May 2004
How far does the liability for engine or other failure extend with a servicing garage if you take that car to them on a regular basis? A work collegue has just had a cambelt failure and they specifically asked a couple of months ago when the car was due for its first MOT whether it should be serviced too. The garage said no and the cambelt has snapped at 48,000 miles just 2-3 months later. Considering the manufacturer recommends changing at 40k (it used to be 80k) can the garage be held totally liable for the whole cost of repair? They're stripping down the car at the moment.
As the intervals for cambelts were changed to the lower figure a couple of years ago does anyone think this is a scam from the garage to earn lots of cash in engine repairs from the gullible motorist? My money is still on the incompetancy hypothesis!
teabelly Read more
Hi, was wondering if anyone could help.
I'm trying to register my french 1988 alfa spider in england. i have all the DVLA forms but it says i need information from the certificate of conformity which i don't have. ANy ideas how i get around this. someone told me that as the car is over 10years old i don't need this.
Any help would be appreciated
Thanks Read more
As we are urged to do I clicked the Toyota Corolla Verso advert that is now appearing on the Backroom site.
I thought that there was an error in the price quoted so went to the Toyota website to check. The 114bhp T Spirit costs £20,095(Twenty thousand and ninety five pounds) with metallic paint and is not even available as an automatic. Add the leather and SatNav and it costs £24,195.
Now I am a great fan of Toyota but £24,195 - for a Corolla!!
Read more
I think Toyota must be re-aligning their specs/prices with new model intro's.
My new shape Corolla T-Spirit has a nice amount of spec, but nothing too fancy and didn't cost the earth.
Avensis, and now the new Verso T-Spirit spec appear to have all the toys you could ever want, and the high price to go with it.
Just hope the quality takes a leap up to command the high prices.
Hi
Ive got a 1995 Pug 405 with heated seats, the problem is the heaters keep burning them selves out before the built in thermister turns them off, Is there anybody who know how to fix this problem & where I can get a new heater element if needed but not from a Peugeot / Citroen dealer?
Battery & alternator are fine & not over charging, Any ideas PLEASE? Read more
Hi
Its a 405 executive with leather, seat heaters are standard on these & some of the MI16s too.
The thermostat is built into the heating elements, Ive burnt out 3 different elements from 3 different batch numbers, all peugeot genuine parts too.
Any ideas anybody?
Sorry if this has been done to death before:
Followed a car (BMW 320) down the sliproad onto the M3 at Southampton this morning (no mist whatsoever, just rain). As he pulled onto the M3 in the driving rain at 60mph, he flicked on his foglights, making it all but impossible to spot his brakelights going on...presumably he was trying to be safe.
Just thought I'd share that one with you.
V Read more
Did read once
that most motorbikes ride with lights to make them more visible,
so why don't cars?
The argument I've heard bikers themselves use is that if all vehicles started doing it, it would negate the effect of the bikers doing it in the first place.
My comment on foglights (sorry if it repeats what others have
said) is that they are best not used - generally if
you can see the car behind in mirror without front fogs
on, they can see you.
OK, bringing it full circle: And what if you CAN'T see the car behind in your mirrors?
My point is, that is EXACTLY when you need to use the rear fogs, so the hypothetical car behind catches sight of you before he's right up your chuff. Once the car behind IS visible, then obviously so are you, and it's sensible to turn the fogs off.
Hi,
The rev counter on my car (see above) has started doing some really wierd acrobatics when driving along..
It still rises and falls in time with the engine spped and gear changes, but when cruising on the motorway, it will start darting about all over the place bfore settling down again. Sometimes it will over read by about 1000 rpm for a while before setting down again.
It has always risen when using the electic windows, but its started soing it of its own accord.
Typically it does it when the headlights are on, but not always.
Putting the fan on makes a big difference too - again raising the revs by about 1000.
The problem is accelerated during the wet.
Any thoughts/reasons as to why would be appreciated as the shock of seeing 5000rpms is getting annoying!
Cheers,
Dave Read more
Very strange but, after a trip to the garage where they had to take the dash off for an unrelated repair, the rev counter problems have (touch wood) dissappeared. I didnt mention it to them either.
It still rises when the heater fan is on, but its no longer having spasms all over the place.
either way, problem solved and I didnt have to get my hands dirty!
Dave.
{Moved from Discussion. DD}
Hi,
I have a 2002 Volvo V70. It\'s done about 50k miles, and the rear tyres are still the original. Until recently they had lasted really well, but in the past few weeks they seem to have both worn extensivly on the outside of each tyre. The wear is like what you get on the front after you kerb it and knock the tracking out.
If both sides of the tyre are worn then thats a classic under inflation, but it\'s only one side.
These are pirelli (the olbivous choice for Durelli!)
Any ideas?
cheers
Durelli - son of a famous Italian tyre maker
Read more
Anyone seen this behaviour before?
The opposite is very common on Vectra GSi Estates like my previous car (a 2000 W model) but in this case is a side effect of making the car grip and handle beyond the more humble versions; they run a huge amount of negative camber, just like old Beemers, with the result that I used to knock out the inside edge of rear tyres every 16k miles. The outside shoulder would be like new and have virtually new levels of tread depth each time replaced.
For information the car I replaced the GSi Estate with is a 2003 V70 2.4T SE that I purchased new and on which I specified the Sachs Nivomatic self rear levelling suspension. This super pair of devices uses the motion of the car over bumps to pump up the rear suspension to normal ride levels. No motor is used, and the units automatically bleed off pressure on reaching the normal ride height or as the car is unloaded.
Now at 33k miles I checked the tyres last weekend as it happens, and all tyres (excellent Goodyear Eagle GSD3 F1 in standard size 225x45 for 17" wheels) are wearing as evenly as the (sorry to say in light of your preference!) poor original fitment Pirelli P6000s (noisy, mediocre longevity and grip, and poor standing water tolerance). For the record the latter lasted mid twenty thousand miles (having been swapped so they all wore out together) with the car in standard tune (200bhp / 285NM) but the Goodyears are coping with 258bhp / 444NM courtesy of some software and mechanical modifications, so it will be interesting to see how they last.
Hi,
I have a friend who broke the 2.0 petrol injection engine in his 1998 Astra.
He is going to get a reconditioned engine. He's got it down to a choice of 2, one for 500 quid, another which is guarenteed to have only donw 21,000 miles for 700 quid.
The question, is the engine with the guarenteed mileage any better than the other? Will the difference affect the resale value of the car?
cheers
cheers
Durelli - son of a famous Italian tyre maker
Read more
Take no notice of any mileage guarantee.if the engine has a guarantee and comes from the breakers I think you will find they only give 14 days enough time to fit and make sure all is well.If not you can take it back for either a refund or another engine.I wouldnt buy one from a breakers as previous experience has proved it to be cheaper in the long run to go to a good reconditioner.they used to.also depending on what is wrong may do a service exchange?
Two years ago I broke the control rod in my drivers door. I purchased a strenghtened repair kit which included a new lock barrel. I have now broken the passenger side control rod. I purchased the replacement parts, but a new lock barrel was not available, the agent was sold out. I therefore drilled out the eye in the old barrel by 15 thou to take the new rod and all seems to work well. I do not expect any problems and would therefore not recommend going to the extra expense of a new lock barrel. I understand the problem affects all mk3 golfs and polos.
Read more
Neil 1
I agree with what VR6 has said, except I did not need or think of removing the speakers. I have worked on both front doors without breaking anything. This must be a first for me whilst working on trim! Best of luck.
.jpg)
So how is a maintenance schedule (i.e. servicing interval) worked out?
You cannot say 'such & such a belt will fail at 50k, so needs replacing at 49k'. What they will do is to use a statistical approach, and determine that say 80% will fail by 100k, and only 0.01% at under 40k. They will then work out a balanced position that minimises costs (comparing say a replacement engine to the cost of changing the belt) whilst not jeapordising the manufacturer's reputation for reliability. So at any point it is a matter of judgement, weighing up reliability against cost.
The garage was therefore making a judgement to say that your friend might as well hang on, but your friend was unlucky.
Not sure that helps you much...