October 2003
I was in Chesterfield one Saturday recently, felt peckish, and turned off to the McDonald's (yes, I know) near the cinema.
Saw the length of the queue, so decided to give it a miss.
Between turning off the main road, going round the car park, and rejoining the main road took nearly an hour!
I couldn't see any roadworks, just a stupidly-designed junction, and vehicles jumping red lights out of frustration.
Is it always that bad? And if so, can I nominate it as the stupidest junction in the country? Read more
thankfully not my car.far too modern!1991mk 2 8v golf gti.the starter was going slow so a mate replaced the battery.ok for a week then started going slow again so he then fitted a new starter.now it turns over fine but just wont fire.theres petrol but no spark.no voltage to be mesured between + and- at the coil.it has an after market immobiliser fitted which appears to be clicking off red light goes out ect.seems like the ecu has gone pop to me.are we missing something glaringly simple?he doesnt think he shorted anything out.any ideas?cheers bunny Read more
Shouldnt take good auto electrician more than a few minutes to bypass as most of the ones I have come across seem to have been fitted really obviously so it doesnt need a rocket scientist to work out which wires have been cut and routed through the immob unit.
Work out which wire from the ign switch powers up the system and follow it down the loom. Shortly you will find it has been cut and soldered into another black wire. Continue following the loom and you will find your original wire again. (If it has been done correctly it should be miles away but is usually only a couple of inches)Again it will have a black wire soldered to it. Rejoin this wire and you have bypassed the immob.
Andrew
Simplicate and add lightness!!
An interesting read about an interesting approach.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3227849.stm Read more
Good. Anything that reduces the level of fraudulent claims will
eventually trickle (via premium competition) into my pocket.
V
You honestly believe that the saving will be passed on to anyone other than the shareholders and directors?
Hi,
My rear doors have stopped opening. They started one at a time, i.e. one would stick and the door would remain as if locked when the car was unlocked. Then it would open normally one day and break again the next. Now both door won't open at all. I thought it might be electrical but even manually unlocking the door doesn't do it and besides the locking button on the door moves with the central locking. I can hear the central locking operating but the door handles don't seem to be engaging the lock on the door. I thought then that it might be a loose coccection but the windows open and close fine. As I said above, its been an intermittant fault where one will open and the other won't, swapping over at random. Now both are locked tight. I'm about to pull the inside covers off the door from the inside, have you any ideas? >:( I don't have kids but its handy when giving lifts etc and when the rear seats are down. I don't want to have to take it to the dealer as I know its going to get expensive especially now the rear doors won't open at all. So if I can fix it myself I'd be much happier. (No offence Citroen Dealers) ANY IDEAS OUT THERE???
Cheers,
Dave Crampton :) Read more
Hi Guys,
Wish I had discovered this site & forum before I bought my 3.0 V6 Omega Elite Estate Auto :)
Anyway, I have the "old girl" for 3 years now (Registered Nov 1995 but 1996 Spec "N" Reg) and have spent an arm and a leg keeping it on the road!
It's done 110K now and had 43K on the clock when I bought it in Oct 2000. (Fully validated mileage and very low at the time for a 6 year old car ex Network Q plus one elderly owner)
The Omega now belongs to "she who must be obeyed" and will be doing less than 10K a year while I have gone to a 1998 Audi A4 1.9 Tdi quattro Avant. Wow............ 50 mpg...ish from low to high 20's.......... very refreshing :D
Things that have been done in that 3 Year Period in no particular order -
1-Timing Belt Kit @ 80K - £365.00
2-New ECC "Switch/Regulator" The Big 3 Dial Controller - £413.00
3-Multi Function Display Unit - £273.00
4-Coolant Leak & Oil Leak Repairs - (Heater Valve, Oil Cooler Seals & New Oil Cooler.... threads stripped upon removal :( and Cam Cover Seals, New Oil Pressure Switch leaking oil through switch body - £724.00
5-Glove Box Lock Assembly - £12.00
6-New Discs & Pads All Around & Rear H/brake Shoes & Cables - £350.00
7-New Complete Front Wishbone Arms & Stabiliser Link Bars - £145.00
8-New Cat Back Exhaust System - £250.00
9-Auto Transmission Lower Gasket Leak Fix & Fluid change - £50.00
I think I need therapy having looked at this list.......... but hey it is such a nice drive when everything is working right.
The car is worth next to nothing in part ex and probably not worth much in a Private Sale either.
I think it is a good looking vehicle finished in Titanium with a front Irmscher Grill & Rear Tailgate Spoiler c/w built in brake light, not forgeting my boy racer BIG Twin 76mm Sports Exhaust Back Box by SteinMetz!
Feel better now but I think I need an appointment with the quack to discuss Running Costs!
Cheers
Dave
PS - Almost forgot.......... When I get my Timing Belt Kit done @ 120K should I have the Water Pump & Oil Pump replaced? Do the PAS & Air Con Compressor nedd to be removed to do this?
:)
1995 3.0 V6 Omega Elite Estate Auto
1998 1.9 Tdi Audi A4 quattro Avant Read more
The Oil Pump will be replaced as a matter of personal choice because when I last had the Timing Belt done @ 80K the Oil Pump Bolts on the N/S were loose and as a consequence leaking oil badly. (apparently a common fault on the early V6's according to the VX Service Manager etc)
The only way that the Oil Pump Bolts could be removed/sealed and re-torqued was when the Timing Belt, Rollers & Tensioner were being done. I was told that upon re-tightning that there was a slight leak from the Pressure Relief Valve on the Oil Pump Assembly but the main serious leak had been cured.
Just trying to keep one step ahead because we intend to keep the car as long as possible without a re-mortgage :))
1995 3.0 V6 Omega Elite Estate Auto
1998 1.9 Tdi Audi A4 quattro Avant
I see the December barrel price of oil is down to just a few cents over $27, from $29 recently.
Couple that with the strong pound now over $1.70 from recent $1.58 and we should see a price reduction at the pumps.
Do you believe in Father Christmas? Read more
The figure people usually quote for tax is 77% of the retail price at the pump, but this was estimated before Gordon Brown introduced a 33% rise in corporation tax on the oil producers in 2002 so its probably around 78/79 now.
For those interested its a Supplementary Corporation Tax charge at 10% on UK oil profits. Which comes in addition to the 30% everyone else pays.
Killed the North Sea stone dead. The majors are now quietly selling up and pulling out. The new companies coming in are the tail end charlies looking to screw the last dollar out by cutting costs (and therefore jobs). They do not explore (too risky) so no new reserves...
The government classes this as 'activity' and says its a good thing...
Hi.
First time on this board.
I'm wanting to buy a Automatic car but dont know which models are any good.
I was going for either a Ford Mondeo 1.8 auto or a Ford Escort 1.6 auto but after reading posts and reveiws on this site about the gearboxes i'm not sure.
The other models on my short list are:
Mazda 323
Nissan 100 NX
Honda Civic 1.5 LSI
What do you all think.
Thanks Read more
I have mixed feelings about the ZF auto's used on BMW's. When they're running OK they're fine; however they are not especially reliable (mainly electrical problems). There is a large multiway connector under the gearbox that can give problems, also the shaft speed sensors inside the 'box can fail - not particularly expensive in themselves, but you have to remove and strip the box to replace them.
Some of the earlier BMW/ZF boxes suffered casing damage because a PTFE bearing washer was used against the alloy casing - but I would think most of these would have been attended to by now.
For a reliable and robust auto I would go Japanese, specifically Aisin-Warner (Toyota, some Volvo, some Vauxhall, Mitsubishi), Jatco (Nissan, some Rover, some VW etc.) or Honda.
Guys and Gals,
This afternoon I made a completely random purchase.
I was having an idle wander around e-bay at the ‘Bid now before it’s gone’ section and came across a 1965 Morris Minor 1098, with a then current price of £160.00. Hmmmm. I thought and carried on browsing.
Now, here is the scary part. I put the winning bid in. I didn’t really mean to, I’m not even sure I want a second car, let alone a Moggie that I haven’t seen ‘in the flesh’. Ah well – I’d best make the best of the situation I thought. Then I realised the darn thing was in Kent. I’m in Southport. Great.
Anyway, I now need to transport the car 300 odd miles, either by driving it (!) or borrowing a relative’s Landrover and trailer.
Why do I put myself through these things when it’s more likely to turn out to be a dog than not?!
Read more
"Did you see the recent TV car programme about how good the Morris Minor was to learn to drive in and practice power drifts on roundabouts?"
BMWs do this (when there is no-one about to witness shut non-BMW owner type stuff). DSisconnect all the nanny stuff and let rip. Admitedly the 3 was better than the 5 but its still fun !
(Fireball that's another joke btw)
I wonder how many fellow Backroomers can relate to this scenario.
Travelling home from work each day I reach a junction where I turn right from a major road into a minor road, the junction is traffic light controlled and there is a separate lane and filter for traffic wishing to turn right.
For some reason, a lot of drivers who wish to turn right will not drive into the middle of the junction and position themselves correctly for their right turn, these drivers just sit on the stop line waiting for the filter to come on, regardless of the fact that the main green light allows them to move forwards.
The trouble is that the filter only comes on if you drive into the middle of the junction and over the sensor that is buried in the road.
The result is that these drivers that refuse to move forward once the main green light comes on, cause the whole queue of right turning traffic to miss a sequence as the filter just doesn't come on.
As there is usually a steady stream of traffic passing in the opposite direction, it is very rare to be able to make a right turn without being positioned in the middle of the junction and without the assistance of the filter.
In a worse case scenario, I've missed three consecutive opportunities to turn as the lead vehicle isn't dealing with the junction properly.
Am I expecting too much common sense or does that not come into play on the roads these days?!
I can't find any reference to this particular scenario in the Highway Code - not that anyone would take note of it anyway!
Does anyone have a similarly annoying problem on their daily commute?
PP Read more
Nice pics Cardew, can't help but notice the complete absense of trash strewn all over the place on your pics, must have been taken in the good old days.
The heated mirrors on my 1998 A6 are not working. This applies to driver and passenger sides, although the electric adjustment etc. is fine.
I believe this heated system is supposed to be on whenever the ignition is on (does not operate in conjunction with heated rear window). I've checked the fuse which is fine, any other suggestions please??
It's possible both heating elements are bad, but would welcome suggestions.
Many thanks all.
Read more
The heated mirrors on my Polo failed too. Late 1997 (1998 Model)car, they had failed by the time the 3 year warranty was drawing to an end, I noticed the fault and VW replaced both without a problem. The replacements were still OK this morning!
My Dad had the identical problem with his 1998 A3. Again they were replaced under warranty.
Looks like a fault with the parts around this time.
Andy
Browse
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"Responses to these exercises confirmed that an incremental, balanced approach, introducing restraint-based measures make alternatives to the car more attractive"
I guess you were being restrained by our communist state?