August 2003
Re recent threads on heavy tinting of the drivers and front passenger side windows.
A couple of weeks ago I spent two weeks and 2K miles in New England and NY state. Many many vehicles of all types had heavily tinted rear side windows. I did not see any vehicle with the front side windows with other than a slight tint. The vehicles I saw were from many different states all over the USA.
Is there a law over there that prevents the use of heavy tints? Can anyone enlighten me on this? Even though we have joined the 100F club here in the south, If they can survive in the USA without tints I am sure we can over here.
I do not want to restart the old tint thread. I am just curious about the USA situation. Read more
Can anyone help?
I'm trying to wire in a radio out of a Sierra4x4 into my car.
The power plugs were easy to sort out.
The speaker connectors are not in their usual obvious block. This time, its a circular plug with 6 (or 7) pins.
Can you tell me what the various coloured leads are?
cheers ears
"...oh my.." Read more
hi foolgene . it sounds like the stereo you have got should have an amp or a graphic equaliser . these are used to power the stereo i think if my memory serves me the stereo was called an ecu 2 it will not work without the amp or graphic . sorry i couldnt be more posative
Anyone have any ideas when the Galaxy and Sharan are likely to be replaced, and with what? There seems to be no news on this in the motoring magazines, other than VW microbus which is likely to be sold at a premium over the Sharan as a lifestyle vehicle (cashing in on the retro theme, like the "new" beetle). Read more
The Galaxy is apparently being replaced in 2005 at the earliest. According to wherever it was I read it, the Ford replacement won't be a Galshambra/Sharamaxy/Allaxon clone, but will apparently be a "Mondeo D-max", built in house, rather than being built by VW. Presumably VW/Seat will facelift the current offering or replace at a similar time???
The Spanish plant where the Galaxy is cloned is no longer part owned by Ford, so the relationship can't go no forever.
Seeing as the only Ford parts in the current offering seem to be a stereo, a 2.3 petrol engine and a blue oval badge, I can't see Ford can be making a lot out of these at the moment, even though they apparently outsell the combined totals of Sharan and Alhambra by 2:1, given the near £5000 discount you can get off most models. Most sold are probably (VW engined) diesels anyway.
What sort of life are other backroomers getting from Diesel exhuasts. My X reg (110 HDI) Xantia has just shed the original after 34 months and 50k miles. Corroded through the inlet pipe of the (rear) silencer box behind the tapered seal onto the intermediate pipe. Repaired by excellent local garage while on holiday in France.
BX systems usually seem go at the joins as well.
As a supplementary is there any potential harm, apart from being nicked for excess noise, in running the car without a silencer, not thinking of long distances but probably had to do 25 kilometres to finish journey and get to garage for repair.
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1997 VW polo CLD. Front section lasted 4 years 80k, rear still original and 105k
Afternoon all!
I am running a Honda CRV (auto petrol) out here in Cyprus. It suffers with persistant squealing from the front brake disks. I appreciate that the conditions out here are ideal for this to occur however I have had the disks hosed out and blown out regularly but with no improvement. Any ideas anyone? I seem to remember in the 'old days' we used to smear the pads and shims with a grease, is this not done anymore and why?
Thanks
Pafos man
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Just visited www.breakdowndirect.co.uk/ as I was wondering how they manage to give such good value.
Ploughing through the terms and conditions it appears that the maximum vehicle height covered is 1.5m. This must rule out a lot of cars. As well as most mpvs ( including Berlingo and Kangoo ) even the humble Astra comes in at 1.510m. Gross vehicle weight is 3.5 tonne though.
Do you think every mechanic is issued with a tape measure ?
The AA and RAC have no height restriction according to the t&cs on their websites
Have any of you ever been refused service when using any breakdown company or had your application turned down ?
JohnL Read more
M.M
I guess they are limiting their target market but it seems very small. I should have said that the Astra Estate is over the height limit - the saloon is under it. Maybe they don't want working vehicles with their associated higher mileages.
I wonder how many vehicles under 1.5m get anywhere near their 3.5 tonne limit
JohnL
Having studied this forum it appears to me that either a Mazda estate (rare and hard to get hold of) or a Toyota estate appears to be the most reliable estate cars there is.
I have limited knowledge of Toyota's as I have only ever driven a Celica that a friend loaned me for a few months.
At present I have a Vauxhall Omega which frankly I cannot trust as it just one thing after another going wrong therefore I'm looking to trade this in for a Toyota Estate.
Camry's from what I gather seem to be the equivalent to the Omega but from what I know they have an extra seat in the boot. Is the seat removable and does the rear have a load cover?
I'm guessing the Avensis is a kind of Vectra equivalent?
As for the Carina I'm guessing again this is an Astra equivalent?
I've driven Vauxhall for years but anything newer than the 94 models seem to be nothing but trouble, hence my decision to change.
Ideally I'd like the car to have the following features:
2.0-2.2 engine preferably diesel
Automatic gearbox
Rear load cover
Air Con
Remote Locking
Alloys
I cover about 400-500 miles a week on average and so a reliable car is a must.
The bigger the car the better as far as I'm concerned but what really I would like to know is the differences between the 3 aforemntioned models.
Also anything to look out whilst inspecting these cars would be useful to know.
Many thanks
Daz Read more
The problem with the Avensis is that there's a high sill so you can't just slide in heavy loads - conversely a high sill is good from a safety point of view I believe! Also when you fold the rear seat the 'floor' slopes upwards rather than being totally flat. There are loads of Avensises out there - take a look at one at your local used car dealer.
Really depends what you plan to do - if you need to move bulky heavy loads around on a regular basis then the Avensis estate is not going to be good. If you just want a hatchback with a bit more loading room for the occasional larger load I'm sure it will be fine....
From a reliability perspective the Mazda 626 gets a good write-up - no idea how good the estate model is.
Have driven a Primera hatchback which was a nicer car than the Avensis but I found the seats uncomfortable over long distances (might not have adjusted it correctly though..) much better handling though.
One thing to watch when buying a used estate is to make sure it's not been worked to death by e.g. being loaded with photocopiers, computer hardware, by a sales rep/engineer. Take a good look at the loading bay to see if it's scratched badly - also check the rear dampers.
I would guess that Fords and Vauxhalls were more popular with the sales reps/engineers though.
I think you are looking at the correct models but if you can find one in good condition I would also consider a Ford Mondeo estate - won't be as reliable but parts will be cheaper....
good luck!
I have a 1998 306 XSi, recently i have noticed the car jerking when Im traveling at a constant speed, but when I accelerate it seems fine. It has also stalled on me when pullig off. i have read some forums and some people say it could be the stepping motor....I just wanted to check before I went and ordered one.
Thank......Mark
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Lazy Oxygen sensor can cause these symptoms, needs to be checked on an oscilloscope. As the sensor cycles between rich and lean, on the lean cycle it will make the engine hesitate slightly with the occasional soft 'miss'. Also if you pull away with the sensor dallying in the lean cycle it will give problems.
Andrew.
Simplicate and add lightness!
Why is the aircon system on the Sharan/Galaxy/Alhambra so problematic? There must be a reason for so many condensers, evaporators and compressors failing causing grief to owners like me, plus extended wait for replacement parts because of the high demand for them. Are there any checks that can be done to detect potential problems? Is it worth getting a precautionary gas top-up every year or 2?
With all the problems on the original vehicle, why didn't the aircon system get a complete update when the vehicles were extensively face-lifted in 2000?
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Trouble is that Honda seem alergic to fitting diesel engines - no diesel option for the Shuttle, and the Previa aquired a diesel too recently for me to be able to afford a used diesel version.
Guess I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that my Galaxy's system behaves itself, after nearly £1000-worth of warranty work after just 2 years - it packed up 3 weeks after I bought the car (used) and took 3 visits and nearly a month to sort out.
i hav a 1800 8v fuel inj. gti.the problem is wen i start the car up it takes but then almost immediateley cuts out,& wen i pull away even if the car is hot,it feels as if there is no gas going through no matter hard or soft i accellerate.
secondly,my gears grate an awfull lot only wen i downshift.
wot could the problems be?
j kaz
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I assume this is a VW Golf. What have you checked, fuel pressure, etc etc. Regards Peter
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>>>>On some K9 units you cannot even see through the rear windows if you were to press your nose against the glass.
Do not try this at home.