November 2003
I have a BMW 330d estate, leased from Lex. Its due to go back in Sept 2004, but they're happy for me to buy it now (and I can opt out of my company car scheme).
It a Sep 2000 model on an X. Its done 77,000 miles, has a slight gearbox whine (which has been there for 20,000 miles and isn't getting much worse). On the positive side, it has electric/heated/sports seats, Multi CD, Sunroof and metallic paint.
I can either buy it now for £12,800 or wait until Sept - they thought it would be about £11,000 by then.
I don't do so many miles now - perhaps 12,000 a year.
What do people think? Is this a sensible buy? Now or future? Or am I buying something whose value will fall like a stone at 100,000 miles? Read more
After saving for a while, I've finally purchased my newest car ever! Nothing exciting, but a '52 Focus 1.6LX in a metallic blue. Only 7k miles so as far as I'm concerned it's new!
Anyway, how do I keep it looking nice and new? What polishes, treatments and lotions does it need? Aside from the regular oil changes what tips do you have so I can try and keep the car looking as it does now?
The only thing I have at the moment is an old bottle of "Mer" polish. Geeze, I don't even know where it came from!
Any help appreciated...
Nick Read more
Vansboy - neither will the slope down to the road, which
a lot of owners suffer from.
I have a slope up to the road. Is this good, and why? (Genuine question)
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L'escargot by name, but not by nature.
I am in the process of trying to quit smoking. Managed 4 days so far, so fingers crossed....
I would like to get rid of the stale tobacco smell in my car, and recall reading somewhere that the only real way to do this is to fumigate. How does one go about this? Read more
I used to fly 767's for Alitalia when smoking was allowed. Boeing delivered 6 new planes to the airline but within 6 months there was a large orange streak behind the two outflow valves (small doors under the fuselage at the rear of the plane) where the cabin air was bled out into the atmosphere. Frightening.
I recommend Rug Doctors too, a great way to purge PONGS (Previous Owner Nasty Gasses and Smells) from your car.
A colleage of mine's golf airbag warning lamp has come one permanently. Apparently when 1 year old the same thing happaned and he took it in to the dealer who plugged in a "device" and reset it and it was OK until now.
My suspicion is that there was a temporary break or poor connection in the airbag circuit that originally triggered the warning light.
What we need to know now is whether this latest event is just due to a glitch from worn slip rings/connector or whether its a real open circuit.
When the airbag lamp comes on permanently can this just be due to a momentary effect that triggers a latch forcing the lamp to stay on? If so how can it be reset ( Clearly re-occurence will indicate a genuine fault)
Anyone know of a common failure point with these?
Ta. Read more
Thanks for the advice if that's the case i expect it won't
be cheap to have it fixed though i'll try VW see what they say,
On another matter does anyone know if the 1600 cl 1998 model was fitted with ABS as standard or would that be an option ?
Thanks again
Following the advice repeatedly provided hereabouts, today
I dutifully took my 2001 Saab 9.3.TiD for a non-service scheduled oil and filter change to a quick-fit type outlet. (Saab service requirements are every 12,000 miles but this was circa 6K since last service).
Whilst being dubious about the make/quality/origin of the oil which they provided, enquiries revealed all in order with Castrol Magnatec (is that how it's spelt?) being their intentions. This suited me and the car handbook fine !
Anticipating a delay whilst they ordered and obtained the correct filter, I advised the manager that I had my own (pukka Saab) oil filter for them to fit. His reaction was one of astonishment and an outright refusal to change the oil using my own filter....muttering something about not being insured.
Negotiations with him (me willing to sign a disclaimer) failed to change his decision.
Has any backroomer experienced this and can anyone suggest a possible reason for his (seemingly unreasonable) stance ?
Regards,
AI
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On numerous occasions I have had oil changed at Halfords (now T/A AA) by appointment while I waited. On *every* occasion I have taken my own oil filter with me (so as to ensure that correct VW filter was used). At no time has any objection been raised. They have a waiting area where customers can see the work in progress and the job has always been done by a most courteous mechanic who is himself a VW owner/enthusiast. I have, of course, had their standard charge reduced by the value of the filter and been given a 10% discount as an AA member.
I have a Fiesta mk 3 on a K plate.
For the past month or so it has had problems starting the car mainly in the morning.
I have taken it to a Ford Dealer, and they say that there was an inherent problem with these cars and dont seem to be able to help!! - other then sell it!!
Things started to go wrong after we changed the starter motor. The Engine management system took a long time to "kick in" again and a week or so later i started having problems getting it to start. It would turn over fine, fire and then die. I was then advised to pull out fuse 20 ( fuel inj) when this happened - start the car....engine will then stall......put fuse back and start it again and it went fine. As this was intermittent i was relatively happy to continue doing this.
However, things have now progressed!! It now turns over but doesnt fire!! If you keep trying,just at the point where you are about to give up and walk it will eventually go. - and then go fine! This is also intermittent, but extremely annoying as i need a reliable car to get to work!!
Does anyone have any idea what i can do? I am in desperate need of help here as my budget doesnt run to another car!
PS have read all the past messages on here relating to "the dreaded 1.1 fiesta!!)
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Did you ever need to change the resistor? I'm having similar problems!
This may not apply to UK mainland MOT's but here in NI the testing agency will be introducing a new test for diesel vehicles allegedly from 2004.
On the new calling notice, it states in the small print that owners of diesel vehicles are to ensure normal levels of engine oil are maintained and the timing belt is correctly fitted and tensioned as they will not be responsible for any damage caused by the new emissions test.
I have been told thy intend to measure the emmissions both at idle and with the loud pedal pinned to the carpet?!?!?
Not sure what they are trying to achieve, surely 2500 = 3000 RPM would be a more realistic test.
Any comments?
Leon
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The Diesel Smoke Test requires the accelerator be pressed 'to the floor' in less than one second. This is held until the analyser has taken a reading, then it is released.
Most Testing Stations should now have the QuickTest installed. If the Smoke Test passes on the first acceleration, then no additional acceleration tests are required.
If it fails, then up to 6 further foot to floor tests can be done..
This test must only be performed on a properly maintained engine. The timing belt history, the vehicle service history, engine oil level will all be checked. Any abnormal noise will result in the test being stopped.
The test is carried out on an engine at correct operating temperature.
The operation of the governor will also be checked before the smoke test is done. The governed speed will be on the MOT wall charts. The engine revs are raised to about half normal, then slowly brought up to governed speed. If the engine revs over the governed speed, then the smoke test MUST NOT be carried out.
Anyone got experience with the Honda Civic 1.4 engine?.....Its not a vtec that much I know but the cheap insurance, tax and economy are making it attractive to me. It will come in the 1.4 sport 5 door guise, 2001 for about 5k.
Any advice/experiences will be appreciated.
Thanks
steve Read more
Likely to be the nearest thing possible to a zero-hassle ownership experience, all being well. The 1.4 is adequately quick - the 1.6 VTEC isn't exactly a performance car either - so a good choice for low running costs. High speed motorway refinement isn't that great, otherwise very competent in all areas.
Does anyone agree with me that manufacturers have reduced most of us from being drivers to being car operators.
Agreed that some innvoation is in the interests of improving safety for the less experienced motorist, but it seems to have detracted greatly from the "skill" required to drive.
Take your 18year old boy racer out of his new clio or corsa and stick him in a MkII escort from the late 70's see how far he travels on that B road before he gets a close up of the hedges.
I regularly see young guys braking through corners, or approaching corners too quickly knowing their ABS will 'safely' allow them to take off the excess speed on the way through. Or the same boy racer cornering with only one hand on the wheel.
Was recently in a friends motor which had more entertainment kit in it than there is in my living room. With so many on-board distractions it was easy to forget we were travelling at 70ish MPH.
Could the motoring mod-cons and safety intent technology actually be making motoring more dangerous????
Leon
Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly... Read more
We are heading for a global totalitarion dictatorship.
Personal transport is becoming a no-no.
Communal transport is being heralded as -as good as it gets - when its actually useless.
Traffic lights are being put up just to delay people, junctions are being turned into bottlenecks and painted red.
Ramps are installed in the carriageway at regular intervals.
Cameras monitor our movements, GATSO, SPECS, TRUVELO, ANPR, TRAFFICMASTER and the green ones.
Our cars are going to be forced to have GPS transponders.
Our cars will have ID chips disguised as number plates within a few years.
Manufacturers are working hard on brake by wire, steer by wire, we already have power by wire.
Cival-war proof PTZ CCTV is being installed all around what were once peaceful estates.
Have you noticed the proliferation of new antennas disguised as 'poles' going up in urban areas?
George Orwell was almost right.
Hi All
I've just been quoted £440 from a dealer to change the injector seals (dodgy starting) on my '97 2.0 Di Vectra.
Does this seem about right??
Do you know anywhere in the South East that might do it cheaper??
Thanks in advance
Carl Read more
The spill pipes are nearly always the problem with tis engine and I presume you have already done this?.
My fiend who was a Vauxhall mechanic told me that they always remove the cam and is quite a job.
However I did once mention on this site that my local independant did at this time tell me that they had done one without this and it was a pig of a job.
No idea how he did it and not even sure what these seals actually are.
I had always thought they were referring to the normal washer on an injector but apparently not and it is something at the top of the injector.
Someone more knowledgeable will perhaps explain
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Get gearbox fixed before you go any further.
Make sure to have turbo checked as well (Expensive fault)
With no leather or a/c (and depending on colour), moving this in the future will be difficult given the mileage.Also, is the history full BMW or is it LEX - The latter will also lower values.
If you know the full history and like the car, £12,800 seems ok.
Given your annual mileage, a 330d is an expensive company car tax liability. A budget of £12.8k will buy you a lot of newer alternatives (Mazda 6 estate / Audi A4 TDI / Passatt TDI for example)
Me personally ? Once all fixed, I'd be v.tempted to buy.
PS - Check out insurance. Business insurance can be expensive.
PPS - ( Why didnt you get gearbox fixed whilst under warranty ? )