September 2001
the thing is, the central locking has just packed in althought the doors still lock individually. Can I continue to live with this, or is it a sign of worse to come? I seem to remember that there is a separate ecu for central locking???
and, in damp weather (this could be a coincidence) when I start it up sometimes the revs just sink down to zero and it conks out. After a minute or so of running there isnt a problem, although (there's always an "although") the idling is a tiny bit uneven and there is a slight flat spot on first accelaration. There is a firm in warrington called camco 88 who will diagnose an injection fault for £60 + VAT, but again is it something to live with, or am I looking at the beginnings of something big and horrific????
thank you in advance gentlemen Read more
THE AUDI A4 HAS SERVICE INTERVALS OF 40,000 MILES BETWEEN PLUG CHANGES , IT WILL TAKE ME FOUR YEARS TO REACH THIS MILAGE , WILL THEY BE A PROBLEM REMOVING THEM AFTER THIS TIME , ON PREVIOUS CARS (NISSAN PRIMERA'S) I'VE REMOVED THEN EVERY YEAR REGREASED THE THREADS , CHECKED THE GAP , GENERALY INSPECTED ECT. A TEN MINUETE JOB. HOWEVER WITH THIS CAR I'M NOT SURE HOW TO REMOVE THE PLUGS FACED WITH A SEPERATE IGNITION COIL OVER EACH PLUG SO IVE LEFT THEM IN FOR THE LAST 18 MONTHS , BUT WOULD I BE BEST CHECKING THEM ? AND IF SO HOW DO THEY COME OUT Read more
i use SPLIT FIRE spark plugs, platinum tipped, better performance, and only £10 each.
Reported in Autocar. There have been 6 S3's and TT's affected so far.
If you have one of these, phone your dealer and get them to collect it, don't drive it. Lower radius arm snaps and the wheel folds in. Can happen at any speed. That's the S3 off my list then...... Read more
Morrie Minors have torsion bar front suspension. When the torsion bar end mounting on the crossmember rusts, that's when the car develops severe negative camber.
HJ
With the registering of an e-mail address to use this site soon, I was thinking what internet sevice providers people use and find good. I often use my work computer to access this site, and it is lighning fast, but at home I have 'BT Now and Again' (which they call 'Anytime'.) It's dreadfully slow, if I can connect, and so unreliable. I would appreciate a quick poll of your recommendations so I can change. Or am I just unlucky? There is no cable provider in my area, so it's the old phone line I'm afraid.
Thanks
Mike Read more
David,
excellent advice there. I managed to get through my Windows 98 MCP exam without knowing about that.....
no more trawling through the registry to weed out non-uninstalled(!) apps.
Thanks again,
Lee.
Scanning the ads, it's easy to picture a 97/R or a 95/N but how will we manage in a couple of years when the numbers take over? Imagine the Audi A4 03/03 vs the 03/53, just doesn't have the same ring does it?
Even a 01/Y vs 01/51? Will it make sense or will the value of the plate finally disappear? Since 1963 we've had the familiar ring of a letter but alas no more.
I'm also convinced the DVLA chose 51 so they could make a shedload from plates that could easily include the letters "SI" in the sequence. Many of the new plates I've seen spell something stupid that the owners no doubt paid a grand or more for.
Colin Read more
>>a lot of the parking meters require you to type in the numbers of your registration plate, to prevent you passing your ticket on to anyone else if you find you have bought more time than you need.
Yes I heard this one locally too. I think they requested the first 4 digits though and that's why the confusion now as just about every local new car has the same number at the start.
Stephen
Can anyone tell me where I can purchase an aerial for a '92 Nissan Primera at a reasonable price. Nisssan main dealers want £37 quid!! ( and it's not even an electric one!) Read more
We had exactly this problem on a Primera we sold.
However hard we tried to get something else to fit - we were stumped.
A Nissan genuine part was the only answer.
David
Can anyone enlighten me to the reason why most cars tyre pressures are more in the rear tyres than the front? I would have thought it would have been the other way around as the engine is, in most cars anyway, at the front and therefore more weight needs to be kept up. Read more
Iain
Interested to hear that you run a Peugeot Partner. I'll be looking to change my Citroen C15D in about a year's time, for either a Partner or Berlingo van.
What's the Partner like to live with (I presume yours is a diesel)? We use our C15 as a second vehicle and it's fine apart from the fact that it doen't have powered steering.
Ian
A bit out of the way, but I suspect someone here will have something to say..
What is the considered opinion of buying a 1990 Testarossa with 20,000 miles on the clock for 47,000 pounds ?
Given that question, what further comments arise given that I would be putting 8k-10k miles on it a year as I would be driving it regularily.
I am not looking to buy this car as an investment, it would be my normal car and therefore subject to the elements.
Originally I was looking at a new, or at least newer, Ferrari but since everybody said that with more than 3000 miles p.a. they become unsellable I had given up on the idea as being too stupid and costly. Not only do I have no interest in buying a car which I can't use, the price of the newer models is totally ridiculous.
However, buying an older one is firstly more affordable and secondly I am not likely to spoil it by simple putting miles on it. Whilst I am not intending to sell it again in the forseeable future, neither do I want it to be worthless.
Which also leads to the point that if I put 8000 miles a year on it, it will be, within two years, a *very* high mileage Ferrari. Again, not from a value point of view, but from a maintenance and reliability point, what impact would this have ?
Especially since I would hazard a guess on owning it for 4 or 5 years.
Added to that, a Testarossa, which to be fair I have only ever driven once, seems to be inordinately cheap when compared to other models, even though I've always believed it to be a good car. Is it ?
I haven't got a particular car in mind at this minute, but an 89/90 seems to run between 45k & 50k pounds.
If you can point me to a good site, all well and good. But most of them have somewhat of an irritating and superior attitude and seem to regard these cars as works of art, rather than something to be driven and enjoyed. And certainly they don't do well offering advice as to the actual, practical use of such a thing although they can all tell you how to store it in the best way !
M.
p.s. this would be for use in the UK when I return next spring.
p.p.s. No, David, I do not want a Citroen nor, Guy, do I want a VW.
p.p.s. and now you know what it costs to make me work in Brazil ! Read more
David Woollard wrote:
> Father in Law is over with us this weekend
> Flat cap, mad pensioner on a mountain bike, Racing Post
> tucked under his arm.
...But what's your father like David? ;-)
We had an urgent recall instruction on our R Reg Clio. I called the Renault Dealer in Woking - good polite service. They don't have parts to fix, cables are on back order and they don't know when there will be any. They will call me.
I called Renault UK. They have a "help" line which promises two minutes to answer your call, holds you with music for 8 to 10 minutes and then drops the call.
I called again - note this is to the registered office of a company which has told me our car has a potentially life threatening fault (if the cable snaps in the middle of a right turn for instance) but has not arranged the resources to rectify the matter.
I asked for the MD's secretary to lodge a complaint but was obdurately referred back to the help line.
Twenty minutes of wasted time later "Ben" promised me a call back this afternoon. He didn't know of the recall.
I tried using the Web - Renault don't respond the their email.
I followed through www.vehiclerecalls.co.uk That is Eclipse marketing, where a line is plugged through to the same inadequate help line. They said they'd get me through to Renault Head office. The specifically called me back to put me through to a person in authority.
Guess what - they plugged me into the 'help' line.
I won't buy another Renault and I suggest that anyone contemplating doing so checks out Renault UK to discover how indifferent they are to the concerns of their customers. Read more
Interesting. I heard one of their Managers appologising for their service on the Radio on Saturday. Apparently no-one can get through to their branches because they stop customers at the "Help" centres. Apparently they have employed more people to solve this.
I suggect the following:
Check out the number of the TSB (building society) branch in the same immediate area to your Lloyds Bank and phone that number. Ask them to put the call through to the Bank. It works for me!
Furthermore, all their Regional Managers have mobile phones. I've had the number of my Regional Manager at Lloyds/TSB for ages. I don't abuse it, but it's nice to have.
Finally, use the Internet and most of the service issues go away.
I'm a rather boring, Happy, long-term Lloyds customer.
But, like you, if they diddle me out of money I'll melt someone:)
Bill
Does anyone have any experience good or bad of this company.
Their quote seeemd reasonable, but i am usually highly dubious of small print syndrome in most warranties.
Has any one had dealings with them Read more
I had similar suspicions, so called them. It would appear that it is based to a greater or lesser extent on honesty. i.e. you cannot buy a banger and expect a replacement engine the next week. Unfortunately, honesty and proving what you knew and didn't know are two different things. They do have 'experienced' mechanics, who will investigate claims, but your word againt theirs. I prefer something a bit more concrete.
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Agree. Check by using a meter that wires to doors are continuous. Faults can be due to electrical connections going green and non-conducting. I use Servisol or WD-40 to spray with. This costs nothing to do but does take time!