February 2003
Dear all,
Can everyone comments on this car's abilities? I will mean use it for short journeys around Cambridge and rallying. My Nissan QX will be reserved for long trips (weekend Cambridge <-> London as girlfriend lives there) or when I need to carry family or carry more than four around.
Or should I sell my QX and have the 323 as my sole transport?
I'm thinking of getting the above car with aircon at around 3k pounds. It seems that there are not a lot on the market. Where can I find the cheapest examples? (Auctions, privates, independents, etc.)
Cheers everyone,
Garrison Read more
Does anyone suffer from undue rear brake squeal on light braking on their previous model Vectra ? Mine's a 2001 2.2 with disks all round. It only happens when the brakes are warm, ie after normal driving for half a mile or so. Washing/hosing seems to make no difference, and it happens both in the dry and wet.
The same thing happened on my previous 1.8 S reg, I couldn't believe it when its replacement did the same straight after leaving FoW !
Any thoughts/ideas/solutions ?
Cheers,
Steve Read more
My wife has a 25,000m E320CDi (9/2000 vintage)with a few problems, neither of which the dealer has been able to find.
First one is a strange 'flapping' noise from the O/S rear wheel, which appears intermittently when pulling away. We've checked the tyres etc.
Lastly, the steering intermittently groans around the centre line at all speeds. If you turn off the engine and restart it often disappears for the next few days, especially if the dealer starts it up,,,,,
As an aside, do any other readers have a disintegrating carpet? Although it's as dry as a bone, the black carpet has worn away where the (genuine parts) floor mats edges are.
PS: My brother had the car from new and it is UK MB supplied, so we know the mileage and the provenance.
Any suggestions appreciated (apart from the "I'll offer you 50 quid for it " variety!)
Simon
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Having owned M.B.s for a few years now I would say the carpet disintegrating is not acceptable as when my footmat became worn my dealer just changed it free of charge. As previously said if it's still under warranty insist they sort the problems out.
Just out of interest is the dealer owned by Mercedes or a large franchise? I ask this because several people have said the garages now owned by Mercedes are giving superb customer care whereas the large franchised dealers now appear to be getting worse.
Best of luck with the problems
Marcos
We've all experienced it.
3 lanes of fairly light motorway/dual carriageway traffic travelling at near enough 70mph. One lane is coned off, with warning signs miles beforehand, and inevitably a huge traffic jam happens. This occurs even though there is ample capacity in the 2 open lanes to carry all the traffic.
Now we all know that the traffic should merge into 2 lanes at speed well before the closed off lane - the zipper effect. That never works in the UK. Either someone will not leave a gap for a car to slot into, or an opportunist cannot resist overtaking a few more cars and the merging point gets nearer and nearer to the cones.
Now I have always thought that the jam is caused by cars in the closed off lane having to brake to a standstill(for the reasons above) when they reach the cones. This causing the lane next to them to stop and let them in with the knock-on effect going back miles.
A pal saw a programme on TV about this and feels my theory is too simplistic. So anyone else have a theory why this phenomenon occurs? And how can it be prevented.
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I don't think this has anything to do with merging. It is surely a result of the reduced speed limit that goes with the lane reduction. Usually from 70 down to 50.
www.307cc.net/
Pity I don't parlez francais.
WLTC Read more
WLJC even !!!
Folks,
The Citroen XM seems to have a reputation for eating radiators and heater matrices due to "the elctrolytic effect". That is, as I understand it, a "battery" effect between two metals eats away at one of them/ both of them. Hence the short life of said parts.
Is this known on any other vehicles, and is there an easy fix?
rg Read more
If it is an all metal radiator(ie not plastic header tanks), then electrolytic action occurs between tubes,solder and tanks. Accelerated by wet/damp debris/roadsalt building up over time.
Best prevention is to keep area clean.
My daughter is looking for a car for shopping/school runs, etc.
She will probably be driving no more than 10 miles each way, twice a day, mainly through town and slow moving traffic.
Mpg economy is paramount - she doesn't particularly want a diesel, but I suppose for this type of driving it would probably be better? A small 4 door hatch would be OK.
Any advice very much appreciated.
Thanks
Tony Read more
I'd probably go along with David - the Yaris is one of the more versatile and economical diesel superminis. Sliding rear seat and lots of handy storage space make it quite functional and family-friendly as well. Reliability will not be a problem with the Yaris either. The Renault Clio dci is nice to drive and well-equipped, especially in Dynamique trim, but doesn't have the same amount of interior space front or rear as rivals - still, insurance group 3 keeps costs down and it's excellent on safety equipment. Skoda Fabia is one of the nicest to drive and is very roomy, but has a bit less kit unless you pay for higher spec, and the more economical diesel unit is tedious. The new Ibiza diesel would also be a strong contender but won't be available used as yet, likewise (probably) the new Fiesta. I don't know if the new Micra would be within your budget or not. It'll have the same engine as the Clio.
Actually, the Clio, Yaris and Ibiza all offer free insurance right now if bought as new cars from a main dealer.
Ones I'd avoid - the 206 because of the driving position, same goes for the Punto. Polo is too expensive, Saxo too awful for words, C3 let down by trim quality. Previous-shape Fiesta has no rear space to speak of and the diesel engine is very rough compared to the new breed.
Good luck!
Daughters' 1999 VW Polo Estate has been in
for its annual test and has dipped because of
defective catalytic converter. Replacement
quoted at £600 plus. I know they are expensive is the normal?
In an attempt to save GBH of my wallet for your know what daughters are, can anybody advise if there is a reliable source other than VW for this part, preferably in North East
England?
DVD
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Update
Vehicle was acquired a year ago and it was thought the 1 year VW Warranty had expired but on checking found it had a couple of weeks to run. This was after replacement fitted at a non VW garage.
Wrote off to VW Warranty with all the evidence etc to make a claim. Well you never know.
Daughter phoned am today. VW have sent her a cheque for £305 to cover replacement.
You can at times knock VW but on this occasion they deserve praise.
Trying to buy a 2nd hand Focus, I want a good car somewhere between £4.5 and £6.5k.
If I go to a dealer, what kind of discount is reasonable to expect these days if you have No Trade In and No credit requirements? i.e. cash purchase. 10% too much or too little? (I realise that it may well depend on all kinds of factors, but a guideline would be helpful please).
And...by dealer I mean...anything frm a small indie to a Ford dealer. Read more
Thanks Andrew, interesting site. There's even some within budget there! Shame it's so far away...
I'm in the market for a good 2nd hand Focus (not 1.4). Saw one in Blackbushe today, V reg, 35k, 5 dr, 1.6LX, amparo blue. It had a bad dig out of bonnet, front colour coded bumper badly scratched (paint off completely at one corner - looked recent) and some other minor bodywork scratches (really minor) but otherwise looked OK, started fine etc (albeit in desparate need of 2 new rear tyres!)
I was outbid at £5250, when the BCA guide suggested £4800 @ 55k miles. I think the BCA guide is based on recent samples but doesn't include mileage adjustment. Was I misleading myself about the true value? Or is the 2nd hand auction market really hot right now? Read more
Can anyone advise on the max figure I should be looking to pay for a Focus 2.0 Zetec in good condition (99V with 40K) at auction ? Parker's guide seem to suggest around £5100.
Thanks
Raj
Browse
cheers anyway ........ anyone else with any ideas ?
S