October 2001
Has anyone else got problems with their Vauxhall Omega cutting-out whilst in motion/stand-still?
This really is irritating as I love the car and would like to get the car LPG converted. But I'm afraid to invest money into LPG conversion before i can cure the cutting out problem. My car serviced every 8k miles and has been fitted with a new idle air control valve and problem persists.
Can anyone suggest a cure?
Steve Read more
I am looking into buying a Jeep Grand Cherokee in the near future. Does anyone have any advice regarding any known problems with these vehicles. I will be looking at either a late shape(1999 onwards) 4.7L V8 or possibly an earlier 4.0L straight six. I need something capable of towing a car & trailer, with an automatic gearbox and some reasonable luxury.
A few years ago I would not have considered buying a vehicle such as this but due to the state of the roads, increasing numbers speed bumps, a bad back and a dodgy left leg I am not left with many alternatives.
Many thanks
Andy Read more
Further to my Mpv idea,what is wrong with an Audi,Merc,Bmw estate,with the biggest engine you can get?
You lose all that adipose engineering and gain build quality (in spades if we're talking against Jeeps) and Clarse,dearie.
You got sumfin against quality'n clarse?
We read frequently the importance of changing these, the critical intervals for doing so, the dire consequences that may happen otherwise, and the vital need to check whether a prospective purchase has had this done. Most every car brand seems to be involved. Apocalyptic finger-wagging in these columns reminds us remorselessly.
My idiot question is for heaven's sake in this day and age why hasn't anyone come up with something better than a belt, failure of which can ruin an engine?
Or at least belts which are a bit more up to the job? Whatever happened to timing chains? I grant they could break but would give plenty of warning. The other thing is why are the belts (appaently) so puny they don't last very long on engines which otherwise do high mileages on their other parts? My Harley Davidson Evo has a drive belt good enough to send a lot of heavy horses to the rear wheel. Unlike a timing belt which is more driven than driving (!) The HD belt drive is known as the best in the business -- I have never heard of a belt failure on huge mileage engines, yet the thing is out in the weather and does all the work.
I await a flood of enlightenment from our experts. Read more
Just on the subject of twin-cam 16V engines, are Honda the only manufacturer to make single-cam 16V engines?
If so, why?
Andy
I have just been to a car dealer that sells a range of new and used cars (not a main dealer) The bloke tried to get me interested in a brand new Fiat Bravo 1.2 SX 16v for £7,000. The list price of this car is about £10,500. The bloke promises me that this car is to the full UK spec and comes with warranties etc etc. I cannot understand how the dealer can sell the car so cheaply. I guess it is some sort of import. Would I have trouble selling it? How can I tell if it is to UK spec? I have no part-ex so should I try to haggle the price even lower?
Any advice much appreciated. Read more
I had a FIAT Brava as a hire car for 3 months and thought it was fine, but they dont hold value well
Have just acquired a 1986 E30 BMW 316 which has done 96k and is in very good condition.
I would like to change the oil and filter but do not know which oil and which grade to choose.
Honest John states in the Car by Car Breakdown that the E30 is a "prime candidate for fully synthetic oil (engine won't last forever without it)".
I would like to strike the right balance between cheap motoring and keeping the car in as good a condition as possible. In view of this, would a premium brand of oil be a waste of money or would the cheapest oil fail to adequately protect the engine?
Help...!
Yours
Andy Read more
I've always run cars over eight years old and my system has always been to buy cheap oil (the cheapest I can find) and change it often (3-3.5K miles). The cars have always lost their appeal before the engines died (my last was a Pug 309D that I had for five years and sold in May for 350 quid at sixteen years old on a dubious 110K). And I've always been able to sell them, too, rather than scrapping.
Chris
My wife has narrowed her choice down to the above three. My preference is for the MX5, due to its looks and perceived reliability. Altough it does not look as well equipped as the other two.
Both the MGF and certainly the Renault have demonstrated to be less than good in terms of build and reliability. On paper the Renault is the best equipped of the three and Mrs Etchells is leaning towards that model, especially as it has room for the dog in the back.
Any suggestions out there? Read more
Not really but he will not jump out unless I tell him to. Believe me that is as true as it gets and he is, a daft as a brush Cocker Spaniel.
I have owned a Nissan Bluebird from new since 1989, which has still only done 85K miles.
The timing belt was changed @ 45K miles, when I started using the car for long journeys to work, 42 miles each way.
I am now only doing 7 miles per day each way & cannot find any recommendation in my Haynes manual for when the timing belt should be replaced next.
Should I assume @ 90K miles or would you recommend changing it now, as I am doing a much lower mileage & it will take a long time to reach 90K ?
If I continue doing this low a mileage, when would you recommend the next change after this one, after 2 years regardless of mileage ? Read more
I would change the belt now as I presume you are doing more town, stop-start type driving. Thereafter every two years would not hurt as its such an easy belt to change. Also up your oil changes to twice yearly. BTW I had a ZX turbo from new until 1995. Fantastic Q car, never ever missed a beat and is still going strong today with the original turbo- oil changes every 3000 miles originally on Valvoline TurboV, latterly on Texaco X1 extra.
Has anyone heard of this before?
www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2001/10/2...g
www.portal.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/ne...l
Jonathan Read more
I saw it in the paper. Scooter looks most odd! Guess it was a designer fantasy.
There has been a number of recent emails highlighting the collapse in used car prices and I am grappling with this conundrum as to where it is all going to end?!!!
1. HJ?s comment that a lady looking at an £3k N reg 80k clio could have a had an 80k w reg at auctions
2. Mr GTI looking for £7k plus when in reality no one will buy it for more than £5500
3. Car are getting more durable in terms of finish and core mechanics but more complex and more expensive to fix as they get older
4. The german brands (and maybe volvo?) seem to be the only ones relatively immune to the collapsing prices.
5. The availability of prices via the Internet from auctions and places like the great trade centre push dealer?s prices down.
Are we moving or have we moved to a situation where there is such a glut of oversupply that no one wants an older than 7 yr old car and there are not enough bangernomics people to pick up the perfectly useable cars remaining thereby confining then to scrap heap or encouraging even more cars onto the roads as 3rd and 4th cars.
Is this shorter life span going to drag the price of new cars down still further?.who wants to lose more than £300pm in depreciation for the pleasure of a new car and if your new e.g S40 is £16k and destined to be £6-7k in 3 yrs almost regardless of what you do with it then that is some drop to bear.
Any advice on whether it worth spending 9k on a premium type car or stick to 6k on a mainstream 3yr old car (still buys a decent top Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan) and see what happens. I think the germans are going to come under increased pricing pressure as the gap opens up and marketing and image are not enough to justify £20k plus price tags.
Sorry about the thesis! Answers on a post card please! Read more
OOps!
Hello
My wife's car - a T reg Fiat Punto with 30 000 miles on it started to show symptoms of requiring new brake pads.
She took it to Kw*k Fit for a quote, they removed both wheels and as you can imagine the pads were worn out, however they refused to simply replace the pads - claiming the discs were corroded on the inside ???? and that 2 new front shock absorbers were also required, - total cost £ 270.
I had to collect her as they couldn't finish the job today, so I had a good look at the car - the discs looked fine to me, there was less than 1/4" thick line of surface rust on the inside edge of the disc, no real scoring or anything, and the only evidence of shock absorber failure was a tiny bit of oil visible on the strut.
I instructed the fitter to only replace the pads as the rust would soon be rubbed off the discs. He refused claiming that he couldn't release the car unless the brakes were 100% he also became visibly annoyed that I had questioned the work.
I am suspicious that the oil on the strut didn't come from inside it too.
However when your car is on a ramp in pieces they have you by the B*llocks don't they ?
What exactly are my legal rights regarding this ?
Is it a fair price providing the work is really necessary ?
Is it likely to be necessary given the age / mileage of the vehicle ?
Are Kwik fit fitters paid a bonus for finding jobs like this ?
Bob Read more
Sorry another person learning the hard way. Garages exist to maximise profit for minimum expense. On being advised that extra work is required, over that requested, I thank them politely and look at the problem later.
No garage can force you to do work you do not want. I stay in the garage until the job is done so that I can see the car on the ramp. The best solution is to do as much yourself as possible. Changing brake pads is not difficult!
Browse
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Sounds like classic Ecotec idle speed control valve problem. At least a clean or more likely a replacement. As Andrew says, check for previous threads.
Regards
john