August 2002
Hi Guys and Girls
I own a Kia Sportage (S Reg) and I must say I love it!
A few questions you good people might help me with:-
1) Do you know where I can buy a back cover to hide the boot space ( You can see whats in it from the window)
2) Do you know where you can buy roof racsk for it ( It has no rail attached)
Thanks for your help one and all!
D M Read more
I am considering buying a 3-year old car in a German franchised dealers' "Approved Second-hand Scheme".
What value is placed upon extras, such as Cd autochanger, Leather upholstery, etc., which might have cost an extra £1900 when the car was new? Do I have much haggling leeway here?
Is there anything special that I need to worry about, if the car is a higher than average mileage "Ex-Demonstration" car?
Thanks for any helpful replies.
Batty. Read more
I'm hopefully picking up a replacement car for my wife's aging Merc next week, and would very much appreciate advice re immediate servicing needs.
Car: BMW 318i SE Touring, August 1998 S reg, 134,000 miles. 1 owner, full BMWSH. Last service at 122,000 miles.
1. Does anyone know what model this is - hard to to tell shape on the Touring? Is it based on the E36 or E46? Need to know for ordering parts. (1998 was the changeoveer year)
2. It obviously needs at least an oil service, and I intend to do this myself. I've always used Castrol Magnatec on the old Merc, will this be ok or should I go for fully synthetic?
3. I also intend to change plugs and air filter, but should I also replace HT leads/dist cap/rotor arm as preventative maintenance?
4. I have phoned the BMW dealership which has serviced it during the last 2 years and they very helpfully went through their computer records. Coolant has been changed in the last 12 months, but no mention of brake fluid. Should this be changed as a precaution?
5. Does this engine have a cam chain?
6. Anything else I ought to consider doing?
Thanks in anticipation.
Pat Read more
John
Many thanks for the reply. I'll get the village garage to do the brake fluid and check/change the gearbox and diff oils. I will then begin a 6,000 mile engine oil change cycle.
I would normally have an AA inspection but I don't feel disposed to part with cash this time - the car just looks and feels right. I'm hoping to contact the previous owner today to check for accident damage etc.
Pat
Our Ford Puma 1.7 has developed a fault whereby it intermittently runs erratically and unevenly, and even cuts out; it's as if it's misfiring. The local Ford dealer has rectified some faults on the servo but the fault remains, and the diagnostic machine cannot identify it.
Anybody have any ideas?
Graham Burgess
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I had to order a new set of fog lamps for my Omega as the original pair had started to fill up with water and sand (anyone else suffer from this seaside style problem?). As the old bulbs are done I have been searching about in the shed and I notice that the headlights have the same bulbs. I have popped in a spare pair and the foglights are nice and bright, however, judging by the heat I suspect fog lamp bulbs must be of a much lower power rating. Am i correct in thinking this?
Cheers
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Dave's right. The combination of new lamps and bulbs show what the fog lights should be like, compared to the old ones.
My Vectra suffered a similar problem. After use in heavy rain, and driving through puddles the fog lights had condensation inside the lenses. Obviously not as well sealed as they might be. Both ended up being replaced due to stone damage during the time I had the car. One add-on I could well have done without, as I don't think I ever used them.
Regards
John S
I seem to remember reading on an earlier thread that someone had said that fully synthetic oil should not be used in a new car for the first 20k miles to allow the pistons to bed in properly and avoid glazing the bores. Has anyone got any documentary evidence to verify this statement. - If this is the case why would a company like BMW send all their new cars out filled with fully synthetic oil (Castrol SLX). Read more
A little bird, who was in a position to know, once told me that a certain well-known British FI engine manufacturer was able to detect bore-glazing when a engine was being bench tested or run-in. Their solution was to inject, whilst running, a small quantity of ... AJAX LIQUID...!!! This was apparently abbrasive enough to de-glaze the bore without causing damage to the rings. I do not suggest you try this at home !
Regards, Adam
Guys,
Any idea if young children are allowed on the back of a motorcycle in the UK?
I'm talking playgroup or just at school ages!
Thanks,
David W Read more
...as Phil says only FiF, LAC and Bogush and a full house again....
They are tightening up on kiddies on bikes and footrests (MOT item) see:
tinyurl.com/7zh6u
..coming soon?
dvd
What should I expect to get for my Vectra 1.8 SXI.
30,000 W Reg, 2 owners
Any advice appreciated Read more
These guides are depressingly low as they are! (if your a seller that is!)
My MK IV Golf 1.6 has always pulled ever so slightly to the left, even since new. Front tyre wear seems Ok and even (have covered 24,000 miles). The left-pull is consistent-happens on any road, any speed.
Had steering laser-aligned by VW; they made several minor adjustments but, you guessed it, it still pulls to the left. But driving the car on an area of flat new asphalt car park shows there is no left-pull whatsoever.
So is this a design flaw of the Golf: they are hyper sensitive to road camber? Read more
..have found out that my Golf is indeed made in Brazil; in fact I did some poking around on some websites and found that the Audi TT is made in Hungary. Even the new Audi A4, where the glossy sales brochure states "..Ingolstadt is the spritual home of the Audi A4.." are not just made in Germany but also in Malaysia. What a load of marketing rubbish!
To be fair, I have not had any other problems with my Golf: it never rattles/falls to bits. I would consider another VAG product but it would again have to be an import from the EU as the local UK VW dealers are simply too expensive.
Any of you technical chaps got any thoughts as to why the battery on my brother's 850 T5 keeps running down. It's not old and seems to lose its charge even after a long run on the motorway. The obvious thing to do is to buy another but could it be something else which might damage the new battery ? All help/advice gratefully received. Read more
Had the same problem with an Astra that stranded me.The car had just been serviced and the garage had adjusted the alternator drive belt tension. In doing so they broke off most of the strands on the alternator earth wire. There was enough of a path not to bring up an ignition warning light but the resistance was too high to charge the battery properly. The National Breakdown man (now Green Flag) was on to it straight away! A good battery supplier will be able to do load discharge test on your brother's battery free of charge.
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The problem really is that some cars are actually almost unsaleable without leather, air and auto plus maybe metallic paint. A colleague of mine just bought a Signature second hand car and checked the stock thru the net. The only thing that seemed to affect price was age and mileage. The specs went from good to amazing without any price difference, or so he said.