August 2002
Hi all,
Quick piece of advice. Some unidentified ******* (yes, I typed the stars in myself...) let a trolley hit the back of my Vectra resulting in the loss of a piece of paint about 1" square from the rear painted bumper.
Plan was to buy a touch up pen kit from Halfords and paint over it as best I could but the paint on the bumper is quite think and the battlescar is going to be noticeable even after touching up.
Any tips on how I can or should repair this damage without resorting to anything costly like resprays?
Much thanks in advance for your responses.
Dan Read more
I'm looking at buying a 3 yr old diesel, probably a 1.9TDi Audi or 525d BMW with circa 30,000 to 40,000 miles on the clock. Apart from Climate Control I'm relaxed about spec. and intend to keep it for 2 - 3 yrs. I do about 25k per annum.
Any thoughts on the conparison between running costs for the two cars? I'm not too concerned about depeciation, just servicing, routine maintenance and reliability.
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Pah, no one will no if you de-badge it. Commonplace with Audis and BMWs. Then get a cheap £250 personal plate from the DVLA (we have an A6 xxx plate and it was only £250) and no-one will know you are getting a miserly 50mpg and driving a 12 grand car.
They look great in silver.
Hi
I am looking for the piant code from my Vectra to get some trim painted. on the plate on the front of the engine bay I have:
589895 1Z7456 *10 19 11*
then a load of 3 digit codes that I assume are the option codes.
anybody know which is the paint code?
Thanks
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Vectra paint codes are on the "B" post of the drivers door.
Can anyone suggest a website for getting private sale valuations for s/h cars? Glass's and autoexpress give only trade-in / forecourt figures and Parkers won't work for my car for some reason. TIA
Phil Read more
Thanks; it's a good deal quicker than the other sites too
Here is a useful site for Xantia owners...
www.citroendont.fsnet.co.uk
(I'm surprised that there isn't one for the XM...)
Rob
P.S. Is Andy Bairsto still monitoring this group?
And, David W., I've lost your e-mail address, could you re-send off-list, please? Read more
I've seen this site before, about a year or so ago and he's really quite an unhappy man!
I think this is something like the old having a meal with friends situation where the subject of high street banks crops up. Between your average 5/8 people you're practially guaranteed to have someone who's fallen out with each of the high street banks. Me? Midland or HSBC as it's now know. And I won't set foot inside River Island clothes shop either...
But the point it, I can't be bothered to run a website on it. I bet if you looked around, he'll running a site on "Why Gillette is EVIL", "You'd be barmy to buy a POLO Mints" and "Why you should avoid Indian takeaways".
And fair play to him. I'd hate to live in a country where he couldn't.
Can I steer this back to a technical angle by saying that my Xantia's doors are fine but I knew a guy whose BX door was blown off in a very strong wind.
Lee
Hi there everyone. I've been thinking about trading in my 1991 940 SE Turbo for a recent Omega (2-3 years old). I need a big car and the Omega seems to be about the biggest available. I've been fairly lucky with my Volvo so far (touch wood !!!) and don't want to buy into a load of expensive problems. I've resd lots of coflicting views on Omega reliability running costs etc. and am confused to say the least. Bye the way the only thing I nkow about cars is how to pay outfor them in one way or anoter. I'd really appreciate any feedback/experiences to assist my decision. Target moodel would be 2.5/2.6cdx V6 or similair. Looked at Nidd Vale Motors who seem to have loads and will deliver anywhere for small deposit. Anyone tried them ?My motorin is mainly town-ish punctuated by the odd trip to coast - approx. 5k per annum. Any tips as to what I should look for in a prospective purchase (problems, faulyts etc.). Thanks loads.
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I never use the engine or gearbox for braking unless
absolutely necessary. I believe its much cheaper to
replace a set of brake pads than replace an automatic
gearbox or engine!
My previous Auto - Cavalier Diplomat - I owned for 4 years. Was 3 yrs old when I bought it. Sold on with 95,000 on the clock. Never changed the gearbox oil, was as clean as the day I bought it. Used sport mode then as do I now in the Vectra.
I would have thought dropping into Neutral would help
not to overheat the box, assuming it disengages everything?
That's how I understand it. While in the gears or in neutral the oil can circulate the full gearbox. In Park is doesn't - that's why it can overheat if left idling for long periods. That's what I was told by the dealer anyway.
when the revs hit 6000 rpm I get very nervous at that
poor 16V 2 litre engine screaming its heart out and
decided to just stay where I am, in the traffic!
I have always found Vauxhall engines very durable and forgiving. The cobwebs never have time to settle in any of the Vauxhalls I have owned. All previous ones sold had done near on 100,000 miles, and never needed any oil top ups between routine services. Maybe I've just been lucky & I ought to shut up before Vicky Vectra goes pop :~\
In order to overtake, its often necessary to get the
revs to around 3000-3500 first, in an auto this isn't
so easy though pressing the sports button without using
kickdown sometimes works.
Yes, overtaking. I always find that it's best to plan ahead and get ready a couple of seconds before you actually want to overtake to compensate for the Autobox lag.
Even so, must remember this is not a sports car!
You're way too paranoid. Sit back and enjoy your Omega without worrying about what's going or not going to happen under the bonnet :o)
Booked 309 in for full service Premier Plus or whatevr which involves fuel filetr and gearbox oil
Its a 1993 model which has a sealed gearbox
So when they suggest gearbox oil change are they after more money; should I refuse the gearbox oil change? Or will they actually do it?
Excuse the typing. Read more
Keith,
I didn't quite understand. Are you suggesting that only Total oil
should be used? I bet that any reputable oil of the
correct grade will be fine.
It seems that Peugeot/Citroen always specify Total products but there is
no doubt in my mind that this is due to a
commercial agreement rather than a technical necessity.
Keith,
I didn't quite understand. Are you suggesting that only Total oil
should be used? I bet that any reputable oil of the
correct grade will be fine.
It seems that Peugeot/Citroen always specify Total products but there is
no doubt in my mind that this is due to a
commercial agreement rather than a technical necessity.
Sorry for not being clear, Dizzy. I'm not saying only Total should be used but most oil cos. don't seem to make an oil to the 75/80 BV spec (whatever that is). Even Total garages don't stock it in my area. Halfords do an own-brand version which is presumably OK. The danger is that Halfords would use the usual Hypoy 80 but whether that would have any adverse effects is anyone's guess.
What I do know is that changing the gear oil on an AX I used to own cured severe gearchange problems I was having - at 34000 miles. That car also had a 'sealed for life' gearbox complete with the usual drain & fill/level plugs. Andyspares sell the genuine Total oil for £2.90 + VAT per litre pack. So £7 to DIY compared with Halfords' £30 (assuming they do it correctly or at all).
www.eurekar.com/pc/Result.asp?ID=X3lg9Eoto42wgky4l...6
Half Price?
Shurely shome mishtake?
AP Read more
Was this a typo or a genuine offer?
I understand that a company supplied vehicle with eight seat plus the driver may be charged for Car Tax at the van rate rather than the Car rate. Does anyone know how/where I can get a definite answer, other than the Revenue, as I am getting conflicting advice from dealers. Read more
Does that mean a LWB Land-Rover (the passenger version) would comply?
Had a call today in my office, and the bloke was driving along while chatting, burbling along 19-to-the-dozen...
I was getting pretty bored with the conversation, and trying to think of an excuse to get him off the line, when I heard the "woowooo" of a police siren over the line.
"Oh S***, I've got to go," he said...
Later he phoned me back - plod had nailed him R300 (ie 75 litres of fuel) for the offence...
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On my way home I stop at a T-junction with traffic lights....about 1 in every 3 cars contains an idiot with one hand clasping the phone to their ear, the other on the wheel trying to make a 90 degree turn in first gear as they haven't been able to change up into 2nd as their left hand is holding the phone - only a matter of time before my offside front wing gets hit.
And while I'm enjoying a good moan...one of the main [two-lane] roads into Belfast has its inside lane continually clogged with parked cars, slowing the traffic to a virtual halt as drivers have to pull in & out of this lane to avoid these parked cars. [the owners of these cars stop there to visit the sandwich bar at the roadside, despite there being a free car park behind the shop]
A £750 fine for vehicles parked there would deter most illegal parkers, speed up the traffic, and add a few shekels to The Treasury.
Browse
If you use the touch up stick you can build up 3 smooth layers of paint over 6 days. You can use a cocktail stick for the very finest bits, and if in doubt put less paint on not more then do an extra coat. Then the lacquer coat. If you don't like it, you can still remove the bumper (I don't know the Vectra but bolts are often under trim strips) and ask a local paint shop to spray it up.
PB