April 2005
I saw this twin-pack so called "Engine Cleaner" and "Engine Detailer" in Halfords at the weekend, it was £8. Apparently all you have to do is warm the engine, spray on the cleaner, leave it for 20mins, rinse it off then spray on the Detailer giving it a protective & clean finish. Does anyone know if this stuff is good for the engine? Is it worth it? Or can it cause damage by possibly removing the protective coating on some engine surfaces?? Read more
My 52 plate Corsa (1.2 16v SXi) has a cam-chain apparently. Vauxhall advised generally that cambelts on their cars should be changed every 40,000 miles. Should cam-chains be changed? If so how often, and how much does this cost??? Read more
Recent article in HJ Telegraph article about a camchain tensioner failing in a VX Vectra 2.2 ( camchain engine)that was put down to extended service intervals leading to blockage of the oilway pressuring the tensioner. Obviously when the pipe blocked, the tensioner failed with associated jumping of the chain and major engine damage.
Whilst i whole heartedly agree with the advantage of chains, 20K service intervals will probably wreck the engine before the chain breaks.
Just back from the USA. I saw that Kia dealers are offering a 10 year warranty on their new cars. With the cars costing around $12000, it makes you realise how much it costs to do business in the UK compared to the US. Read more
It's not just Kia, but mainstream manufacturers like Ford and VW constantly offer [finance] incentives to potential buyers. Recently VW USA had a 'Drivers Wanted' ad. campaighn where someone who ahd never owned a car before could get something stupid finance over an equally stupid length of time (0% @ 60 months) - USA is the place for car buying/selling.
People get stiffed everywhere else in the world - why? We subsidise the Americans. This isn't a rant - I've lived out in the States and enjoyed car ownership there - here its jsut paypaypay hand over fist and evne then it's not enough.
quick question.
what would you do.
get an old bmw coupe like a y reg or 51 plate for around £10K
or a new model one that is an 03 plate, (its got a different front bumper and tiny changes to suspension and also will have 1 years warrenty left) for around £17K
?????????????????????
im in a quandrum ;0)
i only have to keep it 1 year.
factors i guess are....
how much do i stand to lose in 1 years time.
repair bills
what other factors do i need to take into consideration?
ta. Read more
Get a third party warranty with the money you saved. At least its a Beemer, enjoy...
Well, I've entered the Plymouth-Banjul challenge! 3700 miles and 3 weeks of driving a LHD car that's supposed to cost less than £100. Fortunately that rule isn't so strict and we've managed to pick up a H reg VW 1.8 Golf for £300. Anyone done this before or know someone that has ?
www.plymouth-dakar.co.uk
:o)
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> Good luck! (Even though you are a cheating rotter)
Finest British tradition Old Bean, always room for a Cad what?
Once again i have another problem with my megane 1.6. Past few days the car has been cutting out while driving but the igntion light on dash staying on and the car would start back up again. Tonight when i was driving it cut out again and would not restart. the engine turns over but just wont fire up. Anybody got any idea what could be up with it? It was recently in the body shop getting a new bonnet and hinges put on. Could this maybe have disturbed any wiring or vacuum pipes? Any information would be great as this megane is giving me a migraine. Many thanks. Read more
Hi,
Some of you may remember my tales of woe regarding my mark 4 X-reg (2000) Fiesta with 57k and a noisy engine - it now uses about a litre of oil every 4-500 miles!
I have had it from new and it has full S/H although was starved of oil once and is consequently now in need of new engine. It has a 2-3 minor dents.
Having recently got a pay rise I am considering treating myself to a 4-5 year old BMW 323ci coupe which I have yearned after for many years, and was wondering if you guys had any tips (hopefully not too sarcastic!) about how best to get rid of the Fiesta and what I could hope to get for it in sale / px. Parker's ranges from 1800 (private poor) to 1950 (trade) to 3k (private good).
Also, if you have any tips about what I should look for when buying the 323 I'd be more than gratefull.
Looking forward to your replys,
Ben Read more
with regards the bmw
service history or regular oil changes
check the suspension especially track control rods,,but also any rubber bush's that you can see from underneath
also check the rear suspension mounts,, look for the welding being ripped off from the body work
check the heating make sure it works and that all the digital bits on the control work,,,
check for any warning lights oil is obvious but also the abs light and coolant level,,make sure they go out within 2 seconds
put it in reverse when the engine is warm it should not clunk
put it in 1st and listen for a transmission clunk,,you dont want it
also drive the car in a straight line,,make sure the steering wheel dont oscilate(worn discs)
brake the car hard make sure there is no vibration(worn bush's)
cant think of anything else yet :)
--
www.storme.co.uk
I need some advice please:
Today I drove, for at least 20 minutes, behind a young man who was chatting on his mobile 'phone. He held his 'phone with his right hand and took his left hand off the steering wheel when he changed gear (so no hands at all on the steering wheel). He obviously did not have full control of the car which veered towards the kerb on a few occasions.
What would you have done, if anything??
He was a hazard to other drivers and to himself. Does anyone know what happens if a member of the public reports such an incident to the police? Would they take the report seriously or label the person reporting it as interfering / busybody / prankster / sad??
Your thoughts would be helpful as I took his registration number... (yes, I am that sad).
Thanks
Pol
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I had to have a laugh recently in Poynton. The traffic there is generally difficult because of a narrow high street, with cars trying to get into the COOP mini supermarket. I stopped to let a car across my front and into the supermarket car park. The car turned in, driven with great aplomb by a bright young thing wearing jodphurs and riding boots (stained with stable debris), talking animatedly into her mobile, left hand to right ear. Difficult turn in, parked in a 'disabled' bay, trotted into the shop without a backward glance, still talking.
I have just noticed some moron has stolen my spare from the cradle under the boot. Does anyone know if the new one I have got to buy can be made secure or is it a question of just putting it in my boot?
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PUGs tend to suffer from such thefts as do Zafira's (of late). You can trawl through eBay and find a genuine manufacturer kit or good third party equivalent to secure your spare wheel.
I bought one off eBay the other day for use in my 205. Cost me £15 (inc. postage) while my PUG dealer wanted £37 + VAT. Unfortunately if you have an exterbnally mounted wheel, you gotta have these devices fitted. I can excuse PUG for using such a spare wheel carrying system, sicne the car is a 1992 K plate (14 yrs old) - but any manufacturer using this design (without default protection) on current/newer models - it's just scandolous IMHO.
If you're not in Thames Valley Police area then report it ;)
Thanks HJ for above. Am currently in the process of changing cars here in Spain. EurotaxGlass's suggest a dealers' margin of 25-30%, and my experience seems to bear this out. This must be set against a local market where registrations grew 17% last year (it's all the expats - is there anybody left in UK?). Dealers work a strict five and half-day week - 1.00 pm Saturday they're off - and my local dealer was moaning that he never sees his family! Read more
I?ve been living and working here in Warsaw for a little over a year and it?s a real love hate thing. I miss England so much, the backroomers are the only English speakers I have contact with for days on end. One good thing here though, there?s no real traffic problem, I can drive the 100 miles to my little summer house (shabby hut full of spiders) and arrive within 5 minutes of when I plan to every time.
Browse
Was once trying to sell a Rover 827 Sterling and dithered over whether to clean the engine compartment, which really was pretty clean anyway. Decided not to, in case it upset something, and buyers might think I was trying to hide something.
First potential buyer rejected it, apparently because I "hadn't bothered" to clean the engine bay... Different strokes for different folks I guess.