May 2005
Only just motoring content, but I'm running out of ideas. (sorry mods)
Little brother has just bought a '60s VW camper imported from California in reasonably good nick. He (and I) were growing up in the 60's and I was going to make up a CD compilation for him when he and his mrs go off camping in the beast. Suggestions and additions most welcome.
Beach Boys - California dreaming.
Cliff & Shadows - Summer holiday.
.............
Read more
Anyone used any of these ?
Seen on e bay includes the refrigerant, lube oil and sealant for any small leaks.
I'm not trying to advertise this product, I have just bought one today and wondered if anyone had any comments on how good they were ? Read more
Maybe I'll just try the leak detector and recharge then.
Against my better judgement I was recently persuaded to do some work on a 2001 Espace V6. I usually avoid Renualts like the plague - but the owner is the husband of my wife's close friend.
Anyway, the car wouldn't start and after several hours with a 'scope and meter I eventually found a broken wire running from the crank sensor to the ECU. The wires are really thin and the plastic had gone hard and fractured - this on a car only four years old!
Anyway I test drove the car and noticed that it was missing slightly and the gearbox was crunching a bit due to 'clutch drag'. I have discovered that the crank has excess endfloat (presumably due to thrust bearing wear - at only 60k miles) - someone else can break that news!
The slight missing seems most likely due to the car needing new plugs and possibly also HT leads. Snag is that the rear plugs look almost impossible to reach. I thought there must be a 'trick' to get to them so 'phoned a mate who has dealt with these cars before. No trick - the whole inlet manifold has to come off to change the plugs (and you need the dexterity of a circus monkey) - book time is 3.5 hours! At typical dealer labour rates that around £250 + parts to change the plugs! Nice one Renault! I don't think I'll be doing it. Read more
I can't speak for the Espace mentioned, but Renault do not change plugs automatically every x,000 miles. Plugs are changed when an engine performance analyser says they are needed. The plugs in my 2-litre Mégane are still going strong after several years.
Hi there.. I live in Macedonia, Balkan part of Europe.. I'm thinking what car to buy and mainly i'm thinking between Honda Jazz, or some car in a bit higher class..
Honda Jazz here cost 12190 with full except side air bags (that i consider as a negative thing), and steel 14" wheels
For a bit more i can get Toyota Corolla 1.4 97 ks (13700 EUR), with same equipment except instead of auto climate it's manual, and plus 2 Air Bags.
Same price its Citroen C4 1.4 , and Renaault Megane dCI 1.5
So what do u think?
Which one to get ?
greetings
Darko Read more
The problem is that rent a car's here dont have Toyota Corolla or Honda Jazz.. Only german or korean cars. So i cant even rent for a test drive.. From the other side i drive now Suzuki Vitara 1992 , short version (three doors), which is very very firm, but i like high position of sitting.. How stiffer is when u compared to Corolla?
Also i forgot to mention that i have a dog that we took with us very often so i like the Jazz seats (rear going up, so dog can sit behind withoud putting hair on the seats), and also i need to be able to put two mountain bikes in the back...
greetings
Darko
Hi everyone,
I found this site whilst looking for some motor trade information, & wondered if anybody could give me some advice ?
i am a very small "work from a workshop" type dealer. Not dissimilar to the guys working from home.
I sell probably only 3-5 cars a month, mainly in the £3000 - £5000 price bracket & have never had a complaint until now !
I sell at way below forecourt prices, usually around CAP or GLASS's TRADE price & as such invite buyers to do any inspection, have a report or whatever else they want within reason. But, with extremely narrow margins, I can not offer a warranty inclusive & buyers sign the receipt to this effect (basically a trade sale)
Sound fair so far ??
A week ago i sold a car i had used myself for 2-3 weeks & it was a very good example, everything worked & it drove lovely. 6 days after the transaction, buyer emails me with a host of problems ranging from the clock not working to a noise coming from the aircon unit. I ask him to bring it back & we will look over it & come to some mutual agreement (i.e. WE pay for anything that we both consider unreasonable -- although this wasn't the deal when it was sold so cheap).
He refuses & wants money back, then money back less a "drink", then money back less 10% !!! Now by this time I am getting alarm bells ringing in my head - he won't drive it back 60 miles to me & expects ME to go there, he wants shot of it at any expense ??? & seems to think it's MY problem ??
Is it my problem ??
I really feel for this guy if he has had a run of bad luck in 7 days, but for only doing "2 or 3 local runs into town" he's found an awful lot of troubles from a car that we did 1000 miles in during a 2-3 week period (mostly hard motorway work on business).
If i had no morals, I would tell him to shove it !
Everybody I have spoken to about it tells me I owe him nothing.
I want him to bring it here & let us spend some time on it just to make him happy - even though this will mean the car will change from being a small profit to a loss in all likelyhood.
Just wanted some views from other traders or buyers -- i just feel i am being a soft touch & possibly being taken advantage of, not sure yet !
Read more
thanks for that one.
Very helpful & constructive post, I didn't realise the TS website had so much information. I feel a bit happer now, at first it looks very one sided but upon closer inspection it seems pretty fair & i have little to worry about if the buyer does decide to jump off the deep end. Hopefully it will not come to that & it will all be resolved amicably, we're certainyl going in the right direction.
thanks for your reply ;)
Afternoon all, got a maddening problem with a mini at the moment. It's a 1971 model with a 998cc engine. I bought it as a light restoration project, and it has been running ok trundling in and out of the garage for various bits of bodywork to be repaired etc. However, today i've gone out and it refuses to start, not even the slightest hint of even firing.
So, i've spent the last 4 hours fiddling around and it still refuses to play ball. I've replaced the plugs, rotor arm and distributor cap, and checked every plug is sparking ok, which they are. Fuel supply is ok, and i keep taking the plugs out after a good bout of churning it over, and they are wet with fuel. So, i have a spark and i have fuel, but they don't seem to want to get together and fire!!!! GRRRRR
Last thing i done was checked the timing statically, and set it so the points open at TDC (as recommended in the manual for static setting). Still no joy. So, i've given it a good kick and packed up to come and write this email. So, anyone out there got any clues???? Please help, before i chop it up and put it in the wheely-bin!!
Jonathan...
Read more
Hi,
It sounds like you have an adequate spark at the plugs - even if the timing were set at TDC it would still fire but run very badly. My thoughts would be to drain the existing fuel and refill with fresh. Petrol today does not last long standing and makes life hell with starting. You think you've got a good supply of fuel but in fact it's useless and won't fire up.
For the cost of a gallon ofpetrol its worth a try.
Hope this helps
--
These are the views of Robin the Technician with 35 years in the trade. I fix, therefore I am...
I have an illness. I have to buy the latest gadgets, gizmos and things that make beepy noises. Because of this, Tom Tom Go has caught my eye.
Just one, simple question.
Is it worth £380?
--
Adam Read more
Blue I would be delighted to read your consumer evaluation of the Tom Tom GO.
P.S. What happened to the job in Honda sales?
regards
Godfrey H
Would anyone have any views on a good second-hand car to get for £3-4K? I know very little about cars so will probably buy from a car supermarket (Car Giant?) Main use will be around town but with some forays a few hours away. Was wondering about a Ford Ka (looking at recent postings...) and a Peugot 406. Nice to have something that looks reasonable...though mainly needs something reliable (will probably take out dealer warranty)
All help welcomed! Many thanks
James
Read more
I bought a Toyota Corolla 1.4 GS 3 dr for £4k from a Toyota dealer about 8 months ago and think it's much better put together than my sister's Focus. I've certainly got a lot more for my money, and whilst it's dull, it's not likely to break down. The Nissan's another good buy that'll go on forever and is far cheaper second hand than the comparative Focus. A mate of mine has just bought a Nissan to drive from Reading to Liverpool every week and is very pleased. I use mine to go from Somerset to Liverpool every other week without problems. The Focus is good, it's whether you're prepared to pay extra for it? For peace of mind I'd go to a franchised dealer. With a bit of haggling you'll get a good deal and if it's 4 or 5 years old, they'll only hold onto the best cars.
Best of Luck.
I have an N reg Ford Escort 1.8 si.
It been running with reduced power for a little while - for which i could not find the cause.
Suddenly it lost more power and started hissing from under the bonnet. I managed to limp home not being able to get beyond 2nd gear.
The engine was very hot when i opened it and since then I have been unable to start it.
Can anyone help me please
Read more
Definately a blocked exhaust, most likely the cat has broken up and a piece of the monolith has plugged the pipe. Removing the lambda sensor will allow the car to be driven (noisily) to a repair shop.
Andrew
--
Simplicate and add lightness!!
I always like to keep one eye on some other motoring forums, sometimes for nothing other than entertainment value. I recently read a post about changing oil on Imprezas where it was so important to protect the big end bearings that it was recommended that the filter be filled with oil before fitting, the spark plugs and crank sensor removed before filling engine with oil and turning the ignition several times. Replace plugs and sensor followed by happy motoring. I know dealership services are costly but just how more costly would they be if the dealers followed the above!
however, someone posted this in response - thought I would relay it to you for your enjoyment.
The Oil Change according to the Old Ladies on here:-
1. Remove Oil Filler Cap, 'gently' - take at least 5 minutes or the threads will strip and the exhaust will fall off in a weeks time.
2. Carefully jack up the front of car, make sure that only the 'special' car jacking points are used or the steering wheel will be upside down next time you see it (the special jack points are only known to a select few, not the main dealers!)
3. Locate the Sump Plug, do this using an Inspection Lamp with a 100W bulb - do not, under any circumstances, use a bulb of lower wattage or the splash cover under the engine will melt and pieces will be sucked up into the MAF and then immediate engine failure will occur.
4. Undo Sump Plug whilst humming 'Oil Be Home For Xmas' - do NOT sing any other song or the Radio will never tune into any local stations again and the aerial will need to be replaced at the next service.
5. Allow Oil to drain into a Tupperware Perspex Jug - use only perspex as other plastics react with the old oil and particles travel back through the draining oil and attack the Big-End Bearings.
6. Whilst Oil is draining run around car 15 times in a Morris Dancing Outfit with the special Subaru bells attached to shoes.
7. Remove Oil Filter by unscrewing anti-clockwise 5 times, then clockwise 2 times, continue until filter is free ..... failure to do this will result in the new Filter not filling up with Oil on start-up.
8. Fill Oil Filter with Oil and screw new Oil Filter on and replace Sump Plug - there is some discussion about the order that these need to be replaced, many an evening in a B.O. smelling corner of a dark pub has been spent mulling over the merits of both choices ..... there is a 'special' way, but we are not sure what it is yet.
9. Start filling the engine with Oil - Synthetic only please!! and of course, Subarus need 'special' Oil - Mobil made a 'special' Oil just for us!!
10. Now it gets complicated, the engine start procedure ...... remove the spark plugs, coil packs and battery - remove the seats and rear boot/tailgate - ensure Octane Booster is removed from tank as it might spontaneously start the car when you are not ready - take the drive belts off - turn engine over, s....l....o....w....l....y - engine should be turned over at least 67 times to ensure adequate Oil film coverage.
11. Return all components and start engine whilst whistling the theme tune to TITANIC ................ if you are VERY lucky the engine will not shoot a con-rod through the block (this normally happens to MY96 cars which are MicaPink in colour) - but ALL Model Years can be affected equally as bad.
12. If the engine started without any problems, then don't be smug as the MAF sensor will blow up your engine within 3 days in any case!!!!!
OR, do as the Main Dealers do:-
Change Oil - start engine - check for Oil drips - return to customer!!
Leon
Acknowledgemt to 'pete' at scoobynet - original poster. Read more
Ive heard that VW oil filters have a valve to keep
some oil pressure when you turn off, which should protect the
engine. Has anyone heard of this? and are there any aftermarket
oil filters that have a valve?
Virtually all decent quality filters have an 'antidrainback' valve. This doesn't happen when you're changing to a new filter though.
.jpg)
I'm not sure of the exact release date, bu it's got the right 'feel' - whatever else you put on it, you've just GOT to end the compilation with Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World