March 2004
Had car serviced last Saturday, and also had new front brake discs and pads fitted.
After 450 miles of mostly motorway driving, braking not-too-hard in order to run in the new brakes, last night i got a very distinct burning smell coming into the car after braking (again not-too-hard) for a roundabout. Upon stopping for inspection i found the the right front brake disk/pad to be very hot and smelly. I continued driving, very lightly indeed, and by the time i reached my destination the smell had reduced.
At the end of the return journey the right front wheel was fine, yet the left was now hot and smelly!
Have i just reached some finite point in the wear of the disks/pads, where they are now fully run in or something, and will be fine after a few more miles?
Or have the same garage which overfilled my engine oil also bodged up my brakes? Read more
Popped across to Calais on Saturday (yes, the VERY windy day!!) on a wine/beer sight-seeing day (most sights were very wet, tho ... ). Thanks to the backroomers for lunch suggestions ... Boulogne is very nice, but my tummy wasn't up to much ..... :-((
One odd thing - this is the secong time, whilst crossing the channel with Seafrance, that the sailings have all been VERY delayed by the weather. Not suprising, you might think in the high winds ? Well, whilst we sat there in our cars, P&O and the catamaran Hoverspeed managed to get several boats in and out of the harbour.
I know the English Channel can get a bit rough, but are Seafrance using economy ships ?! After all, you should see the weather up on the North Sea .... boats still go in that .... Read more
ahhh ..... better not buy 2 x singles, then ...
Thinking about hiring one of these 30ft monsters next yeat to do a 2 week holiday across America .... anyone hired one of these things - advice ? What are they like to drive ?! Planning on picking one up from San Fransisco and driving north ..... Read more
What an idjit I am - it's Yellowstone for Yogi and Yosemite Sam in Bugs Bunny - DOH!
I need to do a service on my car - Engine oil, brake clean, corrosion inhibition, engine valet. It has been and currently is off road on a SORN for over two years and trying to get it back into shape before putting it in for MOT.
Firstly the engine oil - what is the best oil - long distance motorway driving winter and summer?
Who makes the best oil filters? Do K&N, who seem to be recommended for air filters (the vehicle has one fitted) make them?
I couldn't actually find the oil filter today, where is it and what type of oil filter wrench is needed to remove it, a strap, a spider, an allen socket, a hex socket?
The drain plug appears to be a normal hex socket so no worries there but the drain plug seal, what type is it - copper washer, rsilicone washer, what size?
I'll probably leave the existing spark plugs in just now they haven't had much use.
I need to get the car jacked up. Is a special adaptor required for a trolley jack on the Primera. There seems to be a couple of slots uder the body for something, - jack or axle stand?
Any tips on cleaning the brakes? There is a little rust on the circumference of the disks but not it appears on the braking faces. I can't get the wheel off as I don't have a security socket for the wheels. Would I get one from the Nissan Dealer if I took proof of ownership and identity along?
Quite a lot of rust has appeared on bolts and screws and the like and a little on the engine. Would the oil flush and change assist in inhibiting corrosion? Would cooling systemm flush and change help inhinit corrosion? I know the best thing would be to actually drive it but I can't afford all the tax etc just now.
Would steam cleaning the engine be recommended? When I was using the motor it was spotless but it's got quite mankit doing nothing.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks, Frank Read more
I can't get the wheel off as I don't have a security socket for the wheels.
If Nissan can't help, then the the following was mentioned in this thread:-
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=i&t=67...9 is a tool to undo them: www.difflock.com/buyersguide/tools/locking_wheelnu...l
My mum's astra is losing power randomly, sometimes it is refusing to start, yesterday was fine idling, today died while going round a roundabout. Someone at her work mentioned that these engines can have valve problems, but this can be expensive find out, let alone repair.
Thanks in advance
David Read more
I have a problem with a 1994 escort 1.6 which makes a clicking noise from around the steering column area, possibly a relay.this noise seems to cause a flat battery
any help would be appreciated
Read more
There is a flashing coil indicator on my dashboard and I'm not sure if it's the service indicator or a fault with the pre-heaters. It's the indicator next to the handbrake that one has to wait until extinguished before starting the engine. The vehicle starts OK.
Where are the glow plugs located on the Inca? How do I fault find them - stick a clampmeter on each of the pre-heater leads?
If it is a glow plug fault would continuing driving it create bigger problems? I think it is quite near a service interval it is approx 23000 miles.
Thanks,
Frank Read more
My colleague drove in to the car park while I was taking the cover off the engine to look see where the glow plug leads were. If I couldn't find where they were I was taking the van to the dealers. I asked my colleague to look and see if my brake light were operating. No they weren't. Solution - new fuse. That saved a lot of embarrasment - I am currently an Electrician!
Now my headlight indicator on the dashboard doesn't light.
I have a Daewoo Lanos 1.6 to part-ex, good body etc. but a few engine problems. Worth £2000 tops, but I'd be lucky to get £1500 privately. What do dealers do with these cars that no-one will buy on the forecourt at a major dealer ? Do they all end up sold at auctions ? And when a Ford dealer sells, say, a on-the-road £10 000 Fiesta, what is his profit margin ? (Do they ever end up just breaking even/losing money on a sale ?) Read more
A friend of mine was offered £1100 trade in price for his R reg 65k Astra when trade value was £1500. It did cross my mind that the salesman was allowed to buy and sell trade-ins as a form of commission. Does that happen?
What exactly are ex-demonstrators? Are they likely to represent good value?
I am thinking of changing my car and have been offered an ex-demonstrator by the local BMW dealership. It has done less than 17,000 miles and is said to have been used daily by salesmen as a company car and, of course, for test drives (but not as a loan car while customers have their cars serviced). It appears to be a blameless example and the price seems reasonable.
As someone who is loathe to fork out for massive first-year depreciation on a new car, this seems a good idea. However I wonder what such cars represent: on the one hand, in-house cars are presumably well cared for; on the other, there are all those short trips by prospective purchasers...
Is anyone prepared to spill the beans about how demonstrators are treated?
Read more
My current Leon 1.9 Tdi was bought as an ex-demo from a local dealership. The car had just 1,500 miles on it, 200 of which were racked up by me, becasue i asked if i could borrow the car overnight to have a proper test drive.
The only thing to be wary off are the extras. Mine had nicer, larger alloys (option for a few hundred quid), leather steering wheel (option at a few hundred quid) and Seat mats (the carpet type which are about £70 dealer supplied).
None of the above were included in the sale. Original alloys and steering wheel were re-fitted and I managed to bargain for a new set of Seat mats, 4 Seat Mudflaps, lock nuts, a tank of diesel and the remaining 9 months road tax. The dealer was up-front about the optional items and offered to let me buy them at a discounted rate. I opted not to. A less scrupulous dealer may not be so open until the dotted line has your signature on it.
They also fitted the CD changer and front fogs to the car for free, I only paid to purchase them. There were two scratches on the front passenger door which were too large to ignore. They paid to repair these without debate. Total saving to myself on the new price £2,255 - 17%.
Currently looking for an ex-demo mk V golf TDI for leoness.
Leon
Replaced a few cambelts last week....some of the horrors I removed have been posted in the HJ Photosite (link in my sig) under the 'Problems' folder.
If this doesn't reinforce the theory of replace the belt early, together with the water pump, I don't know what will get the message through!
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....Read more
I doubt it would have been so shredded but I am confident it would have exhibited the severe edge wear that is evident.
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
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Hi
I find that taking the car up the backroads and giving it a bleaching until there is smoke billowing from the brakes is a great way to bed them in.instantly.