March 2002
Further to Bogush thread below, has anyone any experience of breakdown recovery companies other than the AA or RAC.
Direct Line, Green Flag? Read more
I've used Britannia rescue twice-both times got to me exactly when they said they would-recovered me back to my to my own house and tools which is what I asked for so I have no idea of their technical expertise.They're cheaper if you're a member of the Civil Servants Motoring Association(CSMA) but you don't have to be.
I have an old, high mileage Peugeot 405 (1.6 carburettor model) which has started to leak a bit of oil from out of no. 1 sparkplug. It?s not too bad at the moment but I would like some advice from the experts if possible. The car doesn?t appear to be blowing smoke from the exhaust, so can I assume from this that the leak could be from the valve stem seal rather than broken rings, piston wear etc? If it is the seal, is this a particularly costly repair (I don?t have the ability to do it myself) or can I continue for a while without causing further problems? Starting when the engine is warm sometimes produces black smoke but starting from cold is OK as I guess the oil has had a chance to drain away. By the way, it recently passed the MOT.
On another point, what is the opinion on buying a reconditioned carburettor ? can they be reconditioned successfully?
Answers gratefully received. Read more
DAVID We have recently had the vavle stem oilseals replaced on a 205 and a ZX,you dont have to remove the head just the camshaft,the valves are shut with air pressure from a device inserted in the spark plug hole. It cost 3hours labour pls parts parts,I think the seals were about 1 pound each
HTH Tony H
Our local rag manages, most weeks, to print a couple of anti-motoring letters.
This week's offering includes one from a sub-committee chairman of the local branch of the Council for the Protection of Rural England.
Its main thrust strays outside the CPRE principle aims of countryside preservation into the realms of road safety and speeding, but the author rather shoots himself in the foot by stating that motorways are ten times safer than ordinary roads.
Excuse me, but I thought that the CPRE has spent millions of pounds in bringing motorway building to a halt so, by inference, they have condemned thousands of people to death or injury by forcing them to use less safe roads.
I doubt that the author will make the connection, though. Read more
Update
In this week's edition they have printed FOUR letters, including mine, pointing out the stupidity of the arguments which the CPRE guy used.
Must be a record for that paper!
Gentlemen - what should I buy for £4 to £5 thousand, if i need an estate, pref top of the range, petrol or diesel, not bothered about make but reluctantly decided AGAINST mercedes.
Should I go to a car supermarket, bearing in mind that I need to trade-in an alfa gtv in excellent condition?
been reading lately in autocar that mondeo prices are tumbling, should I be looking out for excellent value here?
thanks
Spencer Read more
But as i have said elsewhere,mondeos have such depressing engines,its a Ford tradition.The Vectra has a worse chassis but nicer engines and build,but the 406 is the pick on balance,even if only the 3 litre actually goes.A chipped HDI would be nice but you get the 2.1 for that money,methinks.the dodge with that one is to unplug the exhaust recirculation.
Since this is the second post this evening on this I am now expecting HJ to tell me I've got Ford engines all wrong......if only.Would not be averse to a Ghia x wagon myself otherwise.Its the leatheryou know,it makes me fruity.
Volve S40 (a friends car, not my V40) driving along the motorway at 70mph, notice that the instrument and headlights (at least) flicker or dim briefly in braking or using the indicators. Pulled into the next services without turning off the engine repeated test with car idling but stationary....no problem, increase revs in neutral to 2500rpm (cruising speed in 5th) and problem reoccurs....lights dim (almost go out) briefly when applying brake sufficiently to illuminate brake lights or turning on indicators.
Turn off car, restart......no further problems for the next 120miles home.
Weird, is there some kind of central light management box that had its logic all screwed up and the restart effectively rebooted its PLC?
any ideas welcome
cheers
Ian L. Read more
Well, its been a long time, so long in fact that Dave kindly dragged this out of the archive (have I really been around that long?)
As for the lighting problems on a friends S40, well the Volvo dealer could never reproduce the fault, so it was ignored while it slowly got worse, in fact with time it became clear that every electrical circuit was losing power briefly whenever the electrical load increased, this was made more evident when the radio cassette was replaced with a CD player which was much more sensitive to voltage irregularities.
Eventually on using any electrical item while driving (indicators, brakelights, rear window demister, windscreen washers/wipers etc would cause the lights to dim, all instruments to fall to zero, internal instrument lights to dim, radio to cut out briefly.
At this point decided to demonstrate to dealer who agreed that it was a real problem, they provided an equivalent car for two weeks and took the car in.
Turns out that a combination of the wiring loom and ignition switch was breaking down under increased load....but not all the time. The earthing was ok. With almost a complete new loom
and new ignition switch seems ok after 10 days. All fixed under warranty as the fault had been reported before it had expired (9 months ago)
Hope this is useful to somebody, thanks to Dynamic Dave for reviving the thread.
cheers
Ian
Doing my second 12 car as driver tonight!
Hopeing to beat my previous position of 5th!
As a good omen I got into work in record time today. [1]
[1] Light traffic - there's not much scope for drive skill on my drive into work. Read more
"I'd say unregulated treasure hunts are far worse"
Yep Dave, I'll give you that one, I forgot about those flaming things!
Saw this on BBC2 last night, particularly surprised by the bit on GSF. I've been using them for years and have never had a problem. I have asked for genuine parts and they have always been honest and said they are just 'pattern' parts. The only problem I have had was with some Golf door handles which only last ~6 months, brake components have always been well known brands.
Andrew
www.hispecgolfs.co.uk Read more
13th March 2002
Dear Friends,
May I please express my thanks for your overwhelming support following the BBC programme ?Lifting The Bonnet? last week.
I was approached to comment on the results of the ?hidden camera? and felt it necessary to put our view across rather than allowing the BBC to have free licence. The content was of course chopped to portray the worst elements, but I felt GSF would be damned if we appeared and damned if we refused. I chose to give the interview to relay an honest opinion.
Our employees are human and will make mistakes, but never would I allow my staff to knowingly try and deceive our customers. It is obvious that you all know GSF and their track record and there will be no deviation from our promise of quality parts at competitive prices.
Many thanks again.
Stan West
German, Swedish & French Car Parts Ltd
From Reuters.
This is one of the most disturbing things I've read.
A Texas nurse's aid faces murder charges after hitting a man as she drove and then letting him bleed to death over two to three days while he was trapped in her car's windscreen, police said on Thursday.
Gregory Glen Biggs, 37, was hurled headfirst through the windscreen by the impact, his broken legs lying across the car's hood, Lieutenant Jesse Hernandez said.
Chante Mallard, 25, told investigators she panicked after hitting the man on a Fort Worth highway near her home one night last October. She drove to her house, parked the car in her garage and ignored his pleas for help, police said.
Biggs, who lived in a city homeless shelter, died of blood loss and shock over the course of two to three days, according to the coroner's report. He probably would have survived with medical attention, police said.
Mallard was arrested on Wednesday after police received a tip in the investigation that started with the discovery of Biggs' body in a park, where it was apparently dumped after he died.
"I'm going to have to come up with a new word. Indifferent isn't enough. Cruel isn't enough to say. Heartless? Inhumane? Maybe we've just redefined inhumanity here," Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Richard Alpert told the Worth Star-Telegram, which first reported the arrest.
Mallard told police she had been drinking and taking the drug ecstasy before the accident.
Police said a search of Mallard's home found the car still in the garage, with the windscreen broken and blood and hair evidence intact. Read more
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Does anybody out there have any idea what engine/gearbox oil to use for a 1997 Alfa GTV 2.0 TS. The local dealer has suggested synthetic engine oil, and is 'checking' about the gear oil. Some specs would be nice. Thanks
BTW the manual just says synthtic oil no mention of grade.
Jim Read more
Thanks for the info. sounds like I'll be stocking up with oil on the next channel crossing.
Jim
Browse
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Will it have those wonderfully useful helicopter lifting eye things on the roof like a real Hummer does?I just couldnt now be seen in a 4wd without those,I reckon they easily beat two cupholders per person as the most useful innovation of the millennia.And you can put one of those wonderful big butch twin rotor 'copters on the options list,parking need never be a problem again.
I just cant believe how thick skinned all these 4wd owners are,surely they must know we take the piss out of them all the time,or are they insensitive as well as pig thick?