January 2006
Right here goes. Having a spare insurance policy and the need for something to tow a trailer I decided to look for a large state for occasional use. So i'm off on Monday to look at a supposedly immaculate 1992 BMW 525i Touring, for sale at £1000. I haven't the faintest idea of what to look for and wondered if anyone could give me a few hints. The car will only be used occasionally so mpg isn't the top priority! Thanks as always. Read more
Can anyone suggset the best all round tyres(wet performance and road noise) to replace the two front 205/55/16v on my 2004 Golf 2.0 GT TDI please?
Current tyres are Michelin Read more
i have a bmw 316i 1993 and would like a little help in problem solving. firstly when i start up the car it dont sound right,it sounds how a diesel car sounds.(its petrol car and only way i can descibe it) and when i am driving and pressing the accelerator it sounds very 'throaty'. originaly i thought there war a hole somewhere in the exhaust. i had a mechanic look at it at the national tyre garage and he said that he cant find it blowing,but it sounds a bit rattly. Also it is a bit stiff when i put the gear stick into gear and the steering wheel is squekey when turning. Any help will be much appreciated. Read more
u can start by pulling up the gear stick gaiter..that should be the 1st point of call....then go on from there......i often look inside the engine while someone is inside moving the ger stick......and clutch..i smear grease on what ever i see moving..it cant hurt it and often has an effect
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www.storme.co.uk
I have had my car reprogrammed thanks to the help from this sit. I now have 3 working keys but have had an idea. My old key obviously open the doors but could I reprogramme it to the new code using the process in the manual. I dont want to mess the car up so thought I would ask
Thanks Read more
Followed a traffic car today and would have reported him, but I couldn't see the number plate for the amount of dirt on it! I know plates get dirty at this time of year, but even with the mileages these things do there is no way it would be this dirty after just one shift. Isn't the driver responsible for ensuring the car is road legal before driving it? I would be looking at 3 points for a similar offence. Read more
Or even Deja Vu again.
I have an intermittent problem with the PAS on my 2001 model Fabia,
For no apparent reason the PAS will fail! This can occur while the car is in motion or when it is stationery. If the headlights are on they flicker, sometimes the ASR & ABS warning lights come on & the PAS dies!
The (temporary) cure is simple - just turn off the engine & restart and the PAS is restored.
This can happen several times in one week, or all can be OK for two or three weeks & the problem re-appears.
My local VAG dealer says that a new PAS pump is needed, but it seems to me that if this was so there would not be any PAS available at all. The fault seems more electrical related than anything else.
I did have a power steering sensor replaced under new car warranty - could this be a recurrance?
Any ideas? - A new pump is around 800 Euros + VAT fitted!
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Roger. (Costa del Sol, España) Read more
Thanks, Bert-j,
I'm already a member!
Still waiting for a response from there - I posted the quey just after I asked here!
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Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
Reading an artical today that the Land Rover Defender is unlikely to survive beyond 2010 due to emissions and crash regulations, and arguments are raging throughout Fords ivory towers wether to replace it at all.
Apparently low sales don't justify replacement development costs and the British Army throwing in the towel could be the final death knell of a (another British) motoring icon.
Any thoughts?
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The Fiat LMV4 is clearly more advanced than any Land Rover and has at least the virtue of being European (i.e. not American or Asian). I am still amazed though that this country hasn't bothered to come up with its own product in this area. In the 50s/60s there was a thing called the Austin Champ that the army used for a while. Clearly its all-independent suspension was thought too complex and fragile for the time as examples started to appear on the used market at low prices almost immediately, and are now quite rare. I drove one once on a rough farm road and its smoothness and composure over the bumps and rocks were a revelation.
I would suggest a militarized LR Discovery having recently made a journey in a V6 turbodiesel example and been very impressed with its silence, performance and economy. However the same vehicle, which belongs to a friend, has now 'blown' its turbo at something like 8,000 miles from new. According to the owner there were no untoward explosions or clouds of smoke, just a sudden loss of power.
Dear all
I have to drive from North Norfolk to just East of Reading next Tuesday, to arrive early evening (around 5.00 pm). I'm leaving at least 4 - 4 1/2 hours to get there.
Since it has been years since I did this journey, would I be better off trawling round the M25 from the M11 to the M4; or cutting across from the A11 at Cambridge to Baldock and onto the A1, then M25 - M4; or attempting what I used to do 15 years ago and cutting across via the back of Hemel / St Albans and finding my way down to Berks via High Wycombe / M40 / Marlow - or ??
Any advice appreciated!
Davros Read more
Did the reverse journey and used motorways as far as possible (M4, M25, M11) - had a great run both ways, but it was a weekend and traffic was light to medium. Might not be the same mid week.
Could someone tell me what the clock symbol on the BMW service light indicator means. I recently did my own service on the car and reset the lights back to green but this little clock symbol has now popped up.
Cheers
Steveo Read more
u use the inspection button for the body clock.. so if youve done and inspection and bf.. reset the Ins twice... the problem with that tool is that it will reset the Bodyclock first.. so if you dont do the BF and have an INS it will be reset.. its abit of a flaw, but was sorted with the E46 with the reset through the trip
Having bought a 2 year old C180K Estate, I have come to realise the German build quality issues (everyone mentions)first hand. First, the under bonnet sound proof membrane was peeling off (above the engine exhaust pipes). Second an annoying BAS/ESP warning lights on the cluster computer display every few hundred miles. Both were rectified under MB warranty without a quibble by a local MB dealer (although the second issue needed a modified wiring harness), however I am having second thoughts on my buy (only done 29k)- should have stuck to BMW or Audi?
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I buy and sell a couple of Mercs a month on average. I currently have a '52 plate 180K with about (IIRC) 55k on the clock - I'll be advertising in February. Most faults on recent MB's relate to electrical problems or paint finish. MB have admitted that they have rushed to put too much electronics into their cars and may have outsourced (to E Europe) too much component supply. They are currently taking steps to rectify this situation.
The C-class is not a bad motor, but not my choice for running about in. I'm still using my '98 Nissan Maxima-QX which has been 100% totally reliable. Its as quiet as the Merc, engine is super smooth, and its very nearly as comfortable - doesn't handle as well though. Not a spot of rust on it. Its only worth about £2500. The 180K's a nice enough car - but I'd rather sell it and pick up £2k profit instead!
Browse
I would stick with Michelin (from Costco if you can).
My old 1996 Peugeot 306 "D Turbo" did 54,000 miles on its original set of Michelin MXV's and the replacement set were hardly worn when I sold the car with 75,000 miles on the clock. Most tyre dealers seem not to stock them, the excuse is always along the lines of "they are too expensive!!!". But I definitely believe they are the most cost effective as they do wear longer than other makes and the handling is good (in my honest opinion).
On a slightly different note, I once had a national tyre dealership sell me some "Dunlops" for what was then a company car (again no Michelins available). When I collect the car, the tyres were actually branded with the tyre companys own logo, but I was assured they were made for them by Dunlop. They were the most evil handling tyres I have ever experienced and looking back I cannot believe I put-up with them. I certainly wouldn't now. I used to drive on the A1 to the North East from Derbyshire regularly then (1989/1990) and the inside lane of the A1 was like driving on tramlines. Once the tyres were removed the problem dissapeared.