September 2002
My Cavalier has started leaking water at an alarming rate, 2 litres last about 30 miles. I have tried radseal and that hasn't helped. Further investigation at the weekend shows the water is dripping down onto the offside wishbone from some sort of pulley. Is this the water pump? If so, is this the likely source, and how much will a garage charge to fix it?
Thanks in advance, Duncan Read more
I bought a brand new £16,500 vehicle back in March 02. It had the usually expected couple of flaws in the paintwork and some minor niggles which were presented to the Salesperson before I agreed to leave with the vehicle.
Trouble is, getting them put right :(
Now we are here in september 02 and after 12 courtesy cars and obviously a long period without driving my vehicle, the problems are still there.
Well .... the above is not strictly 100% accurate, one fault (The brakes squealing) still remains after 6 months. The rest are new problems created by (IMO) incompetant workmanship at the dealers. They range from holes in the bootlid, scratches on the bodywork, incorrectly re-fitted panels, sagging filler etc etc. The list could go on.
I even had to wait 4 months for a new servo and master cylinder to be fitted (Which they diagnosed as faulty to fix the squealing brakes, I am an ex-brakes designer ... go figure .. it didn't work)
I am now at the end of my tether, I really liked the car, but now I dont want it anymore, I think I have been patint enough. I am trying to get my money back ... Anyone with similar experiences / end results??
Please let me know
D
Read more
OK Guys,
This subject is now closed off. Out of my disappointment and frustration came experience which may prove helpful if any of you find yourselves in a similar boat.
First move is to contact the local press, if your case extends as long as mine did with as many problems they will be interested to take your photo and write your story. Be careful to be 100% accurate just in case you need to go further.
Next you should contact the RMIF (Retail Motor Industry Federation) and find out if your dealer is a member, if this is the case, and they are genuinely treating you unfairly, these guys can carry a lot of weight.
I tried the legal eagles, but unfortunately, as close as we are to the USA, we dont have the "Lemon Law" which they do. (This would have saved me about 5 months of anguish) The lemon law gives the dealer 3 chances, in most states to put things right, if they cant then it is a full refund or a brand new car.
As far as my case is concerned, I am now awaiting the delivery of a brand new vehicle of identical colour and spec. Fingers crossed that It's not a Lemon then eh!?!?!
D
Is there any way of making a 5 year old leather steering wheel less slippy? Read more
Best best is to get in the car, drape a towel over your lap, and scrub the wheel all over with a nail brush and some leather cleaner. You'd be amazed how much grime, scurve and dandruff comes off!
Then a brisk clean-up with a suede-type brush and a dollop of lather restoring cream.
I have a Cavalier 1.6 and as soon as you start the engine, blue smoke comes out of the head, the only way to keep the car running is by taking off the oil filler cap off.
There is no oil in the water and the oil in the engine is clean,
There is also no knocking noises coming from the engine
I beleive this is more than likely a problem with head or head gasket, Can anyone confirm that this is deffinatly the problem.
Or is it something that I might aswell change the engine. Read more
Please fit a new engine , then I can switch off from 'recirculate'.
Why is it usually knackered Vauxhalls that smoke?
My renault clio (3days old) has an annoying clicking sound (it isn't very noisy but still)I want someone to look at it incase it is something important when I phoned Renault to get someone to look at it they said the technicians only work till 4.30. E explaining that I need the car for work which is how a 20 year old buy a £10k car and that I would want a coutisy car for the day as I was unwilling to take a holiday (one of the few that I get) to deal with the problem I was abruptly told that I needn?t take that tone of voice. Now I had had a bad day at work and explained that I was sorry they explained that if I wanted a courtesy car I would be waiting till the 2nd of October before they would get me one. Am I wrong in assuming that if They cannot get someone to fix your car and a courtesy car is unavailable that they should try ad find the keys to one of the demonstration vehicles in order to satisfy a customer. Having dealt with Lookers with my last car costing 1/3 of the price they were willing to give me a courtesy car for as long as I needed until they could fix an annoying engine problem (poor idling and stalling on the 1.4 single point injection which is mentioned in another post). The same applies to my parents at both Toyota and Mercedes where they instantly have another car and an apology that no new courtesy car was available and that would we be willing to have a second hand version which was for sale in the garage (not exactly a bad car being that it was only 3yrs0. Many hanks to all replies Read more
From Rebecca....
>>I just made my comment because sometimes in these kind of
>>forums harmless personal posts degenerate quite quickly into
>>something more unpleasant.
>>
>>I suspect that's what Mark thought too.
1) it was an interesting thread which didn't deserve ratholing
2) as Rebecca said above, it degenerates very quickly at times
3) laughter and enjoyment, or whatever the phrase was, is not frowned upon (but stuff I think is going the wrong way is)
4) Wasted, because this thread has lost it now anyway.
And yes, I have been away. Well, not away as such, merely trying to earn enough to keep the baliffs from the door and a crust of bread in the cupboard.
The new BMW 1200C (bike) comes with optional cup holders! Read more
This could be a godsend for those professional victims who specialise in contrived compensation claims, like the MacDonalds scalding coffee scam!
"My client felt an agonising pain as his knee touched down on the roundabout, causing him to lose control and slide into an oncoming tree at 3 mph. Sub sequrnb forensic examination examination showed that extremely hot coffee with toxic content spilling from the manufacturer's dangerous appliance had caused third degree burns to his expensive leather clothing, and in his concern for the welfare of this, he was caused to suffer an entirely momentary lapse of concentration with catastrophic results. He charges that the manufacturer is grossly negligent in that it nowhere warns of possible spillage of liquids from these fitments if the machine is diverted from the vertical and that his life has been ruined as a result. He is however, willing to go away and live in Marbella and not say anything to the papers about this if he is paid the sum of $3m by the defendant..."
I have just bought a New Rover 75 after a lot of time
choosing a new car, and would like to ask do Diesel
cars have CAT Exhaust Systems please, also any help regarding this car, would go down well Thank You
But will still keep my trusted 17 year old VOLVO 740 GL Read more
Modern diesels have cats - but simpler ones than petrol engined cars, as diesels are inherently 'cleaner'...
Main gripe against the 75 diesel was its low power output; Rover have just announced a dealer chip option - see HJ's News, 28 Aug on this site.
On a recent cross channel ferry from Poole we were one of about a dozen cars pulled out to be searched by security personnel (not C&E I don't think).
Mine was a pleasant young women who looked into the packed hatch and asked if I had any knives in there.
"yes I replied there are some in that picnic hamper". "Thats OK" but do you have a penknife" "No I lied" not wanting to lose my little swiss penknife.
She gave me a mild telling off for my steel jerrycan containing diesel but said as its diesel we won't worry about that. (one up for the diesel lovers).
I was now free to take over the ferry and 500 passengers with my little penknife but being tired after a long drive resisted the urge and had coffee instead.
Its good to see security beginning on ferries but thinking on.... what an easy target they are for the deranged suicide bomber. And obviously a penknife is not the weapon to be looking for but firearms and explosives.
We have seen this big increase in airport security but nothing about these vulnerable large people carriers.
And what a nightmare in security to protect them.
Read more
Slightly off thread but still security. I saw a car
parked on a ferry deck the other day with the steering
wheel immobiliser thingy carefully locked on the wheel. Who was
going to steal the car and go where with it?
I did the same thing when I went away, I always apply the steering wheel lock and deadlocks, force of habit. I think it also says that you take security seriously and aren't likely to leave anything in the car of value.
Ben
On my 3rd Citroen. Saxo, Xsara, C5.
Apart from this website, (and your own, if you have one) what is each BRer's single, most favorite website?
To kick off, when I am done playing with cars during the day, I like to relax with a good movie - www.imdb.com (internet movie database) helps me avoid wasting my time. Everything you could want to know about films and more.
CMark
"never attempt anything without the gloves"
I have been reading the posts on this forum for a while now and am just starting to post my own stuff! Thought this would be a good opener. Searched the archive for similar topic but didn?t find anything, but apologies if this has been done already. Read more
OK Dave H...Friends Reunited and 2 plus 2 sussed etc....
Please read all this rant with a ;-) but there is a serious undercurrent.
Many folks like to protect their identities to varying degrees on the web but with Friends ReU they seem to throw all caution to the wind with the thought they will never be found (sussed).
You only need to craftily remember a couple of facts over time about someone and a little work on the FRU site will find out loads more.
For example one person wrote up far more on the site than she had told her new employer, and they genuinely fell across the info by chance.
Another very secretive chap on one forum I use gave away the lot on FRU because he didn't think his two IDs would ever be associated.
With my old school year I was interested to see our head boy and head girl were happily married - how sweet....until later I notice she'd reverted back to her maiden name and posted a scathing update about their terrible years together.
Other folks are laughing about exploits they would still be ashamed for their parents to know of...as if it were a secret conversation in the pub.....I'm sorry guys this is an international free for all here!
Another chap gives his current location full, education history, qualifications, job history, wifes maiden name, childrens names/ages, hobbies, hopes for the future etc etc.....cloned ID anyone.
The site is the first place the newspapers look now if your are in any sort of trouble or come to their attention.....makes it so much easier for them to have all your old school/work chums to ask "and what was he/she like?".
To cap it all I've logged into the site with a name that isn't strictly obvious as my own (to preserve my privacy, not for sinister reason) and damm me I've already been mailed by three girls (yes Toad you can have their numbers) and invited to reunions for schools I never attended...weird weird site.
David W
Should taxis be allowed to use bus lanes?
They are not public transport, they create the same (if not more) pollution, often in a dangerous state, often driven dangerously, they take up the same space on the road....
If taxis should be allowed to use bus lanes because they are doing business, then shouldn't all people in suits, company vans or wearing a uniform be allowed there too?
Don't get me wrong, I use taxis on a saturday night after a few beers, but even on 10pints or 5.68 litres for the eurocrats, I still know when a car has bad shockers, suspension and cheap tyres that screech and understeer...
Ben Read more
ToTH
"So if bikes aren't impeding buses what's the problem?
You're making a perfect case for bikes to use bus lanes."
Did I say there was a problem or they shouldn't use bus lanes?
I just made the point that motorcyclists ignore that particular regulation as well as all the others they decide shouldn't apply to themselves.
You mustn't get so paranoid - just accept that we are watching you very very carefully!!
C
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Had exactly the same happen on a 2.0 lsi cavalier. Started losing litres of water and figured it must be the water pump (open bonnet and look on left near wishbone behind wheel). Don't remember what it cost me, but I also had timing belt replaced and of course rad flushed and coolant replaced. I think Halfords done everything (so it was expensive!), over 100 quid.
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