January 2004
Having just bought a 36k miler 2002 Focus 1.8TDi I reckoned the cambelt change would be 36-40k miles based on previous experience, but the dealer is adamant that the interval is 100k and is very reluctant to renew the cambelt as part of the service.
Obviously Fords official line is 100k/10 years but does this seem unrealistic to anyone else? Generally I (and most decent mechanics I have spoken to) go on a 40k/4 year rule, and it seems to be more critical on Ford diesels!
I reckon changing the belt at 36k (whilst the car is already in the shop) is just good practice and gives piece of mind but am I being overcautious? Read more
I'm replacing the timing belt on my 306 1.4 and have access to a Clavis belt tension gauge (Clavis.co.uk) which give a reading of the tension in Hz. Has anyone experience of using one of these gauges and know the correct tension necessary for my engine? The Haynes manual suggets using a weight acting on a lever or the "Special Peugeot" tool. Read more
My understanding is that there is no available formula for converting SEEM units.
The SEEM gauge appears to have been developed specifically for PSA engines and arbitrarily calibrated....
About to trade my car in March and unfortunately can't find my V5 registration document anywhere. Can this be replaced and how long would it normally take to do so.
Read more
www.dvla.gov.uk/newrules/reg_changes_v5s.htm
Between January 2004 and May 2004 anyone expecting a Registration Document because they have either
* Purchased a new/used vehicle
* Applied for a duplicate document
* Notified DVLA of a change of details
will be issued with a new style Registration Certificate.
From June 2004 until June 2005 Registration Certificates will continue to be issued in these circumstances but will also be automatically sent to keepers shortly after they tax their vehicle or notify DVLA that a vehicle is being kept off the road [Statutory Off Road Notification - SORN]. The intention is that by June 2005 all traceable vehicles will have been issued with the new style Registration Certificate.
This means that from 1 July 2005 all existing Registration Documents will no longer be valid. An extensive publicity campaign will be launched in May 2005 to encourage all vehicle keepers who have not received the new Registration Certificate to inform DVLA.
On receipt of your new Registration Certificate, please check that the details are correct, put it in a safe place (together with the guidance notes) and destroy the existing old style Registration Document if it is still in your possession.
To ensure a consistent approach and common format, the design of the registration certificate will also be adapted for use in Northern Ireland [Click here].
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
* JAN 04 New style Registration Certificate issued for all first
registrations, applications for a duplicate and whenever DVLA are notified of change of details.
* JUNE 04 Registration Certificates automatically issued shortly after a vehicle is taxed or
DVLA is informed that a vehicle is being kept off the road [SORN].
* MAY 05 If a Registration Certificate has not been received inform the DVLA
Because
* JULY 05 All existing old style Registration Documents will no longer be valid.
Which is best, the Freelander or RAV4? We want a second hand 4x4 for mainly light off road use, up to three years old. Have heard that the Freelander can be unreliable but are these reports relating to the older models? I like the new RAV4 but the LR seems a lot cheaper. We would be looking for diesel power.
What other smallish 4x4 models should we look at? Read more
I had a "newer" Freelander, a TD4 Station Wagon which I bought new in October 2000.
It was great in the snow, smooth on the road, pulled like a train and offered comfort and refinement to be admired. But it kept going wrong....
Rear window leaked despite numerous attempts to fix it.
Rear offside door leaked despite dealer adjusting it inwards and upwards to resemble a cut and shut.
Fuel pump failed.
Steering rack replaced (blamed on speed bumps)
Loss of brake fluid (unexplained).
Oil leak.
All warning lights on sometimes, whilst driving along - fault never traced/solved.
New CD Player
Clock replaced.
These Freelander horror stories are just too frequent to be a falacy or coincidence. I say do not touch one out of warranty and only touch one new if you live next door to the dealer and have another car to fall back on.
The dealer was useless and the courtesy cars uninsured ("arrange your own sir" - yeah right.)
Second hand Diesel SUV 4x4 has to be RAV4, XTrail or possibly a Jeep Cherokee. Personally, I prefer the RAV4 for looks, but XTrail more an off-roader.
Woody
I have a Yamaha Scooter (125cc yp125).
The problem I have is that it is difficult to start in the colder weather. I can hear the starter is turning but the engine will not fire. The charging system has been charged and is O.K.
I had to have the bike started with leads by the RAC where it started first time.
Also, in the colder weather, it seems to stall when started and can only be kept running if I opening the throttle.
When started, it re-starts first time.
I hope some can help me;
Many thanks in advance. Read more
I had a simillar issue and I don't know whether it relates to this one but I fixed it by fixing valve clearance. I thought I'll share it here.
It was a massive pain to figure this out. But when sorted - everythihg is ticking as new. Phew...
The radio 4 programme 'more or less' is covering speed cameras at 3pm. They are going to be discussing regression to the mean and testing whether the apparent reduction in accidents at camera sites is regression to the mean or a measurable actual effect.
Siting cameras in places that are safe to exceed the speed limit would lead to people naturally speeding in other places a)to avoid detection and b) because they think cameras are at accident blackspots. This could explain why accidents are starting to go up again as people are speeding in the wrong places.
teabelly Read more
I'm not sure the accident rate would decline.
I agree that drivers would then be concentrating, but on what? I suspect that most of their focus would be on the speedo, not on the surroundings. That is not conducive to safety, to say the least.
There was a "safety" advert in Stockport which urged people to stick to 30mph exactly, and which was pulled on the quite reasonable grounds that it was in fact an unsafe way in which to drive. The reference is:
www.safespeed.org.uk/stockportad.html
Please do read the reply on the right hand side - it is truly inspired and I only wish I could write with such wit.
So a reduction in accidents would not be guaranteed, I think.
I completely agree with your reasoned dissociation of politics, facts, and statistics. The only aspect of that subject which I fail to understand is why politicians (a) act like this all the time and (b) ask why the rest of the UK population is so apathetic and disenchanted with politics.
I chopped in a dog unreliable Freelander TD4 last April for a Honda CRV.
Last winter the Freelanderwas magnificent in the snow and I have had a slight concern that the CRV, with its Bridgestone road tyres, would be found out in similar conditions i.e. snowy, ungritted, hilly back roads and lanes in North East Surrey.
I need not have worried. Just like in the wet, the merest wiff of front wheel spin puts the CRV into 4X4 mode and it surges ahead in complete control. Equally impressive down hill, despite no Hill Descent Control.
I cannot recommend the CRV highly enough, although if buying new now I would wait a few months for the Diesel. Read more
How can you have any traction with out grip?
You can't....
Anyone familiar with the Colt?
W reg year 2000 1.3litre 12Valve? fuel injected.
Cold starting became a problem a few months ago (when the weather turned cold)
It started ok and then when the acceleraror was pressed it felt like it was running on 3 cylinders. This happened until the engine got warmed up. Recently I have been starting it and leaving it to idle for ten minutes before driving it off, this warms up the engine, there is no problem if this is done.
I have been trying to work out what it is and came to the idea it might be the idler control. My suspicions have been further confirmed this morning when for the first time I started it and immediately increased the throttle to about 2500 rpm, and keeping my foot constant at that point....this had the effect of showing me that with every \"shudder\" or \"jump\" (the effect noticed when running on 3 cylinders)that the engine made, the revs increased a little bit...so the revs were increasing in steps until the engine was running fine, I had not moved my foot atall. This gave me the impression that a valve was slowly opening up in steps until it was fully opened. Obvioulsy this valve should open up immediately on start up because the engine is cold, but for some reason it is sticking. I think it is the idler control valve.
Problem is I am not familiar with this engine and I don\'t know where it is.
So I would like you to help if you have any other suggestions or you know what I should be doing. Read more
I have been here before a long time ago.
I asked about a cold start problem my Colt was having.
W reg 1.3 12v Colt
was missing on start up, it gets worse in cold weather and clears up after two miles when engine is warmed a bit. Or if at start up you just put your foot on the accelerator and keep it in one position about 2000rpm the revs, ( as the engine warms up), jerks up in three or four stages to about 2600rpm (without moving your foot.
I did a service to it and changed plugs and leads when it first happened it went away and came back a few weeks later.
Since then I have been living with it. I have done a couple of compression checks, the first showed a piston to have low compression, resolved momentarily with a bit of oil - diagnosis piston ring worn. On other occasions the compression check has shown reasonable results.
I have now solved this problem for those who want to know such things,... I recently had the problem (even though it is summertime) and I was doing the trick of removing the plug leads one by one with the engine running. plug lead no.4 removal made no difference..hooray a clue! removed the plug and it was a bit oilly put the lead on it and started it up and watched the sparks ok - or so it seemed.
I Replaced the plugs, problem was solved on the following days. three weeks later same problem - looked at plug a bit oilly again.
My friendly mechanic says it could be piston ring, valve seal or head gasket. I have yet to do another compression check just to see what the latest results are.
I will post my new compression test results later. It is better to do a test with the engine hot - yes? and all plugs removed. Trouble is on the Colt I don't know where the fuel relay is so I disconnect the fuel injectors, this seems to work but I'd rather do it via the relay.
Apologies to the mods, I know that this should probably follow on from my other related thread about this a while ago, but I need a very quick answer!
Does anyone have an *informed* opinion on approximately how much a Ford salesman (for a maindealer) in the north east could expect to earn? I need to fill in a box titled "salary and benefits required" but I have no idea how much to put in! I don't want to put in an amount a huge amount more than what can be expected or else they may think I'm been unrealistic, but as the salary might be negotiable, I don't want to put, say, £15K if every other salesman is on about £25K or I'm gonna sell myself very short!
Blue Read more
Thanks everyone, I sent the form off with a figure of £18K as this seemed the best compromise for everything, and I've heard from people who work for another Ford main dealer firm that their trainee execs tend to be on around £15K-£20K. I thought £18K sounds ambitous enough for a 19 year old trainee, of course if I get an interview and they mention it, I'll explain that I expect that to almost double over a few years. :-)
Blue
I've been driving over 20 years now, approx 25K miles p.a.
Maybe I'm just lucky but drivers with their front fogs on have never bothered me.
These lights are set low so they dont dazzle. I know its an endorsable offence (please explain why)but I cant see the problem.
The main problem/danger is caused by drivers who insist on driving with side lights or no lights at all in bright sun or heavy spray conditions, but you dont hear about these drivers being fined. Unfortunately.
Regards,
Alf Read more
well it is christmas time !!
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Most strain will be put on a belt at a cold start;therefore,a car doing short runs with a lot of cold starts will need it's belt changed earlier than one that spends all it's time at reasonable revs.