September 2003
The heater control light is not illuminating - the one that lights up the heater control disply panel.
The kind man at the scrapyard let me bring a couple home but neither of them work either.
Assuming that I am getting no supply (it should light up when I turn on the lights), and the relating fuse is OK (I can\'t find out which fuse it is on from the manual), has anyone any ideas for a non techie please?!!
Dark nights will be with us soon and I don\'t fancy fumbling around for another four months again every time that I wish to adjust the heating! Read more
Could anyone help ,me on this.
I am on my way to buy a used car from a private seller tomorrow.
Which would be the best way to pay the seller, so that I would be able to collect the car tommorrow?
Cash or Draft/Cheque.
Is there any additional risks with giving cash.Like no proof etc.
Apart from the V5 and the service book , are there any other documents to be collected.
Looking through the autotrader tips on buying a used car mentions about a signed receipt to be collected from the seller.Is there any particular format to this one, is it just a note by the seller with his sign saying that he has sold the car.
Thanks in advance for the responses. Read more
With that attitude i'd tell him to stick his car with the words 'well look, do you want to sell it or not because i'm not hanging around to be messed about' or something.
I'd leave it and find an alternative.
Sorry to bore those who months ago replied to this thread,however got a new Suzuki jimny which after 2000 miles still has a gear change like a tractor,had it back to the dealer who claim its driving fine....Is it safe to try mobil 1 synthetic gear oil in this? They have never suggested it,and dont plan to tell them...I'm aware of the warranty situation.I'm no expert though know enough to realise it has a gearbox which connects to a transfer box,so surely the change should be smooth.I must admit it has got a bit easier over the last two weeks,should I give it more time?Your comments please.
thanks in advance. Read more
Thanks for your advise,yes I am aware that it will have to be gear oil,which mobil do.The car actually has a seperate transfer box from the gearbox,been reading up on synthetic oil and think its worth a try.
Hi, my fathers got a problem with the speedo on his M reg 1.9TD citroen xantia whereby when the car starts running it registers no speed but then after a few seconds the needle moves up to and stays at around 50mph until the engine is switched off when it falls down again. I've checked thru old posts for speedo problems but didn't find anything similar to this. Obviously this needs sorting asap, so if anybody has any ideas of what could be the problem and the most cost effective way around it that would be helpful. I know it cost my aunty about £300 to get the speedo on her BMW fixed a few months ago. Read more
Now there's a thought! When I bought my 1.8 SX in 1993, the salesman definitely mentioned a batch of bad cables. Either....
a) He was speaking a load of rubbish.
b) Early Xantias had a cable - later ones went electronic.
I honestly don't know for sure, because my problem was fixed under warranty and I never had occasion to actually look and see if there was a cable. I do, however, have a vague memory of going into the workshop at the dealers to see if the car was ready and the mechanic had the instrument panel pulled forward and was (apparently) screwing the cable back into the speedo head. He told me that he'd just fitted a washer. I ASSUMED it was between cable and head - but there you go!
I used to have a Haynes for the Xantia, but have passed it on to a friend, so can't go and check.
Hope I haven't misled you all!
Graeme
I'm thinking of buying a new Renault Scenic. My last 3 cars have been VW's, but I don't like the Touran - bland & expensive - and 2 of my VW's suffered terrible reliability and build problems.
I thought i would give the Scenic a try - I admire Renault's boldness of design combined with immense practicality.However,I am a little concerned that legendary French unreliability,particularly in electrics,will render the keyless system a potential weak-spot.
Do any Backroomers have any unfortunate experiences with this system?
Any other comments on Renaults in general would be most welcome.My last Renault was a '4' which was scrapped in 1988 at 7 years old having completely rusted-out!
HectorG Read more
RF
I think it is very good advice to wait - probably at least a year. I was looking to replace an ancient Volvo estate with the Scenic as I saw the Renault as a useful but interesting and up to date alternative to the large estate car option.
However, my wife also wants to change our Golf GT TDi before the warranty expires! You may have seen my other post in the Honda Jazz suspension thread. We were so impressed with the Honda I think she has won. The Volvo will have to soldier on, which may be a good thing so I can revisit the Scenic in a year or two -although I am still not sure about the steering.
HectorG
Has anyone here bought a car from car supplier and actually had it arrive on the CONFIRMED delivery date...?? Read more
My apologies. I did not intend to make potential allegations
but was simply interested to know if anyone else had had the
same problems.
I feel it is probably inefficiency rather than deliberate
actions but it certainly is not very good customer service!
Meldrew
All,
Is it just in my part of the world where the traffic light systems make no sense whatsover?
I commute to work early in the morning, which involves A roads, dual carriageways with junctions and a fair amount of motorway. This morning I set off at 04:30 so understandably there wasn't much traffic on the roads.
However, EVERY set of lights I approached turned to red. Being a law abiding kind of bloke I stopped, only to sit there for an extended period of time whilst nothing crossed the junction the other way. Why oh why oh why?! I know a lot of traffic lights are radar controlled, but obviously the Highways Authority and the local government aren't bothered about free moving traffic in the North West.
I've felt that small rant building up all day. I feel much better now...
Read more
It's not just in your neck of the woods that the local council weasels do their best to create congestion (and consequent unnecessary pollution). It seems to happen in my area (Surrey) also.
My Rover 45 which is only 10 months old and done just over 14000 miles has used 3 litres of oil in that time. My dealer says this can be normal but it does not sound right to me.
That is would be over 1/4 litre of oil per month, which can not be right.
Is their something wrong or do the 45 use this much oil? And have I damaged my engine?
Hope you can help
Read more
No Rover dont do the first service until 12 months or 15000 miles. Which is when they do the first oil change.
I have go to say I've had mini,s metro's (1A-series ad 1 K-series) and a 400 and none of then (except the mini with an oil leak as they all do) needed hardly any topping up.
But from what you say 3 litres 14000 miles seems normal. Where does it all go?? After all it is a lot of Oil.
Unfortunalty for me (or stupidly !!) It was 3 litres in one go!!. Apparently the should take 4.5 litres of oil. So I ran it pritty low. Hopfully It still seems to run o.k.
Regards
english
OK, maybe a bit of a funny question, but why did old diesel engines (buses, boats etc) have a strange "surging" tickover that sounded rather like "thrum thrum thrum". Sometimes my Terrano's tickover will briefly do the same although I don't think this is a problem. Read more
< Must have something wrong with the governor I reckon. >
I think you're right. I asked a professional diesel engineer (albeit railway diesels) about this and he said that it can happen with mechanical or hydraulic governing (where the fuel rather than the air is metered) if the governor isn't set up right.
I assume that throttle governing died out around 1960. The Perkins P4 and P6 had throttle governing and they were replaced by the 4.236 and 6.354 at around that time, these having mechanical or hydraulic governing and no throttle on the air intake.
After the '50 things to do before you die' program on BBC the other night, it got me thinking. I realised i have to drive a Lamborghini and a Ferrari.
Well its my b'day in October and would like to do the above at a Supercar day. GF will pay for it but not sure which to do. Did a track day at thruxton a few years ago and the Ferrari 355 drive was booked - i was absolutely gutted. So i just have to do it this time.
Found one at Goodwood Circuit that allows 3 laps driving in a Lamborghini Countach for £99. Seems very good value.
Another at Silverstone which is in a Ferrari 360 for a similar sum.
I was looking to do them the day after each other.
Has anyone out there done these, and what are they like?
Also, and other suggestions. Cant do further north than Silverstone really. And dont want to do skidpan or rallying. Read more
I did the Ferrari F355 day at Thruxton in 1999. Even though I'd got the insurance package, I was still scared to death in case I bent it. Never having driven a LHD car before I kept winding the window down every time I changed gear, and having a speedo calibrated in km/h caused some embarassment.
Ideally I'd like to have another go as I don't think I gave it enough of a thrashing, but it was a fantastic day and I've got some great memories of it.
My advice is - book somewhere now and you won't regret it. It took about a week to chisel the grin off my face afterwards!
The bulb is not replaceable. Put a ohms tester or 12 volts onto the bulb terminals to check if they work. I drilled out the old bulb and glued in a new 12+ volt pea bulb purchased from Tandy/Maplins.