August 2004
This is for a friend with a Mondeo but the answer will be interesting.
When, for example, Ford release a bulletin saying \"If the customer should express concern about..e.g. The steering wheel melting and turning green at 70mph, it should be replaced with part number whatever. Do Ford pay for that? Or do you have to pay?
Many thanks
Adam Read more
I\'m looking for a specialist to service the air con on my Toyota Camry. Can anyone out there recommend a reliable specialist, prfeferably in the North London area?
MH
Read more
Hello All
I'm thinking about buying a older RX7, maybe an 83,84,85 model and wonder if anyone has had any dealings with them or can give me advice about them. I know the models changed in 85 onwards and is it a much better car than the series than the previous years?
I also know that the engines can have problems in over heated but in terms of cost to run and relaibility anyone reccomend a particular model and so forth?
Thanks Read more
I have rebuilt a number of rotary engines in the past (12A/B and 13A/B series). A major problem is that the engine runs with drastic temperature gradients (i.e. the intake quadrant is cool but the area around the plugs is hot). The alloy housings can over-expand in this area and 'crush' themselves against the steel intermediate housings. When the engine cools and the alloy contracts you get a water leak (sort of the equivalent of a head-gasket leak).
They are not a difficult engine to rebuild, but parts are expensive. Mazda say that there are only three moving parts - but in reality there are dozens of individual seal pieces to wear and it can all add up to a big bill!
What is the current average labour rates for garages?
obviously it will depend on franchised / independant and areas
what are others experiences
i.e ABC Mechanics / Independant / £40ph Read more
It didnt work that way when I worked for fords.you was paid a wage.plus bonus.ie if a job has a time given by man.and you did it faster bonus was time difference which is why on a service some bits can be looked at pretty quick.it can also mean some things are not looked at to gain bonus.Not saying it is still the same as am not working for any MD.but it used to be
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Was mech1
Came across a really (official) strange road sign this weekend...
No racing horse drawn vehicles on A27 near Chichester. Read more
I passed my driving test in Chichester and remember my instructor telling me about the carts that used to beat you away from the lights on this stretch of road, just past the Tangmere/Boxgrove turn off IIRC.
BTW, Growler passed his test in Chi as well, but I think it may have been a couple of years before me......
I've got a pool of antifreeze under the car, and the radiator is half full. When I top it up it empties to half full again later in the day. I can't see any leaks, but it is losing coolant from somewhere behind the engine, which leans towards the driver so there is a blindspot from above. On previous leaks, in other cars, I've seen water sprayed around the engine bay under pressure, or the heater matrix has dumped the contents into footwells, there's no sign of this. I suspect the coolent is coming from the area around the exhaust outlet but I haven't been able to view it from below. The system seems to lose water when I leave it after a run, any ideas? It was recently serviced and the oil is gold coloured, with no signs of water. Read more
Failure of this plastic (sometimes aluminium) housing is well known on diesel Xantias. I suspected that it would also be fitted to petrol cars as the blocks are pretty similar, and this has confirmed things. Seems common on cars getting towards 10 years old!
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RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
On my recent business trip to Germany I was rather generously lent a new Audi A6 to use on a day off.
Its quite a beast of a car - large, very roomy, and with a somewhat 'gross' front end that is not to my taste.
Anyhow, I took it from Munich down to Mittenwald (a delightful village, about 10km from the Austrian border) - with time for lunch at the Gasthof Stern there.
It not a bad car in many respects, but what really disappointed me was the so-called 'MMI' (Multimedia Interface). This is another of those 'control everything with one button' jobs that BMW had a go at. The only one I have had any success with is Nissan's N-Form - which seems to work reasonably well.
The Audi effort is awful, and IMHO borders on being a driving harzard since doing something simple (e.g. trying to play a CD) is inordinately involved and hence distracting.
I guess the engineers like to demonstrate their prowess by developing these systems - but from a ergonomics point of view a simple set of buttons - which each one performing just one funtion - is much easier and safer to use when driving. Read more
K,i keep getting intermittent nonstarts on my 306 1.8 8valve petrol. This all started when i drove it through a huge pool of water , it cut out on the way back from that trip at a roundabout, luckily it started up after a few minutes and i got it home. Unfortunately, this problem is getting more severe lately. I runs fine on some days and just doesnt start one others (sometime cutting out when i come to a sharp halt in traffic). It was working the other day so i decided to check if the fuel pump relay was damp by unplugging it. Didnt seem too moist so i plugged it back in and the car doesnt start! The relay clicks when iginition is turned on but cant hear the pump turning on. Is it the relay which could be faulty cos of my water antics? or is something more severe like the ECU (have checked it and only a small water mark on it which is dry now, shoke it to check theres no water inside). I've checked the fuel line and there's no fuel being pumped (so its not my hearing thats going) . Also checked the air intake/filter which is clear . Also gave the stepper motor a good clean. Anyone take a guess at whats wrong with my car? How reliable are relays? Do they often need replacing? Anything else electronic that could have got wet which i need to check? Read more
Hi mate,
Check for rotten wires and broken ones (these are very prone) if these are ok indeed spray a little WD On them
I was pootling down the M27 on Saturday night and there was a very small accident (looked like a blow out and engine fire) with 2 jam-jars and a fire engine in attendance. This of course created the mandatory traffic jam as people had a good look at other peoples' misfortune.
Why can't we do what sometimes happens in France? I once or twice have come across the scene of an accident but the authorities have erected blinds all around the accident thus giving no opportunity to rubber neck.
Sure there is a small tail back as people have to slow down as invariably a lane has been blocked off, but a moderate and safe speed is maintained.
Surely this is not too difficult to do.... Read more
I always slow down to point and laugh
Anyone else see Clarkson get the BMW X3 stuck ( twice) in a field last night. What an ideal Chelsea Tractor, why will people buy this car is it because of the Badge snobbery give me a Defender any day at least you can drive them over Dartmoor. Read more
Says nothing for the bidder's sanity and everything for their vanity. Or at least that of the end purchaser.
Browse
Depends on whether you mean to pay for the service bulletin or the part....:-)
If it's under warranty and Ford recommend a different method/approach/part then there should be no cost - Ford reimburses the dealer for the part's cost and labour.
On the other hand, if it's out of warranty and you feel/know/have been advised the work should be done (except for a manufacturer's recall) then you pay.
The melting steering wheel problem has only partially been solved - they now turn yellow at exactly 93mph but most people are not aware as they never reach this speed.