September 2002
At standstill and warmed up my MK IV Golf (1998) with the older 8V 1.6 is idling very erratically. The revs constantly fluctuate anything between 600 - 1000. It's got worse lately but has always done this to some degree. Seems to be OK when the engine is not fully warmed up. No problems with fuel economy or when on the go.
Does anyone know what the most likely problem is or which areas should be looked at first?
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Hi,
Has anyone had any experience of the servicing at One Stop? I'd like to get a basic (10000 mile) service for my Audi Coupe, and thought I'd try One Stop as they are fairly cheap. I could take it to my usual Audi specialist (not a main dealer, an independent garage) but I know he'll charge me about £120 rather than the £80 of One Stop.
For this price, they are offering: Oil and filter change, air filter change, spark plug change (inclusive of parts, labour and VAT).
What's the general opinion here: pay the extra for the specialist, or is One Stop OK??
Comments appreciated!
Cheers,
Stuart Read more
"I must admit, I've been using this Audi Specialist in Sheffield for some time now, and he seems to be pretty good. Done quite a lot of small jobs for free, which is the sort of customer service I admire...", "he recognised my voice and remembered last years service"
Sorry, but I can't believe you even considered going elsewhere for the sake of a few quid.
Chris
Browsing through my latest copy of the Caravan Club magazine - (yes I know its sad!) read a letter from a gentleman who parked his outfit at Cherwell Services on the M40 in order to use the facilities.
He states that as he drove in he followed the signs to the caravan/coach park, Some of the further signs were obscured and he found the caravan park entrance obstructed by coaches. He parked in the coach car park for about 10 mins whilst he availed himself of the facilities..
He further states that a delivery driver pointed out to him that he was parked in the wrong area however no one else approached him and after the break he continued his journey.
6 weeks later he received a letter from a firm of solicitors who stated that a charge notice had been issued and demanded £60. They threatend court action for non payment if he refused. He contacted the solicitors stating that the fine had been issued retrospectively and that he had not been given the opportunity to move. An agreement was reached to pay £30 only.
I make the following observations:-
1. Service areas are privately owned but are public places. They are not roads under the Road Traffic Act. Motorists are invited into the areas FOC to make use of the facilities, infact there are signs at the side of the Motorways actively encouraging there use.
2. Therefore the motorist is not a trespasser and at that stage could not be treated as one, i.e. clamped.
3. The Services are set out to accomodate certain catagories of vehicles in certain areas to facilitate ease of use. The use of those areas cannot be made compulsory under statute as they are as stated private property.
My feeling is that this gentleman has been well and truly had but am aware that areas within airports are strictly Policed and fines levied so they must be covered under a particular statute/bye law.
Anyone any ideas they would like to put in the pot.
Andrew.
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Growler, I was told of this one a few weeks ago:
"If you can read this, I've lost my caravan."
Having been indisposed recently (i.e. offline not in prison)so I dont know if this has been discussed
What has happened to the use of the indicator?Has it gone out of fashion?Why have motorists stopped using them when on roundabouts?When turning left and often when turning right? Not everyone is using their mobile phone.I know you should not rely on the approaching vehicle although indicating that it is going to turn left or right actually doing so it is nice to know what they are intending to do.Or have they become extinct?Like the law of stopping at a red light(thats a traffic light). Read more
Thanks John R
I must have missed that topic in Feb,I wasn't off line that long
Regards
Little John
Oh no, not another Omega thread I hear you cry, but we haven't had one for a couple of minutes so here goes...
Some b*st*rd recently snapped off the roof aerial (10cm, stubby job, mounted just above rear screen). Whats left is a rubber washer-like mounting with a hex nut in the middle and a 3-4mm thick wire, not cable, protruding about 10mm from the middle of it.
I've got the replacement from Vx which obviously comes with the antenna and the internal gubbins. I'm not too keen on taking the rear headlining off if it's a b*gger to put back - and no, the new antenna bit won't just happily screw onto what's left!
So my question - is this going to be an easy DIY fit or should I take it to the Pro's?
Chad.R Read more
Hi
I have just purchased a cheap used Sony car radio whilst I ponder about a new all singing/dancing sat nav.
The radio (XR-C5120R) came without a manual and has me completely baffled about it's more interesting features which seems to embrace Las Vegas style light shows whilst listening to Radio 4 ! How can I remove said lights are one of the reasons for the post.
It had nothing in common with the Sony radio I had before and when I looked on the Sony car audio web site and saw the sheer volume of models produced (they seem to change the whole range every 6 months ) I wondered how I can get a copy of the very cheap looking "manual" that Sony issue with each model.Looks like 6 or 8 sheets of cheap A4 copy paper stapl;ed together.
When I did a Google search I found an enterprising gent in the Balkans claims to have a huge list of manuals & service books for all manner of electronic goodies.
All he wants is a us$15 "contribution" to a local charity and in return he promised to let you have an electronic copy.
Fair enough,if the charity was one I knew I perhaps would consider it a fair deal but I thought perhaps it might not be as pukka as it claims.
Does anyone have any experience of this type of service?
Certainly a big charity could ask for handbooks to be donated free and send out copies for a donation . Although there might be a copyright issue I suppose.
Seems like a useful earner for Oxfam or Age Concern.
Anyway to get back to the point .
Can anyone suggest how to get a copy manual.
Thanks
Martin Read more
(From Sony web site, not hard to find..)
"8. Instruction manuals and accessories, how can I purchase them?
In addition to your local dealer you can also obtain certain items direct from Sony.
For accessories such as leads, batteries, remote controls, headphones, replacement instruction manuals etc, contact:
Sony Service Centre, Heathrow on: 020 8283 2700 ? 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday
Unit 2, The Heathrow Summit Centre
Skyport Drive
West Drayton
Middlesex
UB7 0SU
E-mail: retail.spares@eu.sony.com
Note that for over-the-counter transactions, this Service Centre is also open from 9am to 12.30pm on Saturdays. Telephone calls will be answered by a telephone answering machine on Saturdays.
Or
Sony Ireland on 01 413 1700 - Monday to Friday 9am to 5.30pm
81/82 Broomhill Road
Tallaght
Dublin
Ensure you supply the serial number and name of yourself & the person selling device."
One of the mysteries of the universe is why do people who "purchased a cheap used.." then expect to be supported as those who buy items at full list price.
btw a model year 1999 Casteet Radio probably ain't worth the money you'll pay for a manual.
Yours aye ;-)
MY ESCORT 1995 ENCORE WOULD NOT START IN A CAR PARK SO I PHONED MY DAD (AS YOU DO ) HE CAME AND CHECKED IT OUT PLENTY OF SPARK AND HE ONLY GOT IN STARTED BY POURING PETROL DOWN THE CARB. RAN OK HOME BUT WOULD NOT START AT ALL WITH OUT PUTTING PETROL DOWN THE CARB. CAR HAD BEEN SERVICED .WE CHANGED THE FUEL FILTER NOW IT STARTS BUT STALLS ON TICK OVER AND WHEN TRAVELING AT 50 IT WILL SUDDENLY JUDDER FROM THE ENGINE AS IF IT IS GOING TO STALL BUT PICKS ITSELF UP. ANY IDEAS ANYONE Read more
Last time i checked the oil on my 156 I had trouble shutting it due to the catch having corroded and sticking open. Having greased it and shut it, 2 months later I now can't open it, I suppose due to sticking and corrosion. I've tried getting underneath and spraying it with WD40 but to no avail. Tried spraying from the front as well.
Has anyone had a similar problem and has anyone had any ;uck in overcoming it.
Thanks.
Humphrey Read more
thanks for the suggestions, I'll try the screwdriver first!
Does anyone out there know if the Citroen C3 SX has the same wiring loom as the exclusive model? If it has what would be involved in fitting the steering wheel and enabling the cruise control? Read more
Have had this car a couple of months (1991, H, 138K miles) and have a problem with the tacho. It works ok when the car is cold , then about 15 - 20 minutes into a journey it goes erratic and eventually dies completely. Suspect this may be related to the underbonnet temperature, but would appreciate any advice.
The car runs well and is very lively (within its narrow rev range when the boost picks up around 2000 rpm). I like it apart from the extremely harsh ride that only seems to calm down when theres a decent bit of extra weight on board (single occupant mostly). The car is, I believe, fitted with the same suspension as the 1.6 GTi.
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Oh, and I forgot - clutch cable failed at the pedal end. That was fixed temporarily at the roadside, but I found that the cable routing was so congested that it was virtually impossible to replace it without a lot of dismantling. So I rode my luck for a few months, then rather regretfully sold the car.
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Use a peice of small tube a meter long or so and listen around the inlet manafold and area beneath the butterfly valve. You are listening for air rushing in to the sytem that is not being measured by the air flow meter.
This laek will mainly effect tick over as the air flow in any failed gasket/hole is limited. Running will be fime and fuel usage almost uneffected.
The reason for the viable idle speed is the Cat O2 sensor trying to balance the mixture when air is getting in the wring side of the airflow meter.
Good Luck Regards Peter