August 2003
I have a j-reg Frontera 2.3 td that has developed a leak in the heater matrix, (passenger footwell constantly soaked and coolant disappearing!).
Is the heater matrix the same as any other vehicle (so I can get one from the local scrap yard, I'm a poor man!), or is it specific to the Frontera?
Please help me,
Roj. Read more
I have just read a discussion on whether diesel or petrol cars are easier to drive. My Mondeo TDCi Ghia Estate is powerful and excellent on the open road. Give it some revs and it can take off from a standing start like a rocket. BUT it is also quite easy to stall in traffic, e.g. when pulling away gently in 1st, and it does not have the flexibility to pull smoothly in 2nd when the wheels are just turning. In 3rd it is not happy below 20mph. It just seems to lack the flexibility which diesels are famous for. I'm guessing that this is just the downside of a diesel designed more for performance than smoothness. I also have a Focus 1.6 (petrol), which is much smoother, more flexible and easier to drive in city traffic. There are lots of Mondeo TDCi's out there, and I'd be interested to hear if any other drivers have similar experience, especially on the off-chance that my car has a problem that can be fixed!
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On quite a few occasions, I've been caught out by what appears to be a 'timeout' function when composing a reply to a backroom thread. It's not a case of being long-winded, just trying to make a considered response.......
On hitting 'Post Message', the login screen appears again (even though I'm already logged in), and logging in then 'wipes' that considered response from the reply form! No amount of using the 'Back' browser button restores it, either :-(
Have others found this a problem, and is there a way of overcoming it? Or shall I resort to the quick, ill-considered one-liners which so often cause unwitting offence to other Backroomers??!
I've taken to copying the text before posting, ready to paste it back if this 'problem' occurs.............
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It's probably me, >>
HF: Next time start up AOL, minimise the AOL window, then start up Internet Explorer. Then onwards, use the IE windows for your surfing. Keeping AOL minimised will keep your connection live, but you can then be free to surf independently via IE. Try it and report back.
My mother has a Mercedes A class. Yesterday morning she filled it with petrol and returned home and parked it on the drive.
In the afternoon she smelt petrol around the car and noticed the petrol was running out of the filler cap and down the side of the car. The paint has stripped off in places and the rest is badly crazed.
I am guessing the petrol expanded and forced its way out.
Do we have any comeback with Mercedes UK?
Thanks
Andrew
Regards
Andrew Read more
All fuel tanks should be vented otherwise not only would they bust with expansion, they would shrivel up into a little ball as the fuel is used, most don't vent from the cap, older ones have a vent pipe which is higher than the top of the tank. Newer cars after the mid-90's have a hydrocarbon emmissions reduction system, like a charcoal cannister and vapour purger. MB are to blame if the spillage is designed to go onto paintwork which is not fuel-proof, If they use delicate paint, they should direct the fuel on the floor behind the body work.
Having vowed not to use Virgin West Coast again two years ago, I went back on my word and travelled from Euston to Preston yesterday. (My client was just a few mins walk from the station.)
The outward journey was fine, but the way back took nearly 2 1/2 hours longer than it should have done. Just to add spice, the aircon didn't work in half the carriages thereby offering the choice of extreme heat or extreme crowding.
We received the odd, rather off-hand apology, but the general staff attitude was apathy.
All this cost me (or rather my client) £278.
Is it any surprise we all choose to drive/fly?
Peter
PS Don't worry, eM Be, I will be taking this up with Virgin directly. Read more
>>would suggest that maybe uk.railway is a better place to discuss it
I couldn't agree more.
With the release of the diesel X type estate coming in a few months, could this be the car that gives the passat estate and 406 estate a run for its money?
128BHP
50+MPG
Very attractive car to look at (IMO)
Should VW and peugeot be shaking in there bad quality boots?
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Possibly not this generation; Ford will be replacing the Mondeo platform in 2006 and I wouldn't have thought the X Type would last beyond 2006-2008.
But if there is a 3.0, 240 bhp V6, as well as a sporting R version planned, there is no reason why marketing the car as a sports saloon won't demand a proper sporting diesel to go against the 330d.
Otherwise it's a bit half hearted in markets where the tax regimes favour diesel.
Could any BRer give me some advice on the legality of having a child seat in the front?
Thanks in advance
C Read more
"fewer deaths if kids were put in the front seat"
That seems reasonable to me, as long as they are forward facing. My youngster (5) loves travelling in the front and therefore requires less attention. It's also easier to hold a conversation and to point things out to each other. Better all round, IMHO.
(My now grown-up daughter learned to change gear that way, too!)
The left-turn indicator lamp on my Rover 75 instrument panel has stopped working.
I have been advised by my local Rover dealer that a new Instrument Module is required at a cost of £380 plus vat plus fitting.
Is there a cheaper solution? Can't anyone repair these items? Whatever happened to getting a dry joint resoldered?
I don't imply any criticism of the dealer. He is usually quite helpful, but maybe he is not very proactive on this one.
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It could be that the later Rovers use CAN based messaging to the instrument cluster from a body control module fitted elsewhere in the car.
Assuming that the tell-tale is an LED then it is very unlikely to fail in service. I seem to remember seeing a Rover instrument pack with LEDs where filament used to be used. You may have a dry joint that causes a failure either at the LED or on the electronics controlling the instrument cluster. A fault due to a dry joint can be fixed quite easily with the right tools (fine soldering iron and a microscope help) but a failure of the electronics could be awkward to trace without specific knowledge.
I'll ask around to see if anyone knows what Rover use in the 75 and get back if there's any further information
After 2 months (woo hoo!) trouble free hi-fi use, the original radio in my '99 306 HDi stopped working, showing 'phone' in the display. Turning it off then back on had no affect, likewise trying anything else.
Eventually, the tuner worked again after inserting a tape then ejecting it.
Anyone else had a similar experience?? Read more
The Sigma alarm fitted on my 1991 E30 BMW is playing up! Just when I\'ve crawled into bed at about 12:00, the thing will self activate and, if left, will keep turning on and off for a while. The problem only seems to happen when the car has been left in the sun during hot days and then garaged in the evening - it seems to be caused by something cooling down. The alarm appears to be good quality and well fitted with the standard two glass-break detectors and suffers no other problems at all. Any ideas very much appreciated! Read more
Just wanted to add that the alarm doesn't always go off at 12:00 exactly, it does seem to know when I've just retired to bed however - and no, I'm not sleeping on the blipper!
Browse
I stalled mine two or three times on the first day of ownership but thereafter got used to it. The TDCI doesn't have a throttle cable as I've since been told and its all done electrically ("fly-by-wire"?) and it takes a bit of getting used to. If you apply the throttle, the uptake on revs is slower than on my last diesel but only takes a bit of getting used to, so put your foot gently down, listen for an uptake in revs and release the clutch. (sounds like my first driving lesson). This does not mean its inflexible & doesn't hinder rapid acceleration/handling. However, if you want a rally car response, a diesel is obviously not for you!
Never stalled since first day, and I have to say the TDCI just gets better & better every day. I am surprised that the performance gap between this car and a family member's BMW 530d (which I went in today & which is a fine car indeed) is much smaller than I imagined.
Splodgeface