September 2003
Hi,
Is the Scenic fuel tank really 60l (from Haynes manual)?
I am only squeezing in about 45l with the needle resting on empty. Could maybe get a few more l in, but not 10-15!
My oil level guage definately has a mind of its own, so perhaps the fuel guage is reading low? Would be good to know that there is plenty in reserve on 'empty'.
Cheers,
Simon Read more
Very strange noise this moring from my glove box area, it was basically ticking/creaking plastic in short bursts
creak....creak.........................creak..creak......creak
in between a creak and tick if you see what i'm getting at more like a tick but with the sound of plastic.
only when engine on or at point of turn of key which ignition heaters come on. and constantly will these we on all the way to work (20 mins)
only problem i'm supposed to be part exchanging on saturday and certianly don't want to spend any money on fixing it, just want it to go away! Read more
It'll be most likely be a partial dash strip-out to replace this servo motor. Most people ask us to power to motor to drive the fresh air flap wide open and then we disconnect it, providing a continual supply of fresh outside air.
Works wonders!
Our second car is an M-reg Citroen ZX diesel, which has done just over 100,000 miles and has been very reliable. We have owned it from new and now do about 6,000 miles a year in it, mostly in short journeys.
Just back from a two week summer holiday and it won't start. It was left on our drive. The week before we went away it had done about 50 miles a day going to and from work so no prior warning of any problem. The starter motor and battery seem fine, but the engine simply doesn't turn over.
I am no technician but if it was a petrol car I would take the spark plugs out, warm them and try again. Are there any similar simple things to try for a diesel car before we resort to calling our friendly independent garage?
Thanks
Read more
I would consider an air leak here also. Try pumping the fuel primer - if it feels soft and remains so for more than 3 or 4 presses then you possibly have an air leak and the fuel has drained back to the tank whilst you were away. Pump till it's hard, turn on the ignition and pump a bit more, then it should start OK. Probably not much of an issue it it doesn't do it if you use it regularly, but will probably worsen over time and mean pumping every start.
RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
I want to buy a seven-seater and sell my 98 Passat 20v estate auto, which isn't really the best car for the kind of driving (mostly in town) that I do.
I looked at a used Toyota Avensis Verso yesterday - really nice and much better than the Honda Stream, which I'd seen before, and not too MPVey.
Now, my dad's got one of these and he's very happy with it - however he seems to have the only one in London - I never see them on the road. Is there some reason why they're such a poor seller?
Alternatively, if I were to tighten my budget and go for an old Merc or Volvo seven-seater, which would be the one to go for?
thanks,
Henry B (new to this forum) Read more
Thanks for all your responses.
I test drove the Avensis Verso and thought it was very nice - roomy, very clever, not too van-like and pretty nimble. However, I'm now starting to think that as I've probably already taken the big depreciation hit on my '98 Passat Estate (bought in 2000 for £13k - probably sellable for £5k-6k now) I might as well run it for a bit longer and get seven seats (which I only need for the school run) with an aftermarket kit like the Motorhoods one: www.motorhoods.co.uk/option7shop.html
So, does anyone have any experience of the Motorhoods kits? I'd only be using the seats for small children on short journeys - but are they safe if someone drives into the back of me?
HB
Is there a procedure for reporting dangerous driving where there has been no accident?
The incident:
Three lane road approaching a roundabout. Left lane is left turn only, middle ahead only, right lane ahead or right turn.
In rush hour middle and outer lane are queuing, left hand lane is almost empty. Vehicle uses left hand lane to enter roundabout and proceeds around the outside lane to turn right! At the same time as he entered the roundabout so did I in the right hand lane intending to go straight on. I am aware of the black Honda to my left and expect him to go straight on, but he cuts straight in front of me, just missing my front end. He forces me to take the right exit and I end up following him for about a mile and a half as there are no turns for me to take before he makes a right turn - no signal and cuts in front of another car!
During this whole episode the Honda driver had a mobile firmly stuck to his ear!!
Response from the police 'if there's no accident we can't do anything'. Surely a PNC check and a quick visit may make this motorist think twice next time. Read more
I see dangerous driving on a regular basis and yet I only really drive a lot at the weekend. I think the police would not be able to cope if we reported all if it. Anyway, I like to think that really dangerous ones will be picked up by mobile plod. The fact that the number of mobile plod is going down each year along with the number of dangerous driving prosecutions is less than reassuring.
A lot of the dangerous driving I see is as per Britain's Worst Driver show i.e. blatant disregard for others safety.
As the years go by and the world changes, one can either get grumpy about it or one can adapt.
I've driven since 1979, no points, no pulls, no nothing. The other day I was driving my friends Jag as a treat (all legal and insured)and we got into a traffic jam.
him: "Blow it, just do a U-turn here, over the central reservation"
me: "I can't do that!"
him: "You're a Jag driver now, you can do anything."
I did the U-turn, no problem, nice smug feeling.
Cut to a couple of days ago. Stuck in Cambridge traffic. Went through a set of Pelican lights. Police car parked on the white zigzags, policeman talking (apparently happily cos they were both laughing) to a motorcyclist, who was stopped behind, also on the white zig zags. At that moment, the lights went red. At the same moment a student on a bike, who was cycling the WRONG way down the road, causing other cyclists to come to halt, went through the red lights, whilst being pursued by her friend, also on a bike, travelling at high speed on the pavement. Policeman took zero notice, but carried on conversation.
Now, clearly the policeman was involved in in more important things than worrying about his illegal parking, the illegal parking of the motorbike, the cycling the wrong way, the travelling through a red light or the high speed pavement chase. But it made me grumpy. And that made me stressed. And that probably made me a bad driver for that journey.
So instead of getting grumpy about the "reduction in standards" I've decided to alter my mindset and say "so what, let's all do what the heck we like, as long as we can get away with it." My goodness, I feel much less stressed now, so that's made me a MUCH better driver. Curiously liberating, this.
Off to nick some sweeties from the corner shop now. Read more
What a wonderful idea. I could give up the bench and resume practise as a barrister. Just think of the money I would be making......!
My wife is considering purchasing her brothers car, but I consider his valuation to be way over the current market value. I would like further opinion on the subject ?
The car in question is a Landrover Defender 90, short wheel base. The car was professionally rebuilt by TJC Landrovers in Norfolk, in 2001, but has a 'D' plate. The specification of the vehicle is as follows:
300 tdi engine; since the rebuild the car has done 25,000 miles. A low mileage (ca. 30,000 miles) engine from another vehicle was fitted at the time of the rebuild, although the engine was not reconditioned at this time
chassis is the original, but was hot dipped galvanised during the rebuild
full service history (from 2001)
up rated springs all round, compomotive alloy wheels, poly bushed throughout, twisted animation intercooler, trakker modular front seats, 4 trakker inward facing rear seats, 2 with diagonal belts, 2 with lap belts, Mantec rear security grilles
Stainless steel 'A' bar with spots, Wing protectors,Anniversary chequer plate kit, Front and rear lamp guards, Manual window winders, Additional rear mounted spots, Rear section glass in limousine black
2001 purchase price = £14K. It's offered at £11.5K. I see the car as a 1986 car in good cond. My valuation £5/6K ? Seller says car is basically 2 years old. Depreciation of £1.25 pa (unrealistic ?) gives £11.5K. Any thoughts ?
Read more
Many thanks for all the responses to my notice. There is now a realisation, by all, that the car is overpriced. He won't sell the vehicle at its' market value; he'd make too much of a loss. As far as I'm concerned the subject is closed.
Thanks again
KC
For the past 28 years, my relatives have been driving a Mercedes and getting them serviced at Portmann in the city center. They never bought their cars from them better deals were got from purchasing in Nottingham. However Portmann used to service and look after the car. My folks would go and buy another Merc without hesitation. Recently Mercedes stripped the dealership off Portmann and moved to a “questionable” area near the Commonwealth Games stadium. In addition to accessibility, the service is appalling, you cannot get to anyone on the phone. When we went to collect a car from a service, it was difficult to find a satisfied customer in the waiting room. Their son has an X5 which is serviced by Williams who located in the city centre. Their service is exemplary. As a result, they will be switching to BMW’s over time. Mercedes have lost a lot of customer capital and dealer goodwill by his change. You no longer deal with a friendly family business but a faceless company. Shame – the cars are really good.
Read more
I think there may be more to this than meets the eye....Pendragon also ran the only Volvo dealer in Bristol area (nearest alternatives were Reading, S. Wales or Taunton). Pendragon closed up shop. 9 months later another company is opening up a Volvo dealership in bristol.
Perhaps Pendragon are shifting their core business?
Ian L.
This is the first time I have posted here although I have read this discussion board anonymously for some months now, so I hope this is not too off topic.
A relative of mine was involved in an accident between her car and a motorcyclist about 2 months ago. Apparently she was waiting to turn left at a T-junction and the motorcyclist in question was approaching from the right, signalling left. My relative says she pulled out when she considered that the motorcyclist had slowed down to a point where he was unlikely to do anything other than turn left, but she didn\'t actually see him start to turn left. As you\'ve probably all guessed by now, the biker kept going and hit my relative\'s front bumper from the side.
The biker came off the bike but was not injured enough to require hospital treatment. No witnesses have said that they actually saw the accident but we have the details of two witnesses that say they saw the bike on the ground in the seconds after the accident with its left turn signal flashing. However, my relative said that one of the other motorcyclists who was with the accident victim went over to the bike and turned off the signal before the police arrived. It is however not clear that either of the witnesses saw this happen and the indicator was definitely off when the police looked at the scene.
Clearly this is not a clear cut case and my relative was prepeared to take the insurance hit for fixing her car and for third party costs since it might not be easy to prove that the turn signal was flashing in the second leading up to the accident. However, the local constabulary have just written to her saying that they intend to prosecute her for careless driving but if she wants to to spend 145 pounds she can take a retraining programme with the county council and then they won\'t prosecute.
I have no reason to doubt my relative\'s story - she has driven for 35 years plus with no prior convictions or accidents where she was in any way at fault. So, I don\'t really think that this is fair. My relative would like to pursue this in the courts if there is a realistic possibility if an aquittal, and she is consulting our family solicitors about it. This is because she is not happy at being forced to effectively admit the offence and pay money for it without a legal process. I would however be very interested if anyone here could give their opinion. Read more
I have to confess committing the sin of not seeing a motorcycle/cyclist despite looking AND being completely sober/drug free, so I sympathise. However, as an ex-motorcyclist and sometime cyclist, it might help if car drivers diferentiated between road users in metal armour, and those who are more vulnerable!
I have a vauxhall Sintra that came with only one key fob, I bought another one (at vast expence) from the local vauxhall dealer.
The cars hand book and its collection of suppliments say that after enabling system override by turning the ignition on off and on then counting the number of led flashes corresponding to the first digit of the code switching the ignition off and counting the number of led flashes corresponding to the next digit and so on, after the last one turn the ignition off. It then notes that if the ignition is turned on immediatly you can program a new remote control.
Does any one know whether this only works if you start with the alarm active - because the alarm triggers the siren as soon as you turn the key.
Has any one any ideas?
Thanks in anticipation Read more
.jpg)
Be careful - if you run out of fuel on a diesel the system has to be bled under the bonnet to remove air before the engine will start and run cleanly. Unless you know how to do this, or you are sure that your system bleeds itself (some do, don't know how they do this) then be sure to stop and top up the fuel tank at the first sign of engine spluttering.