September 2005
Mate is thinking of chopping in his troublesome focus for the mentioned car. he is going to look at it again tomorrow with a view to buy it. Its 18 months old with 12K on the clock and will be straight swap for his 1.8 Y plate focus.
Are there any problems that he should be looking out for?? Read more
I've a 1990 Astra has a rear brake that locks. Its belongs to a relative who had new wheel cyclinders fitted followed by new retaining springs but the handbrake kept sticking. The car was left in a garage for 3 months and initially ran ok then the handbrake started sticking almost randomly. More worrying the back wheel has twice locked up while moving. It immedately free's itself due to momentum and the car carries on as normal. I've removed the drum and all looks ok and have loostened the handbrake cable a bit but when I started the car the brake had seized again.
Any ideas - I'm unwilling to pay much for a repair as the car is so old.
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We've considered this sort of problem before;
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=26197
On a 1990 Astra, I'm sure there will be enough of a wear lip to make brake drum removal difficult however the brakes have been adjusted.
However, on a 1990 Astra, I would double check to make sure that the hollow rivets (as were fitted to OE brake shoes) are clear of dust. If the void above the rivet head clogs up, this can lead to handbrake sticking.
Spragging of the brakes on the move does suggest a more serious problem. Perhaps the drums are very badly worn?
Number_Cruncher
Hi
My Astra 1.7 DTi suffers I feel from varied performance. Sluggish sometimes, fine at others.
Would a faulty MAF affect the car in this manner, or is it all or nothing? It's done 92k and it's the Isuzu 16v version.
Is it worth a prod around, only I've read on here that they are extremely fragile.
Also, would this other query be the same potential MAF problem? My engine light illuminates at motorway speeds and makes the car very responsive with lots of black smoke on acceleration.
I need expert advice. Thanks in advance.....
Mobile Office Read more
Well, I'd like to say many thanks for posting up the end result and I'm sure it WILL help other owners with similar problems. I wish I could get similar advice regarding a problem on another Vauxall, this time a Frontera, but advice appears a bit elusive!
Just had my VW Sharan serviced at a Nationwide Autocentre, they report that the spare wheel mechanism is not working properly and needs replacing. Told me that this is so common that they keep a spare one in stock and showed me it.
Is this really a common problem on Sharans or is it all VWs, or am I being spun a line??
They want nearly £170 parts and labour to replace it.
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Hi sphere, I have same problem with an 03 VW Sharan. I took my spare wheel off, except it wouldn't come off so i had to smash the white plastic holder that fits through the spare underneath. I need to replace the white bit but probably means I have to replace the whole cable and all. Would love a cheaper solution because at those crazy prices I will just have to drive without a spare. :(
Can you help?...
2004 zafira diesel 20000 miles,after a long journey which ended in comming down two long hills the car was parked on a slope with the hand brake ON. after about 5/8 mons the car rolled back down the hill stoping with the aid of a large tree!! the car was started but would not move forward until the hand brake was released.
Have any other reader experienced this problem or is this a one off
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How many of us have climbed into a parked car, driven there by AN Other, to find the handbrake so feebly engaged as to be useless?
Many years ago the RAF taught me to fly, and in the Bulldog we had a parking brake. The only way to get a good bite on the parking brake was to push the foot brakes on full before applying the parking brake.
I still do this in cars/lorries I drive today - am I doing any harm?
Whenever we need a tax disc for one of our vehicles, I write the cheque and my wife takes it in and comes back with the disc. No card number on the back of the cheque as in every other over the counter purchase.
Question is this; no card number = no guarentee that the cheque will be honoured. What does the Post Office/ DVLC do if your cheque bounces? because you already have the tax disc!!! Read more
ANPR will only activate from VRM not what is dispalyed Excise Licence wise.
Ford Focus will show as Licence having been reported as stolen.
Nissan Micra will show as having no Excise Licence. With one displayed, from details of which will show reported stolen. Yabba dabba doo.
dvd
Am looking at buying a new pc.
came across a new name,to me anyway - IT Works.
anyone know if it is a good make. I suspect its Comets own brand as I have not seen it elsewhere. But for £300 base unit 512meg athlon 64 200gig hard drive looked good.
www.comet.co.uk/comet/html/cache/567_259314.html {Link added by DD}
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Steve Read more
To compound the problems experienced by my son, it now seems that the modem (another cheap & nasty, massed produced piece of equipment imported from China) is also faulty and has clouded the issue and final solution to his problems.
Since swicthing from BT recently I have been plagued (at least fortnightly) with Onetel telemarketing calls. It sounds like it's from a foreign, probably Indian, call centre (why do companies not realise that 1) most people find these kinds of calls an irritant and 2) if you can barely hear the person, and they are difficult to understand, then you are unlikely to be interested in their offerings anyway!)
Anyway, I signed up to the Telephone Preference Service to stop all unwanted calls, which takes 28 days to kick in. This morning I received another call from them so I have gone to their web site to complain and, sure enough, there is a link to get yourself removed - it must be a pedrsistent problem for them.
Here it is, in case anyone else is suffering. tinyurl.com/9tj2r Read more
If you skin the roof with plywood, best use the waterproof variety. Ordinary plywood breaks up when wet. Have a look at using the stuff used as 'concrete shuttering'. It is/was cheap, I used 0.5 inch thickness and I made a large shed out of it. 20 years on, it is still OK except the fabricated door could do with a re-make.
I can't find any reference in the Highway Code to red markings on the road. I know what areas of white diagonal stripes (or chevrons) bordered by broken white lines in the middle of the road mean (Rule 109), but what is the significance of these when on a red background? Are they mandatory no-go areas?
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L\'escargot. Read more
>>Are you sure this is correct?>>
It's on a road that I don't normally use as I have no need to go to any shopping centres or premises it serves, so I'll have to check next time I'm in the area.
But the local papers have been full of complaints for a long time from people who've been booked for parking on the cycle path (except the disabled)...:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Thinking of a Honda Jazz CVT automatic. HJ review sais good one - but I tend to keep cars for a few years - so how long do they last and how tough are they ? Read more
Only a few Japanese cars have CVT:-
Nissan Murano and Primera have CVT.
(Micra, Patrol, Pathfinder, have step AT.)
Honda use a CVT for their Jazz.
Toyota use a CVT for their hybrid car.
Subaru have step AT.
Mitsubishi have step AT.
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I think you can ask a Cit dealer to perform the next service, even though one is late, and that will re-instate the warranty.
Surely the dealer will fix the air con as part of the sale.
The 2.0 HDI (especially the 110) is a cracking engine. Not fast like a BMW 2.0d 163hp, but more refined than most engines produced recently.
Remember the 90 and 110bhp 2.0HDI engines were introduced in the Xantia in 1998/99 and the few problems are easily spotted and repaired as most garages have now come accross the engine.
Contrast the Cit HDI reliability with the introduction of the Mondeo TDCI. Glad I bought French now! No going back.