June 2004
Saw a new Mini earlier today and I have to say I was aghast at the colour of it, best described as off white or light grey. Each to their own etc but surely the young lady driving it will take a big hit at trade in time due to the colour. I have also seen a few in dull yellow which look iffy. (rant over) Read more
VW Polo old X reg (82), 1 litre hatch. 43k miles (all previous MOT certs to prove it!) ££££'s of service history, totally immaculate, not a spec of rust, just passed its MOT without fault.
I have first option on buying it, the current owner wants a nominal fee for it but I would like to give him what its worth - your opinions please! Read more
I've looked at the Bangeromics site and having run a MK2 Polos for over 10 years (and still have a 1988 Ranger now) my thoughts are as follows:
1. Generally I think the article is painting a better picture of the car than is justified. Yes they are tough cars but they do have a lot of faults. Ironically the earlier cars were better for rust prevention since the quality of the steel was better. Also they had conventional ignition points and either Solex or Weber carbs.
2. Typical faults are: juddering clutches, worn synchromesh on second gear (the 4+E gearboxes are particularly bad in this respect), water pumps, alternators, hall senders, awful Pierburg carbs post 1985.
3. They do rust badly if allowed - around the fuel filler in the wheel arch is a notorious mud trap and will cause the sill to rust. As it's so close to the petrol tank you can't do any welding - bye bye Polo.
4. Cabin leaks due to plastic membranes in doors cracking.
5. Cabin fan/blowers get noisy and then pack up (made in France...)
6. Rear wipers are weak and pack up.
7. Wiring to tailgate stretched every time you open the tailgate and eventually breaks. Easy fix however.
8. Rear exhaust too heavy for its two rubber supports. I've modified mine but smile whenever I see a Polo about to deposit its exhaust on the road.
9. Pierburg carbs are very difficult to set up correctly and genuine parts are getting harder to find.
10. Fuel tanks rust - expensive, just having mine done :-(
Then there are the interesting design features such as the non-servoed brakes and you can't see the dashboard switch illumination because VW couldn't be bothered to change them around for RHD.
But I still like my old Polo. It doesn't go out much now as it's kept as an old friend in the barn and will never be sold.
can anyone offer any advice as to how easy it is to change the spark plugs on a 2001 megane petrol? i havnt seen the car yet but my uncle has asked me to change them on his megane.
thanks in advance
dave Read more
its a 1.6 16v petrol engine
- cheers
Now I know that if alternator not charging as it should then warning ignition lamp will display, but what is this:
Switch on ign/OP lamps glow.
Starter operates no bother and engine fires.
Ign/OP lamps go out while engine in running.
Switch off - Ign warning lamp comes on and stays on.
Has me baffled. Nothing in Haynes.
Any pointers ? Switch itself?
DVD Read more
Common symptom of a failed alternator is this light staying on.
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
I have a Rover 800 Vitesse, 1993 model. There is a problem with the speedometer needle not working, then suddenly coming to life again. Most of the time it sits a zero whilst the car is being driven. I know these are electronic speedo heads and don't have a cable running to the gearbox - does anyone have any suggestions to the cause of this problem, I believe it's quite common on the 800 series. One possibility may be a loose multiplug connector at the back of the instruments? Read more
£80-odd worth IIRC.....
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
97 P Astra LS Estate GM Turbo Diesel
Having returned from 3 weeks away, the Astra Started fine, but my wife had parked it with the handbrake on, so there was a little friction from the sticking handbrake (I normally park in with the brake off following advice from other threads on this forum). This released and the car drove fine all day, but the following morning the left rear wheel was jammed solid - nothing would shift it.
Dismantling it yesterday evening with judicious use of soft faced mallet and sharp edged tongue revealed the brake lining had seperated from the shoe in one piece (possibly in drum extraction process), so new shoes required.
Now the problem: The Haynes manual for the Astra (petrol engine, but bodywork/suspension etc. I thought would be the same) and Halfords parts list (for the diesel) say the drums should be 200 mm in diameter, but the ones on mine are 230mm. Have I got an odd car, or are there others with these larger drums (van versions?)
Any thoughts appreciated.
Chris TD Read more
Yes - turns out it has the later versions rear brake configuration. Must have run out of the old ones.
Cheers
Chris
Hello
I have a couple of questions about my 1997 306 xtdt.First is the pair of cooling fans on the rad. i tried to test them the other day by letting the car idle after a run to see if they cut in as they should, but the temp got to about 95 ish and then only the nearside one came on at very high speed. Is this right? i thought both of them should come on at the same time? I disconected the blue plug on the rad thermoswitch and bridged the contacts (three contacts) but only got a clicking sound (relay?) on the outer two contacts and the left two. Also even after a long hot run, i can open the rad cap and there is no pressure at all in the system.no hissing,nothing.surely this is not normal? Sorry for the long post. any help very much appreciated. Read more
Those temperatures sound about right.
Did anyone watch this on beeb one this evening? If not it was about the met police and their team of car crime people trying to locate one prolific car dealer and catching a few others at the same time. At least I can guess where all those stolen w123 mercs are ending up :-)
One thing that one of them said which mystified me somewhat was that if you bought a stolen car you never had good title to it but I thought if you bought from a proper dealer or an auction with the good title addition the car was legally yours and couldn't be taken back by the original owner or the insurance company if they paid out. The chap might have just been talking about private sales as it was not made clear whether the guy doing the selling was acting as a dealer or a private seller.
teabelly Read more
If you want similar in the Philippines, I know who to point you to. May take a while because of the shipping from the W. Coast. Comes in through the duty-free port at Subic (the old US Naval base). Everybody knows about it and it's common practice. Got some nice California-spec Mercs and Beemers cruising around. Harleys also.
Getting the reg papers is easy but paying off the Customs to get some import papers is very important otherwise you won't be able to sell it later on.
I mean how can all these Congressmen on picayune salaries afford to run around in Lexi, Hummers, and son and so forth?
Got meself a nice brand new top of the line Nokia last week at 2/3rds of sticker price.........pity the manual's in Mandarin, can't have everything I guess.
It's called demand and supply.
LOL........I can hear the tut-tutting across 2 continents already....
especially in 50 ton bulldozers
www.startribune.com/stories/462/4806557.html
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I read often, only post occasionally Read more
Kids are drawn to dangerous items like building sites and railways ( I know as a kid a building site was wonderland )
So I figure get them in there young and controlled and thats a tick in the box as far as they are concerned - kinda Pah, bin there done that.
Mate has a polo with hatch/boot central locking motor that will work ok when a (what looks like a vacuum pipe)is disconnected but wont with.anyone know what this pipe is and what it does.
Even dealer said they did not know and persuaded him to buy a new C/L motor.still the same. Read more
Problem solved.pipe leak on drivers door.I wasnt aware at the time they were fully pneumatic.
you live and learn.thanks for your help
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The vile muddy brown that Allegros used to come in was one of my least favurite paintjobs, along with the purple Corsas - the range of colours those came in led to a discussion about whether or not the european version of the Vauxhall Corsa should be called the Opal Fruit.
My favourite colours would be vile on almost any car though, and those are Grabber Orange (a la Boss Mustangs) and Plum Crazy (Challengers).