April 2004
What does the BR think of this data? Realistic, reliable? I'm about to start looking at a replacement for the 8yr old Audi and at face value it looks like just what I need to help me decide between sticking with older prestige models that although the depreciation is much lower, run the risk of a big repair bill (as I've just had with the Audi) or putting my motoring budget more towards funding depreciation on a much newer used car but having the protection of a car still with a good chunk of warranty and lower probability of hefty repairs. Read more
Went to the local last night and whilst in the car park noticed a heavily desguised vehicle entering the car park along with a Range Rover. Realised it was the new Disco. Had a quick look around - it's almost as big as the Range Rover, but the inside was unfinished apart from the instrument binnacle and steering wheel. The car was full of telemetary and performance recording equipment. The Range Rover also appeared to be less than standard with a roll cage fitted and plenty of non standard buttons on the dash. Both vehicles were LHD. Read more
Oh Dear - SWMBO has fallen in love with it....she saw it on 5th Gear the other night....she is displaying all the classic signs by now. Next thing it will be a sleeping bag job at the Dealers.
During a wee jaunt to the shops this morning i was forced to stop by a curious noise from the rear of my car,a mk2 polo c 1043. the noise was from 2 small hoses which had detached themselves from somewhere under the rear left wheel arch and were rubbing on the wheel. one of these had gone right through and was leaking what smelled like petrol. (it took me a while to get to a bit of road i could stop on) One of these tubes goes to a straight to a wee hole underneath the petrol filler cap and the other dissapears up into the car somewhere.
questions: what are they? are they important? is this very dangerous? where are the two loose ends supposed attach to?
any help would be much appreciated.
Ross Read more
breather pipe sounds like it has split into 2.yes it is dangerous.breather pipe will go from the top of tank to the filler pipe.I recommend having the pipe replaced as its not a good idea to join the pipes together.they do fail.
Hi
Any car audio experts out there? for some three years I've been using a Sony cd unit, having taken out the standard factory fitted Philips radio cassette. As I'm now selling the car I've just refitted the factory fit unit which was working fine when removed, but guess what It won't work now. I have the code ready but the remote digital dash display in top centre of dasboard is not working to see the codes, the radio appears to power up with a slight noise at the speakers when pressing the power on button.
Is it likely to be the radio or the remote unit? The remote unit has always displayed the time clock & outside temp and still is. I've refitted all the plug/terminal blocks, checked fuses etc.
Anyone know of common faults?
Car is Renault Laguna 1998 S reg faclift model fiited with steering coloumn remote.
Thanks
Read more
I second that - I have an "S"-reg Scenic also with Philips head unit and remote display as standard but soon removed. When I refitted the original unit last year everything worked OK, just entered the code and it switched on fine. Keep trying those connectors for a good fit on all terminals. Know anyone else with a Laguna you can test it with?
does any body know of any car that is in the AAA car tax band or even the AA band?
would like a small petrol car with only £65 for 12 months tax!
i didnt even know about these bands untill i saw this site www.dvla.gov.uk/vehicles/taxation.htm
cheers,
Paul. Read more
>> Fiat Punto 1.3 Multijet diesel is - 119 g/km and
£85
>> for a year's tax.
119g/km ... and a similar number of decibels according to roadtesters
www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=119
I didn't think it was that bad - I owned one briefly (4 months/6,000 miles). Only got rid of it because it wasn't big enough. Had a 1.6-litre petrol Stilo before, which was noisier.
spare a thought for a bit of automotive history passing on this week. dont know much about them but any brand passing on has to be a sad day.
tinyurl.com/356ym Read more
And all in the same week the very last Rover (nee
GM) V8 was built.
what! really? the venerable V8 that came from buick?
been around as long as the hills?
any more info?
I have a 1999 Mondeo 1.8TD Endura, 90k, that has recently developed a 'stutter' between 2,500 - 3,000 rpm. If it was a petrol engine it would be like one of the spark plugs is not firing - obviously it's not that! It's not noticeable under 'hard' acceleration (I use the term loosely) but when running in third or fourth within the band under gentler acceleration. Only clue I have so far is maybe fuel boost (?) problem but complete a complete no-hoper with technical matters am a bit stuck. I've cleaned the air filter and checked all hoses for cracks, etc. Read more
my moneys on the egr valve being stuck open.
I am a new (2 days) owner of the Renault Megane sport tourer.
I live in Finland so the car is called Break over here, anyway I bought it slightly used (Registered NOV 2003 and at 10,000KM) and was extremely happy with it.
Unfortunately one of the keys was broken so I had to leave the car at the dealers whilst they coded a new one. They game me a rental for the night so no problem there.
The dealer called me today and told me to go and collect the car, I arrived late at the dealers and he was shut. Anyway he obviously seen me outside and came and brought me the new keys.
I sat in the car and noiced immediatly a chip on the windshield that was definately not there when I left the car.
I called the dealer and he said he will fix it, how can they fix it?
What's my course of action here?
Cheers! Read more
Hello Gents,
Thanks for the info, it's good to know that they can be satisfactorily repaired. It just makes me wonder where my car had been that night.
Let's see what happens when I go back to the dealers again tonight.
If I may take the "Auto Vs Manual" question one step further and combine it with perhaps one the most divisive and contentious issues on this forum - "Petrol Vs Diesel" and concentrate specifically on diesel autos.
In general, is a diesel engine's characteristics more or less favourable to mating with an autobox?
Reading various road tests over the last few years, it (perhaps naturally) seems that the individual road tester's preference seems to overshadow the overall opinion - for example when the E39 530d was launched some mags said that the huge torque available low down the rev range was better used by the steptronic box but some said it was better suited to the manual.
Chad.
Read more
Re fuel economy from a diesel-engined car with auto box, my Terrano 2 actually has a higher top gear ratio than the manual even though it is only 4 speed. Couple this with a mechanical lock-up when cruising and it is likely that at motorway speeds the auto is more economical. Of course stop start and urban motoring probably gives a worse figure.
DD posted something some months ago about using a mobile telephone tracking system to build a DIY tracker. I've been sent an email by somebody suggesting a way to do this. Only problem is that AFAIK you need GPS on your mobile telephone in order to find out where it is hiding:
'The scheme uses mobile phone technology which is now very inexpensive. A number of companies offer the service to track the location of a mobile phone using an internet website. This can be used as a very effective and accessible way of monitoring the whereabouts of your car, wherever you are. However installing a phone in a car is not straight forward. A number of problems must be overcome in order to achieve this.
Firstly a reliable power source is required that consumes minimal power (i.e. doesnt get hot!). Just leaving a hidden phone connected to a standard in-car charger is not a practical or safe solution. Phones should not be left on a car charger for more than an hour and should be disconnected when the car is started. Failure to follow these directions will cause the phone battery to be degraded and eventualy the phone willl switch off. Also there is a risk of draining the car battery.
The rechargable batteries supplied with the phones are not suitable to be used in this type of application. However a battery is still required to power the system should the thief disconnect the car battery. This is quite likely in the case of a W123 that has been stolen for parts !! My scheme does not use the battery of the mobile phone but rather uses long shelf life alkaline cells which only come into play if the car power is disconnected
Finally maintaining good reception on a phone fixed in a car cannot be guaranteed with a standard stubby phone aerial. My scheme provides an external antenna for the phone.
For £190 I supply the following:
Pay as You Go Phone with sim card and credit balance
Registration of phone with internet tracking service
Custom power supply connected directly to phone
Alkaline battery back-up
Discrete external antenna suitable for mounting in car
Full instructions for fitting and commissioning the system.
Dont forget. This is a one-off payment. There are no annual additional charges and you can transfer the system to any other car in the future. The only additional cost to you may be the purchase of additonal tracking credits from the internet tracking company. However it will come with enough credit for more than 50 track enquiries.'
Read more
Thanks Mapmaker.
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"I can see depreciation of BMWs increasing and that of Mondeo/Vectra decreasing."
Two factors affect used prices: supply and demand.
In the past, BMW/Merc et al had lower 2nd hand supply and higher demand compared to Vauxhall/Ford. Supply has crossed-over for the Mondeo/3 Series size of car, but demand is still weighted towards BMW/Merc over Vaux/Ford thereby keeping prices up.