March 2003
I have a 480 volvo that has just been lowered with Leda adjustable suspension, 'new' larger front brakes and 'new' rims with 4 brand new BF goodrich tyres.
I now have a vibrating steering wheel at over 50 mph (well it wiggles very subtlely). I suspect that the tyres were not balanced (long story) but given how much has changed, do l need to consider other possibilities when l put the car in? Should l get the tracking looked at etc..??
It was absolutely flawless pre-op , so l seriously doubt that this vibration could suddenly be something to do with a worn bearing, track rod etc...
cheers,
dan Read more
Not quite the car I asked about last time but...
I've seen;
2.0T SE 52 reg choice of pre-reg'd for £18k-manual and £19k-auto
as above 02 reg 10k £16k again choice (man & auto)
both these at Volvo main dealers
Also I notice 'on here' 03 Reg for £19k manual.
They seem good value compared to A4's and BMW's.
The SE spec all get leather interiors and decent spec (180bhp too).
I presume the dealers with pre-reg 52 plate ones will be getting pretty keen to move them on - are they a good deal? - I guess depreciation will be greater than BM and Audi - but they cost less and are better equipped in the first place.
Are they a good buy? / good car? would a similar spec D5 models really worth the extra 3k - that's a lot of fuel! personally I prefer manuals - but I've sure I've read some criticism od the vovo maual box -true? Read more
Good choices the 2.4T and the D5. If you were interested in an auto, the 2.4T is a great match for the box. I think you will find that HJ liked it when he road tested it.
Hi,
Am currently thinking of buying a Corolla Verso and having had the showroom chat with my local dealer, which involved all the usual "let me show you just how small our profit margin is on that car" rubbish (£600!!!), was very impressed with the quote from ukcarbrokers.
I'm always a little sceptical of these things and was wondering if anyone has had experience or feedback from happy customers.
Especially since having said no part exchanges, they are now saying that my local dealer will do the part ex as well!!
Sounds too good to be true????
According to them I'll be dealing with my local Toyota dealer anyway so how does that work and who am I buying it from since I can only imagine an unhappy local dealer who 3 days ago wouldn't budge off full retail price!!
Thanks,
Steve.
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I bought the C3 from UK Carbrokers. Excellent service.
As with everyone else, I told them what I wanted. Later that day a Citroen main dealer rang me back. I placed my order with a £500 deposit.
The final payment was sent to them by cheque about one week before delivery, although if I remember correctly, I could have presented a Building Society cheque to the driver on delivery.
Delivery was arranged to my door for March 1st (new 03 reg) and the car turned up at 0830hrs that morning on a trailer with the car having done about 3 miles.
I sold my 206cc privately and was more than £1800 better off than the deal that my local dealer could offer.
I now take it to my (other) local dealer in Harrogate who is more than happy to do the first service and the one recall repair.
The car is UK sourced and carries all that goes with it.
I am very pleased with my decision to deal with UK carbrokers, and the service that I got.
Reggie
I have a 99 T Laguna 1.6... .I have noticed lately that when I brake hard such as coming down from 60mph to stop for a roundabout, the steering wheel judders ever so slightly. I used to have a Cavalier and as far as i can remember i didnt do this.. is this normal or is it a sign that somthing major is going to happen to the breaks. if you break lightly it\'s ok. Read more
I had a succession of Renaults through the 1980s. They all had to have their discs replaced after comparatively low mileages.They usually just rusted and pitted away, rather than warped. Then I bought a Xantia in 1993 - kept it for 9 years/ 100,000 miles - only needed discs once as I recall. Now have C5 and it looks OK too. I think Renaults always had a bad reputation for braking gremlins.
Graeme
I'm not sure whether this belongs in Discussion or Technical....
In HJ's column this week, a reader wrote in to complain about not getting a courtesy car. His oil pressure sensor required replacing, and his car was in the garage for three days.
Since HJ didn't comment on that, it's left me a bit confused - 3 DAYS?
When I was a grease monkey, that was a 30 minute job including tea-break.
Has something changed? Read more
Hi All
I have a 1991 VW Golf (81,000 miles, 1300cc).
I have noticed that my suspension is emitting squeaking noises during driving. The squeaking is more apparent driving along rougher roads.
All suspension components are the original ones since 1991. The only replacements have been the rear bump stops 10,000 miles ago.
The shock absorbers are functioning fine.
Is this a cause for concern? Is it time to replace the shock absorbers?
Thanks
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I have a front suspension squeak which is only evident when going over large sleeping policemen (i.e. pretty long suspension travel) in the wet. Any ideas?
Hi All
I have a 1991 VW Golf (81,000 miles, 1300cc).
I noticed that the exhaust clamps and bolts near the front of my car were rusting. I therefore applied some copper grease to them in order to delay the onset of rust.
I have now noticed that the copper grease has changed from a copper colour to black.
Is this due to the heat and have I been wasting my time?
Thanks
Read more
Yes,it will go black but no you haven't,it should still work.
Hi All
I have a 1991 VW Golf (81,000 miles, 1300cc).
I have noticed that the rubber bushes on the rear axle beam mounts are beginning to split. These are the original rubber bushes.
Is this a safety problem?
Do these have have to be replaced?
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Yes they will fail an MOT and you may notice that under heavy braking the car is not staying in a straight line due to the rear bean twisting out of line depending on the rear wheel traction. Regards Peter
I've seen one of these advertised, late 99 with a full dealer service history and low miles.
I like the combination of V6 motor and autobox. But I have never seen any comment on Alfa's offering, which I think is no longer offered.
Does anyone out there have any view on the likely reliability of this Alfa model?
MWH Read more
The advice I had when looking at Alfas was to avoid the selespeed but nobody commented on the Q system. Whether this is a good thing or not, I couldn't tell you.
Settled for a manual 2.4JTD in the end.
Hi,
I'm trying to locate a replacement electric aerial for my Peugeot 306 2.0 SE Cabriolet.
The aerial itself is functional, but it does not go all the way down. The last two shafts seem to be kinked.
Does anyone know where I can get a replacement shaft or who makes this aerial? The main Peugeot dealer wants £120 for a new one.
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I take it you have the code. If you havent, most Peugeot dealers will give you the code for free if they can find it on their marketing system. Otherwise they'll charge you between £15-35 to re-code. But they dont guarantee it will work!
The handbook says the following:-
Entering the Code
Switch the set on
The display shows "CODE" then the set changes over to code request mode and "----" is displayed.
Enter your four digit code number using buttons "1" to "6"
When the fourth number has been entered correctly the radio starts automatically.
Error in entering code
If an error is made when entering one of the first three digits, do not continue the operation and switch off the radio to prevent blocking it.
Each incorrect code entry will result in the set being blocked for a period of from 5 secs to 30 mins, after the 7th incorrect entry.
To unblock the set, leave it switched on during the waiting period. When "----" is displayed, you can enter the code again.
If the set is switched off during the waiting period, this waiting period will restart when the set is switched on again. After 14 incorrectly input codes, the radio will be permanently locked and the display will read "END".
Hope that helps.
I'm still looking for a solution for my aerial by the way!
Browse
It is probably just wheel balance but you will need the tracking checked/adjusted anyway as you has altered the rack to wheel relationship. And yes a slight out of balance can excite a worn part like a track rod end. Good Luck Peter