February 2005
I normally use Esso unleaded from my local garage,last weekend in Plymouth I pulled in to an Esso garage and was given the choice of unleaded or Esso Supreme,there was a price difference,79.9 for normal and 90.9 for supreme,gave the car a treat and filled with the more expensive,does the panel think this is worthwhile should it become available at my local garage and is this the same price differentual as the Optimax which is often mentioned?.
ndbw Read more
The car alarm installers have got themselves a nice little monopoly, haven't they?
Recently been helping someone who's had problems with a car alarm installation.
The vehicle is a 'classic' Mercedes and the owner's insurers insisted on a Catagory 1 alarm installed by a 'VSIB approved' fitter.
The owner duly had one fitted at a cost of about £400.
Unfortunately he suffered all manner of problems after the install, which the installer seemed unable/uninterested to fix.
I had the car for a couple of hours and found the fitting to be a complete shambles - poorly made connections, an unfused 12V feed wire running taut over a sharp metal edge, loads of black tape everywhere etc etc and a piece of the Mercs trim broken. To cut short a long story I have removed this heap of junk and the owner has managed to get a 50% refund from the installer.
Anyhow, I can get a Toad AI606 Cat 1 alarm for £120 (for which security companies are charging £350 fitted!) and I reckon I can fit it in about 2 hours - and do the job 100%. The snag is that I am not VSIB accredited. Anyone know if it is possible to get a post-installation check and a stamped VSIB certificate on this basis? Has anyone fitted and certificated an alarm in this way? We are located in the East Midlands if anyone can help out. Read more
Having a Cat 1 alarm wasn't required by my insurance company but they did give a discount for having one fitted. No mention of annual inspections though. I'll have to check the small print. I'd hate to think I wasn't covered for theft of the vehicle. Never heard of this before - a bit worrying.
AR - I live on the coast about 10 miles from Louth.
I had my Xantia mot tested yesterday, it passed but only after the 4 main indicator bulbs had been changed. Apparantly they were not "orange" enough I mentioned this to a friend at work, and he asked where the test was done. I told him and he said that he had his mot done there last week, same result - 4 bulbs changed for the same reason.(different model and age of car).
How do you judge degree of orange, or has the test station obtained a cheap bulk supply of bulbs? Read more
Funny because the side indicators on my car are completely clear with clear bulbs - and the Ford garaged passed it!!
Then again it also had completely clear rear lenses and no rear reflectors .....
Hi,
Shopping for Insurance quotes the best price I am getting is from a broker with Highway Insurance - I've never heard of them, but a web search says they are one of the most profitable ins companies - does that mean they dont pay out as willingly as others ?
they are quoting much the same price as privelidge, direct line, etc but will do protected NCB and a much lower excess for the same price.
Anyone got any experiences ?
thabnks Read more
do you want to drop me an email ?
anything to the arthington.com domain drops into my inbox, so how about highway at arthington dot com ?
ta.
Mark
I've been looking at a friend's Golf IV to replace my maligned Corolla ... but, when you either accelerate hard at low speeds, or bleed off speed below 30mph, there's a funny rattling noise from the rear of the car (can't work out where, though). Any ideas, anyone ?
How much should I pay for a 2002 1.6 3-Door, BTW ? (with Air-con) Read more
I presume you've checked the boot area, including the spare wheel well, to ensure there's nothing loose rattling around?
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
My Leon has developed an odd fault, in that on frosty mornings the temperature warning indicator (red flashing light and three audible beeps) will come on indicating the car is overheating. This only happens at ignition, when the car is stone cold. The temp gauge is working fine and holds its positon on the scale as it should when the engine is at normal temperature. I have a few questions...
1. is the sensor likely to be knackered providing an inaccurate reading back to the ECU.
2. I have had this car for four years since new and covered almost 100K miles in it. It has always taken longer to reach normal operating temperature than any of my other cars, including its VW Golf cousin with identical engine. From where I live there is a four mile stretch of fast A road before reaching a roundabout. The leon will never be at normal temp before reaching the roundabout. The golf would have been at normal temp about half-way along this same stretch of road. Dealer told me the cooling system was over efficient, therefore the engine would take longer to reach normal temp. Could this sensor have been dodgy from new, and not shown on VAG disgnostics???
3. I have never been able to exceed 45mpg in this car regardless of how I drive her. Friends and colleagues brag about 50 - 55mpg from thier MKIV engined motors (Seat and VW) - I am stuck at 45mpg. Could there be a connection between the lower MPG and a faulty sensor?
4. Lastly - is changing the sensor a simple drain cooling system, unscrew, remove and replace sensor then refill the system? An indication of its location in the cooling system would be useful too.
Am curious as the equivalent, previously mentioned golf used to regularly return 50-52 mpg under the same conditions / driving style.
Leon Read more
No problem.
It makes sense that I had the three bleeps when there was no coolant in there (hopefully) rather than the engine overheating.
I'm not convinced either that the coolant never needs to be periodically changed although it probably factors in that problems like this or, say, a faulty water pump, means it gets renewed.
James
The trim strip on my car roof has sprung leaving it well clear of the channel.Any advice as regards re-attaching this strip and thus avoiding more dough going to MB would be much appreciated.
Read more
Many thanks for the advice,very helpful
The performance/consumption figures advertised for this 1.8 Merc look too good to be true.I would appreciate any feedback on this car particularly on performance using automatic transmission.
Thanks
Read more
Many thanks for the responses,the Nissan Micra comment hit the spot and I'm going for the E320cdi, the wife will have to hang on to her Panda for just a bit longer.
I like the look of the forthgcoming VW Golf Plus, which is a slightly taller version of the Mark 5, sort of roughly Peugeot 307 shaped. Truly a niche model if ever there was one, it sits between the Golf and Touran.
I wonder what the thinking behind introducing TWO new Golf hatches, so similar except one is 4 ins taller than the other, is. Although the two Golfs resemble each other superficially the body panels are totally different. Are VW trying to hedge their bets over the future of hatchback design, testing the water to see which way to go with the Mark 6 Golf?
Cheers, Sofa Spud Read more
I think VW are doing a Fusion. In a few years the Golf pkus will have disapeared without trace.
I have just checked the oil on my 190bhp model and found it to be a bit "foamy" and caramel coloured. What could the problem be please? Read more
That's what I said and I have an RX8.
The RX8 Owners Club UK has many threads on this topic as many of us have had our cars for 16 months now and are well aware of the problem.
Cheers
Simon
RX8 Owners Club UK
Committee Member
Browse
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Humble apologies to backroomers for the wrong information in my previous post.
Visited Plymouth again last weekend and found the correct price of Esso Supreme is 86.9/litre not 89.9 and six pence over their standard unleaded which was 79.9/litre.For those who queried its ron rating it is 97ron.
My local Esso station now has one pump seving this so I may use it as my mileage is only about 4000 per year if it is as kind to engines as Honest John says Optimax is (which I cant get locally)snswers welcome.
ndbw