September 2004
Clearly the onset of darkness is getting rapidly earlier each day now , and I am depressed at the prospect of another winter with the continual problem of vehicles not showing the correct lights.
On a drive from Ispwich to Oxford last Wednesday night , leaving Ipswich at about 1900 in twilight , I counted vehicles which in some way were illegal .This included those I could spot on the other carriageway plus a few on my side.
By the time I reached my exit at Oxford I had counted over 90 , in 4 groups - no lights / parking lights only/ foglights (despite perfect visibility ) / broken lights ( including a van with no rear lights at all ,inc brake lights ).
I have driven in other countries and it\'s only in the UK that I have experienced people believing they can show whatever lights they feel like - why is this? Read more
We have a 1997 1.8 Vectra, just recently it has started to hiccup when you are driving at highspeeds and in high gears. it only does it when you have slowed down a bit and then put your foot on the accelerator again. When it hiccups it only does it the once its not a continual thing. Any ideas? Read more
you can check the fault codes to see if its something
expensive or not by put a paper clip over certain pins
on the diagnostic socket, depending on how many if at all
the eng managment light flashes tells you fault code .
try i think vvoc.com vauxhall vectra owners club forum
seem to be good lads there
Also mentioned here:-
www.topbuzz1.carenthusiasts.co.uk/info/fault_codes...m
Hello, I have a 156 Sportwagon and the aircon has been fine until a few days ago. It suddenly stopped giving me particularly cold air...it still cools the air slightly but nowhere near as it used to only a few days ago. Warm air still works fine as well.
I know next to nothing about cars but was wondering if it could just be a fluid reservoir or something that I can top up or a blocked pipe or something which I could clear?
Any advice which can save me a trip to the garage would be appreciated!
Cheers
Glen Read more
Thanks for that NC.
To be honest, I always leave mine on. It's usually left on 1 which is enough but these days I turn it on warm to get rid of the condensation.
Thanks again
--
Adam
My rear fogs do not work. Bulbs checked, is there a particular fuse for them, any ideas? thanks. Read more
is there a particular fuse for them, any ideas? thanks.
Yes, more than likely they\'ll be a fuse protecting the circuit. Handbook should tell you which one - providing you\'ve got a handbook of course ;o)
I read constantly about how great the Focus handles, yet one review also mentioned that the old model rolled a bit (the one I had for a weekend certainly did).
Is handling the same as road holding?
What has been your best/worst handling car? I'm wondering if it's a subjective thing.
Pete Read more
I did my Paul Ripley Driving School High Performance driving course at Elvington airport, south of York, in a Mercedes 3-Series AMG - glorious fun.
Morning all,
I haven't started a thread for a while so I thought I'd unleash my (half) wit on you all.
Dad came home in a Mercedes Benz Viano yesterday and I am very very impressed. It's a 2.2 CDi with tinted windows all over the place and electric everything. Full leather, comfy but one of the strangest things is the key. It isn't a key to be perfectly honest - it looks more like a blutooth dongle. The end of is infrared and slots into a little hole. When you put it in, the steering lock makes a whirring noise and electronically releases. Needless to say that was the most impressive part!
The 'handbrake' was also a little elusive until I couldn't resist and pressed a tiny little peddle. Of course, parking it in the drive was fun but other than that, for a people carrier/minibus/whatever you want to call it, it was pretty impressive.
Before I go getting too excited, we have to take it back today as it isn't ours but for £25k as I understand it, it seems cheap for what it is. I mean, it isn't cheap cheap. But looking at it I would have said over 30k.
Anyway, that's my review over - you can all go out and buy them now!
Thanks
Adam Read more
This is very true NW. Mind you, it also said "6000 miles overdue for Service A"
Whoops!
Adam
Wonder if the Ford TDCi 2.2 155ps/400nm diesel will fitted to the Jaguar X-Type, a sport estate with that engine could well be my ideal car?
Read more
Dan, Look under the bonnet of a 2.2 TDCi, I reckon it's all in the same place as the 2.0. Again I say it must be a matter of compatibility with Jag specific components.
Hi (me again)
I recently had the tyres changed on my volvo S60 T5 due to uneven wear, I had the tracking checked, the guy said that the wheels were 4 degrees out of alignment, but when i drive it, the steering does not pull one way or another, It also has a noisy tyre (or wheel bearing), I was wondering if the guy who had the car before me had kerbed it and damaged the wheel bearing and knocked the wheels out of alignment! could it be something to do with the four C chassis? Does anybody have any ideas?
Thanks Read more
What age was your SRi V6 estate, I had a '98 model on 16" wheels, had an extra suspension link on the front compared with earlier ones on 15" wheels (this suspension mod was fitted to all facelift Vectra's, I guess '99 model year on), handled pretty well, thing I remember best was excellent high speed stability, rock solid on fast sweeping corners, motorway slip/link roads etc. Tyres lasted 30k front and back, had three sets in 86k miles.
Hi,
I have a volvo s60 T5 with a built in phone that takes a sim card. I have been a silly boy and lost the manual, does anyone know how to turn the phone onto Loudspeaker permanantly? as i have to use the handset unless I scroll through the menu whilst driving!
Thanks! Read more
Been driving around France this past couple of weeks and noticed something startling.
Toll Motorways. (Dr. Jekyll)
Great. Smooth, quick, safe progress. Locals driving with great manners and altogether very enjoyable.
N-Roads (M. Hyde)
Free. Almost killed twice in the space of twenty minutes by some frankly outrageous driving by the natives and lots of the driving better suited to demolition derbies than motoring.
Can't work out what happens to a 307 when faced with a 90km/h limit, but it's an eye opener.
So if you're over there, enjoy the motorways but get a couple of spare sets of eyes to see in the back of your head and both sides, simultaneously.
--
Lee
MINI adventure in progress Read more
I too have noticed the "bounce" on the bow wave. It's going to be a whole lot more pronounced when we next head over there on Boxing day as we'll be "trucking" in the L200; much more susceptible to crosswinds than the 156.
Finishing work on Sunday at 8pm, taking the normal drive home a Ford Ka pulls upto a to a mini roundabout joining on a steep hill. No big deal you might think, indicators on, in the right position, gaveway to traffic on the right. All was well apart from one thing
NO LIGHTS ON AT ALL!
This causes many a horn to to off and flases from on comming traffic and traffic behind for a few mins and she still doesn't take the hint. She finally pulls up with a blast of the horn from me as I pass her, and many others.
I purposfully goto the bottom of the hill and turn around at the roundabout and go back up the hill to see why she wasn't using the lights. Just as I was approching, she pulls off again with no lights on! after a few flashes from me (I was the only one going up hill at this point) she fianlly realises that if you twist the stalk the bright twinkly things at the front come on
This is on a steep hill, where a park is where kids maybe coming out of and a very busy Tesco Metro. And the silly old bint is driving around with no lights on at all. GRRRRR!