February 2002
A NEW VECTRA , IM WILLING TO BET IT WILL HAVE THE SAME OLD PROBLEMS.
FLASHING ENGINE MANAGEMENT LIGHTS, AIRBAG LIGHTS AND FAILING DASHBOARD DISPLAYS.
ON THE EARLY VECTRAS MOST OF THE FAULTY ELECTRICAL PARTS WERE MADE BY SIEMENS WHO ARE AT THIS MOMENT DESIGNING THE MOT COMPUTER SYSTEM. THAT SHOULD BE INTERESTING !!! Read more
Hi,
My wife's '93 clio diesel is due a new set of tyres.
Due to it not having power steering, I was wondering if I could downsize the standard tyre size from 155/70 to 145/80 to benefit from lighter steering.
The rim size is 5.00B by 13''.
Many thanks. Read more
A very dodgy way to achieve lighter steering is to set it for toe-in rather then toe out. Do not be tempted to allow this to be done. As the guys wrote, old tyres become like slicks with more rubber contact to the road. New tyres initially feel much lighter while the hard outer coating scrubs off. Then they continue to feel merely lighter because of the water dispersing gaps between the threads allowing som compliance, as was mentioned earlier.
HJ
My Polo 1.9 Sdi (direct injected) is due it's 15K service. I plan to keep this car a bit longer than nomal ( a year and a half is the current record ) and am wondering what oil to use. It is serviced every 5K ( by a dealer ) so is it worth putting a different grade of oil in it, or just leave them put standard diesel oil in ? I am also considering using an oil additive, will it effect my warranty status ?
Any info would be grately appreciated !
Ash. Read more
The examples i referred to were about corporate suppression of compettitors.
If you listen to rumour then there are wonder fuels out there that oil companies bought the rights to and forgot,wonder tyres that never wear out,not to mention oil that never needs changing.
But I doubt it,i really do.
with my new second hand focus i have a few problems can anyone please offer advice on the following:
1 creaking rear offside door. when you close the door it makes terrrible creaking noise. oil? or structural?
2 air con smells of chemicals - is this dangerous? how can i get rid of
3 rear hatch doesnt open fully - gas lift problem? or just oiling bits?
4 front driver electric window opens all the way despite very short press on the control. passenger side only opens all way if hold swithc down momentarily
5 rear hatch makes terrible slam noise when closing - does lock need adjusting or are they all like this?
6 as i have just bought from dealer should i ask him to sort out the above free of charge? even so would still like to know solutions to above problems.
many thanks Read more
Yes,
But if they solve the tail gate noise I would be interested to know how they did it as my wifes Focus tail gate when it shuts sounds likes loose corrogated iron flapping about.The noise was inproved a bit by putting some felt under the numberplate wich seems to flex against the body when you shut the tailgate.
I refer to the originals of the speed camera photos. And when they go full frontal, where will they be stored, by whom and will the offender be able to reclaim them? Read more
Do you mean he had acne?
Has anyone got any rules of thumb for deciding when 'old faithful' goes to the scrappie?
I've got a 1987 Saab 9000i which has given 8 years of absolutely faithful service, and has been the most reliable & cost-free car I've ever had. But.....she has now done 195,000 miles. The timing chain is getting noisy (might cost £200 using Trent Saab) - timing gear never been done & full monty job is eye-watering £1500 - might give extra 20,000. Clutch has done 110,000 miles (£300) but shows no sign of imminent failure. Front shocks noisy but still fully functional - £200? Car only worth £300-400.
But if I replace her with a similar oldish 9000, I might still get similar expenses having spent £1000 on a replacement (would buy a 1990 car with moderate mileage).
Dilemma - replace or repair? Anyone got any simple ways of making the decision? Read more
Keep it, the few things you say need doing are not difficult to do and even if it costs some money do them as it will last a whole lot longer. However I'd take it to a good Saab specialist not a dealer and ask them to give it a good looking over to see if there is potentially anything expensive about to give way.
As some one has pointed out better the devil you know and the car is worth a lot more to you as you know what is wrong/right with it.
110,000 on a clutch is pretty good however my aunt traded her 93 L 9000 cs in with a 120,000 on the clock and the clutch was still as smooth as ever so you could get further performance out of it.
As I sit here with a wallet about to be emptied as a local chappie services our Mondeo, I wonder about the oil being used.
The container said " Suitable for *most * Zetec engines. Anyone know why only *most*. The ASI spec. was not on the banned list in the Mondeo handbook
This chap is a skilled engineer and is building a large steel boat in his driveway. His large workshop would shame many a garage with lathes, pillar drills welding gear, plasma cutters etc. And he seems to know how to use them all!
He used to own a garage wbut now makes a pile from renting it to others while he attends one day a week to keep his MOT permit up to date. Not a bad life.
BTW, he is charging £60 for the service, which seems fair to me. Read more
We've been here before but Ford's 'own' 5W/30 semi-synthetic is thought to be Taxaco Havoline and it's really good oil.
HJ
Anyone see Ray Mears on Survival this week? He was "suriving in the Arctic and then travelled to the desert. He suggested we should always check our vehicles using the following aide, PETROL
P fuel
E electrics
T tyres
R radiator
O oil
L lights.
He also said that in the desert it is safer to travel in a two vehicle group, He drove Landrover and the film crew drove what looked like a Japanese SUV!
One part concerned laying metal tracks under the rear wheels when buried in sand. He warned that no-one should stand behind a vehicle using this method as the steel trays are sometimes thrown backwards and on one occassion cut a chap's leg to the bone. Yuk! Read more
As you'll know, Ian, you have to learn to 'read' the sand and decide when speed is better than a steady pace. From memory it is called 'fech-fech' in Algeria but there is a type of loose sand across which speed helps you float. Unfortunately, the 2CV doesn't have a lot of speed and I had to dig out three or four times on a flat stretch of about 2km just in front of the Niger border post where the soldiers thought it the best hour's entertainment they had in a while watching me struggle in to get my passport stamped.
I am baffled by the logic of vehicles for China, surely one of the cheapest labour markets in the world and with its own VW production lines, being shipped from South Africa!
David
Semi invalid sister has bee-in-the-bonnet about an S reg five speed example of the above, seen in a local (questionable) dealership.
Can any owner, ex owner or person knowlegable about this type, please offer any advise as to problems, things to look for, regular failure items, advantages, disadvantages etc, etc. Any input would be much appreciated.
Thank you. Read more
Yes I saw them too.
This otherwise rather horrid little vehicle,is cheap,reliable,and practical.
If a car has the same utility appeal to your sister as a fridge,then I dont see she can go far wrong.
Any known problems,HJ?
My new W Reg Corsa appears to be suffering excessive interior condensation on the windscreen and windows. This happens when the car has been left sitting for any period of time.
Anyone have any ideas as to the cause?
Thanks. Read more
Justine,
I am not conversant with the Corsa but, does the heating/ventilation system control have an internal "recirculating" position and a position for "fresh air" ? I have found, on some other vehicles, that the re-circulating heater arrangement leads to excessive condensation inside the vehicle. You might like to investigate this.
Browse
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I have just gone with Hastings Direct in Sussex, telephone 0800 22 1066. I have 3 years NCB, no accidents or convictions etc. on a 2.0 TD W reg Vectra and do about 15K per year. So far I am rather impressed with them as their service is very professional. Churchill's renewal this year was £715, so it certainly pays to phone around as Hastings wanted £481!