January 2006
The edges of both passenger and driver seats are a bit tatty but I'm unable to find anywhere that could replace the cloth with an exact copy.
A local retailer said £100 to replace parts of the seats with a *similar* cloth.
Anybody have any tips or ideas? Read more
I just wanted to voice my opinion and see what everyone else thinks about the new rules concerning the new style computerised MOT for cars.
I have just had a car MOT'd at my local garage which I have used regualarly for the last few years and it failed on pitted front brake discs. The car in question belongs to a member of my family and only does around 1000 miles per year It is on a 1988 F plate, so it has seen almost 18 years service even though it has a genuine mileage of 56000 miles.
I did a few bits and pieces before taking the vehicle for MOT, items that I knew would fail but I didn't consider the brake discs to be in too bad of a condition. Anyway in all fairness the tester failed the car on the front discs being pitted, which is up to him to judge how pitted they can be before a failure certificate is issued - I haven't got a problem with this. The discs have only been on the car for 10000 miles and were changed for the same reason 6 years ago. Basically speaking it is the lack of use of the car which allows the discs to corrode before they can even think about wearing out.
My problem stems from the fact that it was impossible for me to pick the car up at teatime, strip the brakes in the evening in order to match the pads at a motor factors (there were three different types of pads listed for this model) and have it back at the MOT station the next day for a retest. In the 'olden days' it was always acceptable to take your car away, do the work and have it back a few days later for a free retest. Now with the new computerised MOT system if you take your car away and don't have it back within 24hrs, you must have another full test charged at the appropriate rate.
Now before you say that I could have left the car at the garage and let them do the work, you are right I could have done. But I am doing the work for a relative and keeping costs down on a car that does so little mileage is a large factor. But it would seem that I am damned if I do and damned if I don't. Whichever way I choose to do the work/have it done I am going to lose out financially, either being charged by the garage for their labour or being charged by the garage for another full MOT.
So I feel agrieved about this situation, it is the people who can't afford/choose to run older cars that are being penalised by this new MOT system. Suddenly overnight the MOT fee has 'doubled'. And before you say well you should maintain your car better, the car is mainted perfectly, it failed on an item of which its condition is at the descretion of the MOT tester. If we all replaced every single item that 'could' fail, we would spend a fortune on unneccesary parts.
So what do you think to this new system? Read more
Tried twice yesterday to moderate my initial rant, failed owing to careful choice of words causing 10 year time lapse. MoT good up to a point. Most VTSs OK. However my opinion is that there are more than 'a few dodgy garages'. They may not last long but there are always new ones. Also, regulation threatens to make a whole class of budget motorist extinct. Pity, theat.
my girlfreind has a new to us 51 plate fiesta, with the old style pushrod engine, the heater made a slight hint of warmth at first, so i suspected the stat was stuck open
weve had a new stat fitted and now there no heat at all! even after a long run, the garage suggests its the matrix , would i wrong in thinking a 2001 car with service history shouldnt need a new matrix?? it would need to be totaly blocked with sludge to cause no heat wouldnt it??
is there any thing else to affect the heater output? fan works fine Read more
It will be the heater valve as previous said. I had exactly the same problem on the same car. But don't spend £50 as oldman said go on ebay they have them on there (original ford part) for about £20.
I've had a leak in the nearside foot well and want to remove the carpets to dry out. How do I remove the trim in my 1998 Alhambra without damage so I can take out the carpets?
Haven't tracked down the leak yet. Assume it's from the windscreen seal but has anyone else had similar problems?
Thanks for help. Read more
Known problem - check www.fordgalaxy.org.uk - search the forum.
I think there are two or three problems leading to this - one is the vents - near the wiper -can get blocked with debris - directing water into the vents - behind dash - onto carpet.
2nd is the rear wash / wipe pipe - which comes loose / worn, and comes undone letting water into the footwell area. Fairly simple fixes - but look / search on above forum.
If you had to describe your driving style in one word what would it be?
I would go for "calm" and, if allowed two words, "mostly calm".
Of course, SWMBO may not agree .......
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IanS
Read more
"ordinary" was a good choice - I'll copy it.
Hello all
The BIL is thinking of opting out of his company car scheme. He's actually classed as an essential user so the car is not part of his package - albeit that he has to pay about £200 per month for a decent motor. If he opted out he would get 44p mile for first 10k miles and 25p thereafter from his company - business miles only of course. He is currently considering a brand new Mk IV golf estate TDi 130 (£13k at local dealers in Cirencester - which seems pretty good)
Does anyone out there have any experience of this type of opt out - all the web based calculators I can find are for opt outs if you take the cash equivalent but in this case it doesn't apply.
Forgot to mention that he gets taxed for BIK to the tune of £3.5k per year as well and he does 30k business miles per year. his job is on direct sales to the public so turning up in a banger is not really an option.
Appreciate the help
Cheers Read more
BP and all - thanks for the help.
I think your advice is sound - he could definitely benefit from a defensive driving course. Maybe I'll suggest we both do a course at the same time.
Incidentally three out of the five non fault accidents he was not actually in the vehicle at the time. The other two were suicidal wild animals! it turns out that 5 of the 6 accidents will not need to be declared (greater than 4 years) by June, in which case his broker has assured him he will be OK at this point. I guess it's all about risk and that if this was his own vehicle he would have to pay for the damage himself - worth remembering when you have to park up in all sorts of weird places to visit people's homes! Still as I know we become mildly obsessive where we park when it's your own vehicle. My SWMBO has stopped moaning now when I park a long way from Tesco's entrance!
His option is therefore to get a pool car (he works for a large utility company so there are plenty) until June and then opt out after that. I'm trying to persuade him to get a six months - one year old car to lessen the depreciation pain.
His SWMBO only does about 2k miles per year so that would probably work on receiving his old car.
I'll post in a few months and let you know how he gets on - once again thanks for the help.
First problem with my '99 Octavia - there is a small leak coming from the passenger front door. Any ideas ? I seem to remember a problem with Golf/Bora drainage channels ? Read more
A friend recently had their car stolen from their drive in a matter of minutes which led on to a discussion about how secure cars are. Some participants are adamant that there are some modern cars that cannot be driven away without the right set of keys. I'm sure that tests such as Which? always result in the car being stolen and that the only difference the security makes is the length of time it takes to do it.
Can anyone settle this argument? I'd be quite happy to be proven wrong!
Read more
There are three types of car theft
Older cars easily nicked by anyone who wants it for any reason. And they frequently are.
Opportunity theft. Keys left in at the garage, while your back is turned, hanging on the hook by the front door etc etc. Any car valuable modern or old.
The pro. If for any reason am good pro car thief wants your car he will have it away. It matters not what the make, how modern, how much car is taken, what devices you fit on it. Short of locking it in a safe with a time lock it will disapear and never be recovered.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
..."superb power and torque, especially for a diesel"
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Looks like the Marketing Department have struck again. Read more
The engine management warning light comes on when I start the car from cold (and stays on), but if I flick the ignition off/on whilst the engine is running it goes away. This doesn't seem to indicate any of the knock/cam/crank sensors as it always goes away when the ignition is switched off/on, regardless of whether engine is hot or cold! I have had previous Cavaliers that have had problems with this warning, but it has always been down to a particular sensor, and had not gone away until rectified. Car has done 84K and has always been Dealer Serviced Read more
Report back what fault code you get.
Any luck yet?
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There are a few on E-bay at the moment.