February 2003
Hello, I have a single point injection ax1.4i tzx, it is using loads too much fuel, and constantly kangarooing and stalling at all speeds,the fault light come on when this happens, but the nearest citroen place is a long way, and the local garage,s computer fault finder would not work on my car for some reason.
I have replaced fuel filter and cleaned fuel pump filter to rule those out.
a mechanic told me that it is probably a valve sensor that costs around £60 second hand as it is attached to other stuff and you have to buy the lot, the problem is I don,t know which sensor to buy because there are lots of them, can anyone put me right on this please? (i lost contact with the mechanic)
Also my vacuum pipe that is connected at one end to the distributor may not be connected correctly at the other end, it was hanging in fresh air when I bought it, I connected it to a electrical type switch with two prongs sticking out at right angles to each other.(obviously meant for small hoses)this thing is connected electrically close to the stepper motor area. The other prong is open to fresh air, is this correct? I cant see anywhere else to connect it,I have Haynes manual, but it doesnt help much on this one.
Cheers Jon Read more
For the continued discussion of all things pertaining to Speed Cameras.
This Volume is closed, please see Volume 9.
Mark (RLBS)
Moderator at Work
mailto:mark_moderator@honestjohn.co.uk Read more
You are all probably heartily sick of this, but I need what is hopefully the last piece of advice on this. (For those who really want to know all the details, look for a thread called accident questions)
I have asked the other parties insurer for a signed statement saying my payment will be in full and final settlement. What they have sent is not actually signed by either them or their insured, but does confirm that the sums in question will be in full and final settlement of their and their insured's claim. Is this enough to be sure there is no chance of any come-back? I would have preferred to see some signatures, but if this is enough then I'm happy.
One slight problem is that despite me informing them several times that I am not prepared to pay the full amount of uninsured losses (which is really excessive) they do not appear to have passed this on to their insured, nor passed on my request to name a sum she finds acceptable. Should I write back making an offer, or send a cheque to the value of my offer, stating that if either cheque is cashed then I will take that to be acceptance of the offer?
And finally, any suggestions on how I go about getting an answer from my insurer as to why they have not got involved and have ignored all my letters and calls relating to this incident?
TIA for any help. Read more
I had a problem with a particular insurance company that was basically due to a real foul up in their computer system.
In the end they gave a hand typed certificate of insurance. They eventually agreed the car was on cover but could not change the address in the computer.
If you want to compare notes as to who it was off site please. drop a mail. might not be that quick an answer this weekend though, other fish to fry and Toads to tackle!
Today, my new V70 arrived at the Dutch dealership I am importing from, but I won't be able to collect it until March.
Some time between now and then, it will, of course, be registered on Dutch export plates.
Question: Does the date of this registration matter with respect to the UK plate I will be issued with, given that the next range of UK numbers is also issued on March 1st? If this could affect resale value in the future, as I expect, I would like to be wary of it. I am hoping that export plate registration does not matter, and that given that it is a new car, it is the date of physical import, or paying of VAT, that matters.
Many thanks. Read more
Sjb - At no point during the registration of half a dozen Toyotas since 1999 did I ever get the option to choose the rate of VAT. You complete form 413 at the same time as you do the V55, Certificate of Newness etc. etc.at submit to the DVLA Local Office (as they are now called) and they then pass the form on to HM Cust/Excise National Unit for Personal Transport at Dover who in turn send you the bill calculated at current rates. Nowhere in that process is there any suggestion of volunteering your own rate..........however if there is - then do it and save some money. Ring them to find out.
Sorry that the rate is so much lower than it has been - still a good saving but not as great as was. UK brokers now seem too get quite close on some models (eg Citroen) and saves the small amount of hassle and delay involved in importing. I'd do it again if the rate was better (saved £2800 on current Yaris diesel) but will not be ordering anything for now.
KB.
[snip]
Offensive rubbish. Another incident and I wil disable your account.
You should consider whether or not what you say is offensive to others, particularily given the ISP you are using.
Mark. Read more
An interesting question came out of the oil and filters thread by steveb which I thought deserved it's own thread.
Is there an easy way to tell what type of oil, as in mineral/semi/synth, is in your car? I'm talking perhaps smell or say, reaction when mixed with something. Particularly immediately post service.
Reason being, could you tell if the dealer had put in semi-synthetic instead of fully which you'd paid for/your car required? Read more
It all boils down to (or at least I hope it does'nt because minerals oils break down around 250F) as has been endlessly repeated here by wiser men than I, HJ in particular: use the right grade, any good brand, change it often and change the filter. It's all you need to do.
Pay even more attention to your tires: they have a greater role in your total motoring experience.
Hello again,
The car: 1999 Vauxhall Astra 1.7 TD
The mileage: 67,000 with FSH
The problem:
On starting, the little yellow engine icon comes up and stays up for anything up to a minute, then goes. This may be part of the main problem, which seems to be poor performance in terms of top speed and acceleration. The car will cruise without problem at 70-80mph, but is decidely sluggish in getting there, much more like my old Peugeot 205 diesel which didn't have a turbo.
This Astra will NOT put a smile on your face. It struggles up hills, but seems quite quiet and we have done 1000 miles since buying the car from an auction with it performing like this. My wife doesn't know theres anything wrong, as it all 'works', but I think there's something up. I drove to Bristol last weekend, and tried seeing if I could 'clear' any blockages by adding a Diesel injector cleaner and trying to drive it flat out for at least a few miles. Well, I did this, and it blew acres of smoke out the back, and I could only get it to 3600 rpm - NOWHERE near the 5000 redline, and it only showed 97mph on the clock. I held my foot on the throttle as hard as I could for about 4 miles, and the smoke did clear, but not completely.
Otherwise it starts first time, pootles round our regular 6 mile daily run OK, drives fine otherwise, and has no history of problems apart from the 1st owner said the engine management light was coming on before he changed cars for a newer company car, and the garage got the light to go away.
Any advice to help me sleep easier...(or painful truth?)
Thanks in advance. Read more
I had a similar issue with my 2000 2.0 Vectra DI, whereby the performance was poor with the 'engine' light illuminated on the dashboard. This was caused by a failed mass airflow sensor. If this engine is electronically controlled it will have a mass airflow sensor and is often the cause of poor performance.
In this month's CSMA magazine a correspondent suggests that foglights, front and rear, should be linked to engine management systems to limit speed to a maximum 50 mph if they are switched on. If it's foggy enough you shouldn't go faster than that anyway, if it's not the lights shouldn't be on anyway.
Car sluggish this morning? Was it foggy last night? I think we can diagnose that problem!
Sounds eminently sensible to me, what do others think?
Terry Read more
Sorry, guys. I only asked for views on the speed limiting idea, not the old arguments regurgitated.
(Ducks back below parapet)
Terry
How in God's name did anybody let this woman look after children?
A two-year-old girl has died after being left in a locked car in the sun while her caregiver went shopping.
The child, whose name has not been made public, was declared dead on arrival at Garden City Clinic in Johannesburg on Monday afternoon - when temperatures reached 30°C - after she was rushed there by staff from Jumbo Cash & Carry.
Surendra Bhawan Suroobhai, managing director of Jumbo Cash & Carry's Crown Mines store, confirmed the incident on Tuesday.
"A customer left the child in the car while she came to shop. She must have been gone for about an hour or so, and when she got back to the car, the child was dead. She started screaming, so staff ran to help and tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation," Suroobhai said.
Makes me so angry, I could weep. It's not as if we live in a cold climate... Read more
Terrible Ian, terrible. If our climate was hotter more often I think we'd see much more of this here too. HF and I regulalry see babies and toddlers left alone in cars whilst their parents enjoy a chinwag outside the school for half an hour, well out of sight and earshot. These kids are vulnerable to choking, overheating (seasonal of course) and all sorts of other things but the mums (primarily) don't seem to understand the danger. Only a week or two ago we witnessed several such incidents one afternoon and wondered whether we should try to raise the issue with the head. I think I will now do this and see if awareness of the dangers can be raised.
The other day I was cruising along as usual coming onto one of my
motorways which was very busy with inferior cars.
First off, I couldn't believe that the volume of traffic DIDN'T slow down for me AT ALL as I came off the slip road! I had to squeeze into a barely big enough gap between two cars in order to get onto my motorway! (The driver of the car behind me did realise his mistake though and honked an apology to me with a long blast of his horn.)
Unbelievably, I had to do the same again before I could get to the BMWlane. (Why do underlings use this lane? Surely everyone knows it is for BMW drivers only?)
Anyway, once I was in the BMW lane and posing along at 95mph enjoying the adulation that the inferior car drivers were giving me, I noticed an inferior car ahead of me which was not only in the BMW lane of my motorway,but was driving at a ridiculous 70 mph!
Naturally, I got to within a foot or so of his rear bumper and flashed my headlights to remind him he shouldn't be in the BMW lane and to get out of my way. Of course, once he realised it was a BMW behind him, he did just that, but I could hardly believe it when he pulled straight back out behind me! He also
tried to keep up with me and when he realised I would out-run him, he put on some blue lights in his front grill and urged me to get onto the hardshoulder so that he could congratulate me on my excellent car.
Needless to say, I was eager to oblige and when we had stopped, the man gave me a piece of paper confirming what I already knew - that my car goes fast!
Apparently he wants everyone to know what a superior car I have, so I had to take my driver's licence to a Police Station to be sent away to have some points put on! (They're not free points either - they're £20 each and I was only allowed 3.) But the man at the Police Station said that because I drive a BMW, it won't be much longer before I earn the full 12 points, and then I
won't even NEED a driving licence, so they will take it off me!
See, now THAT's the sort of respect you get when you buy and drive a BMW!
Read more
Food for thought.
Corporate image is another issue.
Choice so - far
Saab
Audi
Volvo
Mazda RX8 on the reverse list, might consider it on looks alone, but I would like a drive first.
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Pulling the threads together