November 2001
I will shortly be changing my company Mondeo TDI (not a bad car, but a dog of an engine). As my options are limited to another of the same, timing is of the essence. Does anyone have any idea when the CDI engine is due to be fitted to the Mondeo? Read more
Need some thoughts from the alarm experts please. My Ford F150 has remote operated locks, interior lights, immobiliser and the associated gubbins. It does not however possess an alarm per se. In fact the handbook does not advise fitting one, which may interfere with the existing immobiliser electrics (it says).
However, having been "keyed" last week by a local Abu Sayyaf afficionado who clearly resented the US in Afghanistan, felt my US truck was somehow to blame, and whom I would have caught had an alarm alarmed me in time to catch him and send him back to Mother in a plastic bag, continually having security guards in mall car parks lean /sit on it and bang the paintwork with their guns, tasers handcuffs and other villain-apprehending ironmongery etc on their belts which are standard issue in the Philippine Islands, teenagers in my condo car park using it as a bumrest when they're having telephone sex, general "fingery" types who can't resist physical contact of some form or another, presumably driven by the irresistible need to see if what is before them really is what they see before them, and other irritating species. I have decided I need something to wake these idiots up and let me know so I can do my angry foreigner bit and chase them away with cries of "hijo de puta" and other Filipino-Spanish epithets, perhaps backed up by a length of 4 X 2. What I think I want therefore is a basic alarm set off by contact and/or motion. It can be wired entirely separately from all the other horrendously complicated looking electrics and doesn't have to get involved with existing circuits. Yes I will have to carry another remote along with the existing one but I can live with that.
I have looked at the multiplicitous array of Taiwanese and Japanese wizardry available where I live, but an alarm as described doesn't seem to be available. Local dealers say they can adapt them but that would be dodgy. If there is something in UK I can get it shipped.
Thanks in advance. Read more
I like the sound of the flame thrower. More info here home.intekom.com/intouch/archive/intouch/episode4/...m
Colin
I drove south down the M40 earlier this evening - traffic heavy but moving well. Between Banbury and Oxford progress was halted and I was in a slow moving stop/start queue for 20 minutes. The cause was some police cars with blue flashing lamps on the hard shoulder of the opposite(northbound) carriageway. No evidence of an accident and all 3 lanes were clear in both directions. The queue heading north was several miles long.
Seems incredible that 'rubberneckers' can cause such jams. Read more
Come on l-a-c - if that is the best you can do you are just proving Timmy is right. In any case you should realise that to be cool it has to be a Volga or a Zil, or perhaps a Trabi.
We were coming home around the M25 this evening, the traffic was heavier than usual, but we didn't mind. Because some caring people had put on a series of free firework displays for us. They were lovely to watch whilst we sat stationary. I believe Surreys were the best, Hertfordshire came second. The police put on a good display as well clearing away the little shunts that were happening. Thanks for a lovely time, glad I wasn't in a hurry. Read more
please tell me what i did wrong???
I have opted out of the company car scheme and last year took out Class 3 insurance on advice after a long story. This year seems to be a toss up between Class 2 or 3 depending on the company you speak to as some don't do Class 3 and proceed to tell me that Class 2 is OK. Regrettably nobody seems to be able to give me a straight answer on the definition of any of these varying classes 1,2 or 3 ( my boss probably thinks social, domestic and pleasure will do ! ). I guess many people are in the same predicament and bad advice could prove costly of course should you try and claim when under insured or accept an unnecessary high premium. Now the car is my responsibilty obviously I want to ensure correct insurance. Does anybody know a decent unbiased website that will explain these terms in plain english. I am a sales manager travelling to pre-arranged appointments doing about 40K a year. Thanks to all. Read more
> Last year I told my insurer exactly what my job entailed, seeking their advice, and was pleased with the quotation ( Class 2, if I remember ) only to be later told that Class 3 was correct and I owed a further £300.
Strange. Unless, and reading back it isn't clear, your wife uses the car for *your* business. Class 2 is normally not dependent on the use of the policyholder, that's Class 1 & 3; Class 2 is normally dependent on the use of other drivers.
The difference between Class 1 & Class 3 is the question of prearranged appointments. That's the thing to push. However, you will need to ensure that you keep an appointment book that you could produce to your insurers in the event of a serious accident (normally interpreted by them as "expensive").
Also, make sure you are clear about carrying the demo stuff. It most certainly is a significant increase in theft risk, but you have to be sure that they will not regard them as "commercial goods".
BTW, since the terminology changes all the time, its normally considered in this order
SD&P (with or without to & from)
Class 1/A/B1
Class 2/B/B2
Class 3/C/B3
I am assuming that you are not referring to one of the few insurers that refers to "SD&P incl to & from" as "Class One".
Also, bear in mind that the person you are talking with probably knows as much about motor insurance as the cashier in Tesco's knows about pig breeding. It would be unwise to believe their answer unless you have reason to. Normally, any question of this type *should* be referred to an underwriter, and you will be safer if it is.
Whatever you do, get something in writing about your usage and goods carriage.
Shout if you need more advice.
M.
For some time I've been hearing a pronounced squark from the engine of my 97R 2litre Mondeo Ghia estate. At first, I noticed it when I'd just started the car and was turning in the drive - for this reason I thought it may be something to do with the power steering. Since then I've noticed it when the steering has not been on full lock, and occasionally on the open road. The engine does not appear to be suffering in any other respects. It has now done 65,000 miles. Anyone any ideas ? Thanks. Read more
No, I haven't, but I will - thanks for the suggestion, Darcy.
Its been many years since I have changed oil on a car & have decided to take HJ's advice and go for a 5k change between services on my 1.6 Megane.
Although I can see the drain plug and could undo it without having to use ramps (sloping drive and basically scared of ramps) I'm having trouble worning out what size key to use. Halfords sold me a universal key - none of which fitted (I got my money back).
Any comments? In anticipation .....
Robert Read more
Thanks all,
Eventually managed to get the correct (8mm square) adaptor from my small local auto shop for £4.95 AND I managed to do the whole process without jacking the car or using ramps! Halfords were useless- sold me a universal tool (Draper) - none of which fitted!
Considering the oil was only in for 4000 miles/6 months - gee was it bad! I let the sump drain for well over an hour and then refilled with nice fresh fully synthetic.
If for no other reason than getting rid of the grime I'm now 100% behind HJ's regular oil change plan.
Regards ............ Robert
I am trying to get a headlamp cover off , to repalce a bulb on my L reg Mondeo. I`m doing it as the hand book says but it hasn`t budged yet.
Has anyone any tips?
Thanks
Jason Read more
I am considering upgrading the filaments in my trusty 'boat ' - a Sunny 1.4 1989 vintage, as I currently do some rural night driving, on 'B'roads and worse. Any advice welcomed ref. alternative wattage, wiring loom capability/ fuses. Someone has suggested up to 100w substitute can be accomodated, but I wonder. I tried a 60w supalux with supposedly 30% more light but am not over impressed, particularly in bad weather! The car is, otherwise,a bog standard, never been altered in any way .
Thanks Chris. Read more
Didn't like the XM headlamps either. If ever a car needed headlamp washers, it was that one. Probably the same French designer at the controls.
My 1992 Cavalier 1.6L wont start. The previous day, I had driven 70 miles in London through heavy stop start traffic, with about 20 starts in all. The engine behaved perfectly all the time even when the cooling fan was cutting in on high temperatures in traffic jams.
I called out the RAC and the patrolman checked that fuel, spark plugs, distributor cap, ignition leads, igniton coil are all OK. He thinks it is the "amplifier module" which sits under the ignition coil that is likely to be faulty. He did not have a matching spare but said I should get one from a authorised dealer and it would be "very expensive". I have taken the amplifier off the car and checked the resistances across the four terminals - and these range from 10 ohms to 120 ohms, i.e. there is no open circuit or shorted circuit.
I have spoken to a friend who suggests it could be the ECU or the distributor itself. If it is the distributor, how does it come off? It looks like it is one-piece/moulded to the cylinder head.
Any suggestions? Any ideas as to how much it is likely to cost to have this fixed at a Vaux dealer?. Thanks for your help. Read more
thank you, Adam.
I searched at two scrapyards for the parts - but could not get identical bits.
In the end, I paid £76+ at Vaux for a new ignition module, put that on, still no spark! Returned the part and got a refund.
Then I managed to get the Distributor off, cleaned up the hall sensor contacts, allowed the cylinders to dry out of flooded petrol overnight thru open spark plug holes.
Fired up this morning - hey presto, engine back to normal!
Thank you again.
Browse
The Focus gets a 1.8 of the DCi in January. Still no announcement from Ford about the Mondeo.
HJ