Fiat tipo turbo diesel 1991
Recently had brake pipes renewed as well as front caliper on off side. However I still have this problem
after driving for approx 15 mins a screeching noise appears to come from the offside front wheel. This seems to only happen when the steering is slightly turned, when I apply the brakes the noise stops until I release them. Also if I stop completely for 2-3 mins it is fine for about half hour or sometimes longer. It can happen when travelling in a stright line as well at no matter what speed. The sound is similar to when turning metal on a lathe. there is no other problem such as rumbling or wobling wheels Just this extremely loud screeching noise. Anyone who may be able to throw a few suggestions my way it would be greatly appreciated
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I've been offered a 97P SAAB 9000CDE auto for 6k by a mechanic friend of mine (very reliable).The car will be used mainly by my wife around town with occasional motorway trips.

It comes with FSH has all the gizmos:leather,aircon,alloys etc but has done 146k miles and I'm a little put off by this. I know the engines are fairly bombproof but I know the autobox could prove costly if it goes wrong.

Apparently the car was used to ferry VIP air travellers on arrival hence the high mileage.

I will be viewing the car this morning, is there anything I should look for, apart from the mechanics, and does the car represent good value for money.

Thanks in advance

Steve
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Some of you will recall the fun and games that I've had with very high levels of tyre wear on my otherwise hugely enjoyed Vectra GSi Estate.

At last, I can report success, on the front wheels at least, and record it here for the benefit of others.


Let's start with rear tyres though: These have a high degree of negative camber on the GSi (ie they lean 'in' towards the middle of the car, at the top), which gives terrific levels of cornering grip. The down side is a high level of load, and consequent tyre wear, on the inside shoulders of the rear tyres.

Trawling the web, I have found the level of tyre wear I experience (brand new 215x45 ZR17 Avon ZZ1 tyres worn down to the legal limit on the inside edges in 16,000 miles, and equivalent Yokos in 13,000 miles) to actually be 'very good'! Other GSi drivers report as little as 10,000 miles on Avons, and 8,000 miles on Yokos!

Infact, the problem is so well known, that Regal manufacture an after market camber kit, to reduce the problem (www.regal-auto.co.uk/Camberki.html). I'm not sure that the claims to improve handling can be that true (Surely Lotus Engineering, who sorted the B model Vectra suspension out, and MSD, who did the GSi variant, know what they are doing?) but given that one option for next year is to buy the car when the lease runs out, I will investigate this further. There is a big difference between Fleetlease shelling out a fortune in tyres every few months, and me doing so! ;-)


Now to the front tyres: Over the past six months, my GSi has developed a gradually increasing 'pull' to the left, along with increasing levels of wear to the inside shoulders. Two well known fast fit centres, and one independent centre, have had a good look and reported nothing wrong beyond mild tracking tweaking, even using their 'highly accurate' laser equipment.

Fleetlease have been extremely good in all this, and have honoured each of my requests, including, today, to pay for a full four wheel geometry check at the Camden Motors Vauxhall dealership, in Leighton Buzzard. Included in this test was a full camber check, which revealed the problem: The GSi at least (I don't know about other Vectras) has front suspension that is adjustable for camber, and one of my front wheel assemblies had moved a long way out of true.

They also established (by burrs on the nuts, I guess, given that the physical length difference would have been small) that one or more of the fast fit centres had 'adjusted' the tracking by moving only one trackrod, instead of both symetrically.

With the steering properly centred, and the front camber angle reset, I have a car that tracks, steers, and grips as well as the day it was new, and not a clonk, rattle, or bump-steering moment in sight. Woo Hoo! Now I know why I enjoy driving this car so much! :-)


/Steve Read more

I need to top up the ATF on my 1998 Mitsu Colt... did the usual thing of checking the handbook and it sez I should use something called "Dia Queen ATF SPII", I figure the Dia Queen bit is just a brand so look for something called ATF SPII. Hmmm bit of a problem as I can only find stuff either Dexron or Mucron based stuff and I've no idea which I should use. Any ideas? I read somewhere the two are quite different so don't want to chance it and neither do I want to shell out to a Mitsubishi dealer! The chap in the local auto-supplies shop, when asked, returned with the question "Well is it a Dexron based fluid you need?". Durrr, if I knew I wouldn't need to ask.

Any advice would be appreciated as I've had conflicting views thus far... from the "go with the manufacturers stuff" to "you'll be alright with any ATF".
www.TriumphTR7.com - get 'Wedged' Read more

Here is the update, and hopefully final bit, on the previously-mentioned claim my daughter had for a rear-ended Citroen Visa. Both Tesco (her insurers) and Zurich (the other party) offered separately to deal with the claim which meant her ageing car was written off as uneconomical to repair.

Zurich were the quicker of the two, accepting their customer was fully to blame, and offering a settlement which more than covered the minimal purchase value of the admittedly low-mileage car, together with £200 over which compensated for inconvenience, my time spent recovering the car on daughter's behalf and having it inspected. Plus they let her keep the car which passed an MOT the day after the shunt. Since I have now found an identical low mileage Visa for £60 (hard bargaining down from £120 asked), the better bits from Visa No1 are being kept as spares.

I was impressed with Zurich, who seemed very fair, and the speed at which they worked. Tesco were just a bit slower but seem happy that all uninsured losses were recovered and have now sent her annual renewal showing she has built up her NCD. However, inflation seems to have pushed the premium so it is only about £20 lower than it was for her first insurance last year.


Not having been involved in an insurance claim (theft of MGB 20 years ago) for some time, it has been instructive. In shopping around for new quotes, we will no longer be bothering with extras such as protected NCD, uninsured losses protection, or comprehensive on low value cars with cheap-to-replace windscreens. We will probably stay fully comp on the Honda Legend (expensive windscreen) and with 'name' companies for the car most likely to go abroad (inclusive Continental cover and 'free' Green Card).

David
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