August 2003
This might seem a daft question but it was a question I could not answer when asked by my overseas visitors last week.
Why are the number plates in this country white on the front and orange on the back?.
Regards Mal Read more
i have a like hissss and rattle when i accelerate upto 3000 rpm then it dissapears, the car picks up ok its just the noise, but when reving the car at stand still the noise is not present just the usual slight hisss which is normal but when put under load the noise appears again, does anyone have any ideas what it might be Read more
Forgot to say its the 110 bhp engine. Could the injectors just be cleaned?
Why do small people choose big cars, when they can hardly see
over the steeing wheel.
Why do guys well over 6ft go down the M4 in VW lupo's or Toyota Yaris.
Why do fragile looking young women drive 4x4's?
What happened to The Doctors car, one titled lady owner etc? Read more
In my case mid-sized person relunctantly ended up with a big car :-( - learning to love it though :-)
Just been chatting to my neighbour - a retired and fairly well-to-do company director who's just replaced his ageing Rover 416gti with a new Rover 45. Knowing how fastidious he is about his cars I thought I'd have a quick look and I'm sorry to have to say this but I was rather disappointed.
The car is a very well specified model (leather, climate control, full electrics etc.) but after even a cursory 'inspection' it was evident that the attention to detail was lacking. There was a large and obvious paint 'run' on the o/s rear pillar, very cheap looking and poorly fitted lining in the boot and numerous seams and joints which seemed to be shoddy to say the least. So far as the dealer experience was concerned he told me that the mud flaps he'd ordered weren't fitted and that only 6 months VED was provided rather than the 12 months they'd agreed.
So, all in all, pretty poor and very disappointing 'cos I really hope Rover can get it right and grow into a company we can all be proud of. My old 820e was a pile of rubbish and I was hoping those days were well behind Rover but perhaps not quite yet! Read more
What you say about the dealers is true, some definitely seem to be better than others.
As regards the handling, I believe the 75 estate has uprated handling from the saloon, and I believe it may also be possible to order this upgrade for the saloon too when buying new. Whether you can add it as an aftermarket option I'm not sure. Better ask someone who knows about these things!
when accelerating hard blue smoke is visible in small quantitys if traveling behind the car, is this a cause for concern or is it normal? Read more
You should be able to get a crank regrind and oversize shells thro' a local engineering business.
Looking for any advice on the revs of my Avensis. When the car is sitting idle the revs fluctuate quite bit, almost dropping to 500 rpm. Don't think it always relates to the cooling fan kicking in. Car is reg 1999 and is in excellent condition. Sparkplugs were changed approx 3 months ago. Any particular reasons?? Read more
Air-con switching in and out?
Needed to replace the passenger-side front seatbelt in my old C-reg Honda, so off to Halfords for a replacement.
Now, my (probably wrong!) understanding of inertia-reel belts was that they had two mechanisms inside - one locks the belt under hard braking, and the other when the belt is stretched suddenly. So I assumed that the belts would be "handed" left-right as the direction of the braking force would be different side-to-side. Well, Halfords had 20 different types of belt, but no sign of left-right differences. The Halford's "assistant" - an 18 year old girl - was charming, but hadn't a clue what I was talking about.
Whatever, I bought a belt and installed it and guess what? It seems to lock up under hard accelleration, but not when I'm braking..... It does lock up if you give the belt a sharp tug though.
Any opinions from you tech' people??
If this is a stupid post, just tell me.
Read more
This is hardly state of the art technology, but I would just observe that the belts on my 1964 Triumph 2000 definitely don't work equally in all directions.
Parked or driving down a steep hill the belts lock and are impossible to pull out. The reverse happens pointing up a hill.
Stopping at a junction going downhill I have learned to pull out a foot of belt BEFORE getting there, otherwise I am imprisoned in the belt and cannot lean forwards to check the road.
IMO it was a very sensible post. Lots of things are handed (even sump plugs I remember from an older post that got savaged) and it is sensible to try and ask these obvious questions before buying or breaking something.
The clutch on my rover 200 feels very stiff and sometimes judders (especially when cold).
Is the cure as simple as a cable change or, could something more expensive be at fault (release bearing etc)??
The car is coming up for service in 1 month so, any problems can be rectified then, unless the problem gets worse.
Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance. Read more
Mike
You need a new cable mate.
About £28 IIRC + easy to fit.
We have shortlisted the Jazz auto and the C3 sensodrive. The Honda currently costs about £2500 more for a very similar car. I know Citroen don't have a great rep for service and reliability but I reckon £2500 buys a lot of taxis and rental cars. Car is purely for shopping and visiting mates. We don't particularly need the space which is the big selling point on the Jazz. We need a car for 4000 mile a year motoring 90% London driving. Kids are grown. Views v. welcome.
Jazz Plus Points:
Top reliability
Smooth CVT auto
Better residuals
C3 Plus points:
Smoother Ride
Climate Control vs. manual A/C
Cruise Control
Phil Read more
I can't quite see why Citroens get such a bad press. Look at the postings in the 'technical' section - lots of problems with Mondeos, especially TDCI. There is also an ongoing discussion on suspect VW quality. Cit problems are few and far between in comparison.My last car (Xantia) was the most reliable I have ever owned. The new C5 has now covered 20,000 miles - not a hitch.
Like all the great figures in history, Citroens are flawed geniuses - but geniuses none the less.
Graeme
Today - wet and misty dual carriagway bearing on me at a considrable rate of knots a Bently GT - I want one ! In the same way that I wanted an XJS when I was 14. Glad to see that a car can still float your boat after all these years. Read more
My late uncle had one of the first Alfetta GTVs 2.0 - British Racing green. That was truely a car to behold.
OK not in the same class as the Bently, but still a good enthusiasts car. Much better looking with the chrome than those later versions with the plastic bumpers.
Due to ill health (kidney removal) he only covered 1000 miles in the first year, but had it for years after.
Sadly he had to sell it when he had a stroke, he never recovered.
H
Browse
The stuff that is really sorting the men from the boys at the moment is the computer link from traffic cars to the drivers license register.
Much more difficult for unlicensed, uninsured, untaxed Johnny Scrote to give a false id and address at the roadside so the producer is a waste of time. ie questions like just where and when did you pass your test Mr Scrote start the story changing apparently until they have dug themselves well in the mire.
Serves em right. hur hur