July 2005
On HJ's FAQ section on the site regarding "running in a petrol engine".
My Ford Ka has now covered 3k miles and I was gonna have the oil & filter changed @ 6k.
In the FAQ section it says do not change the oil and filter until the first manufacturer recommended change point (which is 1 year or 12.5k miles). Why shouldnt I change the oil& filter at 6k? and wait unitl 12.5k?
I was just wondering why this was?
Cheers
Rich Read more
I?ve got a K reg Clio 1.4 RT automatic that is giving symptoms of a slipping clutch. With the selector in either D,1,2,3 i get very high revs with next to no forward movement. It drives ok in reverse with no problems.
Just to give you a bit of history I had the gearbox reconditioned about 2 years/ 15,000 miles ago.
The only other problem I?ve had with the gears was about 3 months back when it wouldn?t change up from 1st gear. This was traced to a dodgy alternator not generating the required voltage to allow the gearbox to work properly. As soon as I fitted the new alternator everything was fine.
Anyone got any ideas? Any suggestions you can put my way would be appreciated.
Thanks
Tomboy
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Sorry, i don't know all that much about auto 'boxes, but what colour is the ATF? With only 15000 miles on, is should still be pink, but if its brown, then this would indicate problems within. Could it be worn/slipping brake bands?
Hello,
Any reccomdations re hiring a large-ish family car in the US, not hire car companies rather what car to specify, something good to drive?
Thanks. Read more
One of the many reasons that the closest I get to public transport is generally a taxi.
Although I probably do subject myself to a ride on the Metro about two or three times a year...
Blue
Due to the disruption to rail services as a result of the tunnel incident, I now need to drive to a meeting near junction 4 M25 on Wednesday morning. I will be joining the M25 from the M40. Is in better to go clockwise north of London, or go past Heathrow anti clockwise and approach from the south?
I need to be at J4 by 10.30am, how long do I need to allow to get from the end of the M40 at that time of day? Read more
I do use the Chiltern Railways service from Warwick Parkway to London most months and haven't had a problem yet, I understand they have won awards for good service, so the Tesco tunnel incident is a real blow. The service to Birmingham is excellent too and plenty of parking (motoring link)!
I'm looking at buying a 10 year old Rover 214, but the only thing is it has a scrape on the near side door. It seems to be deep as it goes into the body when the door is opened. The guy selling it said a Rover dealer told him it wasn't worth doing as it would cost about 500 quid, but I'm thinking at non dealer prices how much could it be done for.
I have put some photos up here. Fist one is the whole car. Second is the dent where it goes through to the body when the door is opened and lastly a close up off the door.
img101.imageshack.us/img101/1633/resize4cs.jpg
img101.imageshack.us/img101/7096/resize24hl.jpg
img101.imageshack.us/img101/8622/resize15xy.jpg Read more
From the advice
I'm getting it seems it's not worth paying even 100 quid
for so I'll have to say No. Thanks for the help
guys.
Sensible Choice!
Has anyone else experienced problems with their front brake discs especially after the 2003 recall please? (Cherokee Jeep Limited Edition 1996). Would be pleased to hear.
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What?s the rule with with the GB sticker when taking a car around Europe? Do you need the sticker if your car has the new European style reg plates? I?ve got shot of my tatty old 605 for a smart, shiny, silver 406 and I don?t really want to slap that horrible big GB on it...
Cheers, Dave. Read more
Just been to France and Belgium on business. No GB plate or implied nationality(EU membership od football tribal colours for that matter) on the number plate. Cruising between Paris and Calais this morning at a nifty pace, passed three stationary Traffic cops no attention paid to speed or lack of plate. I never have or will bother. Only stopped once on the French/Spanish border for a little bit of MPHing. Spoke firmly to them in their own language and got off. No mention made of a lack of GB plate then either.
Mrs V and I are in the process of looking for another car to replace her trusty Felicia now she's passed her test and is starting to take the kids out more. Out of the blue, someone has offered to give her a 5 year old Xsara Picasso. At present we don't know anything much about the car, except its colour, the fact that it's only had the one owner and it won't be available until the end of the year but what are these cars like to drive, maintain and insure?
My feeling is that she should give it a try and see how it goes as it's going to cost her nothing and all that really matters is that it's safer than her current car, reliable and she can afford to insure it. I've looked in the books, the reports are better than I'd have thought and although neither of us like the styling, that's a minor factor really. For obvious reasons, if she does accept the car we won't want to just flog it on and get something else so has anyone got any feedback on these cars?
Cheers. Read more
VM,
If you don't want the car, give it to me. I'll sell it of course but I'll be at least £2,500 up.
Orrrr, given my sister starts driving in a month, a good birthday present for her?
--
Adam
One of the women in the cottage next door to us (my parents lease out the cottages around our farmhouse) drives dangerously fast in an ancient car. She is a learner driver and regularly drives alone in the car. She has failed her test 4 times to date.
I'm certain she's going to have a serious accident soon in the Devon lanes - I've met her once and she was going three times my speed.
Parents aren't keen on going to the police about it, as it'd be pretty obvious who told them from what I can tell. It just pains me to see someone so blatently driving with no [read: invalidated, if she has it at all] insurance, and I feel incredibly sorry for whoever she hits, as she will someday. Read more
www.shopthem.com
?
Dvd
I am currently giving consideration to replacing my aging vauxhall Corsa with something a little more inspiring to drive (it would also be useful if it was up to a little light towing).
Bearing in mind it essentially a banger that has been 100% reliable for the last couple of years, maybe this bangernomics stuff isn't complete rubbish. (Although I only do about 3K miles a year so maybe it's not much of a challenge)
Therefore I was wondering about an old Audi 80 or VW passat as they seem a useful size and can be picked up for just over a grand in reasonable condition.
Prices (in general) don't seem as cheap as they were a few years ago so I was wondering whether this form of motoring still makes sense or if I should just stop being so tight and go and buy a proper car. Read more
I've seen a quattro 90 coupe for sale for £600. (As my father would have said, £600 of trouble, but there you go!)
Certainly the 2WD version 20v is widely available in the sub £1k region.
Browse
Lot of paranoia here about changing oil. Better to change in than not, IMHO.
The 'running in oil' story is a bit of a hangover from years back. They still fill certain engines with a slightly lighter grade of oil at the factory, but its mostly the same stuff as used in service. After the first 1-2k miles most of the bedding in will have taken place anyway.