February 2003
My wifes Polo (1994L) seems to run very cold. Is this possible?
It recently had a radiator problem, which coupled with a faulty temp guage sender resulted in a head gasket problem. Anyway the guage now reads down around 60 degrees, except when stuck in traffic, then when you get going it goes down to 60 again. I took it back and said the guage was faulty but they checked it and said it was fine.
Also when its cold outside the heater doesn't blow very warm except in heavy traffic, hence I suspect the guage is right.
I have checked several other cars since and they all seem to run about 90 degrees.
Whats going on?
Tim Read more
Recently had the tracking done on my wife?s car and as often happens the steering wheel has become slightly misaligned.
To correct this in the past I adjust the trackrod ends exactly the same on each end.
I do this by marking it in relation to its rod and then adjusting one clockwise and one anti to the same degree.
This does the job perfectly but have wondered if even with this amount of care the tracking of the front wheels have remained spot on.
Any comments would be interesting and welcome.
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Tolerance for my Mondeo (front) is 0 degrees plus or minus 6 seconds.
Sin 0.1 (6 seconds) multiplied by 381mm (15") gives 0.66mm.
As the pivot is in the centre, the required movement is half of that i.e. 0.33mm.
This is at the outer of the wheel rim. With the track rod end being some distance further in from the edge of the rim the 0.33mm may become 2/3 rds of that say.
I also recon that much of this tolerance will be taken by thermal movement of the track rod. Perhaps one day manufacturers will quote figures at a certain temperature?
Sorry if this an old subject, but are ALL motoring writers obsessing on exotica these days?
With one notable exception (Car Mechanics) most mags seem uninterested in average cars and are therefore, as far as I am concerned, a total waste of space.
Or am I just getting (even) older? Read more
i bought it again last week and as i havent read it for a few months thought it was excellant (i dont have and dont want a classic car i see enough problems during the day without having homework as well)
I've just replaced my 98 Corolla with a new one , a T3 1.6 3dr ( my 4th Toyota ). I cannot get comfortable behind the wheel , however I set the seat . The semi-sports style of the seat cuts the circulation to my legs and is grossly uncomfortable . Now , is this just me or has anyone else experienced this with the new model Corolla ? Any ideas what to do about it ? DeeJay . Read more
I have a VW Golf GT TDi with so called 'sports seats'. The idea is that they are meant to support you when using the extra performance the car has in comparison with lesser models.
Personally I find the seats very uncomfortable, particularly as they dig into the sides of your legs.
I also run an old Volvo 740 with large flat seats.Whilst not providing much lateral support they are very comfortable on long journeys.I would always pay particular attention to a car's front seats before purchase and will avoid 'sports seats' in future.
HectorG
3.5 year old A class with vibration through the steering wheel. Im told that this is a known fault and that a modified steering column is in production. Ive been qouted £500+ to replace the column as ive owned the car >3 yrs. Any one else experienced this ? Can i replace the column myself ? Philip Read more
Try Merc Head Office to see if they will make a goodwill payment for a known issue.
I've just had a new middle box fitted to a Maestro. It replaced a Kwikfit stainless one fitted in '94. It cost £40 from a local independant tyre / exhaust place. Its much noisier than the old one. Sounds like a sports, big bore one.
Question......
Is it (as the fitter told me when I mentioned it) just 'cos it's new - and will get better when the carbon builds up?
Or is it possible that the fitter dislodged something in the remaining back box as he bashed the system apart.
I read that cheap exhausts are noisier than OE. So what's the answer? Presumably you would have to go to a Rover dealer to get an OE system - or are genuine exhausts available elsewhere?
Hope someone has been there before and may have some views on it. The noise is not deafening, just irritating.
Thanks.
KB. Read more
Tyre/exhaust outfit in the northeast called Tyrespot will make a stainless system for any to the customers requirements ie. quiet or sporty.
Can't say what type of s/steel they use or how good they are but remember the price they quoted me a few years back was not much more than a decent steel system.
Have always used them for tyres and found them to be the most competetive for quality makes.
If cruise controls can be used, why can't vehicles be fitted with a device that gives audible and visible warning when pre-set limits, e.g. 30, 60 and 70 m.p.h are breached? (Or maybe they are, in luxury cars?) Read more
Mercedes' have had this feature for quite a few years now, you select either "cruise control" mode or "speed limit" mode. In "speed limit" mode you select a speed by moving the cruise stalk up and down (30, 35, 40mph etc) and the car will not accelerate above this speed. As they all have electronic throttle control (drive by wire) it feels as though the accelerator pedal has gone dead when you reach the set speed. The system can be over-ridden by flooring the accelerator (in case you suddenly need to get out of trouble).
In 1998 I collected a customer's S-reg Merc E280 for its first service, coming into a village with a 30 limit I thought I'd try the speed limiter function. Set it to 30, marvelled as the accelerator did indeed go dead at said speed, slowed down, accelerated hard and it levelled at 30 again, bumbled along at 30 for a mile or so and then got bored... Floored the throttle, and spotted the radar-wielding WPC not five seconds later, 400 yards ahead. Too late, 47mph, £60, 3 points, just like that!
While looking recently, I was amazed by the lack of space in some cars. I'm 6'3 with long legs.
Renault Laguna and New Megane; no kneeroom for the driver.
Skoda Octavia; no kneeroom. Hard to switch from gas to brake.
Skoda Superb; left foot rest was far too small for my size 14s.
I can't remember which cars at the motorshow I couldn't fit into. I think it may have been the Mazda 6, VW Golf, Discovery.
Anyone got any others? Read more
He's cooking Sunday Lunch, AND participating in an internet discussion board. And women say men can't multitask!
I have just had a Skoda Superb PD130 on overnight test and think I have fallen in love with it! It was in 'Classic' trim only but had a nice set of 17" 'Solid' alloys and to be honest it looked great!
It drove great!, and equipment and build quality seemed great! too.
I can't shake the urge to go and spend hard earned cash on one to replace my 1998 Passat 1.8 which has served me faultlessly for close on 5 years now.
I have seen very few examples of this car on the road - has anyone bought one - if so what do they think (not just of the diesel) and would they recommend it to a private buyer. Read more
I own a Superb - 1.8T and am absolutely delighted with it. Love the comfort, space in the back is huge (the only gripe that I had with my previous Octavia was it was tiny for passengers) and just all round a damn fine car.
Threads in here about Clarkson reaction. Will in my humble opinion Jeremy Clarksons reviews are entertaining, I like the guy actually but about as appropriate to real world motoring considerations as an Enola Gay Fly Past would be at the Hiroshima Airshow.
I too have the problem of the car flatting out at 3100RPM. I am trying to get the VAG COM hooked up but i think that i require the HEX com interface ( the latest and most expensive that Ross Tech do). Has anyone used the cheaper interfaces available on the 1z engine?
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OK, thanks all. I'll try that at some point in the near future.