February 2005
Hi all,
Going to look at a 106 tomorrow for my old dear to replace her ailing (and mayo clogged) Fiesta. I'd appreciate any pointers as to what particular faults/quirks I should be looking for (in addition, or to expand on the reports in the car-by-car breakdown).
It's a 1996 Petrol (facelifted) with around 56k on the clock. In particular I'd like to know the cambelt change interval. I've been told over the phone by the local dealer that it's 72,000 miles, but can't seem to extract an age rather than a mileage.
I have also been quoted two different prices from main dealers for the cost of changing the belt. One asks £74.99 whilst another wants £74.99 only if you hand over another £149.99 for a service at the same time.
Any input appreciated.
Alex Read more
The never ending saga of what to replace my old Passat with continues. Having read in another thread what one get for £12K I am now reviewing my choice of cars and my eye has fallen on an Avensis. There are 2 cars I quite like the look of. Both are 1.8 T3 S 5 door, 03 plates, registered in 2003. Both have very similar mileages but differ a bit in displayed price. One is £11,995 (silver and 12,800 miles) and the other is £10,445 (grey and 14,500 miles). Different Toyota garages of course but both are close enough to where I live to make it worthwhile travelling for a look. (55 miles tops). So, some advice please.
Why should there be such a large difference in price?
What should I look out for on the cheaper one (ie is there anything likely to be wrong with it. Import perhaps? both specs on t'Internet look similar)
What sort of money should I reasonably expect to pay for either of these cars? I suppose I could get the more expensive one for about the same price as the cheaper one by waving a print-out of the details at the salesman but what could I get the cheaper one for? Read more
Did they sort out the diff problems on this car?
--
Steve
Hi Guys and Gals, me again with another "has to be simple but can't find the right way" problem. I#m trying to change my pollen filter and I can't get it out. I have looked on the instruction supplied with the new filter and it says there are 3 clips I have to turn with a screwdriver to remove the top cover (by cover the picture displays the large plastic trim that runs along the base f the windscreen). My one doesn't have these clips and seems to be quite securly fastened somehow. I can see the filter but the gap I have isn't sufficient to remove and replace it.
Ideas greatly appreciated Read more
The filter is behind the battery.
Remove the cross head screw with the huge washer on it and slide the cover out from ontop of the battery, this is a bit fiddly as is needs to be "flexed" over the terminals.
Replace filter and assemble in reverse order.
The instructions provided sound like those for a 3 series BMW, double check you have been supplied the correct filter.
(Glass-Tech)
This high depreciation car seems a bargain to me; I tested a used one last week-end and it was £10,000 less than new, at just 14 months old! Why is it poorly reveiwed. Just because executive hatchbacks aren't popular shouldn't knock stars off its rating compared to (say) a Vectra. Two stars puts it in company with some truly terrible cars, and I certainly give it 4! If provides what you want, go for it.
It's innovative, quiet, with great rear, adjustable (recline and slide like front seats) seat leg room, more than ample boot even with the seats back, terrific engines, looks better than any GM car except perhaps the new Astra, cheap to run.
Down-side - well the interior lacks the polish of the prestige makes it would like to rival. Ford and VW seem to do its top-end range plastics better than Vauxhall/Opel at the moment, and the X-type or C class are undoubtedly smarter but apart from that, what a bargain!
And, no, I'm not a GM dealer!! I would write much the same about the Vel Satis from Renault but I hear that's no fun at all to drive. Read more
Nothing wrong with that at all, except for the interior trim/colours which remind me of a Doctor's Office waiting room, circa 1975.
Mid life crisis I guess - but I quite fancy having a Caterham for the summer. Realistically it probably won't happen (not least as I have nowhere to garage it).
If it did, it'd have to be cheap-ish and I'd like to recover nearly all my money at the end of the summer, or next Spring. Is this a likely scenario?
If so, what should one look for? Or are there alternative suggestions which would work better? (This, maybe? tinyurl.com/44bmc). Read more
Most of the current kits have a vast following and are reasonably resaleable things. When I sold my part built Westie it sold literally in minutes!
All kits are based on production mechanics with a few exceptions and they're so damned expensive if you can afford it you won't be worried about scouting for bits. Huge knowledge around about kits so finding your example wheel bearing would take minutes thats if you can't work it out yourself. Local garages happy to work on kits, Sierra or Cortina bits mean cheap spares. Older ones have dodgy wiring and can have flakey build but MOT covers the real disasters and SVA covers the new ones. Caterhams aren't the bees knees they are well known by those outside the kit community however things like Furies win most of the competitions. As regards big engines in kits then the cat is bad, Westies and the others rcan run big engines! Did a rolling road session with my TR7 & 20+ other Lotus 7s & lookalikes. One Westie drag races with 4.2 litres and an Auto box and gave 299BHP at the wheels. The nearest the cats got was an RS500 witha 1.8 K series which gave around 280 @ 9,200RPM!
Jim
Is a long wheelbase Landrover County classified as a Minibus for a driver who took their test after 1997. My 25 year old son may be getting one for his next job. Any ideas please. Read more
When I had a LandRover a few years ago it was classified as dual-purpose. This seemed to mean that if used commercially, it was a commercial vehicle: if used privately, it was private. If used to carry passengers for hire or reward, it was a bus. If it carried non-paying passengers, it was not a bus.
As to what a LandRover is CONSTRUCTED for - just about anything.Breakdown vehicle, fire tender, armoured car, ambulance, crop-sprayer, mobile power-plant, aircraft tow-tender - even private car! They are all interchangeable simply by bolting on a different set of attachments.
Is this yet more interference by the EU or a positive development?
"The European Union executive unveiled plans Thursday to equip all new cars sold in the EU with an emergency transmitter to ensure rapid medical help in the event of a crash.
Around 2,000 lives could be saved a year once the automatic emergency call ("eCall") technology is in place, the European Commission said, targeting a start date of 2009 for the devices.
The transmitter would be activated automatically by pressure sensors that would detect a sudden impact, or manually by an injured occupant of the car, and send an SOS via the EU-wide emergency call number 112.
The emergency services, through specially adapted call centres, would receive the signal and immediately locate the car by satellite to dispatch an ambulance crew.
"With this technology, your car could save your life," EU Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding said.
The commission unveiled its plan after contacts with EU governments and the auto industry which it said showed that the eCall technology could be fitted in all new cars "as soon as 2009".
The devices would be embedded in the car's electronics with only a button visible on the dashboard, Brussels said.
The commission said it would like to see field tests carried out next year.
But for the technology to work throughout the EU by 2009, member states' emergency services will need to upgrade their call centres "at the latest in
The commission, however, said the plan already had more than 20 signatories drawn from the EU and the auto, telecoms and insurance industries all committed to its success.
"Advanced information and communication technologies have great potential to improve road safety in Europe," Reding said, pointing to the commission's legal green light given last month to anti-crash radar technology.
The technology could spell the end of smashing into the car in front, or bumping into out-of-vision obstacles in car parks, according to Brussels."
www.eubusiness.com/afp/050203172602.2p2pus1j
Read more
My point entirely!
If they (politicians, EU etc) were honest and did it all straight away, there would be an outcry. Hence the guerilla tactics, picking off an odd group here, solving a non-existent "problem" there....after a number of years they have got what they want.
Can anyone please help
I have a Peugeot 406 Rapier HDi, i want to fit leather electric seats to it. I know that the seats can be fitted but how do i power the electric motors?
If you know then please please help
Read more
I don't *know* but I will suggest that some car makers use the same wiring loom across models so it is possible that your car already has the connections. Have you already had a look under the carpeting?. If you just need 12V power, run fused wiring to suit your needs.
With an election coming up and motoring issues in mind, could we find out which MPs and candidates:
* hold a driving licence
* own a vehicle
* use that vehicle?
No MP or candidate should refuse to give that information if asked in a reasonable manner.
Further, could we start a campaign via our MPs (plus HJ and fellow journalists) to have that information registered as part of MPs' profiles in publicly accessible House of Commons records?
That might at least start to distinguish sheep from goats on motoring issues. Mr Brown doesn't drive, does he? Interesting, that. Read more
Yes, apparently he's suffered detached retinas in both eyes whilst playing
rugby in his youth - one of which could not be
successfully treated.
There's more than one way to go blind. Apparently.
**** Poll now closed. Results here:- **** www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=29063&...e This weeks poll, as suggested by Duchess:-
Read more
The results of this weeks poll are:-
Poll 27. Which breakdown service do you belong to?
AA = 50
RAC = 32
Green Flag = 11
Britannia Rescue = 8
Other = 17
I Am Not A Member Of a Breakdown Service = 17
Browse
Cambelt change cost circa £80 on my 1.4xnd.
Haynes manual says recommended interval for cambelt replacment is 72K, but they suggest 36K is a safer option.
Great cars for local journeys, and can manage longer distances if required.