March 2004
What exactly is it? Manufacturers appear to offer it as an alternative to leather, so it must be a premium product, or is it?
I know it has the appearance of suede but it is a sythentic substitute after all. Anybody got it on their own car and is it durable? Read more
What should I know about this car ? I have just test driven one, not bad at all and now just under £8,000 with full specs. Tempting. Fun to drive but are they reliable ?
Also where the hell has the 'weeks best deals' section gone ? Read more
Those yellow little cars did well on the WRC rally in Wales last year, so they can't be all that bad. Did not see any Saxo's ???
The 'pd' engine range has been in production for a few years, and it has always been stressed that the correct 505.01 or 506.01 be used, and on here we have heard how a lot of dealers didn't seem to have full knowledge of this fact.
Has anyone actually heard any horror stories of engine problems caused by using the wrong spec oil?
I had read on another forum about some early 115bhp heads giving trouble, but I can't really see that being due to the above as it was model specific. Read more
I work for a German company and actually volunteered to run a lhd passat tdi 150 estate for a year before it was available in the uk. Lovely engine - continued to loosen up all the way until it went back after 45,000 miles. Only shame was that they'd started to fit them to golfs by then and they moved like s.o.a.s
just bought a carina and the remote will unlock the doors but will not lock them any ideas could it be the battery?
both remotes are the same
i opened one up and there is a big battert and a small one
i am assuming the small one is a back up
do u have to be quivk in changing the battery or doesnt it matter
Read more
How? Others may have the same problem. Your information could be useful to them.
Have made up my mind to move away from Merc dealerships.
Can anyone provide some recommendations please of Merc specialists. Previous threads recommend Andy Gayle in Brum.
Heard mixed reports of George Fraser in NW London.
I live/work in London/H.Counties area and would be prepared to travel for good service at a reasonable price.
Appreciate any good/bad experiences that you may have.
MikeK (1999 E300TD) Read more
Hi Charles,
That's what I thought so I wrote to MBUK for clarification; the response contradicted the OFT report about the block exemption changes. So I e-mailed MBUK?s response to the OFT and then all hell broke loose: MBUK were being economical with the truth.
Bottom Line from the mouth of the OFT:
-Any independent service centre can apply to be an authorised MB service centre. MBUK call them ?repair centres? and they are available at MBUK?s web site.
-You can have your MB serviced by *ANY* service organisation providing the work is done according to MB criteria. OFT recommend using a reputable independent, and get them to confirm this criteria in writing.
If you are sceptical then email the OFT: enquiries@oft.gov.uk .
My father in law left his keys in his coat pocket, hanging in the cloakroom of his bowls club. Someone came in, rifled the coats, and stole his keys and his car.
It was a 5 door auto petrol 1.4 206, Y reg (March 01) with 17000 miles, FSH and aircon.
What would be a reasonable offer from his insurance? Based on scouting round a few car sites I have estimated about £7k minimum, but Parkers suggests less. He's getting on a bit (but still "with it") and I want to help him with some advice from the experts here.
Thanks in advance Read more
Huss,
your 6 months premium is an 'Uninsured loss'. However it is a direct result of the accident, this can be claimed off the other parties insurance through a loss adjuster.
I've just agreed to buy a 95/N 1.3 Micra SLX. It's a little minter with a touch over 60k on the clock, power steering, not a single mark on the body or interior and a full MOT. I managed to get the price down to £800 due to a couple of bits of minor work that need doing. I was amazed by just how nippy and responsive it was, especially the slick gearshift, and was more or less sold after thumping effortlessly down the local dual carriageway for a few miles without having to worry about winding it up before overtaking.
This was the first time I'd ever driven one though, and I noticed a couple of things that I wouldn't mind advice on:
1. Do Micra temperature gauges usually sit at around the halfway mark when they reach operating temperature? The fan hadn't kicked in by the end of the test drive and the needle position was consistent all the way through.
2. I noticed a very slight rustling sound under acceleration, usually a few seconds after a gearchange. This was only audible with the windows up (due to wind noise). It didn't coincide with anything odd in the handling or performance, and had disappeared completely after 5 or so miles. Any ideas?
3. Does anyone know the timing chain replacement interval for this model. I'm assuming that it has one due about now (60K).
4. The passenger side electric window works perfectly from the passenger door switch, but will only go up from the driver side. The driver window works perfectly. Is this likely to be just the switch on the driver side, or the passenger motor? I'm not that fussed about it really, but if it's easily tweakable then I'll sort it.
Any other tips on keeping this particular little beastie in good order would be appreciated! Now I just have to get rid of the Favorit.. Read more
Cheers for the info - I'm about to start it off on a proper service schedule so I'll bear that in mind. Does the coolant make that much difference? How so?
I think the chain is ok but I don't want to take the risk really, especially as the previous owner was a bit slack with oilchanges. It rattles at startup (which I believe is normal for these) but seems to come up to tension after a couple of miles and runs very quietly afterwards. I'll get my mechanic to have a quick look over the whole thing anyway, just for peace of mind - I can't really afford for this motor to go byebye prematurely (especially as my better half seems to have taken quite a shine to it..) ;)
A rattle on/in my '95 Astra passenger door has been driving me nuts for ages. I've been keeping myself sane by packing the space between the bottom of the passenger door and the sill with plastic bags, as this pushes the door out a bit and prevents the rattle!
However, the drivers door has just recently started making exactly the same noise so it made me wonder if this might not be a common feature of all '95 Astras? If it is, can anyone on here tell me what the remedy is?
There must be a better way!?
Cheers. Read more
Ive eventually pinpointed a very annoying rattle on my 1995 astra to be a worn hinge lug.There are 2 lugs welded to the drivers door,and 1 lug welded to the body.The hinge pin goes through all 3 once they are all lined up.Its the middle lug that is worn.I ve tried new pins and lots of grease,but to no avail.Any ideas?
I'm looking to replace my ageing Passat with a nearly-new mid-sized estate. I've visited one or two dealers and when I find they have nothing in stock that I want they often say 'tell us what you want and we'll find it for you'. This is fine but to me it reduces your bargaining power because they will then know what your budget is before they've located the car and of course they are likely to find one to match the budget rather than you matching your budget to a particular car. I'd welcome any comments on how best to deal with this.
Thanks
TERRIER Read more
off thread, but dealers are brilliant for 'out the back door' cars, i.e. px to clear.
This morning I removed the air filter cover from my 1.3 MkII Golf so that I could watch how the choke worked from cold.
The car is not running quite right when I frist start it up but is OK when warm.
1. It startsfirst time and runs A1 for 20 secs or so.
2. It then goes all lumpy when you rev it (or a couple of mins)
3. It then runs pretty much perfectly.
I started it this morning and watched the carb in action. The flap was almost closed when it first started. I let it run for a bit and then noticed a change in the revs after about 20 secs and a different engine noise. The flap was still almost closed.
Could this 'change in engine noise' be a clue as to what is happening (or not happening)please? Read more
Visually the choke mechanism looks to be working well.
It is alomost closed when starting from cold and gradually opens over about five minutes or so.
It just runs lumpy every time for about two minutes about twenty seconds after starting up.
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Dave,
My V70R has alcantara seats, do a search here as we discussed this recently. It's the best seating I've tried, as it is less cold and less slippy than leather. Seems perfectly durable.
Stu.