November 2003
My 206 is going to have some part of the engine management system reprogrammed, to try and cure the intermittent appearnce of a warning which comes up now and again saying "Anti-Pollution Unit". So far so good. The dealer tells me that after this reprogramming the existing keys will not work and can't themselves be re-programmed. The work has been held over until they can obtains two new keys, about £75 for the remote operating one and £45 for the spare. Luckily this will be covered by the warranty but it seems an amazing state of affairs that squaring away a fault in the engine management system destroys the functionality of 2 perfectly serviceable keys. Please can anyone explain this for me? I do understand that it is only certain 206s that have this undesireable chacteristic (certain build dates/VIN numbers) Read more
Hi Folks, I have a 93 1.8L, and thought i'd add some extra lighting. I have spent many years dealing with both Electrics and electronics in a professional capacity, mainly with a diagram to assist. Here is the rub, although I have a Haynes manual, I have found that the diagrams really do not seem to connect with the real thing. That is where the book says pin 2 & 7 I have found pins 7 & 9. The colours do sometimes agree but that is not really enough. So does anybody out there know of where to buy an accurate diagram at a reasonble price.
Cheers
Chad Read more
Well im siding with you, I accepted that the diagrams were only scematic but to give false info is worse than nothing. as a D.i.y carmech since I cant remember I have always found the Haynes manual good enough to find my way around. However it seems my next motor will have to include a Manufactures manual, only trouble is I will have to include a book case to hold it.
Cheers
Chad
I've obtained a complete Vauxhall Omega Satellite Navigation kit from a person in Germany via ebay, but there are no installation instructions.
I have the Vauxhall TIS CD-ROM and there is some good info on there, but what I specifically need to know is where the socket on the car is for the six-pin multiplug that is on the SatNav's loom, the Vx CDROM seems to think you know already, but I've stripped the glovebox, kick panel and scuff strips off and can see the wiring looms, but the only two connectors are huge multipin ones.
Some instructions I have suggest removing pins from these with a special tool and inserting the pins on the wires of the satnav, but there are no wires!
If anyone can help, or knows of any good sites or forums, it would be greatly appreciated, it seems a silly little thing holding up the whole job! Read more
Thanks Robert, it works beautifully, thanks to you helpful people I have met on the internet, here and elsewhere. Just waiting for Vauxhall to meke some new CDs to load the English lanuage! However, I know all the german phrases for directions now!
I am trying to negotiate up the price of a trade-in BMW 318iSE E46 model which has done 78000 miles and today the salesman set his line in the sand price by saying that "he could only go £50 higher because of its high mileage, according to the mechanics, it will need a major service soon and a head change as it is well known than BMWs have porous heads".
Has anyone else heard this ridiculous assertion? I know its a load of old tosh since BMW engines can do more than 200K with no bother but I just thought I'd run it past everyone just for a laugh and to see if there was any tiny incling of truth to it.
Perhaps the salesman thinks I have a "porous head".
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Marty,
Oops - just reread your post in full - I'll help NoDosh with his coat!
Matt35.
Looking at a 96 ZX Aura TD estate tomorrow - anyone had any experiences of these? Read more
There are, but oopnorth is looking at a 96 model. No reports of this failure pre 97/98 MY.
Car-By-Car Breakdown reports : "Rod through bock failures in 1997 and 1998 XUDTs.
Is it me? I\'ve got a \'99 Toyota Corolla that had its tailgate gas struts replaced 14 months ago whilst (just) under warranty. Now they are failing again. They just don\'t hold the tailgate in the \'up\' position. The dealer says \'buy new ones\' but I worry that they\'ll fail again... I had a Cavalier before, and that \'ate\' gas struts too. I think I\'m \'gentle\' on the struts, never slamming the tailgate when it\'s cold etc. They have all been made by Stabilus of Germany - who supply most of the motor manufacturers. Any ideas? Read more
Quick reply! It looks fine, and shuts ok. But you've got me thinking... The car has a remote boot release - pull the lever up by the drivers seat. Sometimes this doesn't work first time. I put it down to a tiny mis-adjustment in the release mechanism. The tailgate opens perfectly if I use the key in the tailgate.
Regular reader may know that my astra operating temp used to climb to 97 and when around local traffic the temp guage used to jump to 100 before the fan kicked in.
It transpires that there was NO Antifreeze in the car and it's only recently that i filled it up with new antifreeze.
Now the temp gauge goes slowly to 90 and stays there unlike before, i thought antifreeze was used to warm the car quick ??
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You may well be right - but for what it is
worth I understood it only had two purposes:
a. Corrosion inhibitor.
b. Anti freeze.
I've heard that it can also help lubricate the water pump bearings as well.
Got a new car ordered, it's in the country, but can't get it till 27th November due to going on hols next week, should I ask the dealer to hang on to it for another month to make it an '04 registered car? Any ideas of the difference in value over say a year? It's obviously the same car and it will be sitting in a field or a shed (if I'm lucky) for a month, but with Christmas looming it will be idle for 2 weeks over that period anyway. The car is an A3 3.2 Sport. Read more
Oh yes you can!
You have it insured on chassis number initially, then on registration number.Then the road risk element of the policy only becoming valid after registered & taxed, ie 00.01 hrs 01/01/04.
Best make sure it's delivered on a trailer, from the holding compound.No offence intended to any trade plate drivers, but just in case!!! Anyway, you'll want to have the pleasure of watching those first few hundred miles clicking over on the mileometer, yourself!!
VB
Advice - when I last changed the spark plugs on my Corolla, the Toyota garage told me that it had to be done by a 'proper' dealer, as along with changing the plugs they hooked the engine management into a computer to set the engine up afterwards.
Is this true, and do independent (cheaper) mechanics have access to this sort of gear ? If not, does that mean independent mechanics aren't setting your car up properly after a spark plug change ? Read more
Changing the plugs on my 1.0 Yaris was a simole job, and well worth the time. Even though I've only done 10K in 3 years in getting smoother running and another 1 mpg better economy.
I bought a 98R Porsche 996 (current shape 911) from a reputable independant/specialist in June this year. I was pleased with the car and it came with 12 month warranty issued by a small outfit never heard of before.
The dealer told me the warranty was transferable and the policy stated transfer was OK (but subject to underwriters decision) and a £25 fee provided car sold privately.
The car wasn't for me and so I advertised it last month with balance of warranty and sold as such. When I sent the policy off for amendment, the broker bounced it back and said the underwriter was no longer transferring warranties on certain models (like Porsche!). I'd done just 4,000 miles in 4 months and made no claims on the policy.
Spoke to the dealer and the insurer. They agreed to transfer policy provided car undergoes 99 point check at the dealer at my cost. The dealer blames the insurer, the insurer says he will waive the £25 fee. Trouble is I sold the car with the transferable warranty and agreed with the buyer to sort it out.
The dealer now wants 2 hours labour to do the inspection at my cost. When I asked what if anything was found, would it be covered under warranty, the dealer says "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it". I'm not happy about this open ended agreement but want to keep my buyer happy.
Car is booked in on Thursday for the check. How would you handle this?
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Thanks for the reply.
I live in south Germany so the attention thing isn't really an issue as Porsches are fairly common here and you can get a good 3 year old Carrera 2 for around 45,000 Euros. On the other hand the lack of boot space could be more of a problem, even though the local dealer tried to convince me that the boot is bigger than it looks. I'll leave the big decision until after the winter anyway as I guess 300bhp rear engined sports cars aren't ideal transport when there's 2 feet of snow on the ground.
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Not so much of a glitch. Some cars were designed this way. It makes stealing them and doing a quick fix on the imobilisor/keys less desirable