January 2003
Has anyone had any experience with Chevron 5w40 SJ fully synthetic oil from Costco? I saw it is only 11.75 pounds per 4 litres so I am thinking of putting it in my engine.
Is it any good? I know that you get what you for and the Castrol Magnetic 10w40 is more expensive at 15.28 pounds for 4.5 litres.
Also, it said on the tub that it is made in EU, I know that Chevron is a partner of Texaco. Would the Chevron oil be the same as Texaco Havoline 5w40 fully synthetic?
Cheers,
Garrison Read more
I have been asked whether there are any spring or shock absorber upgrade kits available for a July 2001 1.9 TDI (115PS) Galaxy. All the info I have is just for the OE setup.
If anyone has any non Ford information on the above I would be grateful.
Thanks
Charles Read more
It could be worth trying to look into what modifications the police do to their Galaxys (Galaxies?). The ones round here seem to have rally-type wheels and plenty of go.
I'm looking to get shot of my car in a few months time.
I'm looking for a saloon only with a bit of presence.
So far I've looked at...
Mercedes C200 (98 V)
BMW 523 (99 W)
Rover 75 Club 2.5 (00 X)
I've got about £10,000 with maybe a couple of grand more if needs must. Ideally it should not be more than 4 years old and 60,000 miles. I know these cars aren't cheap to run but something of this ilk wouldn't be too bad on the pocket.
I only do about 11,000m/yr so a two year old, 40,000 miler wouldn't be so bad as I'm planning to keep it for at least four years.
Would the auctions be a good bet for me maybe?
Could you think of any others worth considering ?
Thanks. Read more
I'd stick with the BMW 523 if I were you.
In my opinion, it's in a different class to the other two,
and I speak from experience having driven all three cars.
No comparison. Someone mentioned a SAAB 9-5.
I wouldn't mention it in the same breath as a BMW 523.
If you want extra proof - ask WHAT CAR magazine - they
will tell you that the 5 series won their best exec award
for 7 consecutive year running!
Happy motoring.
It's not John here it's his mrs Vera.
Thanks to some very excellent advice from this website I have decided to get my Discovery V8 converted to LPG. I have done quite a lot of homework (mainly surfing) and realise that there are a lot of cowboy merchants out for a quick buck. I'm worried about being ripped off so can someone recommend a garage in or around Fareham in Hampshire. I'm not after the cheapest as very often you get what you pay for but a personal recommendation means more to me than an advert in the Yellow Pages!!!!!
Thanks
Vera Read more
If you rely on what people say on this forum, you would buy a citroen.
And no, citroen\'s aren\'t reliable. Yes, some are, but a lot aren\'t.
I take information into account, but also take into account the self fulfilling prophecy. This is what causes the problems.
The clutch pedal movement on my 1990 205 XLD is quite stiff and heavy.
Does anyone know a way of lubricating it so I don't have to press so hard?
Thank you in anticipation. Read more
Thanks,
I like your Website and agree with its sentiments.
trying to sell soon, but its a high mileage!
ex company car bought at 110K now on 125K i've just had the cambelt done, and a full new exhaust, and a few months ago new discs and pads. 1.9tdlx with air con, abs, electric heated wing mirrors etc..... 11 months tax and mot and totally spotless inside, you could mistake it for a brand new car.
what price am i looking at for a private sale(if anyone will buy it cos there is so many)?
i need £3500 to be honest and even then i will have lost £1000 in a year Read more
Hello again!
P/ex March onwards, just after the world and their dog have changed their cars, will be a bad time to p/ex as the market will be full of ex-fleeters that have just been changed (see the Auction report posted on this site today)
Depending on what you are p/exing against, you may get £2500 if the car you want needs shifting, but against anything halfway desirable? Forget it. Your car will be on their forecourt at low £3k so you may be offered as low as £1900.
If you get offered over £2500 it's because the car you are buying has an overinflated price and they are "giving" you a slice of the profit. It's called an overallowance.
If you find yourself in that situation, don't be surprised to see a different set of figures on the order form and the invoice. When an overallowance is applied, the p/ex is written back to it's "stand-in value" (what the dealer sees as it's true trade value, also known as "what the car owes") and the new car is written back by the same amount to limit the amount of VAT on the deal.
I would suggest you start poking around dealers now with a view to changing before 01/03 for the best deal. Most dealerships will have your arm off for a sale in late February.
Happy hunting!
No Dosh ** Quick, talk motoring, Mark's coming! **
What would happen if the clutch cable where to fail while the clutch is being used? I was thinking this the other day when I was holding my car, with the clutch, for a lollypop lady. Would the car have jumped forward or would it just have rolled back? Read more
As an aside to the main thread, you get a whole new angle on motoring if you complete your journey with no clutch. (Either through necessity or stupidity, I know)
You start to anticipate hazzards, judge your approach to things better, be very cautious about building up too much inappropriate speed but also try to maintain it on hills etc.
It does not make for relaxing driving, but you learn a lot about road craft, and engine and gearbox characteristics.
I once drove an old Sierra from Leicester to Pembrokeshire with no clutch, and got quite good at clutchless changes.
Just looking on the Autotrader site for a mazda Xedos. Spotted one descibed as a Miller 2.3, price (£12k, way above my price range) much much higher than anything else on the list. Anybody know what's different about it? Just curious. Read more
Phil
Yes, I looked at the link. Have to say that as a mrer accountant, I soon became baffled!
The hood on my vitesse has shrunk during this summer. I don't know whether it was because it was off the car while body work was being done ( 3 whole months but that's another complaint!) or old age (it's about 7 years old, probably mohair) or the fact that I used a well known hood dye on it.
Is there anyway of stretching the hood back or should I just give up and get either a vinyl or double-duck (what ever that is) replacement? A replacement is £145 ish. Pros and cons about vinyl vs double duck would also be appreciated!
TIA
teabelly Read more
Hi, A neighbour has a Nissan QX and due to visitors he had to shuttle his car out of his drive so the engine was only running for 30 seconds. No Prob, but the next day the car just would not start. It took the RAC two sets of big jumpers wide open throttle and 60 seconds of cranking and she fired up. RAC guy says this is a common fault with Nissans if it’s a bit cold and you start the car for a short time the management system falls when you come to start it again. He had been to a guy with a Rover 25 earlier that day with the same problem as all Rover 25’s are prone to the same problem. Does this make sense to anyone, is it true and what goes wrong. Is it the choke (electronic) that latches on and floods the car or what. ? Regards Peter Read more
Moved the Puma about 6 feet to work on it (Stone cold start). Stripped door down to refit lock cylinder which was falling out of door handle. Awful job involving removing window glass completely.
Tried to start car following day having turned ignition on and off a few times to raise and lower electric window and it was flooded completely. Cranking with foot to floor for about 15 seconds and the engine started OK. Winced at the thought of all the unburnt petrol washing over the cat but what can you do?
Took the car for a run so that the ECU would reset itself and all is fine.
Seems to be an affliction of modern engine (mis)management.
Charles
Browse
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Castrol GTX is actually pretty good and usually a lot more expensive than that. As a 15w40 it has a good reputation and I use it for top ups (but not for changes, because it's hard to find when someone else is doing the work).
Of course, it's completely unsuitable for modern engines and is best suited to older, petrol cars - which is why it's so cheap. Even at £5.86 it's probably worth more than half the cars that should use it.