January 2004
2001 TDI (130)PD. When I activate my central-locking the rear driver's side door pin doesn't move up or down.In addition to this the hazard light don't flash when activating the alarm,only when de-activating.When I try to open the door from either the inside or the outside after manually raising the "pin", I cannot open the door.Totally stuck.Any ideas?. Don't know if it is a "physical" problem or an eletical problem Read more
Could anyone tell me if a cat replacement pipe is available for a 91 1.8 Golf. If so where can I purchase one? Thanks.
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Thanks I imagined this was some special type of replacement that would be frowned upon by exhaust centres. I shall give them a try. I remember seeing a range of Vauxhall replacement pipes advertised in a car mag butI have not come across any for the VW range.
A friend of mine from another country has just been involved in a car accident. I can go through the ins and outs of what happened another time, but I'm a bit concerned about his insurance situation as the person who caused the accident fled the scene unscathed (and unidentified) and my friend's car is likely to be written off after swerving to avoid the nutter. He is therefore likely to end up bearing the costs of the accident.
My friend moved here nearly two years ago. He was originally insured on his international driving licence. At renewal in February 03, his insurers said that they could no longer insure him on an international licence and that he would have to apply for a UK licence. Specifically, they said he could only be insured once he was able to show them a provisional UK licence, which he duly got. He was also told that he would have to get a full UK licence eventually "as soon as you can". At this stage, he hasn't been able to come on any documentation to back this up - his policy doesn't mention it. Since then he has passed the theory test, but not yet passed the practical (for genuine reasons - moving house here, spending time abroad). Unfortunately for him, he's a bit too trusting for his own good and I'm concerned he may end up £9k out of pocket through no fault of his own.
My question is - is there any grounds for his insurer refusing to cover him? The reason I ask is that although he has a full licence in his home country and a full international licence, the usual stipulation of a UK provisional licence is that a fully qualified driver must be in the car with you. He was alone at the time of the accident.
andymc Read more
Don't mind the "harping on" at all - all advice and perspectives are welcome. In fact, let's look at it from a worst-case scenario perspective, ie on the basis that he was supposed to adhere to the usual terms of a UK Provisional licence - does this mean that his insurers would have grounds for refusing to cover him since he was driving alone? If this were to happen, would he be able to ask for his premiums back?
I now have another question arising from this incident (which I'll post over on the Technical forum) regarding the non-operation of his car's safety systems.
andymc
It seems the new craze is to nick MINI badges (and tyre valve caps). My friend has had three nicked from the tailgate lid. Three replacements from three separate BMW garages have cost £8, £12 and £15. Some questions : (a) Why the different prices for the same item ? (b) Why such a price anyway for a bit of fake- chrome plastic with a sticky back ? (c) When kids were nicking VW badges during the Beastie Boy era (circa '86) didn't VW end up giving away replacements FOC to bona fide owners, and can't BMW do the same ? Read more
Did someone mention MINI? :-)
[i]{quote=M.M.}Then I'll let you know what a comfort loving old git thinks of them
{/quote}[/i]
Hope you like it MM; it's a shock to the system in terms of ride comfort after the Xantia, but it's a nice place to sit.
[i]{quote=ALEX}
It's boot space is tiny. It's interior space is pathetic compared with the rivals he mentions.
{/quote}[/i]
* Boot is tiny.
* Rear seats, to quote my brother in law "Have plenty of room. If you're Douglas Bader"
* The bit that me & SWMBO sit in has more room than just about any car I've been in, the seats are supportive and comfortable, low set so feel sporty and the organ-style (BMW?) accelerator pedal is tremendous.
PU - noticed my door mirror bolts are going the same way - did you have yours replaced?
I've posted here before about how much I like our MINI (52 Cooper) and I followed HJs advice with 16" wheels on standard sports suspension. Anything more handled even more fantastically but my better half couldn't live with the bumpy ride. HJ advised against yellow, but I've seen one yellow/white roof combo on a cooper with 17s and stripes and it does look great. The yellow exception, methinks.
* Noisy steering - it's electric and does sound different, but I've come to quite like it. The proper "old" Mini has a distinctive gearbox whine, I like to think it's character too.
I just love the car and like many other MINI owners, don't know what I would have bought instead nothing is quite like it. Like the Pluriel, it has its own character and audience.
Someone mentioned the Ibiza - drove one, quite liked it but felt it was trying to be an Alfa too much - and the cheapness of the interior compared to its cousins the Polo and the Fabia was unforgivable. And all the yellow ones seem to be driven by idiots.
I'm still laughing at alex bringing up boot space. It's not much use for towing horseboxes, transporting wardrobes and off-roading either. Still laughing...
--
Lee
MINI adventure in progress
Am I being more-than-usually dense in wondering why when my Mondeo has been double-locked and the alarm set (indicators flash twice when set) I can open the boot without the alarm going off???? If I open the drivers door (using the key to unlock) the alarm goes off as normal but this doesn't sem to affect the boot
Anyone?????? Read more
Elekie&a/c doctor, does this include the hatchback??? I've only seen it on saloons
Hi all , im fairly new here and i would like some advice if thats ok ? I have an "M" plate Cavalier sri saloon in white , obviously its a 16v with an ecotec engine . There is absolutally nothing wrong with the car , further more the body is in excellent condition . The car has along mot till oct this year . Basically im a little bored with it , so its for sale at around £1300. I have been offered a Mazda 323f gti on an "H" plate , in exchange straight swap . The guy said that the mazda is one of only a few that came over from Japan for One year only , apparently its the one that has 150bhp. Should I do this swap , or would I be very foolish ? Please people can you give me some good advice as to what to do ? Read more
Ivor , thanks very much for the advice . Seems silly to some people that I want to change the Cavalier allready . People comment as to how nice it is , people say how nice it is to see a cavalier sri that has not been molested by boy racers . But then again , im bored with it .
Have been offered a Paint and Fabric protection called Jewelultra & Diamondbrite which has a 6year guarantee,sounds good but I wondered if any of contributers have any experience of this process?.
ndbw Read more
Thanks for pointing me to an earlier thread on this treatment,it is being done free of charge as a final sweetener on a deal I was already happy with,nice to know that the general opinion is that it works.
ndbw
One of my customers has been fiddling as his car is over heating. He has replaced the thermostat. I'm fitting a new rad on fri. but I wanted to check if he had the thermostat the right way round. If I remember these can be fitted both ways. the car is a 1600 f-plate with the W-pump and thermostat at the bottom of the engine, with the thermostat inside the pump but joining the bottom radiator hose. Anyone know conclusively, so I can be sure it's in right. Cheers. Read more
The one's I has fitted (under the water pump body) can only be fitted one way.
98 Pug 106 flywheel Sensor. Can anyone tell me that resistance this sensor should be. Thanks Peter Read more
Adam, thanks for the reply, ideal, I'll check the air temp in case it is the same but I would not have thought so as the temp rage is the air flow is somewhat different. Thank again Peter. I did measure the Crank Sensor at 414 ohms when my daughter was home over the festive season. I'll check the others if she comes home at the weekend. Thanks again Regards Peter
I have just discovered that my car may have been chipped by a previous owner. I hadn't a clue that it had until now (ironically I was getting it chipped because the car was too heavy on fuel!). It seems to have a non standard label on the chip but I know the ecu was replaced when I first had the car so there is an outside chance there is an innocent explanation for a different label to be on there. Since the car could be chipped already I have decided to leave it the way it is for now. I know I have to tell my insurance company but I am slightly concerned as before they'll quote on their website it does say no modifications must have been made to the car. My concern is that they might just cancel my insurance there and then because they don't insure chipped cars. As far as I am concerned I have been driving around in it for the last 18 months and not had an accident so the modification can't be having that much effect.
Any tips on how best to approach them so they will realise I genuinely didn't know about it?
teabelly Read more
Finding an original chip was my first thought! I did ask the garage if they had one but they only had one for an Evo 1 which has a slightly different engine management system so wouldn't work. If I hadn't have found a reasonable insurance quote then I would have ordered one from fiat/lancia or scouted around the lancia forums to see if someone was offloading one. I think everyone with an integrale seems to have theirs chipped so unless they had the sense to take the original off and leave it somewhere safe I would struggle to find a second hand one that wasn't damaged.
teabelly
Browse
If you cannot open the door from inside or out, then the deadlock is activated. Quite how the dealer is going to strip down the door to repair it under warranty when the door is deadlocked closed I do not know!
Lack of hazard flash when locking is because the alarm does not get the signal to say that this door has locked (OK it is jammed locked, but the computer cannot work this out).