April 2003
I bought an Audi 80 on 15 February 2003 which was untaxed. Before driving it on a public road I ascertained that the cylinder head gasket was gone.The person I bought the car from didn't want to know so I traded the car into a dealer about a month later (and yes he knew about the problem). Yesterday I got notice from DVLA asking me to tax the car from 1st February or declare SORN. Have I committed a crime by not telling the authories that I owned the car for three weeks? What is my best course of action to avoid a fine? All thougts appreciated. Read more
Hi! Does somebody know what is the correct boost for 1.8 TD engine?
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Hi All,
I have looked at the previous thread about tyre sealants. i.e. goo you put into your tyre before punctures NOT the "pump up your flat tyre and get you home" type of aerosol.
Most opinion seemed to be it is either useless or dangerous however I put some in when I changed my last lot of tyres and have had no punctures in about three years.
So what,I hear folk say. Well I live down a country lane where the debris from tractors cutting the thorn hedges were giving me at least one puncture a year.
Cannot remember the make of the last lot ( OKO ? ) of gunge but it does seem to work.
Whilst debating whether to treat my new tyres I found a new (to me ) product called Ultraseal which claims to have various US Federal approvals.
Does anyone have any new information about this or other products ?
Thanks for any imput
Martin Read more
Hi again,
My original inquiry was as to any new developments in this market as I notice that Slime and the gunge sold at Farm shops (Linseal ? ) are only sold for slow moving vehicles whilst the Ultra Seal I saw claimed to have Federal Approval that allowed use in normal cars.
Since my original post I remembered that I had filled my lawn tractor tyres with the surplus from the gunge I had put into my car tyres 3 years ago.
Amazed to remove over 20+ thorns from one tractor tyre alone. As I pulled out the thorns the gunge ( 3 years old mind ) sealed the hole when I rotated the wheel by hand a couple of times.
Proves it does the job but one is still worried about a safety issue with cars. However I have not had a puncture in the car whereas before I gor at least one thorn puncture every year.
Martin
Hi,
Mum\'s speedo isn\'t working. It seems to register intermittently when in lower gears or in any gear under hard acceleration. (OK 5th won\'t offer hard acceleration in a severely negelected metro but nevermind.) Loose cable?
My friend\'s Mondeo 1.8TD ,M reg, 146k ,seems to perform poorly below 2500 revs and needs to be revved quite hard for a diesel on hills. Is this just a characteristic? Being an old design id guess the turbo provides most of the power. Also he thinks he is getting poor economy; what are the main causes on a diesel? His right foot is heavy but not made of lead.
Finally I was a passenger in said Mondeo the other day when my friend\'s friend\'s (!) Punto blew its head gasket. He drives like a fool, stereotypical boy racer. He blasts it from cold and uses cheap oil. However the gasket blew at 80 on the motorway shortly after he had been nudging 100. I would have thought it was the local road 0-60 sprints etc from cold that set it off not maxing it on the motorway once it would have been warm. \'Mechanic\' who was amongst the passengers said \'a 1.2 shouldn\'t do that, motorways are bad for it.\'
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I have a new megane 1.9dCi with 4000 miles on the clock. I am unable to get a decent answer as to the factory fill oil. The dealer says it\'ll be elf full synthetic 5W40 but a mechanic who works there thinks more likely 10W40 semi-synthetic for running in. The handbook suggests that the first fill oil should be left in for 18000 miles! I intend to go to the dealer after 9000 miles for an oil and filter change. Does anybody have a definitive answer as to the type and grade of the first fill oil ?
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nope I suppose not, if you change the filter use a renault one and they will never know, all the old oil goes in the same drum so they cant check.
I have a Mercedes '96 C220 diesel auto.
For the last 2 days, the EDC light came on every time I drive the car . The engine starts first time, never stalls or lost power although the rpm is limited to 3500 with the throttle fully depressed. Another thing is the engine runs on for 3-4 seconds after turning the ignition off.
Took the car to local garage that specialises in MB and he put his test box on, the message : " FUEL INJECTION SHUT OFF VALVE" came up.
The question is should I get the Fuel Injection Valve replaced or should I get a new diesel pump? Read more
Ask them;they'll be in "yellow pages".
Can anyone answer me a couple of Leon related questions?
1- Does it have a diesel powered interior heater to overcome the slow warmup of TDi engines?
2- Ive read elsewhere that you can retrofit cruisecontrol on VWs and Skodas with this engine for about £150 using original parts, but has anyone done this on a Seat?
The car is a 2002/02 (and yet to be collected from the dealers!)
Tony Read more
I also have a Leon TDI 90bhp. It does not have the heater and yes, it does take longer than a petrol engine to transfer heat to cabin. About 4 miles os typical. See this as a reflection of the diesel engine's greater efficiency rather than a problem. Haven't thought about cruise control but have read in diesel car magazine varying stories of the practicalities. If you can find a garage that knows what it is doing, fine. Many though may tell you it can't be done. This does include VAG group dealers.
Autoexpress say its a Laguna- am i missing something here!? They also rate it above the Mondeo as best family car.
Waht do people here think about it? Read more
As I've mentioned before, one of my relatives sells Renaults for a living. He says the only reason he drives one is because he has to. They are absolutely unreliable (his opinion). Away from the showroom, he drives his girlfriends Fiesta. He says he's sure to get home that way.
My son has a part missing from the interior of his Ford Probe. It's part of the centre console at the very rear. Its horseshoe shaped, and fits above the ashtray (its black). Ford tell us its obsolete but as yet we've not been successful locating one. If you are scrapping or know of a scrappy who's got one PLEASE let me know.
Please don't guide me to the owners club- you have to pay to be a member to even get a look at technical issues. I am looking for the cheapest option- not to join the club to get info I want. Read more
It is worth looking at the 'forum' (and posting on there) of the owners club, and asking about the bit you need. You don't have to part with any dosh for this service and there's plenty of helpful peeps on there who may be able to assist.
I'm not a club official but did join the club, eventually, as £12 was a pittance and felt guily after all the free advice they gave.
Hi, can anyone help me, please!! :o(
Long Post Warning .... sorry, but thought you'd like all the details.
I have a Renault 19 RTI 1.4e 'm' reg. I've had it for 2 years, and it has started first time, every time, until ..... last week!
There was a leak from the metal pipe thing (is that the right name for it!??) that sits along the front of the manifold. Where the 3 hoses go into. I manage to get to the garage, and they replaced the pipe, and put in 3lts of antifreeze. It was okay for a couple of days, then it just wouldn't start. It wanted to, but just wouldn't. So, I called out the RAC ....
Thursday morning .... RAC man arrived, after almost 2 hours. He checked the fuses, plugs and had a look in the throttle housing unit. He tested a few things, and said he didn't know what to make of it. So, he poured some petrol into the throttle housing unit, and it started no problem. He said it might be the fuel filter. So, I arranged to have it fitted on Friday. The car started fine for the rest of the afternoon.
Friday morning .... Rac man No2 arrives. Explained to him what was done the day before, and he had a look at the fuel injector thing inside the throttle housing unit, and done a few tests, and he couldn't find anything. So, he sprayed some carburettor cleaner stuff into the throttle housing unit, and she started no problem. He said that I could try getting new spark plugs, and off he went. So, I drove to the garage, had the fuel filter changed and a new set of plugs. Car started okay for the rest of the day.
Saturday morning (today) .... Enter RAC man No3 . Again, gave him a sitrep of what had gone on the previous 2 days, and he had a look at the throttle housing unit. Done the same tests as previous RAC men, and couldn't see what was up. While he was leaning in and looking at the throttle housing unit, he lent on, and burst, the rubber hose joint that the thermostat, overflow and engine hoses go into. Water everywhere. 50 minutes, and a makeshift joint, later ..... he sprayed some carburettor cleaning stuff into the throttle housing unit, and my wee car started no problemo!! Off I went to visit my mum in Edinburgh, car was starting okay all day, until it was time for me to come home (Fife). Along comes RAC man No4 :oD ..... told him the story, he sprayed some of the same stuff into the same unit, and my lovely wee car burst into life!! So, I'm now home, and my car is tucked up in my garage. I know that if I try to start it tomorrow the same thing will happen .... I'm at my wits end, and I've seen enough RAC men to last me years!! (they were all very nice though)
I don't think I've left anything out ..... sorry it's such a long post, but, well, you know what us women are like when we get started!! :o))
Please help me. All help is greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Kathy
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Hi Phil,
Just to let you know that it was the coolant temperature sensor. I got it fixed today, and like you said it only took half an hour. I got it tuned up at the same time .... just to make sure! :o)
Thanks, to everyone, for all your help.
Yipeeeee!!! I've got my wheels back!!
Regards,
Kathy
Browse
That is what's supposed to happen. It is the seller's responsibility to notify DVLC of the new owner, not the new owner's. All you have to do now is decide whether you want to declare that the car was off-road while you owned it, or stump up for the six months road tax. I know what I'd do....