June 2005
I have to remove the gearbox on my 1990 Passat 1800cc to change the clutch. I have removed the drive-shafts ( at their respective flanges )and everything else that i thought could possibly be in the way but i still can't get the 'box out! The bell-housing is not clearing the fly-wheel enough for it to drop down because the drive-shaft flange is in the way. Where am i going wrong?
Regards
78c20
Read more
hi this is a long story but please bear with me as unless it is solved i am about ready to burn the car!
right my central locking on my '96 peugeot 306 1.9td 3 door is playing up, basically if you press down the passenger button the boot and drivers door go crazy repeatedly locking and unlocking, they then stop but start again after a short interval. if the passenger button is left up then nothing happens. if the drivers button is pressed down then only that door locks. i have checked and repaired the wiring in the drivers door and still no success. i have located the central locking control unit but it is different to all the others ive read about in other threads/forums it is grey and only has one connector on it, which is orange but most others are said to have 2 connectors, 1 white 1 black. i have tried shorting out all the wires suggested to disable the auto unlock feature to no avail and am now totally frustrated with the car. if you use the remote to lock the car it just locks and unlocks the boot/drivers door the passenger door seems to be dead, ive checked the wiring it's fine and something must be happening as when you push it's button down it triggers the other door/boot
does anybody have any suggestions that may help?
cheers
chris Read more
ok bit of a development, now got it so that if you push the passenger door pin down it locks then unlocks all doors/boot, if you push down the drivers door then only that door locks, all wiring has been checked and only fault is a slightly frayed white wire on the passenger side door harness. io think that the motor has gone in the drivers door wot is everyone's opinion? i think im just going to rewire both doors and realign them aswell. has anybody ever wired in an aftermarket door motor instead?
cheers
chris
I am curious to know if incorrect headlight alignment is an automatic MOT fail in the UK?
Here in southern Ireland the rules changed in the last couple of years deeming it an automatic fail, complete with all the hassle involved.
i was also wondering what the average price in the UK is for headlight alignment on the beam setter at a garage?
Cheers! Read more
Assuming the headlamp bulb is correctly fitted and headlamp and adjuster in good working order adjusting headlamp aim is a five minute job althought some dealers charge nearly half hours labour!! and yes headlamp aim if out of alighn will fail the mot.
The locking mechanism on the fold down rear seat back seems to have jammed i.e. I cannot tip the back down; the catch will not move at all and I cannot get at it with a screwdrive etc. the other (n/s) one works ok and on inspecting this the mechanism seems fairly simple to dismantle but only with the back of the seat tipped forward.........
Any ideas? Read more
Hello greatspirit
I have just checked my Weekend and can see it is a problem. I would suggest removing the protective matting from the seat back catch area. Then it might be possible to insert a screwdriver from the rear to trip the catch.
The only other possible way may be to remove the hinges at the base of the seat back and see if you can slide the seat back off the catch. If it does not come fully off then there sould be enough room to remove the mechanism cover screws.
If you have not yet had a problem with the rear door handle, you will as Weekends are prone for these to stick due to lack of lubrication. My Weekend had this problem and then I decided to dismantle the door when it finally stuck. It is possible when closed but not as easy as when the door is open. Remove the internal door panel. Then remove the wiper motor. Finally unbolt the black plastic outside panel. All you will need to do is lubricate the spring and then reassemble the everything. Whilst you have the oil out it would not be a bad idea to lubricate the long wiper spindle as this is also prone to rust causing the wiper to stop working.
Hope you solve your problem.
This morning's post contained a shock; my motor-bike insurer has written to me to say they are cancelling my insurance as of Wednesday and I have to return the certificate to them or I will be committing an offence. No reason, no explanation and no mention of how much of my premium I will get back. They claim they are within their rights as per para. blah blah of their Ts & Cs. The final paragraph of the letter said that if I had any queries I should ask my broker. Of course I jolly well have queries but my broker claims to know nothing about the cancellation and the insurer is not open on Saturdays so I will have to wait until Monday before I can find out what is going on. I have sent a stiff fax to the broker saying I want an explanation and to make sure that I have continuity of cover as I paid my annual premium to them in advance.
Any comment, Mark or anyone?
Hawkeye
-----------------------------
Stranger in a strange land Read more
It was something to do with needing to send a certificate off proving it's security or something.
It would have been nice had they actually told us beforehand.
--
Adam
when they parked their car right in front of my front door yesterday!
But now I am calm :)
Our house is on a main road with the front door about 2 feet from the kerb. It's not a busy road and people quite legally park outside our house.
I have no issues with kerbside parking outside the house. My angle is that if I didn't like it I would not have bought the house.
However the poor chap who transgressed yesterday got it with both barrels!
It all started when I saw him coming back to his car and asked him not to park outside my front door. He misunderstood and assumed I was asking him not to park outside the house. His next mistake was to inform me that the house fronted onto a public road.
I informed him that I was well aware of this, some pointless discussion ensued until I insisted he stand opposite the front door (with the bonnet of his car in the way) to see the exact problem he created. "If you had parked 3 feet further back we would not be having the conversation" I remarked.
On seeing this he apologised unreservedly. He also offered to move it immediately but came up with lame excuses about another car having being too close to allow him to park, which I knew was not an issue as my neighbour, whos car is longer, vacated that parking space that morning, never having blocked my front door. The car that was supposedly in the way was SWMBOs, and it had not moved.
Basically he didn't think. He never realised he was causing a problem until it was pointed out, and he tried to save face by coming up with excuses.
You find anyone who has never been in that position......
H
Read more
L'Escargot - thank you, I know what you mean. You know, I almost love you as much as I love RF. But not quite, of course.
Please, all of you, look after me a bit when Astra demises?
Hi
Its coming up MOT time and my rover has a few niggles. Was wondering whether someone could shed some light on them and if they will fail the MOT...
here goes
1. Clunking on the front suspension, think it is coming from the drivers side..was like this last year and seems not to have got any worse. Only notice it when going over rough broken surfaces.
2. Rumbling noise when I brake, has all new pads front and back and the discs are still ok, this seems to be coming from the back brakes
3. Although not going to fail its MOT on it but the engine rattles at 3000rpm under full load up to around 4000. Would this be the timing chain or something else less serious...Rover dealer did say it could be a fuel issue as they havent heard of chains needing replacing and its had 5K oil changes.
Car is 1999 Diesel with 210,000 on the clock!
Any ideas would be great!
Read more
The suspension on my Metro clunks as well. It's got
through two MOTs though.
It's a totally different suspension system on the metro though.
I enjoy the silly word play in Honest John?s agony column as much as I do the editorial. This week we have a "harmed rubbery", a "dire struts" and a "vendor graph generator" but last week?s "budget regard" is the one that made me drop my tea.
I suspect the editor is the culprit but I like to think it?s HJ Read more
-HJ's not a real person, he's a fictitious character created by a committee of sub-editors. -
Aw come on Cliff, I 've just had all my illusions shattered - next thing you'll be saying theres no Father Christmas.....
Is it just me or do alot of cars come with no side protection strips these days to protect against dings and such like?
Also, the cars that do have them appear to have them low down and not on the extreme of the convex - I mean, the point where the door would most likely knock or be knocked. What is the point in this? Read more
You could fit aftermarket door edge protectors, these help if you open a door near a wall etc. I suppose the same can be said for bumpers- its not as if they actually protect the car, theyre just designed to look fashionable and good.
Quick question - I've been looking to get a diesel saloon car and am interested in both the Audi A4 and VW Passat.
As I understand they're both based on the VAG B5 chassis and so are both fairly similar cars - the Audi basically having the better badge and perhaps slightly better interior.
My problem is I only have a budget of around £12k and want a diesel automatic. First of all, this seems to seriously limit my choice as there are lots of petrol automatics and diesel manuals but not many of both. So that's my first question - why is this?
My second question is this. Look at the following stats, all for the same engine - the 1.9tdi 130:
Car / combined mpg
Audi A4 manual 51
Audi A4 auto 48
VW Passat manual 51
VW Passat auto 39
Why the huge drop for the VW? I thought they'd be the same gearbox? Is the VW auto just a bad box? Does VAG fiddle the quoted numbers to steer you towards an audi? On motorway driving would the difference be this pronounced?
Cheers! Rich Read more
Fuel consumption on Passat auto diesels has been notorious for some years. You will probably be lucky to get 35 mpg. In my experience they're not very pleasant to drive as the old fashioned auto box seems to hunt up and down a lot. I'm sure that you have a reason for wanting an auto diesel but the manual 130bhp Passat is infinitely superior.
Browse
If I remember rightly there is a large bolt in the centre of the flange.Undo this and you can remove the flange.Drain g/box first or oil will spill out.