time I looked at Peugeot's web-site, the 1.4 HDI was on the price list, but there were still no official consumption figures, which seems unusual.
Can you actually go into a showroom and buy one yet?
70bhp might not sound much, but there's more torque from that engine than from many 1.6 petrols. It might not leap away from the traffic lights all that quickly, but I suspect for everyday driving it'll be fine.
Not too long ago, Mk3 Astras with a 1.4 petrol engine had either 60bhp or 82bhp; it's only recently that 90bhp became entry-level on cars that size, and I don't believe that everyone needs all that power. I suppose it depends on how old you are...
--
Nick
Inexplicably the clock in my car has suddenly stopped.Why? Read more
I do not know Penny,
The last MBenz I owned were a 1967 250SL from 1969 to 1978 and later I inherited my fathers 1967 250SE which he had from new... I sold it for parts in 1997 after over 350,000 miles He also owned, and I helped him put over 200,000 miles on a 1955 300SL gullwing between 1955 and 1980... all 3 of these had the clockwork VDO timekeepers... I do not know when they changed to all electric or electronic clocks
~R
i was only trying to sell my sisters car, she is getting another car, so this has to go.