August 2004
I have a 1998 high mileage ( 135K ) 1.6 16v Astra that I use for commuting. On a daily round trip of 50 miles I have never got less than 40mpg over a 3 year period. That's mixed town and country driving in the congested Thames Valley.
Traffic, and plagues of speed limit signs dictate the time of the journey, and I decided that if I am going to be crawling along, I might as well do it in a car the sips fuel and to hell with meaningless 0-60 times. I rarely get the opportunity to top 50mph.
I am considering getting either a 1.7DTI Astra or a 1.7DTI ECO4 Astra 2002 model. Can anyone who has driven either of these models advise me of real world mpg that I could expect to get for this kind of journey.
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I had a Pug 306 which leaked rain water and would have soggy carpets front and rear off side (occasionally dripping through the interior light fitting!.
Having read numerous forums about this issue being a seal round the windscreen, ariel hole or blocked gutter under the bonnet I decided to investigate. It was none of the above.
The problem was caused by the drain pipe from the rear offside whihc runs down the rear quarter panel in to the wheel arch - thisis fine on the near side but on the offside there is the fuel filler etc. This means the inside of the rear arch has a lining - as the pipe poked through the inside arch it bent back on its-self against this lining causing a blockage (nice factory fitted sunroof!). So having straightened this out it was OK.
The easy test for this is to wind the sunroof back and block the front drain holes with tissue (test they aren't blocked!), fill the sunroof surround with water and ensuring the car is slightly up-hill so the water has to use the rear drains - you should see the water disapear from both sides (appearing under the car infront of the rear wheels).
I also found that there are plastic plugs at the end of the sunroof surround\gutter where the rear drains are attached - mine weren't the best fit, 1 blob of bathroom silicone later they were!
This was a 3 door, but I'm sure the rest are the same - a friend had the problme on a saloon 306.
Hope this helps. Read more
I forgot to mention - check the plastic behind the dooor panels. Especially around the speackers!
3.2 Omega estate just cuts out for a fraction of a second occasionally but sometimes just dies altogether.Won't immediately restart, then will after a short period.Otherwise runs perfectly ok.Any ideas? Problem appears to be worsening. Read more
Thanks to all replies to this one.
Problem now solved. Interrogation of diagnostic plug with paper clip revealed error code 19 which was crankshaft sensor of course. This is situated just below the oil filter at bottom LHS of engine(viwed from driver seat)Removing sensor from engine was fairly easy apart from grovelling on the floor that is. Reaching and removing the cable was another matter. The plug is situated on a holder at the rear of the engine compartment underneath the wiper motor. A bit of prising allows a small hand to reach it and disconnect.We tied a wire to it and dragged it down with the old plug to allow us to pull the new plug up(£48 inc vat del. from Autovaux).This was not too difficult but it was impossible to route it the same way as before as the original was trapped behind some oil pipes. Just had to make sure it was clear of exhaust pipe which is close. Alternator is other side on my engine. A good result-car driving fine again.
Also thanks to my vauxhall mad son in law who obviously should be a Vauxhall mechanic.
I understand that torque is measuring the ability to turn or twist something about an axis (ie. the driveshaft of a car), but how does that relate in the real world to car engines, in comparison to the brake horse power of an engine?
Basically, what's the difference, in layman's terms? For example, why do diesel engines generally have higher torques, than their equivalent bhp petrol cousins, and how does this translate in the actual drive from each engine? Read more
">> By the way, the whole 5252 figure is just a mathematical
oddity. It doesn't mean a thing.
>>
personally, imo, i would say it means quite a lot."
I was making the point that, for example, if you change the units, the crossover point changes, so there is no real importance in the number itself.
V
I have a 406 8v Turbo (1998) which regularly shows the engine warning light during hard acceleration and the turbo cuts out.
This is particularly annoying if your overtaking!!
I disconnected the battery for some time to reset the ECU - made no difference.
I have taken it to Peugeot for engine diag info. The results showed 2 errors recorded, one for the oxygen circuit and one for the turbo switch.
Peugeot have offered to change both for a generous £250!
However I can buy the parts for £130 - I think one is a lambda sensor and the other a turbo solenoid switch\valve.
Unfortunately, the Haynes manual does not cover the 8v Turbo (just my luck, I also have a VW Clipper which Haynes do not cover!).
Does anyone know where the turbo switch\solenoid is? I can't even find the turbo! I believe the lambda sensor is in the exhaust pipe just out of the engine.
I would like to check and clean the connections before buying the parts.
Many Thanks
Rob Francis
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i found a second hand switch, fitted it - no difference, drove 80 miles - left car for 3 hrs then drove again and turbo great, working fine.
I have a 2002, 51 plate 318iSE with 71k on clock. It is a manual with FBMWSH.
It is in immaculate condition inside out.
I have advertised it at £11,490 but there is hardly any interest. Surely I have not overpriced it, or have I?
Thanks in advance
CJ Read more
All 3 series BMW are very common now. Who would want to be seen in one! Not Me.
Wise forum,
In order to keep SWMBO quiet during long journeys, I am looking at fitting a CD changer to our Mk IV Astra.
I'm quite keen on keeping the standard fit radio / cassette, so I want to fit a CD changer which will plug into the aerial lead.
Questions:
1) Has anyone had any experience of the Kenwood KDC-CMP59FM CD/MP3 changer & modulator?
2) Are there any units where the main unit can sit in the boot, and the modulator sits behind the radio - i.e., so I don't have to re-route the aerial lead to/from the boot?
3) Is skipping while going over those occasional ;-) speed bumps a problem? If so, during the install, is there anything I can do to help the situation?
Many Thanks in advance to all who take the time to reply,
George Read more
More info on the Kenwood here.
www.crutchfield.com/S-cnYl5pG8kef/cgi-bin/prodview...M
Looks good to me
--
Was mech1
Hi Folks,
Just booked a Premium group rental car for a couple of weeks touring and was looking for opinions on which would be the most roomy for the 2 adults in the back. This is, of course, assuming I do get a choice when I get there.
Options are BMW 525 TDi, Peugeot 607 2.2TDi or Jag X-type diesel.
Not having driven any of them I think the Peugeot looks bigger but would welcome any comments/recommendations.
Cheers.
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Stiffed is the word I'd use - X-type is no bigger and possibly slightly smaller internally than a Mondeo (on which it's based).
Might as well take a Mondeo if the only offering is the X-type and save the difference?
Are there any requirements for local authorities to indicate where restrictions have been tightened? For the past few weeks on the odd occasion I've been down the A6 in Stockport outside rush hour I've tended to use the bus lanes as the restriction always used to be 7-10am and 4-7pm. However, driving down there today I just happened to notice it's been changed to 7am-7pm. I was able to sheepishly pull out of it and as I don't think they use cameras probably got away with it, but are LAs allowed to just change restrictions as and when they see fit and is it down to us to try and pick out these tiny little plates high up on posts while trying to avoid the traffic as well? Read more
One case of local authority 'straws in the wind' was in Hazel Grove, where they dropped a huge pile of gravel in one lane of a cross street next to the Fiveways pub. The crossing has standard traffic lights, and the main road was two lanes. The lights were altered temporarily (for about a month) so that one lane only could be used at a time in all four directions. It was blatantly obvious that it was a 'try on'. It 'calmed' the traffic down very considerably! After the month the gravel was removed, and we found the the previously two lane main road was now down to one lane only. It now takes considerably longer to get through this area for no apparent benefit.
Before summer ends (summer being used in the most metaphorical sense....) and the bad weather starts, I'd like to get some tuition on driving in adverse weather conditions (ice, snow, etc).
I have no idea where to start looking - I shouldn't imagine it's covered by regular driving instructors - so can any of the BR crowd recommend a place to start?
I'm based in the East Midlands so local-ish if possible.
Many thanks...
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Not really local, but treat yourself to one of these:
www.giftexperience.com/advanced_driving_schools.ht...l
or
www.trade-sales.co.uk/Learning/learn5.html
or
www.rospa.com/drivertraining/courses/driver_traini...l
No experience of any of these, they're just what google coam up with
Browse
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Thanks for that Mobile Office.
I average 40 cruising along at the National limit on motorways, so that gives me a comparison. I probably wouldn\'t bother going to a diesel if there was only an improvement of a few mpg.
That does help.
Thanks
Commuter.