March 2006
Over the last few weeks I have noticed a strong petrol smell from my car.Mainly when in the car is stationary with the engine ticking over after a run in the car.It was in the Dealership twice and they said they couldn't fault the car and couldn't find the smell. (see www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=39213 )
In the last week an emission warning light came on and has stayed on.This is due to a faulty oxygen sensor.My car goes in to get this replaced next week.I think the garage will use this as the explanation for my problem.Hopefully this will turn out to be the case.Would this indeed cause this issue? Read more
I've seen a mint one in a local garage at <£15k with 11,000 miles on the clock in black. Half leather and really nice. Admit I was originally looking for a 2.0 sport or SE but this has really caught my eye and I'm tempted.
Maybe able to get a bit more off the price based on the conversation but it seems fairly low anyway to me.
Am I taking on something that I shouldn't? Read more
Vectra 2.2TDi LS 16v Auto Diesel Hatchback
Have recently purchased this car, it is a 2003 (03) plate and it has covered 34k and has the ECOTEC engine, some advise please.....
It seems to me to be drinking the diesel very heavily and I have now filled it up three times since Ive had it and on each occassion it is struggling to make 300 miles before the low fuel light appears.
seems a bit heavy to me, have got it booked in for a FULL service as the previous service by Vauxhall at 33k only did the oil and filter and nothing else (before I bought it) and will have all filters changed etc. to see if this increases MPG at all.
what sort of mileage to others get out of this same type of car / engine please ?
will put in some redex to see if that has an effect cleaning the injectors maybe ?
I listen for your advise ! Read more
Generally I am at a loss with this car as it
is the second vauxhall I've had and both have been a
pain for one reason or the other, I thought maybe? -
Doh, I was wrong !
My passat 1.9 TDi Auto returned so many nore miles to
a full tank of diesel that this car is depressing me,
and before anyone asks they are both 60 litre tanks cos
the most I ever manage to fit in is 55 /
57 litres.
I have an A4 with the same engine as the Passat, and these engines are very hard to beat for efficiency hence MPG, due to the unique Pumpe Duse injection system. Although this has been around for a while, even the most 'state of the art' diesels only return around the same mpg as the VAG 1.9 PD engine. Certainly the GM 2.0 and 2.2 diesels will never match the 1.9PD and I'm hearing that the Fiat derrived 1.9 diesel now used in Vauxhalls whilst MUCH better still isn't super-economical.
I would much appreciate your advice yet again.
For the last couple of days, I have had some trouble starting my car from cold ('93 Polo 1043 Inj). When I say cold, I mean if it?s left for a day or two.
It?s like the car has flooded or is running far too rich. You get in, and turn the key and its spins with endless enthusiasm, but just will NOT fire. Take today for example. The car had sat for three days, and it took 2 10 second bursts of the starter before it coughed and spluttered into life (with a touch of blue/grey smoke from the rear) and needed some gentile persuasion with the accelerator to keep going. After about 10-15 seconds, everything was sorted and the car ran nice and smooth.
If the car is then left for hours (today it was about 4-6, so technically stone cold) it?ll start quite well, with some very brief roughness, say 2 seconds at most, and again it?ll run absolutely fine thereafter.
It has done many hot/warm starts today as we?ve adjusted the ignition timing as it was found to be retarded, so there was plenty of ons and offs, to which all were faultless (no smoke, roughness or hesitation). I made a trip into town and after 30mins, it was still ok.
There is no oil or water loss, and the oil doesn?t smell of petrol, so I?m quite sure the problem is strictly limited to cold starting and is not present when running.
As always, any help is much appreciated.
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Final update on this.....
All appears to be well and the fault appears to have been the temperature sender. I left this update quite a while, giving the car a good testing before I reported back. Many starts and miles later everything is ok. Just came back from an arduous trip away to Yorkshire; 3 passengers, a multitude of camping equipment effectively meaning the car was fully laden and 2 trips across the hilly N. Yorks Moors with such a load, and it never missed a beat.
The new road tax costs just make a joke of the law and labour goverment in this county
how can you tax a car on its emissons when new (ie whats on the log book).
So a three year old 100,000 worn out 4x4 or similar can be taxed for the same money as a new one ?,when the old one is clearly smoking it self to an early grave but just scrapes thru a MOT each year.
What about the blasted Buses and Lorries that fill the air with rubbish
Also i belive they should tax it on egine size not emissons anything over 2litre ,tax the thing sky high so only people who really need a 2litre car bother
We no longer need cars in this country which can do 200mph and most cars even small hatchbacks can do 100mph easily when the speed limit is 70mph!
There is another answer to get people out of cars ,give affordable public transport that is pleasant to use
The M25 between junction 9-14 has remained the same congested carpark since completion of roadworks and its only going to get worse
got any good ideas ?
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It is all a crazy argument anyway. Put the tax on petrol and those that use a lot of it, will pay a lot of the tax. Simple. Also no avoidance.,
Not me!
I'm a little premature here, but eldest son will be 17 in 9 months and will be wanting to learn to drive. I know there's lots of stuff here on the site about young people's insurance, but these things seem to change so quickly that I'd appreciate some up-to-date advice. I need to know my options and think of the best thing I can do for him.
OK, first, we are let's say financially-challenged (OK dirt-poor). I have absolutely no chance of paternal support.
I am very reluctant to try to teach him myself, one because I am the world's most nervous passenger and two because even in the best of circumstances these things are always fraught with problems. (I remember my own Dad teaching me, with horror).
But, driving lessons costing what they do, I think I am going to have to bite the bullet and do most of the training myself, followed by a course with a driving school to get him ready for his test.
Insurance is obviously an issue. I'm currently with Budget, which gave me the best deal for me, when I last renewed. But am I best asking them to make my son a named driver on my insurance, or getting insurance in his own right (don't know if this is possible) which would at least protect my own NCB.
Also, for anyone who has ever taken their kid through a test, am I better giving him some practice in my car first, and then getting proper lessons, or the other way round?
Any comments gratefully received.
HF Read more
I've not heard of Kelso, so am presuming it's a little far away from us.
But the pass rates quoted here are abysmal! If we're saying roughly 2 in three will fail, that really is not good.
I've been considering the intensive week-long residential courses, but worry that with these it really is just cramming with the sole purpose of passing a test, and with very little proper experience of roads and what driving's really about.
Oh and the Admiral multi thing is not good for me as I am only a one-car family.
Thanks to everyone - I'm glad I've got plenty of time to think about and investigate all alternatives.
HF
Used to subscribe to Street Machine back in the late 90s and right back to 83 ,looked recently and appears to have gone ,anyone know what happened ,I know colin burnham was tring to keep it going and he still does Amercian car stuff,just suprized its no longer was very popular back then .
your comments please
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We used to get this occasionally many years ago - much better than the Max Power type mag - but I haven't seen it for ages. I think it would be very hard to keep a minority interest mag going in the current climate as advertising in general is declining. We used to get Jalopy too.
2001 xsara hdi estate,excessive road noise and vibration at high speed.have done all the usual stuff,run each front wheel in turn on the jack,spun the rears,nothing untoward.no play in the driveshafts.the vibration can be felt through the body not the steering wheel,are they prone to any engine/gearbox body contact? has done 116000 with full dealer service to 100000
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Usual rule of thumb is that if vibration can be felt through the body and not steering wheel, then the problem lies with the rear tyres / wheels, and not the fronts.
When were the tyres last balanced?
2000 Yaris with alloy wheels.
Just found one tyre at 19 psi not 33 psi on a routine check so I am looking for a reason.
It is a new tyre one month old Continental and has done 200 easy miles then unused for two weeks
Before any further use it will go back to the tyre depot for professional checking next week.
What could be the problem.
1. Depot under inflated it. Unlikely
Three new tyres were fitted to match the existing almost new Conti and no handling problems.
2. Some toe rag let it down. I do not think so
3. Puncture. Close examination found nothing so no suds used.
4. Soap suds on valve. No indications
5. Soap suds on valve seat. No indications.
6. Soap suds around both beads with the wheel flat. Nothing
That leaves me with a couple of thoughts.
A. Tyre is not seated properly when driven / flexed.
B. The wheel is porous.
The alloy has some corrosion but nothing that seems drastic.
I put some suds on the alloy but no signs of anything.
One of the old tyres did loose pressure but was put down to its age. Thus, unfortunately I did not identify which wheel prior to the tyre change.
Are there any other posibilities?
It is now up to 33psi and I will monitor it for a few undriven days. Read more
An update on the problem.
I returned to the the tyre depot.
They did all the leak tests, checked the valve and found no tyre damage so all checks found nothing.
There did appear to be a small patch of corrosion on the inner rim which looked like it was caused by a weight clip.
They certainly used the rubberoid solution before refitting the tyre.
Since then it seems to have lost just one or two PSI.
I will continue to monitor the pressure.
Thanks for all the responses.
Yaris passed the MoT OK very recently but with a prompt to look at one of the front disks.
The O/S front disk has the usual small crust of rust around the very outside edge of the face on the outside.
On the inside face it has about half an inch of very slight pitting and rusty area all around the edge.
There does not appear to be a gradual change from clean to damaged area.
It is not the usual surface rust from wet disks left standing as seen after it is washed.
Any suggestions how this has come about etc.?
It is almost as if the inside pad is smaller than the outside pad. Read more
>>After 5 years it is likely that the caliper and guide pins need freeing up. It might be possible to have irregular disks skimmed flat if they are still thick enough, but that might cost as much as new disks.
I would agree, certainly sounds like caliper fault
--
Steve
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Do it!
That 2.4 litre chain cam engine is one of Hondas best. I am exceptionally jealous of my friend who owns one of these.