June 2005
On the Parkers guide web site in the new SLK range there is a 280 listed. Does anyone know when this is going to be available? Read more
Has anyone any experience of an airbag exploding for no reason. A friend of mine has a three year old Clio, still under warranty. While driving along a straight open road his passenger side airbag exploded. It split the seat and pushed it back into the rear seat behind and cracked the seat belt buckle. Renault are being very obstinate despite the car being under warranty and will not do the work which has been estimated at approx. £1300. They maintain that my friend must have had an accident, which he did not. There is no damage on the car whatsoever. He is currently seeing a solicitor and it would be a great help if we could find someone who has had a similar problem. Many thanks in advance. Read more
Here is a link to a defintive statement on explosions and detonations.
tinyurl.com/djrw6
As a matter of interest the original URL was 948 symbols long so Tiny.url earned its keep today!
The engine on my astra g 1.6 16v estate has started to make a horrible rattling, sounds more like a diesel than a petrol. It's done 76000 miles, full vauxhall service and belt change 3000 miles ago, oil etc fine, no warning lights on. Any body got any ideas before I get stung for a huge bill? Read more
To be honest, I'm surprised they didn't.
This has rear drums but I cant understand how the adjuster mechanism works. There is a snub nosed piece with a serrated edge that dosen't seem to connect to anything. I've tried moving it up and down but nothing happens. I'm used to the ratchet wheel on a thread type. How do I adjust up the brakes on this car?
On another note what is this 'Page expired' annoyance that occurs when your in the middle of typing out a message, I never noticed that before? Read more
It is a later model than your Haynes but I cant tell you the year as it was a friend's car I was working on.
There is a cam with a toothed edge which somehow ratchets apart the shoes but this cam doesn't do anything and I can't figure out how it works. So I'm going to have to take the brake assembly apart to study it unless someone can help me.
I know that traders can get a registered keeper removed because they reject a brand new car; does the same system exist for subsequent owners? I ask on behalf of a colleague who has bought a used car from a trader but is having problems (it continually overheats on motorways but is fine in town). If the car is rejected, can the trader have the V5 amended to remove this short "ownership" duration? Read more
No he can't I'm afraid.
Al that dealerships can do with new cars is de-register them, which involves removing the registration attached to that car altogether, not possible without a *very* good reason.
One of my customers once rejected her CRV before she took delivery and we couldn't get it de-registered as the DVLA wouldn't accept our excuse. She had basically had a falling out with the branch manager so she went and ordered the same car from one of our other branches, and no, she wouldn't accept the one that we had for her via another branch, she just wanted to cause as much bother for us as she could...
Blue
Following on from the recent "magic tree" thread and the "car mats" thread from a while ago lets see how this one runs.
I want a new key ring, but I'm also being very fussy.
I used to have a very nice Ford Puma key ring but it has broken and now I'm left with just the ring part holding my keys together.
To replace this key ring I want a motoring related, but not a car makers name key ring, now it has to be nice (which I understand is in the eye of the beholder).
What key rings do you have? and if you've got a nice one where did you get it?
Thanks
Read more
In case your still looking- just came across these
www.extremeautoaccessories.co.uk/products.php?sect...6
got the piston keyrings- but only £3.99 with free p+p.
Anyone else with a Volkswagen group car noticed how prone the paintwork is to stone chipping? My SEAT Ibiza (otherwise admirable) is peppered with stone chips to the extent that I may eventually need to have the bonnet and front wings resprayed. The car is used for commuting over a route that I've used for 12 years. My driving technique has not altered in that time. The roads are the same. My previous cars did not suffer from the problem unduly. I note that Auto Express found the paint on the new VW Fox to be similarly prone to damage. Views? Read more
Anyone else with a Volkswagen group car noticed how prone the
paintwork is to stone chipping?
FWIW, my Octavia has done 112,000 miles and hasn't suffered from stone chips.
The paint on my Micra used to suffer from bird poo though.
I know that most Rovers use BMW and Honda bits but does anybody know which parts City Rovers use?
A car supermarket is selling them off at half-price and I was THINKING of getting one if the spares availability is OK. Read more
Do you honestly believe an Ocean going Car Ship is going
to sit and wait in Portbury while someone decides who's going
to pay for some of its Cargo of Rovers,
I give up. will they? or will they simply say "ah well" and tip them in the drink? or is there another option I missed?
WTM
my brother in law (who is not normally prone to telling lies)
reckons his diesel astra estate which is two or three years old thinks he's getting 70 mpg
he drives allround northwest of england doing service call work to machinery , hes always had vauxhall diesels and swears hes getting 70 mpg
what so you think
(ps i dont believe him either i cant see him getting more than 50 especially as he has to be there quikly and were talking like shopshire to bradford and that sort of journey Read more
As mentioned in another thread, I have the ECO4 version of this car. This is the same car apart from higher gearing and an underbody tray to help aerodynamics. Pottering around to work and back (short 4 mile journeys) with a few longer runs at weekends I average over 55mpg. On long motorway runs at about 80-85 mph I get about 65mpg. For a car of this size, the economy is unbelievable. I have never had less than 50mpg on a tank. The above figures are based on brim to brim calculations.
When the ECO4 version was launched, Vauxhall ran a competition to see who could get the best mpg. From what I remember the person who won averaged 144mpg! So basically yes, 70mpg is achievable even from the standard version with a light foot.
Very underrated in my opinion, no similar sized car can get close for fuel economy.
I'm experiencing a strange electrical problem with my Golf MK3 (1995 Reg) and could do with some pointers...
The car was left unused for a while recently and didn't quite have enough battery to start up. It was just about turning over but wouldn't start. All other electrical features were sluggish but functioning. I took the battery out and recharged it fully.
Now when I reconnect the battery, the car won't turn over at all and the hazard lights come on intermittently, either periodically or when something is activated i.e. electric windows. The battery and starter circuit appear ok, as are all the fuses that I can see. I receive ignition lights as normal. All the electrical features function ok.
It appears that a previous owner installed a (now redundant?) alarm and immobiliser - I found 3 labelled fuses beneath the steering column. Perhaps the immobiliser is still located somewhere and has been affected by removal of the battery? Excuse my ignorance - I've no experience of immobilisers having owned crap cars!
Don't want to take it into a garage, so any help would be most welcome.
Thanks,
Jon.
Read more
You say that the problem started when you took the battery out to charge it. I am assuming that it is not turning over, is this correct?
I had a problem with my 95 VR6 a month ago. I got a new linkage for the gearbox, replaced the linkage then tried to start the car. Wouldn't turn over, but just clicked. Required new starter motor.
Does yours turn over or not? Good idea from Peter D to try bump starting it.
Browse
The 280 is a new model that goes into production this month. It is on the website as it is available to order.