July 2004
My Dad has a 97 R Passat diesel saloon,and the exhaust has just gone.He\'s been quoted £400 for a new system,not fitted.
Surely this is a tad expensive for an exhaust to buy and take away?
He lives in Gateshead,so if anyone knows of a cheaper deal than the above in the Tyneside area,then tell me where.
Ken. Read more
... Les Parisiens turn one of theirs in to a beach, for the third year running!
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3914649.stm Read more
I have a '99 T-Registered Renault Megane that has recently started to make a sort of sloshing water noise, it comes from the front near side of the car, but i can't pin it down further.
It is most prevalent when you first start the engine (especially so if the engine is cold) and if the engine is revved. At first I thought it was some fault with the air-con, as it seemed to happen when the air-con is being used, however due to the recent wonderful weather I haven't used the air-con for a while and the noise is still there!
After a short drive the sound is completely gone. There are no obvious water leaks I can see, the washer bottle is on the other side of the car, and the expansion tank level is consistent (when I've checked both engine warm and cold), and the car isn't overheating at all.
Any suggestions any of you may have greatly appreciated! Read more
I agree that it sounds like an air lock, probably air in the heater matrix. It needs to be investigated, if you ignore it you could be asking for a head gasket failure - or worse. Look out for bleed vlaves on high points of the cooling system (including heater matrix feed pipes) to release any air, keep coolant topped up!
NB Fiat Puntos are very prone to this as the expansion/filler tank feeds the BOTTOM of the system, this is probably why so many people report head gasket failures after a coolant replacement service.
Mods - feel free to move to the Technical forum if you wish, but to me this was more a Discussion item.
In simple terms, add some electronic gubbins, whack up the turbo boost, wind up the fuel injection pressure to some giddy value, and hey presto you have a high performance diesel that'll tow the QE2 from 30-70 in no time flat, stay there all day, and use an egg cup of fuel in the process. Or so it seems.
Given the higher calorific value, how come technology hasn't been applied to petrol engines that have a zillion horsepower, collossol torque, low thermal losses, and run on half an egg cup of fuel per day?
Sure, Mistubishi, Audi, and others seem to now dabble with high pressure direct injection, and we're starting to read about it with turbo engines too, but I can't see how a fuel, diesel, with low calorific value, can use those calories to vastly more efficient effect. Okay, petrol engines lose more energy to heat (why?), but diesels must lose twice this to noise (which also has to come from energy)!
Of course I'm being intentionally simple and a little TIC about this, but still would like to read other's opinions on what is in the pipeline for petrol engines, and whether we will see equivalent huge gains in the near future as for diesels in the past few years.
What triggered this post?
Two things.
Firstly, I still much prefer my V70 2.4T to my brother's V70 D5, especially the far greater refinement under high load, but admit to being mightily impressed by the fuel economy he gets (45mpg v 27mpg) for 90% of the performance I have.
Secondly, watching a brand new, obligatory garish yellow, Ibiza (PD160, I guess) diesel give an Impreza Turbo a very hard time indeed in a dual carriageway drag race! I'm convinced that the result ended the way it did simply because the Ibiza driver saw sense before the Impreza driver, and backed off markedly. Read more
I have in my posession a copy of "The Motor" annual for 1947, among other pearls of wisdom (like disc brakes never catching on for the normal motorist) they review why Compression Ignition engines would be unsuitable for the average car.
In those days it was because of the need to mechanically measure the droplets of fuel(much easier for large Bus/Truck engines) using a mechanical valve mechanism. Although time has moved on I suspect that the real break in massive increases in diesel power comes straight from the exponential growth in embedded computing power e.g. the average car ECU is now far more powerful than a 1960's mainframe computer.
Simmybear
I have just been through the delightful experience of replacing a headlight bulb on my 307.
If I typpe badddly it\'s because my fingers feel shredded, aching, filthy, and raw !
Talk about squeezing a quart into a pint pot (old fashioned expression for our younger metric viewers...)
The bulb has a clip which has to be released. The housing which the unit is in was designed by Torquemada and the clip was apparently tested on Geoff Capes just to make sure it\'s not too easy to undo...
So I\'d like to pass on my compliments and best wishes to the young M\'sieu in Moulouse with his CAD machine who designed the thing
A happy Leedsdriver Read more
Hi
1st post, so be gentle...
Mt timing belt\'s gone - car\'s 5yrs & 2 months old, 58k miles. Manufacturer says it should be changed at 5 years or 72k miles - whichever comes first.
Car has full dealer service history, at franchised dealers.
The warranty company won\'t cover the cost, because it\'s over 5 years old.
So I could be looking at a bill for 50% of the car\'s value.
But here\'s the thing - the first registered owner of the car was... the manufacturer. They had it for 8 months/ 6k miles.
What\'s my best angle to get the manufacturer or dealer to cover some or all the cost?
Any ideas?
tia
Read more
Hi,
Keep us all informed of how this works out as I have a similar current problem with my Renault Megane. See a copy of my post below....
Title : Renault Megane CamBelt Failure at 64K and 3.5 yrs
The cam-timing belt on my X reg (Nov. 2000) Renault Megane Alize 1600 has gone after 64k of mainly motorway miles and only 3 years and 9 months.
Renault servicing says it only needs changing after 72k or 5 years, whichever comes sooner! So I am not pleased!
Especially as I bought the car from a Renault dealer with 6K on the clock and it has been serviced by Renault every 18k since then, last one at 54k. The 3 year warranty has expired, but I feel Renault are at fault here.
The car is at the Renault dealers now and I am awaiting the bad (expensive) news. I've been in touch with Renault and they have said that they may be able to help me. So it's a matter of wait and see.
I have heard that Renault have fixed the car for free in some cases of cars with similar mileages and age as mine.
Evidently, Renault lost a court case in France, in that if they say a cam-timing belt only needs replacing after 72k or 5 years then that is how long it should last and no less than that!
Has anyone experienced a similar problem with their Renault?
I would greatly appreciate any feedback! Thanks.
Following earlier discussions on road charging -- see www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=23...8 -- I thought it might be useful to post a few links to the govt's own recent publications on the subject, which I found last night but haven't had time to read.
The govt's white paper, "The Future of Transport", which I found at www.dft.gov.uk/strategy/futureoftransport/
The DfT page on road pricing: www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_control/documen...1
... including the feasability study on road pricing at: www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents...p
BBC News report on it all: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3908627.stm
Also worth noting some reactions:
* The RAC foundation doesn't object in principle to road-charging: www.racfoundation.org/releases/210704rac.htm
* The Road Haulage Association says charging may have a role, but wants more roads built: www.rha.net/public/news/releases/2004/040720.shtml
* Friends of the Earth is not happy: www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/darling_chic...l
* Transport 2000 calls the govt proposals a "mix of warm words and backward steps"
Read more
Being a bit of a Prelude fan, I bought the car and it came with an awful mixture of tyres. On the front n/s is a Cenataur supreme from Kwik fit. On the front o/s there is a marangoni Trio. On the rear is a Debica tersus and a tyre on the o/s called an accis I think. The question is: should I wear these out or get a decent set of treads? Had Vredestein T Trac before. These were very good. Good year make a tyre called the eagle ventura but are much more expensive than the T trac. I'm looking for comfort as the prelude is a low slung car with a firm ride. Do you find budget tyres noisy and squealy? The T trac tyres by Vredestein seemed to have endless grip and did not squeal, not that I corner hard but cheap tyres do tend to screech on very tight bends Thanks, Mikey. Read more
Thanks for that Richard. The budget tyres are hard and the roads are terrible in Islington! I'll shop around. Mikey
My sister in law has one of these and after a wet spell water is collecting in rear footwells. This doesn't happen immediately it's a delayed effect.
She has put it in to the garage and they have checked or replaced door seals etc. so far. I did explain that she should ensure that they check all the drainage points particularly the sunroof and hatch.
It still gets damp - have I missed something? Read more
Hi,
Can anybody shed any thought on this common problem? The speedo and odometer on the Focus stop working regularly, most of the time the mileage is still present but not increasing. I have the problem that it will all just go to dashes sometimes. What is causing this, and could it be the same fault? If i kill the ignition and then turn it on again it is OK for a while. I was leaning towards the speed sensor but doubt that killing the ignition power would cause that to work again, it almost seems like a computer processor 'hang-up'.
What are your thought?
Thanks
Rob Read more
No idea, but it happened to my 1999 V reg 1.8i Zetec Focus.
Check out this thread for more comments and my instructions for how to sort it.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=15028&...#
Browse
Sorry it has taken me a while, but here is the specialist I was on about. It is The Volksentre Ltd, Goschen Street, Blyth. 01670 353131
I find that their service parts can be the same price or mildly better that Euro car parts. Plus, they can also fit it for you.
Hope this is helps
Roberson