February 2006
p reg escort with the sidelights and dash lights not coming on .are there any known problems with switch on stalk or relays that would cause them all to fail. someone had recently fitted towbar and electrics with piggyback connectors which I think were wrong looking at the colours but now disconnected,just wondered if this could be the cause,headlights on dip and main work ok but wonder if both are sometimes on at the same time Read more
On the subject of cops in plain wrappers, which cars have we seen being used recently? We've all seen Volvos, Subaru, and Octavias - claims of black Fabias being used in east yorkshire too. Any others? Read more
In Cornwall a few years back I saw a silver Merc C-Class with complete AMG bodykit, very elegant and seriously large alloys (looked 18 or 19 inches), blacked out windows and a single police stripe along the sides. Couldn't see the back to see whether it was a real C55 AMG or a C180 with the bodykit.
just seen this "miracle cure" for black smoke from diesels on ebay, its all very hush hush, which leads me to think its probably a rip off. However its got some pretty good feedback and its only a fiver. Anyone had any experience of this....
cgi.ebay.co.uk/TRANSIT-RANGER-FREDA-ESCORT-DIESEL-...m
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If you block the EGR,yes,your smoke will reduce but NOX(which is why EGR is fitted will go up) and NOX is harmful.What is a FREDA?
... on your car do you find either incredibly annoying, or really pleasing? Things that could just as easily have been done differently at no extra cost, but weren't.
My top three;
1) The intermittent speed wipers on my C5 that vary with the speed of the car, and so have to be switched off in light rain at high speed, otherwise they just scrape across a dry screen.
2) A clock that assumes that I will never want to know the time if the temperature is less than 4 degrees (when it is replaced by the ice alert).
3) On the positive side - on a car I hired recently: A radio that switches off when you take the key out, not when you switch the engine off. Truly excellent! Read more
turbo11-you say auto wipers are bad, but from a safety point of view I've had wash come up over the windscreen coming from a lorry going in the opposite direction, and the wipers were on a lot quicker than than I could have done. ok, only a second or so quicker, but in the circumstances. Only thing is the auto wipers do stay on sometimes for no apparent reason-can be a bit hit and miss.
anyway, I like electric folding door mirrors-a god send when parking.
and rear wipers that flick on if you select reverse with the front wipers going.
dual climate control-stops all manner of marital arguments!
My father in law has an M reg Polo and the switch on the dash for side & dipped headlights has failed (it will only go in as far as sidelights). Does anyone know of anywhere on the net I can get a cheap replacement from? Have tried a few local breakers yards without success. Found one on ebay but that doesn't finish for another week and he can't wait that long. We are from Essex if anyone knows of anywhere in this area that may be able to help. TIA, Mark Read more
I emailed the guy on ebay and he said he will end the auction early for me, so I've found the switch I need now thanks. Why have you warned against buying on ebay? I've bought loads of stuff on ebay without any problems whatsoever, including several car parts.
I have just renewed my car tax.
On the V11 form it asks what is the current mileage (optional).
What is the point in this, as the Post Office do not record the figure and the form is returned at the end of the transaction?
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its a longer term strategy that will stop clockers,when you now have a new siemens mot the data is logged forever including the mileage therefore when, not if, the mileage is entered at every tax renewal you can tie the owner of the vehicle at the time to the mileage discrepancy, ie trading standards have good hard evidence.
You now have to get the d.o.b of the new keeper on the v5c and soon you will need their driving licence number but when that comes in hasnt been said but im sure its now very near ish?
--
\"a little man in a big world/\"
Hi,
I suspect that the Head Gasket has blown as my Sharan engine VR6 temp starts to rise above normal after about 10 mins of starting. The overflow bottle starts to bubble. Apart from these symptoms is there a quick way of determining if it's a definite head gasket problem apart from the obvious ( milky oil etc, which there is none)?
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Thanks Gents, sorry to be a nuisance, I think I'm just grasping at straws. Ho Hum
Having read the post over in Technical by Editor and the problem he is having with his 406 Hdi 2.2 particulate filter, I have become very dismayed that the only way forward to clean up diesels is to add Eloys to the fuel. This concerns me becuase from what I have read, it seems that the only way to refill this is by going to a main dealer and is costing a considerable amount, also my understanding is that some of the newer diesels are not as economical and questions are being asked about the longevity of common rail.
Are all diesel engines manufactured like this now or is it just Pugs? If the economy is being eroded and the cost of having additive topped up is quite expensive, does this mean its the end of the road for diesel cars? Read more
Most manufacturers now have lifetime particle filters, although some manage to make their diesels EuIV compliant without using a PF, eg. the Ford's own 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 TDCi engines are all available as EuIV with no need for a PF.
Was coming onto the A34 from Oxford on Thursday night(9pm) when a Gritter several metres in front of me at the traffic lights starting spraying grit all over the place (as they do) and I couldn't get out the way quick enough as there was traffic all around me. Ended up chipping paint off my bonnet and chips all over my windscreen. Is there anything I can do or say to the Oxford council? I have a mate who is a Gritter but he only goes out after 12 midnight when there are less cars about. Read more
My policy with motorway gritters is always to pass them as soon as possible. Unless you drop a couple of miles back, the other cars on the road flick far more salt into the car over the course of the next 10 miles than you get going straight past. Also, as the output on the gritter is pretty low down, the main 'hit' from the spray tends to hit the (plastic) front bumper and splitter rather than the metalwork of the car. My current car, has done nearly 90000 miles over the last six years, mostly in North Yorkshire (where they almost routinely grit from October until early May) and has very few bonnet stonechips, and none which have gone so deep the car has rusted.
I think some other countries do "Liquid Brine" treatment where a concentrated salt water is spread from a tanker rather than the salt in solid form. I think Germany is one of these, and there have been trials in the UK. This is actually worse for corrosion as the road is always wet, though less likely to chip the paint....
I have a 2003 Octavia where the rear wiper will operate on its intermittent setting regardless of the wiper switch position; the only problem is that the fault only happens every now and then. As the car is still under warranty, I have returned it to a Main Dealer who could find no fault whilst they had the car.
The fault seems to occur most in wet weather or driving up a steep incline or when a sudden change of direction is made or driving over speed humps. The main dealer has removed the trim to the tailgate and checked the motor and wiring to it, which proved OK. I too have tried shaking the tailgate quite hard with the ignition on to see if the fault is caused by vibration (faulty motor / defective wiring?) all to no avail.
I seem to recall that someone posted a message that VAG wiper switches were known for this fault (although on questioning, the main dealer replied that he had never encountered this before) and I am tempted to have the switch replaced out of my own pocket (warranty expires in May, and I don?t fancy keep returning the car to a dealer for them to trace an intermittent fault which may or may not occur whilst they have the car). However I would be grateful if others could advise if this a common fault / if it is likely to be the switch / if not the switch where else to look ? the switch does not feel worn and I assume that the intermittent function is carried out by a timed relay, could this be at fault?
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thanks guys ,this is a repair that I got landed with ,it makes it easy to get told where to look for the fault