September 2004
I was wondering about changing the gearbox in the old Renault Trafic van and selling it on as a going concern. But I cannot seem to find a replacement box for it.
So, this begs the question, which other vehicles could donate a box for it?
It is a T900 Prima 1996 SWB with a 2.1 diesel engine. It is the MK2 Trafic.
The diff appears to be cooled by the cooling system, but if the replacement box did not have this need I could blank off the coolent feed to the diff.
Vehicles I have thought of so far are the Renault Espace diesel, Vauxhall Arena van (Vauxhall badged, Renault made) and - er that's it!
Any others?
H Read more
Just found this link on the web.
It appears to offer the same service as part finder etc without charging anything to the punter.
www.247salvage.com
I have just tried it for my Renault Trafic to see if it would locate a replacement gearbox. We'll see
H Read more
www.findapart.co.uk
www.find-a-part.co.uk
Thanks for those others as well.
{http:// added to make the links clickable. DD}
While driving home this evening the sun was right in my face and low in the sky. Even with sunglasses and the sun shade folded down it was very difficult to make out where the road was going or where other vehicles were at times. I had my lights on dim/dip so that others could probably see me. All cars with lights on were easy to find but there were some that didn't have lights on that were almost invisible.
Do polarising sunglasses prevent this problem? Or are there secrets out their to navigating with the sun in your face? I tried sunglasses on and off and sunshade up and down in all combinations. Would one of those sad 'wayne and sharon' style sun strips help in this case? To make things worse the dashboard in this car reflects in the windscreen which I find really annoying.
Anyone do some sort of head up display that has radar and edge detection overlay so I can see what is going on out there?! Anyone make windscreens with a graduated tint so that it is stronger at the top than further down the screen?
teabelly Read more
Hi
Polarising sunglasses won't be much help with low direct sun which
I think is one of the most dangerous driving conditions.
They are however a good driving accessory as they cut out a lot of reflected light. This helps you to see things more clearly and is less tiring on the eyes. The polarising effect is not dependent on the density of the lenses so they can be worn in most situations.
If you want to see the 'polarising effect' hold the glasses in front of you and rotate through 90 degrees. Not while driving!
Regards DougB.
Hello again all,
Have been out in the cars for a spot of test driving following my earlier thread: www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=25...0.
Basically, the Nissan Almera has won hands down.
Sure, it\'s an old-man car which a 25 and 22 year old really shouldn\'t be considering as their main car, but was highly impressed with the equipment in the SE that I drove, but let\'s be honest, it doesn\'t take much to impress me having owned my P reg Civic for three years now.
Anyway, cut to the chase. I\'ve never bought a brand-new car before, let alone considered buying one off of the Internet. I\'ve tried to look up reviews etc about the following:
www.uk-car-discount.co.uk
www.new-car-discount.com
I\'ve found plenty of reviews on here on the latter, but am awaiting a callback from them following initial enquiries. Nothing about uk-car-discount, however.
The former, however, has been incredibly prompt and has offered me a good price on my part ex (Fiat Punto). I\'m very nervous about going for it. Part of me says that the discounts they\'re offering me on the car are great, but I\'m suffering from the Great British \'what if?\'
Went to my Nissan dealer and laid down my quote from uk-car-discount. He basically said he couldn\'t match it \"apart from a silver model, and that\'s based on us seeing your Punto\". I got the impression that he resigned himself from the start to me buying elsewhere.
I shall pursue new-car-discount for a quote, I hope that they can come up with something along the lines of uk-car-discount... unless anyone has bought from them and can recommend or warn me off??
Thanks in advance. Read more
Hi girlydriver, sounds like a good choice of car, hope you're happy with it. And it sounds like a good deal to me!
The only question I'd ask is how you got on with the clever display-driven gadget for controlling ventilation etc. Qhen I tried one in an Almera Tino, I was a bit befuddled by it.
I know that women are supposed to have their hearts ruling
their heads, but I'm attempting to redress this situation!
I read something a while back about some research which showed that men were the ones driven by their hearts when buying cars, while were the ones who would check the real cost and the fuel consumption and whether it would fit in the garage etc. That certainly fits my experience!
Hello
The CVT, does anyone have one or tried one?? Are there any problems with light cross winds on the motorway??
I\'ve read the HJ comments but seeking personal experiences.
All help appreciated!!
Regards
Lucian Read more
Hi
Thanks for your help.
LD
I may be in the near future starting my own business. At the moment there is nothing wrong with my car and I see myself keeping it for a while more.
I'm just wondering that when the time comes to get a new car loan, will the fact that I'm Self-employed mean that it will be much harder to get a car loan? Read more
Wibble
If it's a personal loan that you want to look at Spam.uk for the lowest interest rates.
Thank goodness you posted that helpful link so quickly, there may still be time for Wibble to make use of it.
Which will make me happiest ? Diesels of course. Read more
good time to buy a c-max diesel.
over in liverpool, peoples ford dealer
doing c-max diesel ghia brand new £10,495 with free insurance or servicing or cash back.
very good offer.
it ends wednesday i think.
In several recent threads we've discussed car manufacturers running into trouble because they missed somthing most people could see quite easily. For example:
City Rover pricing
X-Type launch engine range
Right Hand Drive versions of large French cars (607, Vel Satis)
Can anyone think of similar/ealier tales?
Conversely, what about bold moves that proved cynics wrong? Read more
It never ceases to amaze me why so many medium size vans these days don't make proper use of the space envelope they take up.
For example, the number transit sized vans on the road with payloads less than 8" long.
For people in my trade, this is a really useful feature. Building materials are commonly supplied in 8' x 4' sheets (plasterboard, ply etc) yet the 1996 Renault Trafic SWB has a payload 4" short of that!
By shortening the bonnet and bringing the cab forward they could have accommodated that easily.
When designing vans I would have thought that the designers would want to appeal to the widest market possible for each model.
To get a long enough load space one would need to get the LWB, about 16" longer.
Also, the new Renault Trafic LWB (I have the Nissan version) boasts a payload length of 2.8m (9'4" app). However, that is along the max length of the load area. Leaving room for the seats and the bulkhead to protect the passenger compartment, which comes back into the load area as it goes up. the usable length close to the roof is just over 2.4m (8')!
[goes and bangs head on something solid]
H
Hi
I had the center dash panel out on a Astra 4 V plate to replace the clock bulbs & now I cant get the panel to push home the last inch when I tried to re-fit it.
The top part where the clock is & around the heater vents wont push home.
I had all the screws out, radio & I even put those 2 black plastic clips back in the top of the panel.
Is there a trick to this??? The handbook says take it to a Vauxhall dealer.
Thanks in advance Read more
Anybody wants to know how to take the centre dash panel out a series 4 Astra just ask,
LeePower,
It might be worth posting anyway. If anyone asks in the future, or searches for it, they would benefit from info you provide.
Paid a visit to the BCA Car auction at Belle Vue, Manchester yesterday, thought I\'d post details of some of the vehicles that went under the hammer.
02 plate Ford Ka 1.3i Style, 18k warranted, Red metallic, part SH, exc condition - £3150
W plate Ford Galaxy 2.3 Zetec, 34k warranted, Silver, part SH, good condition - £7100
52 plate Nissan Primera 1.8 S, 20k warranted, Silver, part SH, exc condition - £6150
03 plate VW Beetle 1.8 T, 18k warranted, Red, part SH, Leather, exc condition - £8975
51 plate Honda Accord 2.0 Vtec SE Exec, 53k warranted, Silver, part SH, good condition - £5900
T plate Ford Mondeo 1.8 Zetec 5 dr, 42k warranted, Blue metallic, part SH, sold as seen tatty - £1600
W plate Ford Mondeo 1.8 Zetec 5dr, 63k warranted, Silver, part SH, ave condition - £2575
Y plate Ford Mondeo 1.8 Zetec 5dr (new shape), 79k warranted, red metallic, part SH, good condition - £3775
Y plate Ford Mondeo 1.8 LX 5dr (new shape), 37k warranted, Red, part SH, ave condition - £4550
51 plate Ford Mondeo 2.0 Zetec 5dr (new shape), 82k warranted, Grey metallic, part SH, ave condition - £4050
X plate BMW 323 Ci 2.5 Coupe, 138k warranted, Gold metallic, part SH, exc condition - £8575
51 plate Toyota Yaris 1.3 GLS VVTi, 41k warranted, Blue metallic, part SH, exc condition - £4750
Part two to follow................... Read more
Thanks for that I will add some more
These cars were sold at Manheim Leicester (Shepshed) in recent weeks Arval PHH GE Capital Toomey Vauxhall Leasing etc all cars good-excellent condition and all subject to buyers premium/indemnity) and all sold on the fall of the hammer
2001/Y Mondeo Zetec Est State blue 128k(W) £3100
2001/Y Vauxhall Vectra CDX Hatchback silver 118k(W) £2550
2002(02) Corsa Club 5dr 1.2 red 35k(W) £3100
1990(H) Volvo Estate 760GLE (grey T&T)166k (NW) £30
2001/Y Mondeo Ghia hatchback Blue 81k(W) £3600
2000/W Vauxhall Vectra 1.8ls hatchback 102k(W) black £1950
2000/V Focus hatchback 1.6ghia red 89K (W) approx £2900
2000/W Mondeo Estate 2.0LX white 111k (W) £1525
2001/Y Mondeo Zetec Hatchbacks with around 100k miles
becoming a regular sight at around £3k.
I'm pretty sure the Renault 21 diesel (2.1 not sure about the later 1.9) shares the gearbox also. When I had one of these years ago the gearbox needed to be rebuilt and I'm positive they used a Trafic box for parts
The 2.1 diesel 21 is/was a rare car however