October 2002
Today, only a few days after its first MOT at 4 years/50k miles, my 1.7 Corsa lost its brakes just after I pulled out of a tight parking slot in Belfast.
I noticed that the brake pedal stayed firm but that the battery discharge light stayed on, there was no useful residual braking left. I managed to find a larger slot around the corner and gingerly put the car in there, then I called the AA. They were excellent and got me to a local Vauxhall shop who confirmed the AA man's diagnosis that the alternator/brake servo unit drive belt had failed.
Simple enough, but there seems no reason why this fault wouldn't happen on the highway, has this happened to anyone? It would be a desperate situation. Read more
Just bought a 94L Laguna 1.8 RT Petrol, full service history, 90,000 miles. Dont know a lot about cars but trying to save some dosh by using the haynes manual and a local mechanic to show me the ropes.
Problem I have is that the heater blows hot air for about 6 seconds then diminishes to a lukewarm flow. If I stop the fan for a few minutes then turn on again it its much hotter for a few seconds then lukewarm again. It also takes a bit of time from a cold start to get any heat whatsoever. There is no aircon on this model of car.
I have replaced the thermostat, and having looked back over the vehicle service history, see that the heater matrix was replace already.
Is this possibly the cause again, or is there anything else I could try?
Any help would be appreciated.
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I suggest that after a good flushing with the hose you run the car for a couple of days with just water and two bottles of Rad Flush. then flush thoroughly with hose again. Then refit fresh coolant.
Has anyone ever heard of a company called "Car Data" and know anything about them at all?
Thanks in advance
SB Read more
I think the Experian car data is actually like an Hpi check. As you say, it has nothing at all to do with the car data that we're on about!
The BBC news tonight carried a story about parents of a 17 year old in the USA who had fitted a Black Box to his car. It enabled them to monitor his speed, acceleration and braking.
It occurred to me that if we made it compulsory to fit them in the UK, together with a GPS tracker, we could do away with S**** C******. Detect them. Fine them. No arguments.
We could call it the:-
Blackbox Operated Gps Universal Speed Hazard detection device
Can't think of a suitable acronym for such a detection device though.
C
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Cardew,
Some serious replies here.
Looking at the acronym, I assumed it was just a friendly jibe at the Backroom's favourite contributor?
Marcus
I could get a new 1.0 Daihatsu YRV or a 9 month old Fiat Punto 1.2 or a 3 year old 1.0l Toyota yaris for about £5k. All 5 door no frills models. Which is the best buy? Opinions and alternatives please.
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Those Corsas are pretty awful things compared to Yaris&YRV etc and i personally dont like the 3 cylinder engine.
Hi out there, my pal Richard has a Rover 3.5 SE 20 years old with 44,000 miles on the clock, has not run for 15 years, is in a heated garage, it is in good condition, anyone know what it may be worth, or where he can find out. thanks in anticipation.
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Oh, and one very funny trait.
A rubber bush on the rear suspension used to fail. The car then had a mind of its own, asking for opposite lock on dry roundabouts.
Drew some funny looks.
I've recently bought a Golf gti mk2 & am thinking of changing the alarm\immobiliser for a few reasons (old kit, only have 1 key fob for each).
So, can anyone recommend any of the current alarm\immobiliser's?
Also, i guess i will have to get a thatcham category alarm for insurance purposes. Does this have to be fitted by a "qualified" fitter? A few years ago now, i actually used to fit this kit for a car alarm company & used to sign certificates for insurance purposes. I never had specific training from my firm on installations (they just took me on as i was a qualified mechanic). I'm planning to fit the new alarm myself, but not sure if i will get hold of the nescesary paperwork to satisfy the insurance company.
Any ideas??? Read more
The alarm brand I would recommend is Meta. I fitted one to my previous Cavalier. All kinds of options as standard. Operate central locking, close windows/sunroof. It also had an immobiliser that you could either set so that it would arm itself 30 secs after the ignition was turned off, or manually when the alarm was set.
As for Thatcham approval, yes you have to have it fitted by a qualified person, with receipts/proof of fitting. However, if you know someone in the trade, that shouldn't be too difficult to come by.
I have recently purchased a Mondeo. 1999 T plate 2.0 glx.All though i am pleased with the car, it seems to be leaking water into the boot. Has anyone else had this problem and is there a comman repair for this motor.
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My s reg mondeo leaked in the boot and I traced the leak to a faulty mastic joint above/behind the tailgate hinge.
In my case if you pit your hand up to the underside iof the rear wing ie inside the boot their was a metal flange that was constantly wet
Hope this helps
Mutley
I am pretty sure I saw a Peugeot 807 yesterday - being driven through Ipswich in convoy with a Renault Vel Satis. Quite a striking sight. Expect an article next month in one of the motoring mags - 'Big Funny Looking French Cars - Group Test'. Saw a Ford Fusion as well, in a metallic beige/brown that reminded me of old Cortinas. Still no more Fiat Stilos though - have Fiat given up altogether trying to shift them, or do they only come out at night to avoid embarrassment?
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com Read more
Here's an accountant's perspective:
www.acca.co.uk/publications/accountingandbusiness/...4
Actually quite an interesting article, especially where it suggests that Fiat are rushing a basic, electronics-free Stilo to market, the implication being that people aren't buying the Stilo because they don't want complex electronics on a Fiat.
I could have told them that....
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
My '96 Peugeot 406 (101k) speedo has started dropping to zero on an intermittent basis, after a few seconds it flickers back into life again, it may do this several times during a trip then be fine for days, (the mileage recorder and tripometer backlights have gone as well although both are still recording correctly- coincidence?)
Any ideas gratefuly received,
Thanks
Ian
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Browse
I think that the 1.7 corsa has the GM 1.7 DR engine (60HP) and not an Isuzu unit. Both the 1.5 and 1.5TD cars feature the Isuzu engine. The GM engine has a separate vacuum pump located by the right hand side of the engine's cam cover (it does on my old 1994 Astra 1.7d anyway). I once had a vacuum leak with this car and lost the operation of the cold start device, brake servo and the ventilation air recirculation system. The brakes still worked , albeit at about 50% efficiency. I doubt that the brakes of this car would stop working altogether if only the servo packed in.