March 2006
Wife broke down this am, luckily it was local, she stalled the Clio and it would not restart, would not even turn over. I attended as did a local garage arranged by her insurer eSure under her breakdown cover, the guy was there in 30 mins, he tested the battery and the alternator and advised that a new battery was required, I went and bought a Halfords Calcium four year g'tee jobby, he waited and fitted it on my return, all sorted within an hour.
Ok we are £50 worse off (could have had a non Calcium battery for £41) though the Clio was on its original battery and it is eight years old this year so we cant complain.
Great service from Williams of Shepton Mallet, thanks to Andy. Read more
I've been offered a '92 caravelle which looks in good condition.
But it's the petrol 2.5 Litre version and it's done 192K miles...
What is the life expectancy of these engines? Will it last another 50K?
Thanks for any advice! Read more
Depends how it's been driven. If a sensible driver has had it and it has been serviced properly, then 250K upwards is possible.
However, my brother can kill a car in 60K so it's really impossible to say.
Does any one know if Renault diesel engine is fitted to this model requests to Haynes Manuals keep refering to Megane&Scenic Regards davey.j Read more
I believe its a version of the Renault F8Q Diesel engine.
My R Reg 1.8si 16v Zetec escort has power loss at around 2000 revs when accelerating in first and second gear, I have recently changed plugs and HT leads aswell as air filter but this has has little if any effect.
wondering if anyone has any ideas, have also noticed in the past couple of days that the temperature dial on the dash does not move, could this have something to do with the fault.
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The temperature gauge is still reading cold although the fan is still kicking in when the engine heat up in traffic. The problem with the power turned out to be the cat, it had completely collapsed blocking the exhaust, drives like new now, thanks for help.
Morning all, can someone please help confirm my diagnosis of a problem I've got on the old Golf. The car has covered about 120,000miles and recently its started to develope a droning noise over about 30 mph. Its not really loud, just noticibable but definately there.
1. I suspect its NSF wheel bearing - can anyone confirm the likelyhood?
2. Any idea how much they cost / how much effort the are to fit ?
Thanks in advance
Paul Read more
Check you have a good fitting socket on a 3/4 bar. Regards Peter
This is actually a massive overall hike in VED revenue masked by a supposed environmental strategy, yet this revenue will not be plowed back into roads and transport, the motorist simply has to bear an ever greater tax burden.
Good old Chancellor Brown! He will surely get a positive response to this from most quarters though the fact is that he is ripping us motorists off with one hand while he panders to the green lobby with the other.
An average medium to large petrol car can now cost over £200 to tax however the less efficient cars already make a much larger contribution to the Chancellors coffers via fuel duty. And there is a reasonable hike for Pre March 2001 vehicles as well.
The truly daft thing though is that, for instance, a a 1999 reg 1.6 Clio now costs £50 a year more in VED than a 2000 reg model though a 1999 S500 costs £30 less than a 2000 reg model and £50 less than a 2006 reg model.
How is that an environmentally friendly policy. Read more
I've read the Telegraph's analysis of the Budget tonight whilst enjoying a pint of Guinness in the club and was quite surprised (but pleased) just how damning it was on every aspect of Brown's offerings.
Alright I lied.
It was three or four pints of Guinnesss.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Hi there, I've done a bit of Googling for this, but haven't got anywhere. I've always wondered how the towing capacity of a vehicle is calculated by the vehicle manufacturer. I believe that it is a function of gradability, and to a lesser extent, engine power, but are any other criteria specific to the vehicle taken into account? Any one know? Read more
Although I don't know this for a fact, I would be extremely surprised if this were tested rather than being calculated.
However, there were calibrated test hills at MIRA when I was last there 7 years ago.
Number_Cruncher
Hi all,
I'm planning a bit of an odd ball project and need your thoughts on a potential transmission problem.
To outline the project, I have a 2.2 litre front wheel drive Renault Espace automatic, to which I am planning to mid mount a 4 litre Jag engine and auto box, driving a rear axle. (That's as well as the front engine, not instead of!)
I can sort most of the problems with running both ends together, but where I'm going to come unstuck is when in economy mode and just running on the front engine, the rear trans is going to cook its clutches. (ie when being towed)
I'm wondering if circulating the trans fluid through a cooler with an electric pump would overcome the problem?
Your thoughts would be appreciated
DC
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Hi wonder if any off you nice people could help me my gearbox was making a crunchin noise and there was a lot fluid leekin out of the car now i cant get the car in gear.... i dont have a lot of cash to buy a new car is it worth gettin it done i dont realy know what the problem with it is could it be the clutch or the gear box?.... Read more
if fluid cleaner than oil then could be gearbox oil but
two not normally linked on this motor.
From what I understand, these gearboxes (not Formel E, but 75-94 as a whole) are prone to a bit oil loss. But I think this is more of a gradual loss during driving as apposed to a sudden hemorrhage that you'll notice on your drive, but I stand to be corrected.
Hi Peeps, I am new to this marvellous site and was looking for an 'FAQ' section.
Having not found one and not being too successful with the site search I will try a question that I need some guidance on:
I have changed from a Honda CRV to a Mondeo TDCI hatchback (04) with 17" wheels and wide (ish) tyres. Speed humps were no problem in the CRV. How should they be driven over in the Mondeo? a. Evenly straddled with the centre of the car over the centre of the hump or b. One side off the hump - either in the middle or edge - the other side over the highest part of the hump?
TIA Read more
HJ,
Many thanks. Copied to son & daughter too ... :)


Don't forget that, even if they give you a new battery, the warranty on that will only be for the period of time covered by the original warranty; ie battery bought with a 3 year warranty and dies after 30 months - replacement is only warranted for 6 months. Better than nothing I suppose!