I saw today an ad for the new LDV Maxus, the replacement for the Pilot (nee Sherpa).

Is it a re-badge job like the Primastar / Master / Vivaro, or a legit own effort? Read more

1988 1300 polo,

ive had a couple of random power losses this week..the car loses nearly all power and kangeroos as it struggles along..doesnt seem to misfire

a quick check over hasnt revealed anything obvious...could a coil break down randomly like this?? theres no pattern to it all..hot/cold , long /short journeys Read more

Just returned from a couple of weeks on the Isle of Wight, where we rented a cottage - our first visit. As I have an 8 year old daughter we had to see most of the major attractions and beaches. This involved quite a lot of driving on the island as we were staying in Freshwater, close to the Needles. My observations might be of interest to other drivers.

The Red Funnel service out of Southampton. We travelled on a Saturday (2.30 ferry) and found the final 2 miles to the terminal to be clogged with stop start traffic and took over 45 minutes. Luckily we were early and arrived only 5 minutes late for the check-in time, only to find the ferry was running 45 minutes late anyway. The jam on the roads also meant the ship could not unload quickly and many cars remained on the ramp for quite a long time, delaying loading. Interestingly the ferry decks were marked out with three lines either side of a central barrier, but they only used 2 lanes either side. I believe this is due to cars becoming wider.

The roads on the island certainly need a few comments. Most of the roads had fairly sensible speed limits bearing in mind this is a holiday island and the roads do twist and turn, and have reduced width in places. The condition of the roads was very poor, I do not think I have ever driven so many rough and undulating surfaces in my life. The roads certainly need a lot of rebuilding to correct settlement, rather than resurfacing. There are a number of speed cameras, some in the oddest places where I felt they were most likely to catch the unwary. I also saw one mobile speed camera as well, on the route to the East Cowes ferry - naughty in my opinion.

The other big moan was the public toilets. We visited quite a few in towns and by the beaches. Disgusting was the general standard. My wife said there rarely was any paper, soap or hand driers - never all three. Not forgetting to mention the aroma. The Isle of Wight Council do not do themselves any favours with tourists with such poor standards.

My daughter rated Robin Hill the best attraction we visited. Generally the prices for things were reasonable and you felt you had value for money. Overall there was more than enough to do for 2 weeks, but I doubt if we will return in a hurry. Read more

Hi I have a 2.0 dti 2002 Vectra C with 66K on the clock. The car was sometimes relunctant to start if on a slight incline but would eventually start. Recently the ECU light has come on and the engine has went into emergency / limp home mode. I toook it to an independent Vaux specialist, who ran tech 2 on it, but could find no real reason for the fault. He suggested replacing the crankshaft sensor which was done but this hasn't rectifired the error as when I go above 3K revs the light comes on and the limp home mode arrives! although there is more power in the emergency mode than before? The garage suggest that it maybe fuel pump at a cost of >£1000.00! Any suggestions?
Another point,when I turn the ignition off the light goes out until it starts and goes above 3K revs!
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Aaarrrgggg!!!

My garage managed to make a mess of dojng the timing during its MOT .... they used the wrong timing device and snapped the belt, which in turn sent all 16valves into the Head!!!

So ... they're fixing it - reconditioning what they can and replacing the rest.

My Q is, is this serious damage? Will it ruin the cars performance? and what about it's resale value?

Hope someone can help me out ...

R.
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