August 2002
I'll soon be looking to change my privately-owned (yes I know) Vectra 1.8 which on the whole, does its job well. I've decided that I want to go down the diesel route and really like the look of the Seats - specially the Toledo even though it doesn't have the convenience of a hatch. I know that the Leon does and is the same car but I'm not so keen on the look of it.
Anyway, much as I like the Seats, the low value of the Veccy means that the cost to change will be more that I am wanting/able to pay. So I have pretty much resigned myself to sticking to Vauxhall and getting a nearly new Astra - maybe an estate. Even nearly new Octavia estate TDi 90/110 are a bit steep our way.
Just wondering whether anyone has much experience of how they "go" - I know that we're not talking about big speeds and acceleration, but is the 1.7 able to keep up/ahead with most of the flow?
Tar muchley.
Richard Read more
I'm looking for breakdown cover at reasonable rates and am astounded at the cost. I require joint cover for roadside assistance and relay (in AA terms). Any suggestions for a cheap deal welcome! So far I have found -
AA - £99
RAC - £73
Green Flag - £92
Thanks
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Autonational Rescue are reasonable, give a massive discount on a second car, 25% NCB on joining, and, which is the most important factor, responded quickly on the two occasions I have called them out.
One involved a long-distance relay through traffic jams on Christmas Eve, the other fabricated a get-you-home clutch retaining clip at the roadside.
Does anyone have any idea what could be the most likely problem with my R plate 2.0L LX auto mondeo which has been changing gear violently with the O/D light flashing? This only really happens when the car is warmed up on motorway journeys, temp guage is reading normal. Ford want £90 to check it out! Bit pricey i think. A branch of Mr clutch done a free diagnostic (lasting all of 30 secs) and reckoned it was knackered and £980 would mend it! Any answers would be much appreciated. Read more
in this hi-tech age when all cars are so much more reliable, it still amazes that me (going by HJ's feedback) that manufacturers like Renault and Fords (in particular) seem unable to produce automatic gearboxes that don't last a decent length of time. Is it through bad design, cheap components or poor assembly?
El Hacko
Just noticed an advertisement in my local paper. My nearby Vauxhall dealer is offering brand new, new shape Vectras for £12600-thats £2000 off list price. Now if they are already discounting to this extent, on a new model, it doesn't bode well for the future. This is the very reason why I recently decided on a year old Passat, as opposed to a mainstream model. Read more
Buy a second hand one, say a year old and save probably over 50%! I'd never buy new unless I won the lottery or had money to burn, unless someone else buys it for you!
S.
....sorry to hear about the 5 series :-)
_____________________________________
SVPworld (incorporating PSRworld)
www.svpworld.com
Hi,
Just wondering what people thought of the (old-style) Accent? I was looking around for cars around the 1000-1500 mark, and the vehicles from the bigger firms (Nissan, VW, Ford etc) were all quite old, you'd be talking a K or L reg which is getting on a bit now.
However with the Accent I saw some 96 Ns and even Ps for around 900-1100 quid, and these cars look quite good on paper. Quite nippy, cheap and a decent reliability record, and a lot newer than the other brands due to the depreciation these cars suffer. They don't look that bad either. None of the ones I saw appeared to have any rust at all or any obvious engine problems, which is more than can be said for a couple of the Escorts!!!
Are these cars any good? They seem a bargain to me, with the Mitsubishi-derived engines and so on, but is there anything I need to look out for or be aware of? Read more
My Mum had a 97R 1.3 auto.
Reasonable car inside and to look at (for the money); I guess the buyer got a good deal for £2000.
However it wasn't that cheap to service. It was slow unless thrashed mercilessly and returned 25mpg when I was in it. (My Pug 309 does 35 mpg.) I test drove a manual version when looking for a replacement for my Polo and the 309 was far better to drive despite being a much older design of car.
Dear all
I was just about to to throw out a bottle of engine oil (10/40) for petrol engines. I have a a diesel now. Is this oil no good for it then? Should I bin it?
Any help, much appreciated.
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Sorry - Andrew (not Anthony). Must get my eyes checked!
Hi folks,
I have some strange behaviour from my temp' gauge.
It sometimes moves up very quickly, like quicker than something can actually get hot. It may show a notch or two higher than normal. The fan doesn't kick in well past where it normally would. I suspect a guage fault as the car doesn't seem too hot and the clincher ( I think!) when I turn the engine off and back on straight away, the guage shows normal.
I sat it in the drive and let it get hot to where the fan comes on and it did as expected.
Some intermittent gauge fault or something more serious?
I had the heater matrix changed in April?
All thoughts appreciated.
Cheers,
Bruce. Read more
Sorry, that was a bit sexist, shouldn't assume it was a 'him'...
Picture the scene. It is a fine sunny summer day. The time is noonish. A car driven by a me (a lone youngish female) is moving at moderate speed along a straight, semi-rural A road that is flanked by green fields. No houses are in view. There is no on-coming traffic. To the rear of my car are a number of black-clad motorcyclists.
Suddenly, I am overtaken by two of the cyclists who then position themselves side by side a few feet in front of my car. They reduce speed causing me to slow down accordingly. I decide to over-take but when preparing to do so I become aware that there is a third biker half way along the off-side of the car. Puzzled I look in the rear-view and spot two other bikers side by side to the immediate rear of my car who are also travelling at the same speed as the other three.
I am now effectively boxed in. If I increase speed I will hit the two in front. If I pull out I will hit the one on the side. If I brake the rear two will hit the back of my car. None of the bikers have looked directly at me. The situation is so bizarre that I decide that no eye contact is a darn good idea.
As we progress I become a little uncertain as to what their game plan is other that to scare the living daylights out of me. I am very conscious that the road is still empty of other traffic. I keep my eyes peeled for a left hand junction and decide that I would make a fast unannounced left turn as and when, then straddle the centre of that country lane and hope that they couldn’t get in front again. No such luck – no left turn.
Suddenly, at a point on the road when we were approaching a hill, and without any visible signal to each other, the bikers in front increased speed, the centre one overtook me followed by the last pair. Then they all disappeared over the brow of the hill leaving me to continue more slowly in a state of decreasing tension.
I have wondered on the odd occasion over the years just what was the point of the exercise. They seemed highly disciplined; they acted in unison so presumably they were well practiced in this manoeuvre and one supposes that it was only carried out because the road was empty. Was it a ‘joke’ they played on lone females on empty roads? I don’t know – any theories?
Rita
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And to think, you can't even use your mobile phone to call for help, for fear of prosecution.
Bikers would probably get let off with a warning by boys in blue, you would get done for driving without due care and attention!!
With all the problems experienced by failed cambelts, I was wondering if any of the backroom tech-heads have compiled data on all makes and models using chain driven cams only. Having had first hand experience of a 16v Astra failing, I would find this info extremely useful. Read more
Hang on wasn't there a thread about failed chain belts, the lesson being that nothing's safe when it comes to cambelts?
Got a small problem with a 100NX that garages haven't been able to sort out. When I have my foot down on the clutch and the cars in gear (e.g. coasting up to a junction or in heavy traffic leaving the car in gear and coasting along) the revs flucuate all over the place and can drop so low that the car cuts out.
If I take the car out of gear and leave my foot down on the clutch the revs stay at the correct idle speed.
Any ideas?? Read more
I have this exact same problem, which is rather annoying - did you manage to solve the problem? It seems ok when the car is warm but is all over the place when cold. Was it a dowel issue? Look forward to your response.
Browse
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I changed to a Vauxhall Astra 1.7 DTi 2 months ago from a 2.0 16v Cavalier. Granted, the acceleration is sacrificed, but the consistent 55-60 mpg I get in return makes it a far less bitter pill to swallow. I love the car, and it cannons along the M56 at 80 mph quite happily.