April 2002
I recall you were keen to learn about prices of used cars in Spain. I discovered a bookmark on my computer for
www.motorpoint.com/
which is a Spanish used car site similar to our Autotrader.
If you click on
CompraCoches
then
Coche Usado
you can then search (Busqueda) for the makes and models that might be of interest to you. It will at least give you some idea of the price and availability of suitable cars.
Good luck. Read more
No details yet but my nephew - works for a Ford Main Dealer in South Manchester - asked me this afternoon if I had received a recall notice for my Mondeo.
As I haven't received any correspondence yet I will be calling in to see him on my way home from work tomorrow and I will post another message once I have more info.
The problem is related to the rear brakes and requires a valve to be fitted. Read more
Alwyn, see car by car breakdown. Mine is a '98.
HJ
Can someone please tell me which is the better car, a Nissan Almera Tino or a Toyota Corolla Versa - best car/value for money - or is there a better car than those two? Read more
Nice to find a kindred spirit, Chris - and you're right in what you say about its width. The vehicle is a very clever package, but not for my old bones!
Ian
Just covered 1000 eventfree miles in my Yaris and thought I had better
check the oil. Apart from the fact that it was still on the full mark, I was
amazed to see that it had not discoloured at all. I am sure the colour of
the oil is identical to the day that it was put in. I would have thought it would have had a little bit of black in it, but, nothing. Whatsmore, for all you
anti-diesel petrolheads out there, it's returning 68.9 MPG, and I don't potter
along at 56 MPH. YIPEE! Read more
Because they burn their fuel more efficiently, which means more completely. So the junk doesn't get dumped in the engine oil.
HJ
Any good? thinking of one to replace my Astra Read more
306 diesel is brilliant, handles like a dream, costs nothing to run and insure but a bit slow. Turbo is far more expensive and more likely to have been thrashed. Try and go for a high spec model part. ABS is tricky to find but a godsend!
Anybody have any opinions on this, a mate of mine is thinking of purchasing Read more
Buy second hand/ nearly new to beat the depreciation. However, if your mate needs convincing, suggests he invests 12 quid and views Ronin on DVD - You see the S8 at its best - over 100mph in Paris and and even scary pursuit after an XM into Nice !!! However, HJ will get kittens over the resultant bodyshop repair bill.
Can anyone offer advice on the cost to add air conditioning to a 1995 BMW 3 Series? Basically, a ball park figure on cost if done at an air con specialist or difficulty of diy. Read more
I went to ReaderAir to get my Cavalier air con fixed (dead compressor) and they were very good. £600 for new compressor fitted, drier etc and gassed.
I would use them again. They will also come to you with their mobile vans, but I am not sure this would apply to big jobs
Cheers from Jase
My 1987 D Toyota Starlet 1.0 12 valve GL has rather an annoying problem: at a certain amount of revs in each gear the exhaust emits a sort of tinkling/vibration noise. The noise isn't that loud, but I am perplexed because the front section of the exhaust has obviously been recently replaced, and the back box and silencer seem to be in reasonable condition (i.e. not showing much rust). The car was MOT'd only a month ago, so I'm sure there's no holes/ leaks in the system. This leads me to believe the vibration noise could be caused by a loose clip/hinge on some part of the exhaust system???
I'm reluctant to get the back box replaced if it isn't totally necessary, because being as there aren't many Starlets of this ilk left it would cost more than what the car's worth (i.e. over £100).
Your thoughts on what could be causing this noise would be very much appreciated, Rob. Read more
I've had this problem a couple of times. Caused by rear end of exhaust being badly fitted. It appears to be clear of body but when started/revved the engine torque moves the exhaust into contact with the rear wing.
Some info that may be useful to other A class owners or to add to HJ's info, regarding a problem with some service indicators on the A class.
My Mercedes A140 (year 2000) uses the ASSYST service indicator what decides for itself when it wants a service.
The car indicated that it required a service after 12 months (6400 miles) and again after 24 months (12900 miles)
After doing some research on the internet regarding the logic of the system (i.e how it works out service intervals) I discovered that the Mercedes Assyst system uses a timed service interval of 720 days or mileage as determined by Assyst (approx 10K on the A140)
The car should request it first service at 10K or 24 months whichever occurs first. As I only did 6400 miles in the first year the car should have had its service (according to MB standards) at 10K (or approx 18 months) and not 12 months (based on time) as displayed by the ASSYST indicator. The second service would then be due 10K or 24 months later, and not 12 months as displayed in the ASSYST indicator. This second service is listed as a B service at an approximate cost of £350
Approximatly one month before a service is due (on time) the display in the car shows the number of days left untill a service is due. This should count down one day a time, however in my car it was counting down by two each day.
After further investigation I discovered that there is a know problem with instrument clusters on certain A class models, with the system counting down two days each day.
After visiting my MB dealer, and checking the chassis numbers, they admitted that it was a "know fault", but that vehicles were not recalled, and the problem only rectified after a customer complained. The dealer should have know that there was a problem after they carried out a service after 6400miles/12 months.
The solution is to replace the instument cluster (under warranty).
If I would have not be inqusitive regarding the workings of ASSYST my car would have been requesting a service more often than needed each time. No wonder that the dealers never mentioned the fault - benefiting from all the extra service work that it created.! Read more
The longlife system on my year 2000 Audi calls for a service about ever year at 7.5k miles , i do mainly 5m journeys so this sounds about right to me , as does yours.
I'm hoping to buy an outboard powered small day boat in a partnership.
The petrol duty is levied for road use, so I should be able to recover that duty on fuel for marine use. Is there any mechanism for doing this or this another dirty little tax? Read more
The dive boat used by the guys who put me through my PADI course off Langkawi had two 200bhp Yamahas on the back. It was a hideous looking catamaran with no screen and a full length flat awning, but that didn't hold it back. At 4,750 rpm it was doing 45knots. At 5,400rpm on a flat sea it was doing 50 knots. Apparently the engines are much more economical at 4,750rpm than at 4,000rpm or lower because at the higher revs the boat is planing so there's less to push along. I obviously don't recommend this on Britain's rivers and inland waterways though where small Honda four-stroke outboards are apparently much kinder to the environment than two strokes and diesels.
HJ
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Thanks Amigos !
Very thoughtful.