April 2003
Would be gratefull if anyone could let me know what the valve clearances should be on a Renault ( 1991 ) Espace 2.9 v6 should be?
Thaks chaps
Doyle Read more
www.philstar.com/philstar/News200304266601.htm
(GBP1 = Philippine Pesos 82 approx).
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Well , "when in Rome" I was taught and that's the credo I follow, why kick against the pricks? :-)
Let's face it, the UK is just as replete with scams: cameras, congestion charges w.h.y. -- the authorities there are simply less honest about it and dress it up in some marketing garb fabricated by the Ministry of Thought to make it digestible to a compliant and obedient public. Here at least we accept fighting the authorities wherever possible and defeating them at their own game is not simply sport but a manner of honour!
There is an undercurent to this. The Japanese particularly, because of their stringent inspection regulatons which makes any vehicle more than 3 years old virtually obsolete, need a major outlet to get rid of otherwise serviceable vehicles or vehicles broken down as parts. The Koreans increasingly too. What better than to send 'em to the Philippines where everything is negotiable? Personally I'm all for free markets!
Is it possible to replace the anti roll bar bushes on a 96N Ford Fiesta without dropping the bottom suspension member? The rear bolt head is against the floor pan and cannot be accessed with a spanner.
John Allen
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I've seen them done before on either a Fiesta or an Escort, I can't recall which one where the mechanic took the one bolt out that was accessible and bent the bracket over enough to get the bush out. Then once the new bush is back in place the bracket was just bent back and the bolt was put back in.
I know this is not the recommened way of replacing the bushes but is a lot easier and quicker than taking various bits of the suspension off just to replace the anti roll bar bushes. Personally I can't see a problem with using this method but I would only ever do it once to the same brackets otherwise the more they are bent backwards and forwards the more likely they are to fatigue and snap.
Just seen on sky news that trial are going to start on using the hard shoulder to reduce congestion on motorways.
Anyone care to comment?
Jonathan Read more
Oh dear, I appear to be falling out with everyone!
Have just checked a dictionary (maybe should have done it before... Lol) and they appear to agree with you that a 'shoulder' is a border at the side of the road. So maybe not silly (maybe I am? Hmm!). But if the dictionary definition came after it was called a shoulder...
Thanks for clearing the adjective bit too. Do 'soft shoulders' exist anymore? Or are they the grassy verges on 'A' roads and such like?
Thanks, Kev
Just bought a Citroen C5 - 1.8 petrol. 1 year old, 11K miles. The issue is a general one though.
The manual says 20K mile service is all that's required, but I only do 6K miles per year, most of it round town (plus an annual drive to the south of France). So my questions are;
1) Should I have anything done now (or at least before my summer trip), and if so what is time rather than mileage dependent?
2) The manual says to use either 95 or 98 RON petrol, so does it matter which (I had a diesel before, so the choice is a bit of a mystery to me)? Will it harm the engine long term to use the cheaper one?
Any help appreciated
David Read more
Change your oil and filter every six months anyway, and don't go more than twelve months between services.
Experiment with fuel. If you notice a difference, you may get an effective compromise with a good additive in the cheaper fuel (I keep using, and recommending, the VAG additive, part no. G 001 700 03, and it's cheaper than others from accessories shops). If you fill up with 50 litres, you'll save at least £1 a tankful with 95 fuel plus additive. I'd follow HJ's advice on fuel and stick to either Shell or Texaco.
My central locking is making a chattery noise when activated, de-activted. I thought it was just the passenger door solenoid chattering, but now it seems all the locks are doing it (2 doors, boot). could it be a control unit problem. Any advice would be helpful. Cheers Read more
Agree with Robin, but in addition check that none of the linkages are stiff to operate (especially sill button) - this can prevent the switches in the door unit from being triped properly and the electronics then gets confused.
I've had a letter from the AA offering a parts and labour breakdown service for £48 a year. It allows 3 claims a year to a limit of £500 each claim (vat inc)an excess of £25 is charged for each claim.
How does this compare to other warranties on offer?
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PS If you DO breakdown, take pictures before and after to help support a complaint. They damaged my Mercedes last year and after a very, very, lengthy process their expert examiner which they sent round said the damage was 'not neccessarily caused by the recovery process.'. I too can conclude this on all damage to cars!
And that was after making rude comments about the car's general condition. It WAS 19 years old and had done 350,000 miles for {BLEEP} sake!
They refused everything I suggested. Shame. All six members of our family used to use them ...
rojer@lycos.co.uk
Astra, Renault 18, Renault 25 TXi, Astra Est, Passat Est, Mercedes 190E, Mercedes
Has anybody bought a new car through Wondercars or had any experiences with them. Any comments woold be welcome. Read more
First question to ask, whether or not the dealer itself is any good, is - is the deal any good? If not, walk away anyway. With exchange rates as they are, if you are left open to currency movements, importing may be looking very expensive and risky. So, what's the car and spec and how much is it?
Further to Peter D thread of 2Aug02, I also have a 1995 VW golf GTI 8v with an intermittent ABS problem. I purchased the car at 3 years old having been previously run by an office colleague as a lease company car.The problem will only manifist itself in one way.
The ABS warning lamp illuminates after driving for 40 minutes for no apparent reason and at the same time the ABS pump starts running. This seems to happen when the brakes are not being operated.
Turning the ignition off and waiting a few minutes (the longer the better) and then back on will sometimes reset the unit and turn the pump and light off.The fault returns within 5 minutes. It will never reset itself if you continue driving.
The car has had this fault from new and the VW agents have been unable to find the fault or find anything in the memory. The problem is the fault is getting worse, it used to be once a month but it is now every trip.
Peter D how did you get on, what did you find out?
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Interesting same car, same model same year 95/96. MAy be worth giving VW technical a call, number on Web site. Peter
my wifes escort airbag light flashes on and off as soon as the ignition is switch on, but sometimes in a long journey it can stop for a while. is this a easy fault to correct, hoping someone out there will know. Read more
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Doyle,
It's something the trade have to pay £50+ for on each subject...service info, abs, diesels, repair times, timing belts etc etc.
I have a feeling Haynes do a DIY version for £25 (?) but I've never ever seen it stocked.
MM