December 2002
Me and my boyfriend own a 2000 year Vecrta SRi And for some months now we have been having a problem with is cutting out when you slow down. It dosn't happen all the time just every now and again. It also happens when the engine is warm not just when you have started the journey. What usally happens is you will slow down for traffic lights or traffic and the rev counter will waggle just under on then it will drop and then cut out. We have taken it too two vauxhall dealers in total 7 times in which they have had it on numerous tests but have not come up with anything. We left it at the second dealer for a week in which they used the car every day but of course the problem never happened with either one. Therefore the garages have told there is noting more to be done. The car has had the following components fitted which I have checked with the companies that these should not be making this problem. He has had a superchip, a K & N panel air filter and some UHT leads fitted. If anyone can help with this it would be much appreciated. Read more
I've just received my credit card statement from a high street bank, and once again I have received some literature extolling the virtues of their car insurance. On the back, it tells you that "if you would like this in large print or braille, please contact us on 0800 xxxxxxx". The mind boggles........ Read more
Have you ever used a drivethru ATM while on foot ?
Where I used to live there was a drive thru at the bank behind my house. It took 30 secs to walk there or about 10 minutes to drive. So I used to walk to it.
You end up bent over at some weird angle trying to look upwards into the display just waiting for someone to come hammering into the drive thru too fast.
And ok, I can see the long/short sighted thing, but to the point that braile is learned and needed ?
Is it all going a bit far ?
-new discs every time you get new pads.
-cam belt changes on the off-chance it needs one.
-this oil rather than that oil.
-special petrol.
-supermarket vs main garage petrol.
-always warming the car up when you start it before you switch it off again.
And it goes on........
-this was or that wax
-this bulb or that bulb
-endless additives
Well, not me.
My cars get serviced when something doesn't work or they don't run right; they get an oil change if and when they get a service; virtually any noise can be ignored or covered by increased cd player volume and you get used to it in time anyway; the brake discs would need to be in pieces before they got renewed; the punctured tyre gets replaced on its own, the others can get used to it and who gives a stuff what angle the steering wheel is at as long as the thing goes in straight lines, except when you would prefer it turned corners; as long as the car is level and not making bangs, then the suspension is clearly ok; if it gets a wash, which frankly isn't that likely, it'll get the nearest, convenient automatic car wash and be grateful for it; it gets petrol from whichever pump I stopped next to from whichever gas station I happened to be near when the fuel light started flashing; and if I need to start it cold, move it 2 ft and switch it off again it can damn well get over itself and start again when I need it whether the cat likes it or not.
I think we worry too much. Its not like they're worth a groat after 5 years anyway.
And then we get upset with other drivers. I don't care if they keep their foot on the brake in traffic, my pupils are built to protect my retina, I don't mind if they driver slower than I want to, I just overtake them at some point; there's no point in jumping up and down about traffic jams, it only amuse the kids in the next car;
Personalised plates don't bother me, not that I have one; baseball caps backwards look uncomfortable, but they don't bother me. Speed cameras don't bother me, I just drive carefully in their vicinity.
I strongly suspect that two-jags, Tony Blair and the entire police force do not even know I exist and probably are not conspiring against me.
And so on.......
I think the whole world needs to calm down a bit and stop worrying about everything. Read more
As this is a motoring forum, it is bound to be
frequented by those with a generally higher regard for cars than
the general population. And it also stereotypically proves that it is
mainly the male population that is preoccupied by this subject.
Hi, MB,
I've looked at your links, and can only say that, although in the minority group on this site, I would far rather be here than there!
Sure, a lot of women prefer to talk about such things as are on your 'handbag' site. I know that and I understand that. I am not the same, I would prefer to be on a site where i can learn and be educated about things I would like to know more about. I will never be a car expert, but at the same time i am learning some valuable things here, and putting them into practice too.
As such, I would choose HJ anytime over bleedin' handbags!
HF
Hi
Car is 5yrs old (55k miles) and is (over)due a major service involving cambelt change and I was wondering how long shock absorbers last/how often should they be replaced?
Also - main dealer (Mitsubishi) is v. expensive for the service - any recommendations for e.g. Halfords for servicing or should I just go with the dealer? Read more
Damper life? Early Minis about 30,000 miles.
A30/others with horrible lever arm ones? about 25,000.
My Triumph 2.5PI had done 100k and they were clapped out.
BMW 320i (E30 series) ... about 50-60k depends if driven hard. I replaced all and transformed handling.. rears were clapped.
Audi A4? after 100k miles, well past best.
Rover 820/825D : horrible suspension but agree dampers lasted well over 80k miles.
Hydrospastic suspension? about 60k miles.
madf
Just a quick one - I hope!
My girlfriend has just bought a car, and didn't bother to shop around for insurance, just went with the same company her mother is with. I've just looked at one site and got a premium £130 cheaper and I'm sure I could find ones even cheaper with a bit of searching. As the insurance doesn't start until Saturday, does she have any right to cancel or a cooling off period?
(As an aside, do women ever bother to search around for cheaper premiums? I know my mother doesn't bother even though I've shown her sites where she can get cheaper insurance...) Read more
Thanks James! (And why didn't I think to look on their
website myself!)
Just to check, does she need an insurance covernote to get
the car taxed? Or can we return the documents straight away
and wait for the new docs to arrive? (She's picking up
the car on Saturday so might not have time to get
a new covernote if she did need one)
Yes, so tax the new car with the DL documents and THEN return them in Saturday's post. Job done!
The whole thing of having to have a cover note/insurance certificate in order to tax your car is a stupid control, precisely because you can insure the car, tax it, and cancel same day if you are so inclined. So why the heck do they make you produce your insurance certificate?
Most scallies who aren't insured aren't exactly ****d about taxing the car either, are they???
I have just sold my old Golf (1988) via ebay. The girl came and picked it up this evening. It was sold as seen, its just been MOT'd and serviced and it has a fair whack on the clock (158k).
Apparently, I've just had a call from the new owner that the accelerator has fallen off on the way back. I was absolutely shocked - the car, despite its faults, was always quite sturdy and I would never have dreamed that anything like that would happen. If I had known anything like that was going to happen, I would have detailed it.
I would just like to know what my position is. I had no idea that anything like that was wrong with it. All the faults I was aware of I have made known and about two weeks ago it was in another garage when they had a look at the carb.
Though I do feel bad about it, I also feel that it is caveat emptor. I am prepared for a bit of flak from the buyer, but so be it.
I guess stuff happens - you get the feeling it only happens to you? Read more
Thanks for everyone's replies!
I've not heard anything so I'm guessing that she has realised it is just one of those things.
The ticketing thing shouldn't be a problem, the log book was mailed first thing yesterday. It happened to my mum years and years ago - an old Allegro that she had (purchased by my dad - probably good grounds for divorce...) was sold and the "new" owner clocked up a fair few parking tickets and it took around a year to sort out.
Thanks again everyone - its put my mind at rest!
I have just come back from a spin in one from the dealers.They did not have the saloon available but an estate version,but thought I'd give it a try anyway
Must say that the power and smoothness from the engine were impressive but I was dissapointed with the ride quality when driving over our crappy roads.Yes,the handling was good,steering direct but why does it have to bang and rattle over bumps ?
This was a zetec version,so the suspension is a little firmer and of course an estate version would I presume be a little noisier.It certainly was not as refined as my old Laguna.
Has anyone got experience of the Focus that backs up this observation or was this a "bad un " Read more
I know you asked HJ - but I can't resist... ours were delighted to see the back of the Corsa pandas, most awful cars ever apparently, entirely hopeless. :)
They've used Fiestas ever since, and are now also using Focuses... :)
Blue
I have a 1995 Fiesta 1400 and every now again it won't start? I have had it in a garage and they explained the 'brain'/module was too blame. Replaced that and tonight the same!! No fuel, No spark! Immobiliser is bypassed(supposedly).
Any ideas? Fantastic car other than this! Read more
There are many possibilities here, but far and away the most common problem on these is the connection to the Crank Angle Sensor (CAS), located on the engine side of the flywheel housing just above the starter motor. Simply removing & refitting often effects a cure, but packing with petroleum jelly (Vaseline) protects it for the future. After this you need to be able to check the signal from CAS into the module, and if absent replace the CAS. After that it all gets rather tricky without actually seeing the car.
HTH, Adam
The front wiper motor (is there just one or are there two??) has been making a strange grinding noise from the drivers side for a couple of weeks and is gradually getting worse.
Any idea what it is??
Also, i've just had the front tyres changed and I've been left with the steering wheel quite a bit off centre. Any idea what that one is as well?
Car is a 1995 Toyota Corolla.
Thanks for any help.
Read more
Agree. Oil wiper motor bearings. My old escort made similar worn bearing sounds. Oiling ensured it continued working but it still grumbled! Happily I live in normally dry essex so wipers not used much.
Having held a full motorcycle and car licence for 20 years, and admit to having been a Vectra-repmobile-drive-like-a-looney lunatic in a previous life, dare I stick my head over the wall to ask what is the point of the rear view mirror??
1. On a motorcycle you are taught NOT to rely even on your wing mirrors: instead you are asked to turn and look with your own eyes before changing lane, etc.
2. In a car the rear view mirror serves no purpose other than provide the drive with security in knowing what's *behind* them, but not necessarily what is *overtaking* them.
3. Rear view mirrors are, in my view, redundant in a car with decent door mirrors.
4. The only use for the rear view mirror is letting you know that the white van/BMW/mercedes driver behind you is driving on full beam, is 2 ft from your rear bumper, and does not consider your overtaking the slow lorry at 90mph to be fast enough.
And yes I do not use my rear view mirror-it is angled to the ceiling- and I only use the door mirrors.
Thoughts??? Read more
Hello,
I believe that observation is everything. Rear view mirrors whilst not technically necessary, certainly increase the opportunity for observation. To my mind, if you have one, you ought to use it - a quick glance is all it takes.
I find the rear view very useful on 2 or 3 lanes when planning an overtaking maneuver - there's always someone burning up the outside lane like they're on the autobahn...
Kind regards,
Cyrill666
tongue_in_cheek = ON
Then there's the necessary standard set of inter-vehicle hand-signals with the car behind when things go pear shaped, after all it would be rude not to reply... wouldn't it? ;-)
tongue_in_cheek = OFF
Browse
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Not actually a "valve", it is just a calibrated vacuum port, but VERY important, and glad someone has mentioned it Graham. The method you describe for clearing it is correct, of course, but due to the time it takes to get the pesky thing out of the manifold, and the risk of coolant leaks on re-assembly, I tend to attack it from the other side after removing the trottle body (four nuts, two minutes). You then have to manipulate the drill with a pair of thin pliers down the inlet manifold apperture, but I do find it quicker and easier.
On some engines this vacuum port is actually sited "round the corner" on the near-side of the throttle housing, much easier still to get to after simply pulling the jose off !
Regards, Adam