September 2003
What are other people's experiences of driving a truly horrible car?
I've had to make do with the Golf again this weekend, as the beloved and famous Astra has gone up to the wilds of the North West of England again.
Yesterday I managed to avoid driving completely, and even managed walking round to the local corner shop, for which Volvoman will be truly proud of me.
However, today I had no option but to drive (we were running out of beer ;) ) and it was awful.
I need to tie a sack of concrete onto my right foot to get any sort of acceleration at all, and reverse gear is in the same place as first, so I had to drive right out of my way to avoid any main roads/traffic lights etc where I might inadvertently reverse into the car behind me. Even then, there were several junctions where, after waiting patiently to pull out, I gracefully then started reversing back up the road. The mini-roundabouts were fun too.
The clutch is so high that I have to practically wrap my left leg around my neck to avoid keeping my foot pressed on it after changing gear.
As for the steering - well some people have said they had trouble with the Astra's steering, but not me. This Golf is a different story altogether, it's steering is almost as heavy as its owner, though not quite. :)
Much more of this and I will be taking on a Schwarzenegger-esque physique.
I really look forward to driving my proper car tomorrow. Read more
I have a ford escort 1.8D van On an N reg, the gearbox has packed up on it and I have got my hands on a gearbox out of an escort 1.8D on a J reg. The gear box looks the same but it has a different mounting bracket which comes off and can be replaced with the one off the original. The numbers on the bell housing are different as mine begins with 92TT and this one is 88TT. Does onyone know if this will fit or not.
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I think they fit, as you say the mounts are different.
Unless you use the proper engine lifting gear, when you remove the old box, the engine will twist slightly on it's mountings. Even with two men shoving and pushing it's a right pain to twist it back and refit the box at the same time. I made a 'stay' which went from sump plug hole to front crossmember, it made thing a lot easier. Well worth spending a bit of time securing the engine against this twist before you remove the box.
I've got a 1999 Golf Gt Tdi 110, and since about a month now water seems to be entering the car and resting in the passenger footwell. Is this a common fault? any ideas? Read more
Yes it is a known problem my 2002 Golf had water leaks in to both driver & passenger foot wells and was fixed under warranty VW adjusted the doors and fitted new door seals, and a friend with a 2001 Golf also had this done.
Someone wrote on another thread that a car that is six years old is an old banger. I would have said a six year old car is still a perfectly decent car. How old does a car have to be before being considered an "old banger"? If you are a fully paid-up member of the bangernomics school of motoring, what is the maximum you are allowed to spend on a car? Read more
When its the oldest car in the street?
Hi,
I have a 1997 Mondeo Mk2 Ghia. Recently, I have noticed a squeaking noise. The noise ONLY happens when the key is put in the ignition and TURNED ON. It does not happen at any other time. Once the engine is running, the car moves approx 10 feet and the squeak happens. You can take the car on a 120 mile journey and never hear the noise again. It only happens when you start the car up. There is nothing wrong with the clutch as it was replaced 800 miles ago along with the hydraulic actuautor.
I have taken it to my local garage and he states that he has never heard of this problem. He actually sat on the engine whilst I drove it around the back of his yard. He stated that the noise was high up under the bonnet and not down below near the gearbox, clutch etc. By the way, prior to my mechanic opening his own garage, he was a Ford main dealer mechanic for 20 years. He said that the problem could be with the Servo vacuum? or ABS pump although he did state that he has never heard of this problem in his 20 years whilst working for Ford.
Going back to the squeak, if I turn the car on and drive it 10 feet the squeak will happen, if I stop turn off the engine, restart and go a further 10 feet the squeak will re-appear.
I have checked the hoses going into the servo and they are fine.
If anyone has any insight into this problem I would really be grateful if you could respond.
Regards
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Sorry about the delay, I forgot to recheck the thread. My bill just refers to the 'ABS unit' - it is a fairly hefty chunk of about 6ins cubic dimensions. It was also pretty difficult to access in the car. Despite efforts to obtain a reconditioned unit, this was not possible which ties in with what the manual is saying. Apparently there are several different manufacturers involved in supplying these units to Ford and it was not possible to find a cheaper route than going to a Ford spares dealer (i.e. to be sure that we got the correct one). I'm not sure if I mentioned before, but the cost was £718 for the unit + bits and £140 for labour - all + vat! The guy who fixed it is absolutely honest, reliable and independent. It was a difficult decision - would it be worth it? The car was unusable but too good to scrap, and certainly couldn't be sold. It is now running fine and, without doubt, the failing unit was the cause of the problem.
Incidentally, the squawking started about 2 years before the brakes went haywire!
Can anyone who has driven both fully auto (yaris, New micra, Fabia, Polo etc)and automated manual cars (such as Yaris MMT, Corsa Easytronic, Citroen Sensodrive, Durashift, and Smart) , please compare them?
Are they any good, or is it better to go for a fully auto car.
Clutch, gear changes, hill starts, etc not really wanted. Something easy to drive and not too heavy on the juice, also reliability is of importance.
I have heard that the non torque converter autos and CVT's don't hold on a hill. If this is the case, how is it possible to pull off on a steepish hill, in one of these cars with the handbrake etc? Also I have heard that they are not safe for disabled drivers etc, because you don't have full control like you do with a proper auto? And that they can be jerky and difficult to control smoothly at junctions and stop start motoring.
The small Daihatsu automatics and the Yaris get good reviews. the 1.4 16v polo, Fabia, Lupo could also fit the bill. Which would you recommend? I take the hints and would avoid a Renault at all costs, due to problems with the auto boxes.
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A smart clutch is over £300 plus VAT, hence the warning not to use the accelerator to hold on hills - they can burn out in a few thousand miles. The clutches also have to be reset at every service (and sometimes in between) to prevent slipping.
I have a 99 Focus Ghia with the chrome trim on the boot. At the end of the trim piece I have noticed some corrosion, on speaking to the body shop at our local Ford dealer he said it was a common fault due to the backing foam collapsing with age and allowing movement. He also said Ford will pay for repairs of cars under 2 years of age but not older, are they not renaging on the body warranty as this seems to be a design fault which they admit to by agreeing to pay for cars 2 years and under. Has any one else had dealings with this? Read more
Has been previously mentioned about this trim causing problems:-
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=13150&...f
Ihave a 99 Focus Ghia with the chrome trim on the boot. At the end of the trim piece I have noticed some corrosion, on speaking to the body shop at our local Ford dealer he said it was a common fault due to the backing foam collapsing and allowing movement. He also said Ford will pay for repairs of cars under 2 years of age, are they not renaging on the body warranty as this seems to be a design fault which they admit by agreeing to pay for cars 2 years and under. Has any one else had dealings with this? Read more
Stevejd,
No need to ask the same question in both forums, it only causes repetition of answers. Anyone wishing to answer Steve\'s question can do so in Technical Matters
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=4&t=16...5
Thread writelocked.
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Dynamic Dave
Back Room Moderator
mailto:dave_moderator@honestjohn.co.uk
Hi,
I have an M/reg Peugeot 306 1.9 turbo diesel.
Does anyone know how to remove the air vents which sit in the middle of the dashboard above the stereo?
Thanks
Tigertim Read more
I'm afraid you'll have to strip out the entire centre dash console to remove it. Not too bad a job when you know where all the screws/clips etc are....
My 406 has started seeping petrol from the junction of a small pipe with the top of (I think)the fuel pressure regulator, the pipe in question is about 3\" long with a square metal elbow at the top with a pipe from that disappearing under a plastic cover.
I need advice on these points please:
With the engine off will there be fuel in the short pipe?
If there is will it be under pressure?
Is it just a case of replacing the pipe with a new piece & two new clips or is there more to it? - I don\'t want to put myself in the position of taking bits off & then not being able to get to a garage if it gets difficult (which has happened in the past)
Any advice gratefully recieved,
Thanks
Ian Read more
Reggie:
Thanks for that, I'll have a look,
DL:
The petrol leak's sorted - 60p for jubilee clips & the price of a pint (offered , not asked for) for my friendly local mechanic who took the pipe off, cleaned & replaced it & let me watch while he did it so I'd know what to do another time.
Just shows - not all garages are out to fleece you..
Thanks again for the feedback
Ian
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I'll say one thing for the Maxi though, the back seats on it were fantastic - like a big comfy couch. (Before he got into the Maestros my dad drove nothing but Maxis. The 1500 or the powerhouse 1750, 0-60, possibly.)