October 2004
Please keep your suggestions coming in.
I'm guessing that this weeks voting on gearbox preference is low because either it's a dull question, or the poll doesn't appear half the time when you click on it. I'm hoping the reason is the latter?
On that note, I'm ditching Alxnet's software as it's too unreliable, and they have never offered technical support to any of my email queries.
The software I will be using for future polls seems more reliable and faster.
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Car: Fiat Bravo 1.4 sx 1998
I have just had my starter motor changed on my Fiat, which has been going great for a few years. Now, two days after, the car has started to kangaroo along the road. I have noticed my fuel consumption getting lower over the last few months about 7 miles to the £.
Any ideas on what's wrong? and could it be related to the starter motor change or is that a coincidence?
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Hi, this sounds like it could be the lamda sensor, had a similar problem last year on one. Try and remove from exhaust and clean the end up (the bit that enters inside the exhaust) with a wire brush, inc. the threads.
good luck.
The exhaust system (centre and rear boxes) on my E320 Coupé needs replacing before the end of the year, so I've been shopping around. Here's what I've come up with; all include VAT and delivery (zero for the two local sources) and all but the LongLife option do not include fitting:
Euro Car Parts
OEM HJS/Ernst ("Ernst is more likely", they said) £258.18
German-French-Swedish
OEM Centre box Ernst/rear box Ernst or Walker £216.20
MB dealer (who also mentioned a fitting kit at about £20, not included)
MB £389.31
DB Depot (Germany)
OEM Eberspächer £360.00
LongLife stainless steel
Custom built £386.10 after discount and including fitting
I'd be interested in views on these options. I would normally be strongly tempted to go for the pure MB option, but the price range is so great that the others must be worth considering. I am intrigued that no less than four companies are claimed to be OEM by the suppliers.
Having just had my Capri done at LongLife, I am very tempted to go back to them (they have offered a 10% discount), but am slightly concerned about the potential noise problem that SS always presents and, as ever, I wonder whether systems that differ from the exact configuration of the original (internal and external) are likely to have any long-term negative effects on the engine.
Which would you go for, and why? I'm particularly interested in any insights into quality of the various makes and in comments on the configuration factor. I do intend to keep the car for a long time.
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>> ( the nuts on that can sieze. I normally
buy a new bracket kit from the
>> dealer (not expensive) and use an angle grinder to slice
the
>> nuts off the old one.
>>
>> Use a good smear of copper grease on the bolts
when
>> reassembling - will make the next replacement so much easier!
>>
IIRC It used to be practice to use brass nuts to
avoid any sieze ups. Is it frowned on now?
On some of the Merc systems the nuts are captive (depending upon which component you're talking about). The bolts that come with the fitting kit are passivated in some way, but I still use copper grease.
Just seen this on pistonheads:
www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=9189
The dvla are having a consultation on a new fee proposal so that anyone with a vehicle on their computer has to pay them £4.50 a year. It applies to all vehicles including pre-1973 classics. If you have several cars, registrations, large bits with chassic numbers registered with them then you get to pay for each entry. It sounds like an underhand way of getting road tax back on older cars and those SORN'd. It might start out at under a fiver but what is the betting that it gets up to £50 within a few years once the precedent has been set?
I don't know how museums are treated in this either as this is quite a cost when you have say 100 cars.
DVLA consultation document is here:
www.dvla.gov.uk/public/consult/driver_fee/df_summa...m
teabelly Read more
Worth reading the whole document, linked from Teabelly's first post. £4.50 is the highest charge amongst a range of options. Collected by the PO along with the VED.
As well as the re-registration fee there's a proposal for a change of keeper fee to be paid by the purchaser but collected by the seller. No registration of change of keeper and no re routing of speeding fines etc until the fee's paid.
Worth considering and responding.
Been meaning to ask this for some time but does anyone know why the white line markings at mini-roundabouts has changed? Around here (N. Kent within M25) at least, the usual sets of 2 short parallel white lines have been replaced with much broader short white 'blocks' and the old give way white triangle removed altogether. What's strange is that ths hasn't been done universally so some roundabouts now have a mixture of the old and the new. So far as I can see nothing else has changed so can anyone shed any light? Read more
Hi,
hope someone can help.
thought i would get a spare set of keys cut as ive onlygot the one set.
went to the boot menders to get it cut,all fine and dandy until i tried to use them and they dont work.
took them back and the man said they are an exact match for the original but he cut some more, these too dont work.
his explanation was that the original kets and the lock have worn to their own pattern so a new key is the wrong pattern (hope that makes sence!)
is there anything that can be done to \'reshape\' the new cut key to match to lock, or is there nothing that can be done?
cheers.
Dave Read more
Hi there, Ford keys are shocking for wear, also the tumblers inside the barrel. I retumble 3 or 4 a week from fords. car will lock but will not unlock. When you buy a build up kit, you get spare tumblers left over after making the lock to the key. after a few locks, you start to build up a collection which allows you to retumble worn locks. If you go into a ford parts dept. Iam sure one of them can build you up a barrel to fit your key, up north here, the lads charge £8. Its fiddely and you need to know how it works. The key you have had cut should be ok if you get the lock retumbled, as the tumblers have worn to the old key.
Hope this helps,
Big Davey.
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Worse thing you've done to a hire car?
(But I'm sure everyone treats a hire car like their own...HA!!).