September 2003
I have a problem with my Omega 2.5 V6 Auto which my local dealer can't sort. When the car is cold it runs fine, but when warm things go down hill.
I am getting a slight missfire when the engine is under load, ie when putting foot down or going up hills(which is most the time in the peak district!). This the gearbox then also cant make it's mind up what gear to be in (3rd or 4th).
My first thoughts are to change the HT leads but someone has recommended changing the DIS unit. Both of these are expensive, so my question is which one is most likely to fail? (cars done 54K) or has anyone else had a similar problem which turned out to be something else? Read more
I seem to be doing my own extended road test at the moment as I still have the 03 Micra while Polo is being reconstructed!
I still think it's a fab little car, but I wouldn't want one for life! There's nothing major wrong with it, apart from the noisy drive, but the niggles so far are:
At first I thought the lights on the front made the car easy to park, but I find it really difficult to park as it's so bulky, with bulges all over the place. I parked it between two Smarts at work the other day and in a standard parking space it was a bit of a squeeze!
Anything you put in the front footwell ends up in the back because there's a clear run under the passenger seat. I've even taken to hanging my bag on the take-away hook that they've thoughtfully supplied, but to be honest it looks a bit silly!
The windows knock when they're open. Very annoying!
And now the big one - the remote central locking is totally unresponsive. It's not the battery in the "plipper" as it's just had a new one apparently, but I often have to stand by the car like a fool waiting for it to sort itself out and let me in or lock. Ordinarily I would just use the key to lock and unlock but there is no option to do this - makes me wonder how I'd get into the car if the battery went flat and the central locking didn't work....??
Oh, and everyone laughs at it!
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>The other point you mentioned earlier of remote locking >confusion, is best sorted by always looking at the flashing >lights when you operate. It shows one flash for lock/ed, two >for open/ing.
Ahem... there's no confusion - it just doesn't work!
Doesn't matter anyway, it's going back tomorrow!!!!
I see many cars on the roads now with space ship miles and always wonder what engine parts they have had replaced so they could reach such high miles.
I want to therefore start a single forum where here where people can write in just noting down the make/ model and mileage of their car and the parts that were changed or repairs made. Also, the mileage when the part was changed may also prove interesting.
The reason I ask is through curiosity. Also, it can help those who want to know what they are likely to have to spend to cover high mileages in their cars.
High mileages means around 80,000 miles+, and it may also be interesting to see how many miles owners of such cars get from brake pads, disks and tyres.
In my case, I own a 1987 Toyota Camry turbo diesel (2.0 litre engine); mileage 100,000 miles
Parts changed or repaired: Head gasket, alternator, radiator.
Tyres last 37,000 miles; Brake pads 40,000 miles
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I sold my Citroen BX, petrol, with 147,000 on the clock, looked tidy and I only sold it because the clutch was getting heavy. My 2.0 16v Xantia is coming up on 114,000 with just the usual spheres, brakes, etc. When I think of what depreciation costs on a new car, I didn't have a problem shelling out £500 for four disks, pads, both handbrake cables, service and mot this year. The car comes up like a new pin, dodgy tailgate paint excepted, and the interior is like new.
I have a 306Dt fitted with a Bosch injector pump. I have read on a number of sites that people have had them altered to give better performance.
Does any know any more?
Cheers
H
(ps: the blue smoke issue was a head gasket, and it was a right git to change)
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Hi, can anyone help me, I am seriously cosidering buying a new Fiat Stilo JTD 115 Dynamic at well below market price (£8,800 + VAT). I have concerns over Fiats future, service reputation and the cars residual value. Given that I may be buying this car at well below market price is there any need to be cautious? Read more
Good choice, the Leon is a great little car and the 110bhp diesel has plenty of power for the job.
The ones I've been in are just as well built as Golfs, and they look better IMO too.
A garage owner openly admitted to mis diagnosing poor handling on a Cavalier Mk3.
Apparently the ride was very hard. He assumed it was down to the shock absorbers, so without further checking he changed them expecting the problem to be cured.
When he took it out for a test run, the ride had not improved. He duly sat down and went through a proper diagnosis and found the tyres to be over inflated.
The pressure was 60 psi!
Changed shock absorbers back and corrected pressure - car was fine.
Anyone else care to admit or know of similar?
Yes we can all have a laugh, but we may learn something as well.
H Read more
A few years ago my wife was driving her oldish Toyota Corolla. At low speed, the oil light came on plus rattling. Luckily she turned off the engine and stopped quickly. I was busy so I let it be recovered to a local and well-respected garage. They correctly diagnosed oil pressure loss (took a lot of thought!) and said that they had 'checked it over' and a new engine was needed as the oil pump had failed and severe engine damage had taken place. As the car was rather elderly and not worth a garage-fitted new engine I had it moved home with the idea of putting a second-hand engine in myself. On closer inspection, I couldn't see what they had 'checked' as nothing looked touched so I had a look myself. The drive pulley for the belt-driven oil pump had come off the shaft, it must have been loose for a while as it was worn and would not sit tight on the key. As the engine had been stopped quickly I thought it was worth a punt on a new pulley. £20 later from Toyota and 30 mins to fit, one sweet-running engine that then did many 10's of thousands of miles and was fine when I finally sold it.
And colleagues wonder why I'm cynical about garages?
Hi everyone, I hope someone can help with this problem. I have a 91 Escort 1.4. The problem is that when taking up drive there is a noticible jerkiness, like slack is being taken up somewhere in the drivetrain. It is also noticable when you lift off and then accelerate sharply whilst in gear.
A friend tells me that the lower wishbone bushes wear quickly on these cars and that they may cause similar problems. Looking underneath the rubber by the balljoint (is that the bush?) is split on the offside. In addition to this heaving the suspension forwards on the offside results in movement of maybe 0.5 cm. This doesn't happen on the nearside.
What else could cause this movement, and if it isn't the wishbone what else could it be? Also what kind of price would I be looking at to replace a wishbone, backstreet garage, not Ford Obviously!
Sorry for the overly-long post, words are not really my strong point! Any help graetfully received.
Rich Read more
Thanks for your reply. Will get it seen to this week. Funny thing is it passed its MOT last week and only needed a new headlamp bulb. I would have thought that this is a fail point.
Rich
Here in Northern Ireland, if a car is classified category C after damage, it cannot be taxed without first having an inspection (50 miles from where I live). Now a friend tried to tax his car car (Cat C) and was told that it could NOT be taxed until inspected! When he applied to the appropriate inspection branch (with £28.50) they wrote back to say the car did NOT need to be inspected!!! Does this apply on the mainland? We are still part of the UK. This is a very good example of our bureaucratic masters in action - making even lightly damaged cars unsellable -with all the consequences for their values - and our insurance costs! Read more
Hi there
The VIC Scheme was abolished as from the beginning of October this year. For a detailed overview of what this means for you, there is a comprehensive guide to the VIC test changes at affvehicleservices.com/blog/vic-scheme-abolished-w.../
There are two types of "Omega" rear axles fitted to the Pandas, one is 7666760 and the other 7579008.
Has anyone been able to establish what is the difference between the two and if they are interchangeable?
Thank you, Pete.
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I thank you for your reply but my question refers only to the "Omega" rear axles on the FWD Pandas.
Anyone please?
Rgds, Pete.
Fuel gauge. Temp gauge, temp warning light, oil light: all flashing but no problem with any. Any ideas please. Read more
Try Fred's tdi - tdi club web site it's a can/us based.
K2
Crank shaft sensor faults are difficult to detect My saw several types of fault detector including a tech 1 at a vauxhall dealers.No faults were recorded. It caused non starting on an iregular basis you never knew when. However it has been replaced twice so a known fault.