September 2005
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Automotive companies across the world today face a very competitive and difficult marketplace. In an effort to stimulate growth, many automaker, particularly in the United States have resorted to steep discounts to compete. These price cuts, in addition to rising operating costs, have taken their toll on the profit margins in the industry. To counterbalance the downward trend of profit margins, all automakers are looking at creative ways to contain costs.
Warranty coverage is one of the fastest growing areas of operating costs in the automobile industry. In 2004, experts estimate warranty costs exceeded $45 billion worldwide. In the United States, auto warranties account for nearly 41 percent of all warranty costs across the entire economy. And, for the first time, in 2004 the number of recalled vehicles exceeded the total number of manufactured vehicles.
One of the causes behind the rising warranty costs and claims is the increasing complexity of vehicles. Today, nearly 40 percent of the value in an average vehicle is tied up in its software and electrical systems. A single car may have as many as 70 different processors, controlling everything from anti-lock brakes and automatic transmissions to cruise control and fuel injection. Failures to those embedded systems account for a third of all warranty claims.
Controlling the costs of warranties has big benefits. Currently, warranty costs drag down profits of automobile industry by 3 percent. If automakers could reduce their warranty costs in half, they would see their profits soar as much as 300 percent.
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Having read the scare stories regarding head gaskets blowing if the coolant isn't replaced I set about attempting mine. However the Haynes manual is very vague as to the location of the coolant drain plug. Has anyone done one of these before? If so can you please give me some advice/tips as to the best way to accomplish this? Read more
the problem with the Previa is that the engine is under the front seats and the radiator is at the front end; simply draining the radiator won't empty the block. ie the bottom hose heads up and over the steering rack etc to get to the engine.
Interesting article on how Customs are tackling fuel smugglers who are removing the red dye from diesel. (Today's Daily Telegraph).
www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/20...l
Sounds as if you could do far more harm to your engine than the money that might be saved.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to add to the thread. Read more
If Gordon Brown left these shores for Northern Ireland, let alone Europe, he would understand the folly of huge differences in tax and duty rates across open, unpoliced land borders.
I know people in France who do their shopping in Germany (20 minutes away by car) becuase it is so much cheaper. Why not do the same with fuel. We all remember the farm that straddled the Irish border that was a haven for smuggling all sorts of things.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
My 1999 BMW 528 has particularly distinct hot ticking exhaust noise.
This happens both once the engine is off for some considerable time (20 minutes), but also there's audible hot ticking noise when the engine is idling, and it's noticeable when driving with the window open in a confined area such as a car park, or driving alongside a wall.
I've had a close look underneath and referred to the recently introduced Haynes manual for the car. The exhaust appears to be one complete system, all the brackets and mountings seem to be in good order, as does the exhaust itself.
The only part of the exhaust which seems to be the likely culprit for the ticking noise are the catalytic converters. They have a shield on each cat which seems to be a different metal to the exhaust, they are welded to the exhaust on the leading edge, but not at the back of the shield. They also seem to have some packing material inside the shield which can be seen through some holes in the shield intended to let heat escape.
I've recently put the car through the MOT and there were no problems in the emissions testing, so I assume the cat's are all in order.
Any one else come across this exhaust hot tick, I know most cars have some exhaust and engine hot tick, but being able to hear it over the engine whilst it is running seems unusual to me?
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Having a problem with the passenger side headlamp on my Scenic. Side light works fine, but the dipped and full beam do not work on this side. (fine on drivers side) have changed bulb to no avail. Cant see any fuses blown. Could it be a Relay? Any hints well appreciated.
Cheers
Cliff Read more
See other scenic headlamp post, now fixed (Ill get my coat)
Hi - can anyone offer any informed insights into why an S reg Golf TDI 1.9 would have ignition problems? It has run fine for the last few days (we only bought it a week ago from a policeman!) though on Sunday it took a couple of attempts to get the engine going. However, yesterday it started fine and went on an 80 mile round trip, but refused to restart an hour later. We jump started it and got it 8 miles home no problem. But this morning it was dead again. When ignition is turned on there is no sound apart from a click. Engine is not connecting at all. Any clues much appreciated before we take it to a garage. Cheers, Shona Read more
Not to mention ignition of the hydrogen given off during heavy discharge: battery acid accompanies the battery case shrapnel. I've witnessed this, and the guy running to wash sulphuric acid off his face and eyes, so don't think it can't happen:)
I'm interested in hearing the perceived wisdom of the 'room on the efficiency of ultrasonic injector cleaning.
Certainly I remember carburettors used to get gummed up with dirt and petrol residues. Dirt should no longer be a problem with good quality fuel filters, but do injectors still suffer from residue build up? My car has done almost 140k miles now and I've recently cleaned out the turbo/intercooler/intake system which has made it run a lot better.
Would cleaning the injectors be the icing on the cake or a waste of time and money (£70 for a set of four)? Also any way to tell if they need cleaning (they are easy enough to remove for inspection)? Read more
I got mine done locally and noticed an improvement in tickover so I guess something change. 15 year old with 120k miles of cheap fuel.
www.injectorcleaning.co.uk/index.htm
(no connection except as customer)
Martin
After 2 very pleasant periods of Mondeo ownership I foolishly thought I?d try something smaller as like most people I spend most of my time on my own in the car. So I bought s Focus ? a 2.0ltr petrol 2 door Zetec.
Well I know these cars get a good write up but I just don?t like it.
So now I?m going back to a Mondeo ? but this time I think it will be a diesel. People like Ford?s of Winsford have TDCi 130 Ghias for £11.5k which seems like a good deal.
Which at last leads me to my question ? my reading tells me that there is a big mpg difference between the Euro III and Euro IV models and that I want a Euro III ? so when you a standing in a car park full of Mondeos how do you tell the difference?
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Thanks Quinny and Rob - glad I was proved wrong and that my IV does not have a (costly) particulate trap! While we are on mpg, my figures for the TDCi (130) for the last 14 fills (brim to brim) produced an average of 51.46. The best was 55.5 and the worst 45. (The computer would have me believe it's around 57-58. Now that would be good!)
CG
This thread is a follow on from the thread on "Britain's Favourite Car" namely the Toyota Yaris Verso. In particular the posts by Renault Family and PeterB where they state:
"no one wants one as its offensive on the eye and utterly pointless."
"I've not been able to take these seriously since I saw them described as "a cut and shut between a supermini and a greenhouse"!
Mrsb is embarrassed whenever she sees one because it's so ugly and yet is related to her beloved Yaris."
Just about every road test I have read has been less than complimentary about the Yaris Verso's appearance but praised its many virtues; and of course it came top of the latest Which survey on owner's satisfaction.
A tiny car with a versatile and cavernous interior, easy access, great visibility, Toyota reliability etc; it has everything you want in a runabout and is available with a petrol or very economical diesel engine with manual or auto gearbox. Could be an icon but looks like a breadvan.
So apparently to RF that makes it pointless and it is dismissed by Peterb simply because it is not aesthetically pleasing - Mmm.
Well I never could understand why people bought a cooking Capri instead of the Cortina, a Tigra instead of a Corsa etc, and were prepared to pay more money for less room and all to have a car with dubious style.
I suppose I might be a Philistine but when it comes to cars I'll take function over form every time.
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Exactly. Something that's best for one may not be best for another. Some prefer substance. Some prefer style. But everyone's entitled to their opinion. And my opinion is that it's possible to make a good looking tall car if you design it as a tall car in the first place. Bolting a greenhouse to a Yaris ain't going to do it.
after buyin a nice cheap 1990 diesel sierra the timing belt decided it would b a good idea to snap after a supposed 2000 miles sinse it was changed. the garage that fitted it no longer exists lol so i am now left having to sort it myself. altho i have done timing belts on other cars never on a diesel and never without a manual . could anyone tell me where i could download the manual for this car or tell me what i should watch for in doing this repair. Read more
If you're lucky, you may ahve only bent a few valves. But most likely the Camshaft has broken, Camshaft bearing cap broken and valves bent. In this case its a replacement head or engine.
These engines are famously known for the Cam belt failures mostly due for the tensioner failure.
If you instal a cruise control system which is permanently live with no fusing or realy control, you get a fire if anything goes wrong. Ford engineers please note this is kindergarten stuff!
Quote:
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday recalled 3.8 million pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles for a cruise control switch suspected of causing engine fires. It is the fifth-largest auto industry recall in U.S. history.
Ford said the recall of 1994-2002 model-year vehicles includes the company's hot-selling F-150 pickup truck, Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator and Ford Bronco. The company said it would start sending out recall notices to vehicle owners immediately.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the No. 2 U.S.-based automaker have been investigating complaints of engine fires linked to the switch.
Toyota Motor Co., meanwhile, recalled 978,000 sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks amid concerns about the power steering system. The affected vehicles include the 1990-95 4Runner SUV, 1989-95 truck 4WD and 1993-98 T-100 pickup.
Toyota said a rod linking the steering wheel and the wheels could fracture under conditions where the steering wheel is turned while the vehicle is stopped. Owners will be notified beginning in mid-September, the company said.
In the Ford case, NHTSA has received more than 550 complaints of engine fires from the cruise control switch. There have been allegations of three deaths in cases cited in news reports or lawsuits in Iowa, Georgia and Arkansas.
The affected vehicles include: 1994-2002 model F-150s, 1997-2002 Expeditions, 1998-2002 Navigators and 1994-96 Broncos equipped with factory-installed speed control.
"We have a solution that fixes the problem, and we're confident that this is going to be the right remedy," said Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley.
Ford said its inquiry found that brake fluid could leak through the cruise control's deactivation switch into the system's electrical components, leading to potential corrosion. The corrosion could lead to a buildup of electrical current, which could cause overheating and a fire.
Dealers will install a fused wiring harness to act as a circuit breaker in the system. The company said the harness would cut off electrical current to the switch if the current increases.
The concerns about the engine fires led to a recall in January of nearly 800,000 vehicles from the 2000 model year.
tinyurl.com/bfa5t
madf