February 2003
What is the law re rear seat belts? My parents have a H reg Saab 900 in which both rear belts have failed. As these are rarely used and it would cost £120 each to have new replacements fitted, I was wondering whether they are actually necessary? I know some older cars didn't have them, but I'm not sure from when they became a necessity and whether they could just remove the belts of if this would result in an MOT failure.
Any advice appreciated! Read more
Due to a severe decline in US sales, Isuzu are to cease all Japanese production of Trooper and 4x4 stationwagons in mid-February 2003. They have already dissolved their US manufacturing joint venture with Fuji Heavy Industry (makers of Subaru). The Indiana plant, now under 100% ownership of FHI, will continue to manufacture Isuzu Rodeo, Rodeo Sports, Axiom on behalf of Isuzu on a consignment basis with a 2003 forecast of 30,000 units.
The Trooper replacement for the US, the flagship Ascender, is a 7-seater SUV based on Chevrolet TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy platform.
Isuzu will concentrate on their Heavy Truck and Light Truck divisions and on supply of diesel engines in a joint-venture with General Motors, particularly the 1.7 litre direct injection for the Opel Astra and Corsa, the 3.0 litre V6 for the Saab 9-5 and the 6.6 litre V8 for the Chevrolet Silverado.
This leaves Isuzu UK in an awkward position as none of the US built vehicles are currently offered for sale. Their only official UK product will be the rather dowdy TF pick-up. A company named Doublecabs 'R' us (www.Cab4.com) is moving in to fill the gap left in the UK by the demise of the Trooper by supplying what they call the Evolution - a smart looking pick-up on the outside and an SUV on the inside with leather and auto as options.
CMark
copyright 2003 Read more
I saw what looked like a Frontera in New York. It was badged as a Honda Passport. Weird.
Shame about the Trooper. I've just bought one, and at 8 years old and 115,000 miles it looks and feels nicely run in. Farmers around here love them, and with good reason. It's hard to think of anything else which will fill the gap - about half way between a LR Defender and a Discovery, but with a bigger engine than either, and Japanese reliability.
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
can anyone help with this one? r reg vectra .interior heater works fine my side of the carbut is cold on her side of the car,blocked heater matrix?? tricky to replace?? be glad if somebod can help Read more
If the heater pumps out heat on one side of the car but not the other (and presumably the screen heats/demists OK) then it is unlikely to be the heater matrix. It is most likely to be the heater box flaps not opening correctly on one side or the controls that link the dashboard car/screen/facia control to the heater box having come astray on one side. I am not familiar with the Vectra but a Haynes manual usually has a diagram of the heater assembly and you may be able to see which bit could not be working.
we have a 91 1.4 ghia fiesta in this household.it starts fine from cold and runs well,also when the beast is warmed up it runs fine,BUT just when i think the auto choke's coming off it'll conk out eg. at juntion then starts again ok but you may have to keep the revs up.this is especially so in winter.so what do ya reccon can you replace the auto choke assembly (cost?) no probs with thermostat or running temps, over to you bods
Read more
I also had an anti-dieseling valve fail-if you put your fingers on it and turn the ignition on and off you should feel the movement inside-a soft click.Also check your idle speed and Co are OK-both should be set mid to top limit.
I'm familiar enough with the normal hand sprayer that screws in to a special designed can i.e. the can has a female thread about 1.5" across and the male thread of the sprayer screws in to it.
However, what sort of sprayer do you use for the Underbody Seal Schutz. The can in which it's supplied has a male thread of similar size therefore you can't use the same sprayer as for normal waxoyl?
Thanks in anticipation.
KB. Read more
Thanks for that prompt reply, lauriew. So presumably without a spray gun compressor you resort to brushing it on? I don't have that equipment - just thought that they might do a simple hand pump , but never mind.
Thanks again.
KB.
Shopping list reads...Lots of presence/panache, £10k to £12k. Low depreciation/servicing costs. Coupe (not convertible) able to put 10yr old and a six yr old in the back. Don't need big boot. Pref. up to 50,000 on the clock but not more than 70,000, pref. Not more than 5 years old. Strong pref for leather int. Must be reliable as used for daily commute and long business trips. Whaddya think? Read more
Sorry, it's a fleet car so I have no idea what the insurance is.
The 2.0 litre turbo is a bit underpowered at about 160 bhp, but by no means slow. The 2.4T (200 bhp) is probably the best balance and is not much slower in most situations than the T5 (250 bhp).
I'm having a little trouble coming to a decision on the next motor. I'm looking for a used car for under £10k with a fairly responsive diesel engine, to keep over 2-3 years. It has to be reasonably easy to sell on when the time comes (so perhaps just a little bit of kudos) and shouldn't depreciate like a computer. I've looked at a lot of makes and models and have narrowed my shortlist down quite considerably, and the Audi A4/A6 and Rover 75 were the last cars left on it until the other day. I had been leaning towards the A6 1.9 TDi - more room than an A4 or a 75, usually seems better equipped too. A Seat would be on my list except that I already own one ...
Yesterday I was persuaded to test-drive a 115 bhp Passat, which was a lot better than I expected, although I noticed a bit of rattling from under the dash to the left. It was far roomier than an A4 I was in last week, better equipped and the seats were more comfortable & supportive both front and rear. Looking at local Autotrader prices for an A6 between 1998 - 2001, a Passat with the same engine (1.9 TDi), age and mileage can be up to £1200 cheaper. It seems there are more Passats available, too. The only thing is, I've read more negative feedback about Passats than about Audis!
I haven't been able to test-drive an A6 yet, so I can't really compare the two properly. Is there really a difference in build quality or reliability between them, or is it just coincidence that more Passat owners seem to have complained? I quite like the 75 but have heard about a few problems with rust, especially on chromed trim, and the anti-corrosion warranty is pretty mean on that car. Is rust/build quality a real concern, or am I being paranoid?
Opinions from people who've experienced owning any of my shortlist (A4, A6, Passat, 75) would be greatly appreciated!
Read more
Thanks, Bazza, for explaining a little more about this. Of course the cooking oil is very tempting, but I would be the *one* person who HMC&E just happened to stop on the offchance, as they drove through suburban Kent on their way to work ;)
HF
Hi all
I am going to look at a 2nd hand one of these tomorrow and I wonder if any of you guys can give me any pointers as to anything specific to look for?
I have read the car by car breakdown and also HJ's invaluable advice about buying a used car privately.
Is there anything that would spring to mind for anyone who has owned one of these? Its a 97 5 door 1.6 GLX hatch with low mileage (under 30k) with full history (ie serviced according to Mitsubishi spec).
Thanks in advance Read more
If I had a major service on my Mondeo at Ford Rapid fit rather than going to the service department, at the same premises, would this affect the validity of my warranty. The reason I ask is that the cost of a major sevice in the Rapid fit bay is about £80 cheaper !????. Read more
Thankyou all for the replies, I'll take your advice and use Ford's Rapid fit, as it is a Ford Warranty.
Hi
I am trying to install a old style (standard size) Ford 2006 RDS head unit into the old 89 polo, as it's original head unit has died, and as the rest of the car is not far behind I do not want to spend money on a new head unit.
I have the original ford connectors > flying leads and know that when viewed from the back the connecteor on the right is for the speakers. The connector on the left has pin numbers marked on the plug such that
Pin 1 > Red wire (top of connector)
Pin 2 > Brown wire
Pin 3 > Yellow wire
Pin 4 > yellow / grey
pin 5 > N/C
pin 6 > heavy gauge brown
pin 7 > N/C
Does anybody know what the pinout of this connector is?
I have tried all the logical connections, and have buzzed them out to the fuse / Chassis but with power connected I can get no life out of it at all. Is it looking for some ford trickery on the yellow / Yellow/grey pair?
Any help greatly appreciated
Thanks Read more
Ford will want to see proof of ownership but it will be easier for them if you quote the serial number of the radio-it's somewhere on the case of the radio-it saves having to cross check VIN/REG.numbers.
Browse
Try www.carparts-direct.co.uk they sell OEM seatbelts.