December 2003
Currently being shot in Little Germany, Bradford. Features a very wet road (fire tender on hand to provide the water as its lovely and sunny here today!), an Audi skidding on the wet surface and someone lying in the road! Read more
Any quick help with this would be appreciated.
I am at my sister's just now and her diesel Picnic won't start. When you turn the key instead of the normal starting noise there is a ongoing clicking type noise, hard to describe really.
However its definitely not the starting noise of usual which makes me think it is the starter motor.
as i am not technically minded can anyone advise me where the starter motor is as i believe that sometimes knocking it with a hammer may be enough to get it going
finally any idea for the cost of a replacement/refurbishment
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I'm with Aprilia on this. How old is the battery? They don't last for ever. If it's over 5 years old and the alternator is charging OK, assume the battery is scrap and replace it.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
I thought Polo and I were going to be parted again last night!
I'd driven all the way from the south to the Midlands to work, and was driving home to Wolverhampton in the evening when I noticed a 4x4 flashing and waving at me from behind. A quick check told me that yes I had my lights on and no I didn't have the fog light on. And no, I hadn't cut him up or anything.
It continued - I sped up, he sped up, I turned off, he turned off. I eventually got home and parked and he parked up behind me, blocking me in. I didn't know what to do but eventually convinced myself I was being paranoid and maybe he lived here too!
Anyway as I got out of the car he said, in his best dudley accent, "both you'm back lights am out." and drove off.
Bless him!
I swear my car eats rear light bulbs, but it's a bit unusual for them to both go at once. Now, if I could just unstick the boot lock I could do something about it!
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It's a sad reflection on our times but I agree with the sentiments in this thread. I too wouldn't stop to help a lone woman, unless perhaps I had my wife with me, but maybe not even then.
The one exception is when I'm in the old Morris or Rover P6 and I see another classic car or bike broken down. I'll usually stop and offer tools, help or a lift. So far I've always been welcomed but it is usually a man. Perhaps classic drivers are living in the past?
3.5 years old. 30,000 miles.
Three times in the last 9 months it has burned out the plug and valves on No. 4 cylinder. Each time the plug and valves have been replaced and been ground back in, or whatever they do.
When its not just on its way out, it runs fine.
It looks like its about to happen again. The dealer has been in touch with Rover but as far as anyone can work out this is not a well known fault. The dealer is at a loss. It has had at least one new cylinder head in this time.
This is a colleague's car, so I'll need to check with her if any further details are required.
Any ideas ? The garage is at a loss. Read more
1.4
All comments being noted, thanks people.
I saw a car driving along this morning with all windows covered with frost bar a six inch diameter peep hole in the widscreen.
Not enough visibilty to see if he was lighting a fag or using his phone.
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I recall heaters were optional extras in the 50s and I think you you could also buy 3rd party heaters and fit them youself. My Morris Minor seies 11 had an heater which was simply a circular box fitted centrally under the dash. Also the A30 and A35 were similar. I don't think there was any pipework off to the windscreen but imagine we must have had a scraper.
But of course there was no such things as screenwashers and a plastic washing up liquid bottle was used by leaning out and spraying water onto the widscreen. This was a neccessity when the M1 opened as you couldn't stop to clean it.
As regards being physically cold one had to dress to suit the conditions and in the depths of winter TUF boots were the in thing. Who can remember them? But as the Scandinavians say if you are cold you must be wearing the wrong clothing.
Some of you may know the alloys on my Omega were stolen recently....
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=18...7
To avoid the same happening again, or at least to make it slightly harder, I bought 2 sets of McGard locking wheel nuts* from Halfords and fitted them.
Today was the first time I moved the car since and as soon as I did there was a loud "BANG..BANG..BANG.." noise very similar to hitting a metal plate with a hammer coming from the rear/underneath of the car.
The frequency increased with speed though I was only moving the car gently back and forth in the drive. This and fact that it was driving perfectly before the locking wheel nuts were fitted points towards them fouling on something. I'm not 100% sure but it sounds like its the rear driver's side wheel. The other wheels seem OK but I'll swap the locking wheel nuts one by one and check carefully.
Any ideas what they could be fouling on?
My initial idea was that it could be the protective plate for the brake disc - maybe this was bent went the car was left on bricks?
Thanks in advance,
Chad.
* McGard ref 27179 for Vx Omega. Read more
I imagine the rear ones are going into the handbrake drum which is built into the rear disc, and the ends of the bolts are smashing up your handbrake mechanisms. Take a rear disc off and look, and if so, claim for new ones from Halfords.
Hi,
I have a car with a GM3000 automatic gearbox in it.
It started changing up through the gears very agressively, as though a turbo-charger had been fitted and max. thrust had been asked for! My wife refuses to go in it, it\'s that bad.....
The dealer who sold it to me can\'t solve it. He\'s tried a couple of gearbox specialists & they can\'t solve it either!
Neither I nor the dealer is keen to spend a lot of money on a new gearbox.
I (we!) would be extremely grateful for the input of anyone who has either had this problem before or somthing similar. Or just any ideas at all please!
Many thanks in advance. Read more
£900+VAT is about what I would expect. All sounds reasonable. Let us know the outcome.....
Has anyone else had this problem please? If so, what did you do?
My aged (79 & 80) parents bought a new 206 & love it *except* for the firmness of the seats. (Incidentally, I thought it was just their age & wanting comfort, but I tried it recently & agreed with them.) The dealers say "That's the way the seats are" & show no interest. I recently test drove a Chrysler Neon & it was so much more comfortable, albeit the 206 is a more modern looking car...
My parents really can't afford to lose £2,500-3,000 on a trade-in(reflects offers from dealers) to get a different car.
Ideas anyone please?
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VG - if your parents' car is 'new' they won't find any 306 hatches recent enough to replace it with (the very last were on a Y-plate I think). If they would prefer a new model they may have to think of something else.
It\'s been happening for a while now - the front suspension creaks.
This happens when I go over the speed bumps in the work\'s car park - five of the things - which I cross at about 10~15mph. It also happens on the speed reduction bumps and tables on the highway.
I thought that the creak was heard mainly inside the car but I wound the windows down and get a quite loud creak from outside the car.
It doesn\'t creak on normal road surfaces and under normal driving conditions.
Any thoughts? Should I take the car to the dealer for a look? Read more
Anti roll bar bushes could be worn. When they get too bad it is an MOT fail. Spray em with WD40. This wont cure the problem but will make the creaking go away for a day. To get the old ones out takes brute force with a lump hammer and bolster, smashing them up as you go, not a pleasent job.
Reading the AutoExpress article on the woes of the 'new' Indicar Rover thing, and HJ's listing of the price on the new FIAT Panda - effectively putting Rover's pricing to shame, what happened to the 25/45 replacement, based on the Rover TCV concept ? I know the deal with the Chinese company Brilliant went off; didn't they outsource the production design of this car to another company that went bust or something ? How has it taken them so long to do this ?
Seems mad - Rover putting lots of effort into V8 MG's, funny Indian small cars etc - when Joe Public would like a Focus sized car !!
Anyone have that funny feeling we are seeing the last gasps of British-owned volume car production here ! Read more
It won't be here until 2005. Engineering has apparently been completed but not the exterior, as MGR are now talking to another Chinese company about cooperating on it. However, there are other things in the pipeline...
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If it weren\'t you posting that link I would be seriously considering a spot of moderating!