February 2004
I've just been told by a GM Daewoo dealer that the wiring loom on my Matiz has "chafed in all sorts of places" and that this is "a common fault with the Matiz". I have been quoted £223.78 + labour to replace the engine loom. I'm rather sceptical because I only put the car in for its annual service and this wiring problem has manifested itself while the car has been with the garage, where it's now been for TWO WEEKS! I've never had any problems with my electrics at all since purchasing the car in October 2002. Does anyone out there know if this IS a common problem with the Matiz and, if so, what's best to fix the problem i.e. how to stop the chafing and whether a replacint the entire engine loom is really necessary?
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Having owned my new Jazz for just over 2 weeks it received it's first scratch today (sob...). It was caused by the screw on the registration plate of my mums Galaxy pressing against the front bumper of my Jazz when they were parked in the garage.
Although most of the paint only looks crushed there is a small (minute) patch where it may have gone deeper.
Question:
1) Should I just leave it as it is or dab some touch up paint over it (to protect from the elements) then wait until I inevitably get more scratches over the course of months/years before getting it professionally resprayed?
2)Could someone also tell me the point of body coloured bumpers??? Yes they look pretty but one slight knock and they quickly start to look naff
3)Does this post make sense??!
Ta muchly!
Fill what's empty, empty what's full and scratch where it itches! Read more
Thanks for the replies....will leave scratch well alone and convince myself it gives Jazz a bit of uniqueness!! ;0)
With regard to coloured bumpers...just another money making scheme by car manufacturers?
Fill what's empty, empty what's full and scratch where it itches!
Hi,
Hope you can help.
I have a 1994 306 1.9 XLD with 192k on the clock, MOT is due in May. The car has had three matrixes and head gaskets (the last at 135k)due to a blocked radiator (found out by a French garage mechanic (@136k) whilst on holiday just after the last re-build).
The car is on the original clutch, shockers and glow plugs. The exhaust is beginning to blow, the bodywork is tatty, the passenger door lock was removed after a break-in and there is a bolt in its place. The interior is begging to show signs of extreme wear. Tracking needs doing as I've kerbed one of the front wheels. Brakes, cam belt, coolant was done last year. Oil is changed 3 times a year.
I have done 164k miles in it in just over six years and am doing about 16-20k miles per year at the moment.
This year I'll probably do the same including a 3k mile round trip to France, 18 miles per day commute and numerous 200-600 mile trips to the coast and the mountains.
Do you think the 306 has had it given that I will have pay for fixing problems that I know (shocks, glow plugs, bodywork)and possibly then having to shell out for problems yet to arise?
So the question is do I patch it up and hope for another year of motoring or let her slip gently away and buy either:
1-3k Primera 80-100k miles,
2-3k Almera 50-80k miles or
2.5-3k Mondeo (new shape) 50-80k miles?
I'm after low running costs and reliabilty first and foremost with good handling and reasonable ride. Looking for 3-5 years life. Also not eye wateringly expensive to fix. I'm not interested in residuals since I run 'em into the ground.
If I change I'll probably look just after the March registration when there'll be a few more s/h's around.
Do you think trader, private or auction would be best for any or all of the above replacements?
Also (sorry for being a pain) does anybody have any experience in using professional auction buyers like mentioned in HJ's directory?
Ta
Brian Read more
Hi Brian - sorry your PC kept you up so late (early) in the morning! Wishbone bushes - normally just begin to hear growing gentle knocking from the front on rough surfaces, but perhaps you can't hear it? Many 306s develop it quite young, so I thought yours would have by now. Safety - I doubt it, but MoT should find it in good time.
Isn't cruise control the most useless gizmo to have on your car in the UK?
The only time I find I can cruise at a constant speed for any decent length of time is between 11.00 pm and 5.30 am (which, because I'd much rather be in bed between those times, is not very often). On those rare occasions I can manage to control my speed by pressure on the accelerator. It isn't that much of a hardship.
The rest of the time I'm having to vary my speed, and my course, on account of slower vehicles, other drivers' inconsiderate manoeuvres, traffic queues and suchlike. On our overcrowded island, the roads where there's little traffic are likely to have liberal amounts of bends, hills and tractors.
Cruise control: fine for the interminable deserted highways across the vast expanses of the US and Canada. UK, forget it. Read more
Malcolm, I have a sunroof and climate control and I must admit I would never do without a Sunroof. Each and everyone to their own really, can't beat puting the sunroof up, when the sun's splitting the Sky and if get's unbearable.You can always close it and apply the aircon. Quite useful to some people really.
I know this has probably been asked before but i checked the earlier threads i still can figure it out.
My polo always starts first turn of the key but before it warms up it stalls when idleing and suffers from loss of power. Sometimes i have to put the foot to the floor to stop it from stalling.
Ive replaced the distributor cap, HT leads and frequently apply loads of wd40 to both, this helps a bit with the idleing to start with but does not stop the stalling. I have not replaced the spark plugs but they dont look that old.
There is an eletrical discharge in one of the leads im not sure if this is of any use it does not seem to fit properly.
Thanks for any replies
Kieran Read more
Its definetly affected by temperature related when the car warms it runs fine, Idles well and suffers from no power loss. this happens at about 1/5 of its operating temperature from the gauge that is (not sure if its linear)
As I\'m sure most of you know I\'m still looking for a 97/98 Mondeo Ghia X.
Until now, I\'d narrowed my choice down to a 2.0 16v model, becuase being just 20 last week the insurance on anything more would be rather ridiculous to say the least. This, in part, has contributed to my difficulty in finding a car to buy.
However, I\'ve just got a quote with Admiral - they want just £1167 to insure a Mondeo Ghia X 2.5 V6 TPFT. This is around about what I was being quoted for a 2.0 everywhere else. With Admiral, a 2.0 is £1067.
So, this has led me to reconsider my decision to focus solely on the 2.0 examples, and consider 2.5\'s as well. However, insurance isn\'t the only concern.
One of the other reasons why I had chosen the 2.0 over the 2.5 was perceived reliability. I figured the 2.0 would be cheaper to service and less likely to suffer horrific wallet destroying faliure than the 2.5 V6.
Am I right? What are Fords 2.5 V6 engines like reliability wise? Would it be far more likely to turn into an expensive money sucking black hole than a 2.0 would be? Whats is the fuel economy like - I do about 5000 miles a year, mostly in town.
I get a few more toys on the V6 as well, rear disc brakes and traction control, but thats nothing I couldn\'t live without.
What do you reckon? Insurance aside, V6 or 16v? Read more
It was Admiral/Elephant who gave me the excellent quotes on the 2.5 V6. It was only £100 more than the 2.0!
My opinion is that I'd rather spend £2500-£3000 on a nice Mondeo and another grand on insurance than spend £3000+ on a Fiesta or something and then £600 on insurance :)
1997 Astra 1.4i
6 months ago, distributor was replaced after engine kept cutting out. Before diagnosing that it was the dist. the ECU was 'tinkered' with by Vauxhaul. Since then the car has not had the power it used to. It was underpowered before (it's only a 1.4) but now it feels like there's a 1.1 under the bonnet. There is no other problem with the engine running just a severe lack of power.
before I take it back to the Vauxhall garage (reluctantly)can anyone give me any pointers that I can tell them to look at ? (settings in the ECU ?)
This way I can tell them to look at specific areas, hopefully stopping them just plugging in a laptop and say, oh it's running fine.
Any advice welcomed
Phil Read more
Sounds reasonable and yes it could be.What I did not say was other vacuum pipes exist coming off the inlet manifold you would need to check all pipes that come off the manifold trace to where they go and make sure all are sound.Any signs of a crack/split in a pipe will cause problems.Reason being a the inlet manifold is sealed if a leak occurs in a vacuum pipe air is taken in bypassing air filter and under fueling occurs because the ecu cannot control it due to sensors not registering what is going on and tries to work as normal.hope that helps but is a common problem.
My partner bought a used Renault Megane from an authorised Renault dealer a few months ago. The car was less than a year old when she bought it. Sinc ehaving it shes had all sort of problems with it and it's been in and out of the dealership a number of times. Problems have included the following, but have mostly been related to the electrics:
1. The car would simply not start
2. The car doors would not open
3. The boot will not open (current problem)
4. Warning lights showing problems with air bags
5. Warning lights showing electrical fault
6. Car would not start with clutch depressed method, because of a broken wire.
Since having the car they've replaced the onboard computer, replaced a broken wire, replaced the keys. But we still have ongoing problems - that it's come to the point that we no longer want this car.
We've gone back to the dealer in question, who has a) asked us to get a settlement figure for the finance, and b) has said he's looking into it, and will get back soon with an alternative car (but he never does).
Essentially what we now want is our money back or a different car offered (possibly a cheaper clio) and the rest of the money refunded to us. Why he wants us to get settlement figure we do not know.
I'm now sure where we stand and what recourse we have.
I'd be grateful for any advice please, as we are at the end of our teather! Read more
Two years ago,I once had a Renault Clio purchased brand new from main dealer.Within a week the car developed major clutch problems followed by other problems to which they never solved.The car had been at the dealers garage more times then at mine.
Then one day,having paid up front for a key lock barrel,the dealer somehow ordered the wrong parts and wouldn't put things right at their expenses.Instead they required a further payment to correct their mistake.I wrote many letters to the dealer etc and the HQ in France,the HQ said yes the dealer should refund me however they cannot tell dealers what to do.So my late choice was to contact the dealers local area trading standard.It only took ONE letter from the trading standard to the dealer and I received my full refund.
Following a comment by No Dosh on another thread on the attitude and salary of car salesmen ( its very rarely a saleswoman if at all) my question today is whats you're worst experience of these guys. Not the Arthur Daley type but Main Dealers.
When SWMBO wanted to replace her car her cash actually went to the (male)Toyota dealer who took a bit of time out to show her a selection of various Yari? ( Yarises) , agreed a good deal on the extras she wanted , allowed an immediate no strings test drive on a busy Saturday and didn't try to stitch her up on the finance... Mind you he didn't get the chance because she'd done all her homework and was prepared with the right questions.
The loser was the dealer who persisted in ignoring her and talking to me as if she didn't exist.
When I told him the car was for her and to talk too her ,he was very condescending and within 30 seconds was back talking to me.
She was out the door within five minutes.It was her cash and her choice.
Was she a threat to his masculinity I wonder ? Read more
And no, it wasn't an angry me in the glovebox, before any wiseguys or gals post to that effect.
this quick?
09.30 Saturday, pick up motor from body shop, they have fitted a shiney new alloy to replace the one that had been scratched in a previous ding er indoors had in MY MOTOR!
17.00 pulling out of dodgy football club carpark, tyre doesnt feel too healthy, pull into side road, squeeze into narrow space between two cars, miss judge kerb, bosh.
Quite a few effs and the like, check tyre, sure enough, flat as a pancake, new alloy now in worse nick than the old one.
Pants!
And we lost!.
Straight to the pub when I got home, 2 hours late due to poxy space saving wheel and 50mph max speed warning !!
mmmmphh
--
Drink Lager Talk Piffle !
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OK thanks for the info. Don't worry about the number as I doubt they'll be prepared to travel to Hampshire! I'll do some fishing for a more local firm. Cheers.
Browse
I worked for several years as a daewoo technician before changing jobs,this chafed wiring loom that you have was a common problem on the matiz model and replacement is the only option,there were numerous problems with the matiz straight from the factory with badley routed electrical looms one of them .