July 2005
Sorry, I don't normally complain about pop-ups on this site but that Nissan pop-up is driving me nuts. The roll down one is bad enough but I appreciate this site has got to pay its way. The new pop-up appears on every screen and clicking on it in the hope it will then go away only gives a "page cannot be displayed" error!!! Read more
Mine is a 95 M, 170,000 miles. The car has been serviced regularly, and has always run well. The other day it suddenly began to run roughly, no mechanical noises or bangs. Now it is difficult to start, and runs on 3 as far as I can tell. White smoke from the exhaust, and a plume of ditto if you take the dipstick out: the dipstick does not blow out of its hole. A garage diagnosed piston blow by, but it happened very suddenly,without noises. Apart from what you would expect when not firing, it is not noisy when running. Could it be say an inlet valve or injector fault (injectors never needed attention so far), and white smoke from crankcase coming via crankcase breather? Have not had cylinders pressure tested yet. Any ideas anyone?
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Thanks for all the advice guys. In the end I got an engine off e-bay for £200, and with the tow-in (a fair distance- and fitting, replacement of service items like cam belts, filters oil, I paid just under £500. My normal guy would have charged over £600, plus a tow-in, about £800 in all. It was the head gasket as it happened. It has been running for about 2 months now, and only one small problem with the temp sensor leaking water, a tighten it up job.
Every dealing I have ever had with Traffic Police has been, at the least, polite and professional. It has frequently been an excellent service.
I think speed cameras are a good idea and there should be thousands of the things everywhere; they should be hidden, camouflaged, disguised and generally there to catch people.
I think an awful lot of the speed limits in this country are a nonsense, and I long for the day when the camera fools stop whining about cameras and work out that the real issue is the speed limits.
People with no insurance on their cars should have their car crushed and their licence thrown away.
Ditto drink/drivers.
The Congestion Charge is a good idea, or at least it would have been if it had been backed by an investment in public transport and out of town, secure, car parking. It should actually be about £50 with exemptions for obvious cases. Public transport should run for 24 hours so that people can get in an out of work at anytime.
Truck drivers (truckies) should realise that they are not there to police traffic merging and generally don't understand how it works anyway. They should concentrate on getting their own house in order first.
Legislation against SUVs, 4x4s and most other vehicles is normally based upon either the politics of envy or the sincerely held belief that if I don't want to do it you shouldn't be allowed to. (please note I said "normally")
That about covers it, now bring it on................... Read more
I've always wanted to meet Ann Robinson in the flesh.
:-)
madf
SWMBO has a 35k miles 306 Sedan worth a grand tops, but which is as mint as a ten year old car used every day ever will be; Fit as a fiddle mechanically, spotlessly clean (and I mean spotlessly - I have the car cleaning bug only a couple of stops short of concourse merchants!) inside and out even down to door jambs and engine bay, and is a complete hoot to hustle along a twisty and bumpy B road. It is also totally reliable and costs buttons to run, so run it we probably will for a few years yet.
But, horror of horrors...
Having waxed lyrical about how totally rust free this car is, I read the other day that they are susceptible to rust of the rain gutter that runs across the top of the door apertures. Sure enough, peeling the rubber channels off, my wife's 306 gutters are quite badly rusted.
The rain gutter itself is a U-section channel that is brazed on to the roof along one face of the U. This face of the U is simply flush with the roof, and the other carries an inverted U section rubber seal that mates with the doors. The rain then gathers in the bottom of the U and runs to the A, B, or C pillar where it is lead away.
The rust has extended down the entire height of the side of the U that is gripped by the rubber channel, and is but a millimetre or so from eating in to the roof itself (which is presumably much better protected with zinc etc so should rust more slowly if it rusts at all)
So, what to do?
Leave it as it is?
Pick the loose rust off, paint with Dinitrol, and stick the rubber channel back on?
Spend a couple of hundred notes getting it sorted properly (channel ground off and a new one fitted)?
Or?
Or?
Or?
Remember we will probably keep the car for a few years more.
TVM!
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Yup, just what I said to the missus thanks Mark. Second opinion was sought though as it is apparently a common problem, so there may have been (or be) another cost effective method I haven't thought of.
Coming tonight a female driver had broken down (well, her car had) in the outside lane of the westbound M4. She was holding a mobile therefore had clearly alerted someone. She was standing on the grass between the armco.
I felt a little bad at passing her by.
Do you think I should have been an angel and stopped some yards before her, centrally in the lane, with wheels pointing towards the armco, thus extending her safety bubble and waited with her until the emergency services arrived? Read more
You could have stopped at the next emergency phone and called the police from there, that way they know where the problem is.
I've not seen my car for 7 weeks now,
its a 1 year old landrover, the gearbox broke on 22may, (10,000 miles on clock)
Landrover are being seriously unhelpful, they've promised my replacement gearbox will be delivered to the dealership who's holding the car 3 times
....guess what its never turned up
I drive a seven seater as I need a big car, i also tow a trailer every weekend & at least once during the week
guess what , they offered me a ford focus as a replacement-
so we've had 2 children to a seat belt & ruined weekends for the last few weekends ,
I've just been told if the dealer cant get one of a few gear boxes that arrive
on friday ( and guess what there arnt enough to go round, my car could be off the road several more weeks)
ok.... besides being very upset about the whole escapeade, what would you do... revenge... or publically shame landrover....ideas please (legal tho')
thanks Read more
If its a Freelander or Defender then it may be a Rover-designed gearbox (not sure if Rover or Ford were making them in recent years). I think the Disco used a non-Rover 'box.
Basically, look in the handbook. If the gearbox oil for your vehicle is listed as 'MTF94' then its a Rover box. It could be that there is a supply problem......
I think this one is for apprila! Want to change auto trans fluid but cant find a spec for the oil dealer wont sell it to me as they only buy it in bulk? I think it is synthetic? My local auto place John Makie (glasgow) tells me the the transmision is asian warner but others say it is mitsubishi's own! Dealer calls the oil SP 3,but I cant cross ref that to any other eg dexron 3 or 3. So please help car getting serivced tomorow.
Thanks in advance. Read more
If it is newer than 5-6 years old then I would stick with SP-III. Have you tried Hyundai/Kia dealers?
UK dealers of all brands seem to be increasingly difficult about supplying fluids. SP-III sells for about £4 a litre in the US and is also available in Germany at a similar price. In the UK they won't even sell the stuff!
Maybe take along a clean container and ask them to decant some into it for you?
I can give you the URL of a US supplier who sells an SP-III 'clone' fluid, but it will cost about £8 a litre and take up to 6 weeks to arrive.
We've just taken delivery of one of these to use as our unmarked ANPR car. It appears that in Skoda land everybody is under six feet tall because I find it impossible to get comfy in. The wheel adjustment is appalling. The carpet on the passenger side is sodden front to back and the workshop doesn't know why. And the ANPR keeps crashing, so not too good a start. I very nearly bought one of these once, glad I didn't. Read more
And no, it can't be bought as an optional extra at the Skoda dealer.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
Hi All
Another "what's it worth" thread I'm afraid.
In the new year my company car will be up for change, and I have the option to by it at the end of it's lease. If its worth it I would like to buy it and then sell it on for a bit of spending money.
The car
Ford Focus 2003(53) 2004my (so side air bags and ABS)
1.6 zetec estate
Climate pack
Metalic paint (black)
It will have approx 90,000 miles on it by then.
What sort of money should I be able to get for it from say a private sale, or selling to a dealer/car sales place.
Thanks in advance Read more
Not sure about a private sale, but I can tell you there won't be many dealers who want a 90,000 mile Focus, those that do will probably not be offering anything fantastic.
Do none of your family or friends need a decent used car?
Blue
Standard steel wheel size is 195/60R15, offset ET60. Local wheel dealer says its ok to fit Fox 3 Evo alloy wheels of same size but with an offset of ET42, which means they will stick out 18mm further. Experts say when replacing wheels you should stick to original offset as much as possible otherwise you will prematurely wear out suspension and steering components and tyres. Who should I believe ? Is a difference of 18mm too big ? What should I do ? Read more
What age is the car? If it's the current model then the recommended offset for alloys is 55mm.
Andy
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