October 2003
Hi Guys!
Just last week I traded in my 1.2 Clio for a 306 HDi D-Turbo. What a cracking car it is too!! However I have a few technical questions regarding it -
1. There seems to be a weird whining noise (not the turbo!!) from under the bonnet, its sounds like the alternator but I am not sure (there is so much packed under the bonnet for the HDi engine I am not sure - no haynes manual either yet grrr) - the car has done 75k so should the alternator be worn after that?? The car is a W reg 2000.
2. When I drove away from my parents house today my dad noticed blue smoke from the exhaust as I pulled away - When I got home I let the car cool down, started it up again with girlfriend obligingly standing behind and she said she saw no blue smoke from the exhaust...The Oil level indicator in the car shows full to the brim, and the dipstick shows oil past the top level. Have the numpties at Peugeot simply over filled it with oil when they did the service (forgot to mention its a dealer bought car - they serviced, MOT'd and did the Cam Belt) ?
I cant belive it is an oil burner at 75k, unless its last owner ragged the proverbials off it every time they drove it. Someone mentioned to me about HDi's getting valve guide wear if they are thrashed but I am not sure about that - Anyone got any thoughts or am I just paranoid!
Thanks
:O) - Rob Read more
Hi folks! I hope some of you knowledgeable folks can help with some advice on choosing and paying for a new car for a friend who is a gigging musician. Her requirements don't seem to be for the usual sort of girly car which most of my friends have
She is a solo artist whose work consists mostly of live performances, in venues which may be anywhere in the UK. The gigs tend to be clumped by time, but not geographically, so an appearance in Derby may be followed by one the next day in Shefield (easy), or by one in Exeter (long drive). So there can be a lot of miles racked up, mostly on motorways.
After previous old cars kept on expiring, she has been hiring cars for the last year, which works out quite expensive. So I'm trying to help her find a way of getting a car that will do the job without fuss and doesnt have to be paid for up front -- I'm sure its gotta be much cheaper than renting.
The main requirements for the car are a) reliability b) boot space and c) suitability for motorway use:
a) Breaking down on the road to a gig is A Very Bad Thing[TM], so her car needs to be very reliable and cheap to run -- which seems to point to a new car of a reliable sort (a time with a French car has left some lasting trauma, and wont be repeated)
b) The boot has to be able to fit a big guitar and lots of bags, and ordinary hatchbacks don't work -- a Ford Focus ends up with half the luggage on the back seat exposed to view, though a previous Ford Orion had an excellent boot. A hired Nissan Tino has a big enough boot, so she's been thinking of one of them, but I suspect that a saloon version repmobile with a big boot would do the job as well and might be cheaper (or is that daft??)
c) An experiment with a diesel car was unsuccessful because it didnt have enough voomf for the motorways (though posts here seem to suggest that some newer diesels are better) -- but beyond that it doesnt need to be a fast car, just something that can keep up with the traffic.
"Image" is completely unimportant, except that I think she'd rather be boiled in oil than be seen in something posh like a BMW or a car with fins and go-fast stripes or lots of gleamy bits.
All this seems to me to point to one of the sales rep type of cars you see lots of, and probably one of the ones which is considered uncool, so that it's a bit cheaper.
Then, if she finds a type of car that suits, how to finance it? Is leasing a viable option for a self-employed individual, or is it better to try to buy it on a finance deal? There seem to dozens of difft types of financing available, but it needs to be one which doesnt need a big deposit.
Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Claire
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The Vito does go like a Merc Sprinter and then some. A good friend has used one to tow a trailer complete with racing car, spare wheels/tyres, fuel, tools and a full service awning/marquee from Bournemouth to Knock Hill (that be norf of border, that be) and back and it went like stink. Returned good MPG as well.
No Dosh, aka Alan_moderator@honestjohn.co.uk
Hi Gang - Mrs V's Skoda Felicia has a Blaupunkt Verona radio cassette which has been working fine until today. The MW & LW reception has suddenly become very poor. With the engine running there is too much electrical (?) interference to hear anything. With the engine switched off, stations which used to be clear sound poor with quite a lot of background noise. FM reception is as was - very good! We haven't done anything to the car and no damage is apparent. Anyone got any ideas as to what might have happened and how we put it right ??
Thanks in anticipation! Read more
Yes earth is fav, and if the strap fixes it then so well and good. There should be one there anyway but some manufacturers dont bother. If the earth on the aerial has failed, sending a new one up the shield of the aerial cable will overcome it. Techie? a bit, My background was Aeronautical Engineer (thats big plane mechanic) then computer engineer. I am a lapsed licensed radio ham, so a lot of experience on mobile comms and radio in general.
Came across this whilst following another posters link. www.topgear.com/content/fun_stuff/carbage/
My apologies if it's already been posted but if not have a look at some of these and weep (with laughter) Read more
Does anyone know what this means on the V5?
Vehicle- an Almera 1998 from a home dealer with 52000 miles on the clock and 2 previous owners.
Everything else seemed alright until I saw the V5.
Apart fron the names and addresses of the 2 previous owners,it had this entry on two places in the V5 ie
"Previously Registered and/or used elsewhere in the UK"
The seller didnt seem to have any idea about what it what when I asked him.
He said that the Hpi check had been done though it wasnt with him.
Any clues on whats going on anyone?
Thanks in advance.
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Yes Northern Ireland is still (only just mind you) part of the UK. If you bring a car from NI to the mainland you can opt to have ot registred with a mainland registration number with the correct number. Several years ago I bought my mum in law in Farnham an immaculate Rover which when I brought it over from NI went onto an 'M' instead of IIL. By the way second cars are much cheaper here than in the rest of the UK!
I'm thinking of buying a Yaris 1.3 T3, anybody any advice/experience on these vehicles.
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Thanks for all your comments.Now,where's the cheapest new car?.
Can anyone please advise if any of the ECUs fitted to the later Fiat Pandas were of the self learning type ? These are Magneti Marelli IAW 6FSH and 6FSK.
I had always been under the impression that later cars, such as the Cinquecento and possibly the Mk1 Puntos had self learning types but that the Pandas did not.
If anyone can offer definative confirmation on this question, it would be much appreciated.
Thank you, Pete. petel@clara.co.uk Read more
Hello to all.
The Italian chap has been back to me and indicated the section of the file with the self learning details. I have translated this and find it to be correct.
This means that ( unless the information on the file is wrong and contrary to what I have been told by ECU doctors and Fiat dealership mechanics ) it seems that the Bosch Monojetronic systems ECU does have a self learning function.
This now brings me back to the original question,
Can anyone please offer definative confirmation of a self learning function on the Magneti Marelli ECUs, IAW 6FSH and 6FSK?
Thank you, Pete.
Can anyone please advise, what is the situation with the MOT, on a vehicle where the VIN stamped into the bodywork has been removed to effect a weld repair?
Car is an H reg Sierra Estate, the VIN is stamped into the floor just inboard of the the N/S door pillar.
Is there some proceedure as to notifying D.V.L.A or suchlike, which should be undertaken to avoid problems at MOT time?
Thank you, Pete. petel@clara.co.uk Read more
Thank you all for the replies.
I can assure you that the owner and the vehicle are genuine. The repair needs to be done because a minor shunt caused damage to the sill/bottom of the door pilar, which the previous owner failed to deal with and the rust set in at that location.
The MOT people have confirmed that as long as the VIN plate is present, there will be no problems.
Thanks again, Pete.
Hi - I bought at 52 plate Fiat Punto 5 weeks ago. After less than 2 weeks, I had problems with the clutch and the dealer (deleted) replaced it (in spite of my requesting a refund - which they said they couldn\'t do until they had attempted to fix the problem). 3 weeks later, the same problem has re-occurred - I definitely now feel that i have bought a faulty car and would like a refund. Does anyone now what my legal position is - am i now bound to accept this car and let them repair it or am i entitled to a full refund? Thank you in advance.
Dealers name deleted for legal reasons. DD. Read more
Err - is that a yes or a No then?
I am in the process of selecting a replacement car for a rover 214i.. a pushbike being a good suggestion by a friend!
Seriously though, I am covering around 25000 mile each year, and am not prepared to take a hit on the depreciation on a new car that this mileage will inevitably bring!
The main car in the household is currently a Golf GT TDi PD 130, which I love to drive. Unfortunately, so does the wife, and as such, we are struggling to keep to the agreed mileage for the PCP agreement.
I want another VAG 130ps diesel, and have seen a 2001 y-plate Passat, 98000 miles, for a highly reasonable £8999 (my target price £8500). It is a company owned, fully serviced, high miler, with just one owner.
My question to those that know is..... has anyone any idea as to how long this engine will go for, given that most of it's mileage has been motorway? Can anyone forsee any high cost maintenance around the corner? Does anyone have any tips?
Any assistance is highly appreciated.
Richard Read more
just look at the reliability figures for Ford Fiesta and then Audi A4...
madf
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Went down and had a nice chat with the lads at pegeot today - I bypassed the service desk and went straight in to the workshop hehehe
They have indeed removed the entire engine from my car - Guy working on my car said this :-
"Your head is screwed mate - someone bodged a head gasket repair and something must have happened for that valve - I cant say what because I didnt see the car before you brought it in. We have ordered a new head for you. We will compression test it but the rest of your motor is sound so hopefully all your problems will be solved. Did you know the coolant levels were almost empty ?" - No I didnt is the answer - He showed me the bores and pistons and they AFAIK looked ok. he refered to the service manager as "D***child" which bodes well for their customer service.
At least they are going to fix it properly, and they guy I spoke too seemed pretty sound and he clearly disliked the service department as much as I do hehe.
Do any of you know of a good independent place in Cornwall for checking HDi engines / cars - or indeed do any of you live near cornwall that I could call upon to have a look at it when I get it back ??
:O) - Rob