February 2004
Just bought Autotrader mag. and a dealer has 2 Mazda Bongo Friendees for sale. Some kind of people carrier but who cares, with a name like that I feel I just have to buy one. Anyone any experience of this car? Read more
Hope someone can help.
The orange engine warning light(ECU) is coming on occasionally,Ive done the ecu readout with the paper clip and this indicates that;
oxygen sensor no change in voltage/open circuit.
Is this the lambada sensor on the exhaust or the air flow sensor next to the air filter?
Either way the car has started to almost stall when applying the throttle from standstill and has once cut out,its an auto box on a 24v 3.0 gsi.
I hope someone out there has some idea.
Cheers Read more
22mm spanner, get the exhaust nice and hot if it is stubborn when cold. I have had to resort to cutting the wires off to get an impact socket onto the hex with a long bar before now but dont use an impact wrench on it you may shatter the cat. One of the reasons I never use fast fit exhaust centres. They wade in with impact wrenches and air chisels. Far better to use an air saw to separate the system from the cat then deal with the remaining bit with heat to release the rusted bolts.
Andrew
Simplicate and add lightness!!
I am planning to buy a new car in the next 3 months or so.
I need a reasonably large saloon for relatively low mileage motoring in the UK for most of the time, but with a lot of long distance trips in Europe (France, Germany, Scandinavia, Austria and Switzerland) thrown in also. It will need to be able to take 3-4 people with a lot of luggage, and I don't want to be put off having a long weekend in Europe by the thought of the driving, so it must be quiet and comfortable. It will be driven hard, good acceleration is a must, and I am not prepared to consider anything less than a 3 litre petrol 6. I am planning to keep it for 5-6 years. Total cost of ownership is a concern; petrol consumption less important.
The following are on my shortlist (all are old shape saloons)
BMW 530 petrol
BMW 735
Mercedes E320 petrol
Jaguar XJ8
Essential:
Automatic
Petrol
Leather
CD stack
Ideal:
Parking sensors
Xenon lights
Climate control
I am planning to buy from The Great Trade Centre, and can just about get any of the above within my £10000-12000 budget. Main dealer approved used cars are well out of this budget.
I would appreciate any advice people have to offer, in particular:
Which car would be best suited to the intended use?
Does anyone have experience of GTC, especially with any of the above vehicles?
What are the above vehicles like to own and drive?
Is the luggage space / rear seat space in the XJ really as appalling as everyone says (that alone could rule it out).
The more I think about it, the more suitable the 735 seems, especially in terms of comfort and space. Will it cost a fortune in servicing and repairs? Significantly more than a 530?
Many thanks,
Nick. Read more
The Audi A8 4.2 would be a natural choice. Extremely quiet and comfortable at speed, with loads of room inside and the biggest boot you have ever seen. Cruising at 100mph+ in France with no regard to fuel consumption, mine returned a whisker under 30mpg.
They seem to be able to cope with high miles (a friend's has passed 160k now) and even the 2.8 feels quick.
PB.
I've tried a search on this subject with no result. I seem to think that I have read that you should not bump start a car that is fitted with a catalytic converter, but I don't understand why not. My "knowledgable" work colleagues insist it is to do with sending an enriched mixture down the exhaust. I can accept this is if the engine is not firing, but it would do this anyway if being turned over by the starter. My query is for when the battery has been flattened overnight and you need to bump the car off. Cheers. Read more
bump starting a car with a cat
Sounds cruel! How big is your moggie? :-)
From the Bristol Evening Post (tinyurl.com/22zn7)
Another flag in the air? I know that I slept through most of the lectures in my politics module at university, but I socialism was something different to this
11:17 - 05 February 2004
Drivers and motoring organisations today responded with outrage to plans to charge people £5 to use fast lanes on motorways. In a move seen by many as a first step towards a nationwide congestion charge, the outside lane on stretches of motorway would have specially designated pay-as-you-go fast lanes under the plans.
Motorists would be tracked using cameras and satellite technology so that as soon as they entered the pay lane they would be billed.
And, with charges likely to work out at about 16p a mile, estimates suggest that the average driver would pay an extra £2,000 a year.
The Association of British Drivers slammed the plans as "stupid, greedy and dangerous".
Spokesman Tony Vickers said: "If this is a case of simply transforming the existing fast lane, then it's stupid, greedy and dangerous.
"The consequence would be the vast majority of drivers bunching into the two inner lanes. And bear in mind that the slower lanes are often occupied by heavy goods vehicles with a speed limit of 60 mph.
"It is a recipe for an increase in accidents and irresponsible behaviour on the motorway.
"I can't see any justification why motorists should pay to use motorways which are already inadequate in many cases.
"We will end up with one first-class lane for those who can afford it, and two for the rest who can't. It's in line with the greed and hostility of Government advisers in their approach to the use of speed cameras.
"They're largely a bunch of left-wing academics who think driving is an abuse like drinking or drug use and seem set on making driving an unpleasant experience."
The idea is being investigated by Tony Blair's Strategy Unit, which draws up future policies.
Ministers believe that the move would cut congestion, protect the environment and raise money. They have been impressed by the congestion charge in London, in which motorists pay £5 to drive in central London between 7am and 6pm.
The next stage would be to introduce the charge everywhere. Satellites would monitor the movement and speed of every car at all times, and issue drivers with charges and fines.
A Downing Street spokesman said: "We look at a lot of ideas like this. It's one that has been floating around the think-tanks but as yet it's not part of any Government policy."
West MP David Heathcoat-Amory, said the proposal was a "revenue gimmick".
He said: "The Government is waging a war on motorists. The Treasury is short of money, and this is just another tax on the long-suffering motorist."
Read more
well as the "fast lane" is filled with white van drivers,,.... just introduce a "white van Tax " or is that racist?-)
madf
on my way to a new job i turned left from a 60mph limit road into a 30mph limit village, (the 30mph sign being about 5m from the junction.) i was travelling at 25-30mph when i saw a speed hump (a particularly sharp angled one) which i hit. i landed heavily with an expensive sounding crunch from the front of the car.
there was no warning sign for the speed hump which was immediately after the 30mph sign.
do speed humps need a warning sign by law? can i send the council a bill for the damage?
toby Read more
Try the discussion at the assoc of british drivers:
www.abd.org.uk/
Click on "roads" on the left and then follow the link to speed humps
Got a problem with the missus's 206. She was driving it last week and it started to chug, the engine management light came on. She pulled over and it was idling very fast. Checked engine to find it had NO oil. Sorted that slight problem out but now problem has ocurred again (exactly 1 week after the last time). Has anyone else heard of this problem (other than the engine has been knackerd by the oil situation). I'd personally like to torch it but she likes the car.
Any ideas or things to check? Read more
Ah yes...I'd forgotten the Espace thing. You know I try hard not to knock a specific vehicle here but the Espaces' I look after, and others owned by contacts, are very troublesome.
They seem to have a knack of producing expensive failures at the least suitable time (Christms etc). Some recent gems include clutches flying apart, transmission failure, heater matrix, air con, immobiliser, front wishbone bushes, shock absorbers....
Still got yours?
M.M
Hi guys.
I have a problem with my 2001/Y MX-5 1.6 that's driving me potty and I wonder if anyone can help.
When braking and steering (for example when turning into a side road or negotiating a mini roundabout), I get a hideous grating, creaking noise from under the car. I can't tell whether it's from the front or back, but it doesn't happen when I brake without steering or steer without braking.
I've taken the car to the local Mazda dealer twice. The first time they said they couldn't find anything (although they admitted they hadn't taken it for a test drive). The second time they examined the brakes, steering and suspension and found no problems. They also lubed the brake pads with copper lubricant and said that sometimes when the wheels turn the brake pads bind and it is something I'll have to live with.
I really can't accept that all MX-5s make this noise when braking and cornering - if they did, no-one would buy one after a test drive!
Has anyone come across anything similar or have any bright ideas?
TIA
Siadwell Read more
Hope they didnt charge you for doing nothing!! Suspect possibly front wheel bearing(s) slack allowing the disc to rock in the caliper. Other thoughts are brake backplates too close to the discs or a corroded disc or discs either on the outside edges or near the hub where the pads dont contact. Find a good independent workshop you can trust, sounds like the dealer can't be bothered with it. (Especially if it is a grey import.)
Good luck
Andrew
Simplicate and add lightness!!
I got an estimate to repair my car after a third party ran into it. They agreed they would pay the repair costs themselves rather than taking it through insurance companies. Now they have the estimate (£520 because the car needs a new wing @ nearly £300) they are balking at the cost. The chap's mother has been ringing me up at work firstly to make sure it wasn't going through the insurance and secondly to try and persuade me to take my car to some dodgy back street garage that a relative of theirs owns to get it fixed more cheaply! I think I may have been stupid in agreeing (albeit only verbally) to getting a deposit and then sending them the rest of the bill as I asked for the money all up front when I wrote to them with the estimate.
Can I legally ask for all the money for the repair cost up front or do I have to risk them not coughing up? Alternatively can I insist that the car is repaired at my place of choice (my regular specialist) if I do end up taking it via my insurance company?
Why do people agree to pay for repairs then change their mind????
teabelly Read more
Their insurers have saved me the decision as I had a letter when I got home saying they were happy to pay for all the damage and any losses incurred :-)
Hopefully I won't be starting a 'loss adjustor trying to ruin my car with cheap repair' thread!
teabelly
I have just heard that the hit and run driver responsible for killing 9 year old Callum Oakford has been sentenced to just 2 years in prison. The driver, with no licence, insurance etc. was given:
16 months for having a false passport;
4 months for having no licence/insurance and
4 months for failing to stop.
Apparently the death of the poor young lad in question didn\'t merit any punishment!
What sort of justice is this and what message does it send out to these scum?
Please spare a thought for his family who in addition to the awful loss they\'re suffering must feel totally betrayed by the quite ridiculous legal system in this country. Read more
and on that excellent note from Cockle, this thread is locked.
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