February 2004
my m reg 1.8 turbo diesel estate cam belt just broke is this a noncontact engine or am in for a shock i was going up a hill at about 12mph at about 1500rpm Read more
There is a lack of parity between my mpg on my trip computer and my own calculations. Is this normal or am I doing some flawed maths?
During mainly Urban driving since resetting the trip at fill up last week I have averaged 45.9mpg according to the computer.I have topped up up today,divided the number of miles done since last top up by number if litres and multiplied by 4.546 giving 39.39mpg showing a difference in economy of 16%. Its a corolla diesel
Any reason for such a difference?
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My Laguna II Tourer diesel was 10% optomistic, Passat 110 diesel was 5% optomistic, current Golf 110 diesel is more or less spot on (checked by tank brimming/trip milometer).
The venting button in the filler neck seems to be common to nearly all VAG cars (not Galaxys - Ford filler?). Using it to vent tank gave an extra 20 litres in the previous model Passat Estate! However, brimming does take up the expansion space so don't do it if you are going to park immediately after filling. I've never noticed any problem with the various VAG cars, whereas brimming my Sierra (many, many moons ago) in the summer would have it incontinently dribbling petrol before I'd managed to pay at the cash desk. Very quickly gave up that practice with that car...
Hi
I was wondering, as I was looking at diesel engined cars, why most modern engines are turboed? Why is it that a 1.4 litre diesel engine (eg ford) is turboed, yet most petrol's aren't! Read more
Thanks for all the replies.
Never even thought of the compression ratio being a factor in why all petrol engine's aren't turboed!
:-)
Just fitted a set to the New Beetle 1.6, obtained from sparkplugs.co.uk - very prompt service & help, BTW - much recommended.
Results - much better low-rev pick-up compared to the factory-fit Bosch jobs, high-rev behaviour seems improved, too. Can't say it feels like there's any more power, but well worth £35, as they're cheaper than the Bosch jobs. And they last 60,000 miles!
Driving across Europe this week for some skiing, will let you know if the fuel comsumption imporves ! Read more
Just got back from 4000km of European driving with them in....
Result - noticeable fuel economy improvement, and performance felt a bit livlier, too. Given they only cost £35 for a set, and last 60k miles, very recommended !
I\'ve just replaced the second battery in my Golf VR6 after 42 months of life; the first battery lasted 44 months. I\'m curious to know whether these look like reasonable figures. I think they probably are, given the car and its electrical demands (windows, heated seats, A/C, etc.), but any comparative information would be of interest. Read more
Fiting a higher ampage battery to a car is not always a good think as it is dependant on the ability of the alternator to feed it,this can cause premature alternator failure as the unit is having to work much harder and at its uppermost extremes. A problem experienced with many c class mercs that had not been spect with the upgraded alternator. Andy
This thread is triggered by PST's post in the Subaru WRX thread. He stated:-
"The one I signed with even rolled out a brand new WRX from the showroom (2 miles on the clock and involved shuffling 5 other cars) to give me the test drive."
I have witnessed this before and, judging by the number of new cars with up to 100 miles on the clock, no doubt the practice is fairly widespread.
Well I for one would be unhappy if other people had tried out my new car before it was sold to me as new. I would be even less impressed if it were a sports model and the prospective customer was checking out its performance. I appreciate that PST kept revs below 4000 but others might not be so sympathetic.
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Clocking......in 1979 my dad bought a Peugeot 504 estate from our local dealer and due to a lenghty commute and the fact that both front wings went rusty,.sold it back to them after one year with 39,000 miles on the clock. One year later I saw the same car on the same dealers forecourt with "genuine one owner and 36,000 miles on its clock..........and a pair of new front wings.
Can someone please enlighten me as to how this broker thing works? Why do manufacturers use them and how is it poss that they are able to offer much better deals than the manufacturers' own dealers?
Is this discounting on the quiet or simply buying in bulk and passing on the discount?
I'm talking UK registered cars here not imports.
Many thanks
MB
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A broker might arrange hundreds or maybe even thousands of car sales in a year, someone walking off the street may by a car every 3-5 years. Who would you want to make the happiest?.
Dealers would rather make 100 pounds each on 20 cars sold through a broker than 2,000 pounds on 1 car sold to a customer off the street willing to haggle for hours on end forcar mats and mud flaps thrown into the deal.
Money talks, a happy customer who may or may not return to buy another car(or even fill out the customer service postcard!!)walks.
Wish I'd scrapped this car now! After an engine rebuild etc our Carlton is now back on the road. Unfortunately whilst driving on the M1 the other night it just totally lost power and cut out. We pulled into the hard shoulder and it started again and was fine. It did this 2 or 3 times, once the engine almost "coughed" as well. The tickover is a bit low as well and whilst I can adjust this myself would this cause these symptoms? Read more
I haven't had time to do a proper forum search; but I'm sure I've read somewhere that dodgy fuel pump relays can give this sort of problem on Vauxhalls of this age.
..can I get one the year old Mondeo 130 bhp Diesel's that HJ talks about in this Saturday's Telegraph? (and the Focus as well?) Read more
So I would guess by the non response that they are pretty hard to find. Is this a case of Journalistic ego or some plot linked to a manufacturer I wonder?
Quentin Wilson used to do this when he was first on Top Gear, brag about the mint high milers he had bought and urging all and sundry to do the same, when in fact cars att those prices just did not exist and if they were about the trade would have snapped them up.
Come on HJ - give us some examples!
Hi
I was given a rally driving 'red letter day' for Christmas, and was just wondering if any group members had experience of the venues which are nearest to me. These are 'Vision Motorsport' in Chipping Norton, and 'Drive it all' at the Rally & Off Road Driving Centre in Church Enstone, both in Oxfordshire (I'm in Reading).
The latter is current favorite, as the rally car is a rear wheel drive 'rally spec' 16v twin cam Toyota Corolla, compared with the other's 'rally prepared' (but still presumably front wheel drive?) Mk3 Astra.
Cheers
John Read more
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£190 ( VAT,Labour parts ) from Ford to replace cambelt ,tensioner and pump belt.For the piece of mind the cost is not great certainly less than the cost of replacing a blown engine