June 2005
I have a 14 month old A4 which is a great car apart from the following annoying issue with the CC.
When the car is warming up and the CC is set to say 20 degrees and in 'Auto' mode, the air from the vents just gets hotter and hotter until all of a sudden it decides the temp has been reached and the airflow becomes cool. This is bearable on really cold mornings but now the weather is warmer it makes me wants overide the system and switch the fan off. Conversely, once the temperature has been reached in the cabin, it then seems to be too cold again, and the system never seems to kick back in and warm up again. I have had cars with CC for the past 7 years and have never come across such a radical system up till now.
Has anyone else seen this in their Audi ?
The dealer, of course says there is nothing wrong with it. Read more
Killing a few idle moments in Woolworths today, I spotted Inforad GPS-based fixed-position radar detectors on sale at around GBP75.
This seems a reasonable sort of price (assuming the company stays in business and you can continue to download updates), but are they any good?
I've tried a few searches on the site and can't find a reference so... any opinions? Read more
A search under The Back Room produces
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=30961&...e
I am also interested but there does not appear to be much feedback from purchasers
Hi.
I've just acquired an Escort 1.8D van.
It was registered in 1996 but seems to have been manufactured late 1994, according to the VIN number.
I lost a bit of transmission fluid when removing the driveshafts yesterday and I'm now somewhat confused as to what the correct fluid to use in the box.
The transmission code on the VIN plate is 'W', which translates to "manual (5 speed)". Not helpful, but it's not the code for the MT or MTX box.
The Ford TIS manual doesn't really help, and the CARDATA cd says use 80w gear oil.
The owners manual suggests it's a "type B" box and to use Ford spec ESD-M2C-186-A, but the shift pattern earlier in the owners book suggests it's a "type A" box - and that uses Ford WSD-M2C200-B
Can you see why I'm confused??
The stuff that dropped out smelled more like gear oil than ATF, but thats not the best yardstick.
How about just using a good 75w90 synthetic or semi-synth??
Anybody got any clues?
Thanks
Read more
Thanks Mike.
I agree that fully synth may be overkill in this case, but I'd really like to understand what the correct grade of oil should be.
I may well go in to the local dealer and see if there is a spark of enlightenment there, but previous visits have prejudiced me somewhat in that department...
Haven't had time to look for links, but saw on the News tonight that Renault have turned in a massive profit this year, one of the most profitable car companies in the world.
Not sure how much, if any, of it is state owned now but there seems to be some similarities between it and Rover. One item on the report got my attention. Over 60% of cars bought in France are from French makers (not certain where built). However in Britain, albeit we don't have too many genuine British manufacturers, but British people seem to turn their noses up at British cars (Rover being the perfect example). Obviously a big part of this is the fact that it was widely agreed that Rover were well beyond their sell by date.
Everyone has their own opinion of Renault but one thing you cannot slate them for is their lack of investment in their design and innovation. All their range is very fresh and with the new Clio being unveiled this week, I am sure they will continue to grow. Read more
Someones going to say it, 85.23% of statistics are ...........
I need to replace my 2 year old map CD and would seem to have a choice between these two for a VDO Dayton factory fit system. Has anybody had experience of both and if so which would you recommend?
Many thanks, Jon. Read more
forum.parkers.co.uk/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6431
The above is a ridiculously long thread regarding Renault SatNav. But I'm pretty sure you will find it useful.
While i'm in 70's retro mode: When and on which car was the last vinyl roof seen?
Were they factory supplied or a DIY thing ? If the latter what happened if you got a wrinkle? Read more
Think it was the Cortina 1600E that boosted the image of the vinyl roof.
I bought a 18 month old white 1600E that came already fitted with a black vinyl roof.
The centre section had some form of padding under it and two lines of stiching completed the overall effect.
It certainly made the 1600E much quieter.
13 years later & over 100k it was still in perfect condition.
It was certainly admired in those days.
My company has offered me the chance to buy a Rover 75 CDT Classic, first registered 06/05/04 (04 reg).
It was run by a recently retired director, and was given to me when he left. It has 12k on the clock, and appears to hev been well looked after.
If I don't buy it I was told it would be sold back to the supplying dealer.
Should I buy it? If yes, how much should I offer. It has not been offered for general sale.
Any advice welcome?
JW Edinburgh. Read more
Note that the last figure in each line is the price in pounds. I use a US keyboard that doesn't have a pound symbol so I couldn't insert it when I pasted from the website.
Hi, can someone tell me when the cambelt should be changed on a Volvo V40 2.0T. My mothers car has just gone into be serviced at a main dealer and they are on about changing the cambelt cos the car is six years old. The thing is it has only done 36,000 mls!!!!. this can't be right surely
Thanks in anticipation Read more
6 yrs is a year longer than I'd ever leave a
cambelt to run.
5 yrs or 60K is my general rule of thumb.
--
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
OK, we'll see what the garage find when they inspect, many thanks
What do BRers recommend for a cheapish panel van - Transit-type. Must be LWB, high roof, with sliding side door. Probably doing 5k miles pa. Budget 1-2k.
LDVs look extraordinarily cheap. They apparently have Transit engine & 'box? (Yet a thread on here in 2001 suggests that they are a complete shed.)
And can anybody translate the various, rather complex, names that the different manufacturers use for their vans.
TIA.
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Thanks, all - particularly for comments as to why those LDVs are so cheap.
David, I've found those Pug Boxers are *very* nice to drive when new. Have they stood up to long use?
The last Transit I had any sort of 'relationship' with was an ancient 1987 vintage, and was a pig to drive! More modern ones I've found to be quite good, but not up to the standard of the Boxer.
Two thoughts on your advertised vans.
1. 'New head gasket' Is this a good thing? Cars that eat them, eat them, cars that don't, don't.
2. 'guaranteed for life electrics' on the Renault. Is this serious?
As a boy, I was deperate for stickers and couldn't understand why my dad wouldn't let me put them on the car. I once wrote to Fram filters and they sent me a FRAM FRED sticker, which I think was a dog wearing a crash helmet. I also used to buy Castrol service stickers from a boy whose dad had a garage and he'd procured a roll of them.
My holy grail which I never managed to get was an oval STP sticker, found on most rally cars in the 1970s. Can you still get STP ? Read more
One tip if you want to keep a special sticker such as a Glastonbury Festival ticket, or a Swiss Motorway Pass, is to first stick on the window a patch of "not very sticky" film such as used on exercise books or the stuff that covers the front of new glass things like microwave ovens. Then stick the "super-duper-you'll-never-get-this-off" sticker onto it's weaker compatriate. Hey presto, it'll peel off easily and be usable another day..
Browse
Not just the Audi, the EATC on my Mk3 Mondeo Ghia X, was the same. I lessened the hot and cold flushes effect by pulling the sensor out of its housing and laying it down behind the lower dash panel so it draws air from behind the dash, instead of directly in front of my knee (at body temperature). It also works better when the aircon is manually switched off.