October 2004
Whats plan,
Take the fuel pipe off over a drain
Put it back on and bleed the diesel through ? Read more
Regarding my father's 2003 Fiesta 1.4 Zetec (new shape).
I noticed the other day with the car idling at standstill, when reved up towards 2500 - 3000 rpm there is a loud resonance from underneath the bonnet, similar to a plastic panel vibrating.
It goes as the revs climb but you can hear it again as the revs drop throught the 'zone' to idle speed.
I wondered if it was anything to do with the air cleaner housing, or perhaps an engine mounting issue? Something is certainly vibrating at a certain engine speed. It did not sound like a rattle caused by exhaust heat shields.
Any suggestions would be of help, I will carry out a visual check first for obvious issues such as engine under tray. Read more
Due to a combination of long term roadworks and flooded roads, the amount of traffic using the very narrow lane past my house has significantly increased over the last week or so. This has led to the inevitable meeting of vehicles coming in the opposite direction and one of us having to back up to a suitable passing place. Now I don't know about anyone else but I find it very difficult to reverse at night (no I'm not a flat-cap Rover and my vision does not require correcting, night or day) when all you've got to illuminate your path backwards is one or two 21 watt lights, not focused on the road, and someone coming towards you with 2 x 55 watt bulbs concentrated right in your peripheral vision or framing your side mirrors. Factor in the effect of rain and the manouvere becomes even more difficult. So my request is - if the other driver has the decencey to reverse back for you, show them a bit of consideration and go to side lights until there is a clear path for you to pass. It will benefit you since you'll be on your way that bit quicker. This is even more significant if you drive anything where the headlights are high off the ground (e.g. 4x4s, Transits, lorries) i.e. at the eye height of car drivers.
And as for the eejits who for some reason think front fog lights are necessary in such conditions i.e. dark and not foggy, well I may as well talk to myself where consideration is concerned. Read more
If they refuse to switch off their headlights, flick your own on to full beam. It might not help the vision situation but always makes me feel better. After all, you're doing them a courtesy, they should at least make the job easy for you.
Hello,
I went to view a car last night and was wondering if it is on the level. Full details are:
RED VW golf 1.4 P-reg (1996) 3-door
PAS, MOT june 2005, tax end 2004, 75,000 miles
Dad is selling on behalf of daughter who got a company car 6 months ago. bought from dealer about 3 years ago.
asking price is £1700
unfortunately I could only get there after work so the light was fading on me. when i arrived it was immediately noticable that the offside rear panel was a faded red as opposed to the rest of the vehicle which was a bright red. The seller said that it was like that since they bought it and suggested it was sun damage. he denied that it was ever replaced.
So, my concerns are:
has this vehicle been in an accident? it it was just a scrape would the panel have been replaced? could it be worse?
if it has been replaced why come up with a flimsey reason for the faded colour? why not hide it with cutting compound for faded red cars?
why was this the only faded panel? it it was a respray i would have expected one bright red panel and a faded car..not this way round which doesn't seem to make sense...
is it possible for only 1 panel to get faded by the sun?? never had a red car so i don't know.. wouldn't the sun damage extend over that side of the vehicle?
finally is this a lemon? I've considered doing a vehicle check but they only tell you if it's been written off and re-registered not if it's been in a more minor accident. The seller lives in a small mansion and seemed like a nice bloke but I know this isn't a good guide.
opinions anyone?
many thanks, luke
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Hi Luke,
Solid red paint is a pain in the posterior for fading. The fact that some paint has faded and some hasn't makes you right to be suspicious.
At least the sellers haven't covered it up by cutting and polishing, which is what a dealer would do. This suggests that the seller may be being honest with you. The dealer who sold it to him may not have told him everything at the time.
I think that a vehicle check may tell you more about it. A good look at panel gaps, shut lines, spot welds, etc should help you decide how much bodywork has been done.
Armed with this knowledge and information, you may choose to go no further, and walk away, or use your evidence to negotiate a hefty price reduction. Without seeing the car, and without being in your shoes, I don't know which choice I would make.
number_cruncher
Hi,
I've just had one of my cooling fans replaced a few months ago and i've recently noticed that my alarm sounder doesn't sound.
The job was done by a garage who who had to take the front bumper off. I've briefly taken the cover under the nearside bumper.
I understand that the alarm sounder is under the nearside front bumper. I've had a quick look and I've noticed two horn sounders, I believe these are for the normal horn only.
I've checked the fuses.
I need to know where does the cables go from the alarm sounder as I can't seem to work out where the wiring disappears to.
Any help would be appreciated.
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306 2.0 SE Cabriolet Read more
Mine doesn't have this. Its 2000W model. The key switch was fitted in conjunction with keypad immobilser (Phase 1 models).
Phase 2 models and Phase 3 models have no key switch or key pad.
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306 2.0 SE Cabriolet
Went in an 04 reg Volvo S40 1.9d yesterday. Is the very intrusive engine noise a characteristic of these cars? There were three of us in it doing a trip on urban roads and the engine noise in the cabin was so loud I could hardly hear what anyone was saying. I was also concious of having to raise my voice when speaking. I drive a diesel every day and around town it has a gentle diesel thrum, but not so loud you can't hear people talking. The noise of the engine in this vehicle really suprised me and was reminisecent of my old Ford 1.8 diesel! Read more
It's a Mitsubishi Carisma in drag with all the disadvantages but not the single advantage - the reasonable price.
The Fiesta is going. 19 yo daughter has following requirements:
Not Red
Aircon
Power Steering
1.4 or below (to keep ins down)
Not too small (i.e. not Ka size)
Pref 5 door (but 3 would do)
Not the same as her mates have (206, Fiesta, Clio, Corsa)
She quite fancies a Seat Ibiza, c2000 - 2001 seems about the mark.
Anyone have any thoughts on the Ibiza, or any better suggestions please?
Read more
Tyro has a point. You also know that it won't be too rusty in your time with it and the depreciation on a £5k car down to £3.5k in three years is extremely low.
In fact it's probably similar to the depreciation over the next three years of its life so if the loss of interest on £1,500 is less than the additional cost of repairs/value of warranty/new car smell/convenience then the new one can be a better buy.
Admittedly if you've not got the cash it's not an option.
I know Michael likes his cars big and luxurious - so do I - and so I'd never consider one for myself but plenty of people just want small, easy to drive, cheap to run and worry free.
Hi all,
Does anyone know how to change the computer/mileage readings from Kms to Miles? It's managed to swap to kms and I'm not sure how it happened - it's a UK car!
Thanks,
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Lee
MINI adventure over. Now having a Fabialous time. Read more
My pleasure. It's nice to give a bit of assistance for a change.
It's also very nice for people to come back with a result and gratitude.
Cheers Lee
brh
Hello.
I have just taken delivery of a Y registered Ford Mondeo.
Iam was wondering what i should look out for in terms of the cars reliability and what could go wrong.
The car has 44,000 Miles on the digital display and has all its service stamps. so it looks like it has been well looked after.
Thankyou in advance.
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(iam not a mechanic)
Martin Winters Read more
What is RTFM?
Read The Friendly Manual or a similar expression.
Identify and mark in it the parts that apply to your specific model.
Cross reference in the manual for ease of future reference.
I checked all five wheels they are all nearly new except
for the spare that is new (i.e. not used many times)
>>
>>Have you 2. Taken the wheels off, checked the tyres for damage,
and put the wheels back on with the corect torque setting.
If not this should be done.
This first allows you to confirm no inner wall damage and no tread damage.
It then reassures you that a wheel can be changed without resorting to brute force and then maybe failing.
Are the vents in the front disks clear of rust or crud?
Are the disks in good condition and within recommended thickness?
The bulbs are quite difficult to access though this is because
of the bigger engine and because of the shape of the car.
>>
See later responses and the manual should advise on this.
I have physically checked what bulbs are required for my 98 Mondeo and have been surprised at what discrepancies I found.
It was mot'd on-site before i purchased it and it came
with a printout that showed that it passed with flying colours.
>>
I get added reassurance from getting all my families cars MoTed at a long established company that ONLY does MoTs.
I watch them do it and they give advice on the car as they progress the test.
They do not sell cars, do not repair them and have no association with a garage.
I suspect they are a rare establishment.
(iam not a mechanic)
Of course if you are not sure of any of the above then you can ask the same questions of a garage or a friendly mechanic.
All my suggestions would apply to any seconhand car.
anybody got a 2001 MY Ambiente ?
does it have a low fluid level indicator for the windscreen washer ?. Mine has no working indicator at the moment, but I think it had when I bought it last year.
If it should, i'd like to get it before the warranty expires, but the dealer says it was never fitted to that model, while skoda customer services say it was ?
Read more
Browse
Agree with you Steve.......I hope it was a joke.
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....