October 2004
Anyone ever dealt with these people? I've got a cracking deal on a new car with them and just want to check them out. Comments/feedback welcome to a new user. Cheers, Noodle Read more
Yesterday I picked up a 64AH Fiaam ( Pug and Cit OEM )_battery at a trade motor Factors as one of my cars battery is giving notice after 5 ½ years. I dropped it off in the garage and hooked it up for a gentle charge and left it. 1 hour later I checked the voltage with 1 amp trickle charge and it read 16.2 volts. What !! 16.2 volts. I changed meter and sure enough 16.2ish volts ( Analogue meter ). I took it off charge and it dropped to 15.5 and slowly, 10 mins, it dropped to 13.4 where it wanted to stay. So surface charge I thought, or may be over zealous electrolyte so I put a 5 amp load across it and left it for 1 hour. Measured voltage 12.65 volts. Another hour 12.58 volts. Disconnected the load 12.8 volts after 10 mins. Put it back on a very low charge and slowly it crept up to 15.5 volts and still rising. Now I’ve fitted, tested, built charges, and used lead acids for 40 years and I can honestly say that I have never seen a normal battery go to that voltage unless it has been faulty or old, both implying a high internal resistance. This battery is not typical of a high internal resistance as disconnecting it only allows it to fall to 15.5 then it very slowly falls to 13.4. It does appear that this may be a rather generous SG but I can not find my SG bulb to test it. Clearly taking the battery back is an option but if it is a SG thing then the whole patch will be like it. Has anyone else come across this new initial high voltage or is it really a duff battery. I purchased smaller Fiaam battery for another car 4 months ago and did exactly the same with that but it topped out at 14.6 volts and quickly fell to 12.8 volts. Regards Peter Read more
Yes I know all that but it really was not my problem. If a battery that started the charge with only a couple of amps rises to 16.4 volts and a few milliamps then it ain't normal and I was not going to get into a massive discharge cycle. The stange thing was that is discharged well within spec in terms of current and voltage but rapidy turns itself into a resistor when recharged. However the new one passes all tests and if fine. Now I know why I always charge a new battery for a couple of hours prior to fitting. If I had not tested it I am not sure what would have been the result. ! Regards Peter
**** Poll closed. ****
This weeks poll, as suggested by Kith (and a couple of extra options thrown in by me) is now available.
"If you could choose any, BUT ONLY ONE of the following optional extras, which would be your choice:"
1. Air conditioning.
2. Sun roof.
3. Leather seats.
4. Electric windows.
5. Satellite navigation.
6. In-car DVD player.
7. Alloy wheels.
Read more
I had one car with air-con and I hated it, only turned it on once a week to maintain the system. Air con and me don't get on, seems to give me cold-like symthoms.
Most of my last umpteen cars have had a sun roof and the only time I ever opened any of them was when I first got the car and was fiddling round.
Sat Nav I would love. I often have to visit people in remote areas with unpronouncable names. You try asking for directions to Cnwc-Y-Dinter or Bwlchgroes.
Alloys, magnet for thieves and easy to damage.
Electric windows, yes to the nearside front but I don't mind winding my own up.
See the news update "***Policy Change: Ending Listings Early***" on Ebay. Basically they are trying to stamp out the common practice of sellers cancelling all bids and ending the auction in the last few minutes. Starting next week cancellations in the last 12 hours will not be allowed (if there are bids).
This will have quite an impact on many Ebay car auctions..... Read more
There is a department at eBay, staffed by people on huge salaries, whose sole function is to find out what is working well and accepted as such by eBayers - and then CHANGE IT for the worse
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
I reversed into a wall this morning very low speed not alot of damage just alittle bit of a indent where i hit straight on with the corner of the wall, anyway was just wondering how much i would be looking at for a new bumper? Read more
Plastic bumpers can be repaired. Try a local bodyshop. Bit of heat might help. If it needs paint then you're looking at £100 or so, I guess.
My 1997 306 2.0 8V XSi is having troubling idling from cold start up. It won't stall but it idles at about 400-750 and it is struggling. Now this is only happening at night with full lights on, stereo, heating etc. During day it's fine.
Recently I have had the lambda sensor replaced as it was knackered and causing it to stall regularly. Before replacing the lambda sensor, it has also had a new stepper motor and engine coolant sensor.
Any ideas or advice very welcome. Read more
Hello
this message is on behalf of my friend she has no access to a pc iam wondering if you could solver her problem as the garage cannot seem to fix it.
my car,well its a mondeo 1.8i glx on an m plate,1994.
When you start it up it won't always tick over it just cuts out and if it does tick over the revs are very low,
well below 1000
Whilst driving its ok until you need to slow down or stop so when your changing down the gears the revs drop right down and stay down which makes the car cut out.
--
(iam not a mechanic)
Martin Winters Read more
It sounds to me like an air leak as previously mentioned, upsetting the idle mixture, in effect the engine is struggling to run at idle speeds. These injection systems are critical to all the pipes and hoses being properly fitted and no air leaks.
That includes the large main air intake where it joins the engine, and the small diameter pipes that join to the engine (the plastic t-piece mentioned previously).
I would check everything for disconnected or loose pipes.
This assumes that the car is in reasonable standard of service, i.e. spark plugs and air filter in good condition. You may have similar symtoms due to neglect, for example worn out spark plugs or a chocked up air filter.
It all comes down to a case of eliminating faults, starting with a decent standard of service, checking the obvious and inexpensive things such as air hoses and pipes that have fallen off, then moving on to more complex and 'invisible' items that make up the fuel and ignition system. Hopefully you will find something obvious and quick to solve this annoying problem.
We've just collected this new Mondeo (53 plate) Ghia X estate TDCi auto (very nice so far - appears to be some exhaust resonance on overun but otherwise ok)
Anyhow, when its dark you look at the Sony radio/cd unit and the display looks all dull (almost as if theres a layer of silicone or something in behind). I cant get hold of the salesman who sold it to us and the service people say bring it down and we'll look at it.
Anyone else got one of these and can tell me whether its just how they are?
TIA,
Tony
Read more
In my local ASDA i saw Mobil 1 for £17 for a 4 litre bottle. This seemed ridiculously cheap. I could not see any spec on it though. Is is a good buy and is the spec as good as the best VW oil. ( suitable for the wife's 1.2 3 cyl fabia ) Read more
Ah, darn it -- typos: "if I can find some" and "three years"
Next week I'm going to be picking up the new family transport, a Volvo XC90 diesel.
This will be the first diesel car I've owned. Apart from boring SWMBO to death with pleas about not forgetting this when filling the tank, what else should I know about owning, driving and running a diesel car?
(Apologies if this has been covered in threads passim, but a site search on 'diesel' had a predictably huge response) Read more
Thanks for all the contributions; didn't realise the tyre situation!
Browse
.jpg)
I bought a scenic from them for the wife. I was a little worried about buying a car over the internet so I visited them at Sheffield and looked at some cars and bought one. Now had it now a couple of weeks and no problems. They were very friendly and not pushy. Will do business agian with Motorprovider may be on a Golf for me but I understand may not have a batch for a couple of weeks.