August 2002
Had to chuckle at the person who wrote to HJ's torygraph column complaining that he went to a skoda dealer to arrange a test drive but the dealer had no demonstrator of the model he wanted!
Indignantly, he asks how can the dealer expect anyone to buy the car! Do these people expect every dealer to have a demonstrator of every model in the range waiting to go?
I thought 'disgruntled of Tunbridge Wells' was a figment of newspaper columns but apparently not. Read more
Isn't it time that the practice of laying loose chippings on wet tarmac was outlawed?
This crude method of using private vehicles as road rollers results in paint chips and broken screens, and the resultant surface is not very good anyway! Read more
Completely agree. This type of resurfacing is a nightmare; not only is it harmful to the car and dangerous to the motorcyclist it plainly doesn't work. As mentioned above - it barely sticks to the road (tar sticks better to your vehicle), it's ugly and it simply doesn't work. In Market Harborough (Leic's) they covered the roads into the town in this surface - completely covering the red-marked cycle lanes!! But what really took the biscuit was the fact that the lines were only repainted once traffic had removed the chippings and thus revealed where the cycle lanes were! The dust (these are very busy roads as, not only is the town quite large - businesses and commuter wise - it is also a through route between Leicester and Northampton) was something else - coating cars, windows and a delight for Asthma sufferers.
As a cyclist the chippings are also a very real danger. I've had chippings crack the lenses in cycling glasses and, virtually, shred my shin. Surely it's only a matter of time before someone takes a council to court over this type of surface... a return to the dirt tracks in medieval times would be preferably - at least those 4x4 monstrosities would have a purpose then!
Do todays modern Turbochargers need time to cool after use. I know drive a Passat 1.8T and often wonder whether I should let it idle for a minute or so after a run. I know it was advisable a few years back, but is it still necessary today.
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I have the same engine in my Audi and asked the forum for some clarification on this subject back in October last year. The thread can be found by doing a search on "Audi 1.8T 20V engine"
Looking to buy a 2.0 petrol Mondeo (manual gearbox), R,S or T reg; prices seem to drop substantially when mileage is over the 100k barrier. If I buy a Mondeo with 100k miles, what major costs should I budget for over the next, say, 30k? The alternative is to buy a Mondeo at 60-70k but pay a premium to reflect the lower mileage, your comments please. Read more
Budget for another car in my experience!!!
Bill
My partner's son has a K-reg Peugeot 205 1.1 GL (72k on the clock), which is emitting a rumbling/faintly grinding noise when turning left, not that alarming but nonetheless audible, particularly at speed, and can be felt through the steering. It has the local independent Peugeot specialist baffled; he has replaced both drive shafts and the RHS front wheel bearing, but to no effect. Any clues? Read more
I had the same mudflap noise problem on my Pug 309.
I own a 1999 406 with a 2Ltr 16v petrol engine. I have noticed that at around 70 MPH, when there is no load on the engine, a slight intermittent hesitation. I've changed the plugs twice, used some injector cleaner and use only branded petrol even trying Optimax. - No difference.
Much against my better instincts booked it in at the main dealer. Charged me £50 for a diagnostic check. Said they found evidence of shorting from the coil ( on this engine the coil and plug caps are in an integral unit that sits over the plugs.)However they cleaned it and stated that if the problem persisted then the coil would have to be changed.
The problem is still there and I changed the coil (£88.83)!
And guess what? Its still there. Seems even with all the latest technology it can be still a struggle to diagnose faults.
Anyone any experience of this engine or like to take an educated guess? I'm stumped.
Andrew. Read more
am having similar problem, 1999 / 406. 2ltr petrol
started missing a few weeks ago, advised to get a coil pack which i did 2nd hand , problem still there, yesterday the car seriously loses power and starts loud banging/misfiring through exshaust, towed to garage and they put the old coil pack which i still had back on and that cured the serious backfiring and power loss, went and got another coil pack from breakers, fitted and the problem of misfire is still there, new plugs fitted, still misfiring.
of note i had a new back and middle box fitted a few weeks ago and the exhaust sounds like its blowing badly, took it back and not blowing just extremely loud, could this be related to the problem, as the engine management light is not coming on the computer is not tracing any fault, does this mean it wont be the lambda sensor??
am at a loss here.
can anyone suggest when should the chains and tensioners be changed on the 2.0di16v? there's nothing in the owners manual and the haynes doesn't mention when to change them (only the belt on the 1.7).
the car's coming upto 170k km and i'd prefer to change the chains than the motor.
thanks Read more
Have posted this before reference the leak off pipes. I had the same trouble with non-starting and Vauxhall main dealers said it was the injector seals and was a 5 hour job at £56.00+vat per hour.
A friend up the road who is an ex Vauxhall mechanic said they always say this to generate work and in 90% of cases its only the leak off pipes which need renewing.
He changed them for me in 10 minutes with just having to take the plastic cover off the top of the engine.
He cut them a few inches before they go on to the spigots. Sprayed WD 40 up the stubs and pulled them off with mini mole grips. Refitting took a couple of minutes. The old pipe was the fluffy braided type and he replaced it with the later hard rubber type simply cut to size with a knife.
Problem solved and the non-starting was cured.
He did say that the remaining 10% with this problem was indeed the injector seals and was a 5 hour job which he wouldnt attempt on the drive.
However a small one man garage owner was telling me later that he had done one without removing the camshaft and it had been a terrible job but he managed it. Incidentally I thought that when they were talking of injector seals that it was a washer sealing the injector nozzle to the head but apparently not???
Don't let them change your injector seals without first changing the pipes....
I would appreciate your help on this.
My Merc has wiper marks on the edge of the sweep and I have
tried the usual glass cleaners to no avail.
Does not seem to have scored the glass just stained in some
way.
Any ideas how I could get rid of this ?
Thanks.
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I've heard jeweller's rouge recommended for removeing wiper marks in the past, although never tried it. I gather you will also need a large tin of elbow grease as it works very slowly.
For glass cleaning, try a potato cut in half. This I have tried and it is remarkably effective (make sure nobody sees you).
I have just purchased a 1995 e320 coupe and need some advice on the best tyres to buy. The manual says 195/65ZR15 and a quoted top speed for the car of 230km ph. A couple of tyre shops immediately quoted me for 195/65R15V - and one added 91 to the end of the number. It seems that 195/65 15 is an unusual size to get in ZR - although one tyre place did quote me for Pirelli P6000.
My questions are
1. Is there a tyre that suits the car better; I do not drive it like a maniac so comfort, low noise and tyre life are more important than grip
2. Do I need ZR rated or is the most common recommended V rated tyre sufficient.
Thanks Read more
whatever you do, try to buy them in france. Continental tyres are made in france and they dont have the same daft health and safety or carcass disposal charges as we do. I got my tyres for my a class at £40 each . British Mercedes dealer quoted £58 !!!
I own a renault laguna RN model and I have had the front seat interior become detached several times due to the top fixing holding the cradle to the frame snapping suddenly under even moderate pressure. Renault's answer is to sell me a complete new seat cradle at over £120 when all I needed was a thin piece of purpose moulded wire rod about 3 in long. I bought a scrap seat after checking that the top fixings were still intact and replaced the rod. When that broke I used the second one. That too broke. The fixings on this model are very flimsy and do not have the springing that the higher spec models have.
When the fixing breaks the seat becomes uncomfortable as the frame is then presses into your back.
Having run out of fixings I decided to try to be more inventive and came up with a solution that is cheap and effective using an everyday item. I took a standard giant sized paper clip (2-3 in) and with a pair of pliers bent it and cut it into the shape of the fixing rod. If both your rods are broken take one out of the passenger seat to use as a mould to copy and replace it after. The clip works perfectly and because it is slightly soft it gives a little and doesn't shear. Simple but effective and very very cheap. By the way the seat cover is easy to detach and lift up from underneath for this without removing the seat at all. Just remember to reinsert the rod through the metal rings in the seat cover to make the cover fit snugly again at the back. Hope somebody finds this useful. Read more
Almost certainly a Renault trait. It happened on a Renault 5 of mine.
Browse
Stupid way to make your buying decision based on a 10 minute run up the road in a prospective new car purchase.If the drive is really an important part of your decision then rent one for a day /weekend or even longer that way you can really tell if that car will do what you want it to do.A joy ride around the block is just plain daft.