March 2006
HJ was very impressed, I've just got two points:
1)I didn't get to drive one, just sit in it whilst Mrs Barchetta was in Babys'r'Us. The faux aluminium trim all over the centre console made for some spectacularly awful reflections up on the windscreen. Who signs that kind of design off?
2) One of the back row of seats was up, so I thought I'd give it a try. Now, I know they're designed for kiddies, but I thought I would at least be able to sit in it (enough comfort for a 10 minute journey, that kind of thing).
Absolutely no chance. I couldn't physically get in, at all. I'm 6'. Was I mistaken to think that maybe I should at least be able to get in the seat?
BTW, the new Merc R-class was on display at Frankfurt airport this morning - spectacularly nice inside, again the back row of seats only suitable for little people. Read more
Been discussing private purchase of prestige car today with 40,000 on the clock and 4 years old. Seller seems absolutely straight. Discloses that it has had 4 previous owners (he is the 5th) and that this is making it difficult to sell - any advice? Should I just forget it as others seem to have done? Read more
My Mondeo has had one previous owner although I have had it from new, it was first registered to my employer and then to me personally. If it had been a pre reg it would have shown two previous even though I had it from new.
My motorbike has had five previous owners in 8 years though the last two were two guys I know, one took it p-ex when selling a car, the other took it p-ex when selling the first guy a car and I bought it off the second guy, so three changes of keeper over only a couple of months, shame they bothered to inform the DVLA, I could have been the 4th keeper not the 6th.
Canvassing your knowledge on behalf of a neighbour - he's always out there while I'm working on my car and bends my ear when I could be working...!
Car is a 96P Mk1 Mondeo 2.5V6. Symptoms are heater not working, radiator bottom hose not getting hot, zero reading from temp gauge, and pressurised cooling system - opening expansion tank will cause a jet of steam, followed by what can only be described as the sound of plastic bending or cracking, I assume this is hoses expanding. Thermostat has been changed and coolant drained/refilled, but problem persists. We both had a poke around this morning to try and find a bleed valve, but it's all a bit packed in under the bonnet! I wondered if the new thermostat might also be duff?
Any helpful suggestions gratefully received! Read more
could well be plastic impellor broken as suggested or the drive belt has come off/broken.remove front cylinder bank top plastic cover and check small polyvee belt driven off rear of front camshaft.
Right - over here in N Ireland the beginning of March has brought with it another way to make us all buy new cars. All cars registered after 1994 now face a particularly srict emission test with all the revving of diesel engines that has been a feature of MOT on the mainland for some time. In NI all tests are conducted by the Government at test centres where you can wait 3 months for a test.
Has anyone found a good additive or mixture that can be applied pre MOT to cut smoke- particularly from a diesel engine. All leads gratefully accepted! Read more
In Fermanagh incidentally. Did someone mention something called cataclean some time ago. Beginning to panic as my old Vento TD is up soon!
My Hyundai Accent 1.3i (2002) with 41,500 miles on the clock has suddenly started to have a problem whereby it will, whilst driving, cut out (with the engine warning light coming on) and then re-start almost instantly. I also think that the fuel consumption has worsened.
I took the car to my local mechanic who after three hours (£140) of testing told me that he could not isolate the problem,saying it was a very strange problems and not one he had come across before but then thought there was 85-90% chance it was ECU failure. I asked about the coil pack and spark plugs and he insisted that this had been tested. ( Iasked this after being told a friend!)
Do you think that an ECU failure is likely ? and how much do you think it would cost to repair- he was quoting me £648 parts and £40 (1 hour) labour. The car is probably only worth £1,000 - so this would hardly be worth it. Are there on-going driving issues ?
Have I just been very unlucky with my car as it was only covered by a 3 year warranty.
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thanks for comments - the car has been serviced annually but is due for the next one next month.
Following in the footsteps of NowWheels, I have been taking an interest in the Almera 1.8 Auto, as a replacement for our Xantia. I have seen a few examples but I am yet to drive one. I have to say that a lot of the cars I have enquired about recently have just been sold, so they seem to be popular enough. Many have been a bit too expensive or a bit too old, or in a colour we (my wife and I) don't like too much. I enquired about one at Available Car today and it seems that it is a Fords of Winsford (their other site). To get it to Castle Donington would mean me paying a deposit of £200 which, apparently, is refundable, if I don't like the car. To which I would ask, why ask for the £200 then? I don't want to get into an argument about why I don't want the car, so I am not risking losing £200.
We went to see one a 3 door S model, at a local specialist in ex motability cars, but it was really too much money for the age of the car, even though it had only covered about 13K miles. The bodywork was unmarked and a nice of green, but what I wasn't impressed with was the fact that part of the seat trim had come away from the front of the front passenger seat, exposing a sharp edge, and both of the door trim fixings were adrift on the trailing edge of both doors. What's that about Nissan build quality being impeccable?
I have also located a 5 door SE in Leicester, for which they are asking £7495. Is this a reasonable price from a franchised dealer? Read more
We are looking to scale down from the current second car, which is a Xantia.
Hi
After waiting 3 years, I am finally doing a module at uni in something really interesting, IC engines!
I have an assignment to do on "valvetrain systems" and was wondering if any backroomers could share any knowledge or know of good references that I could have a look at?
I've already found a good report on the Rover VVT system which they published with the IMechE, however I'm struggling to find other such publications or good google links. Haynes used to be good at explaining how things functioned, but I'm not sure their new books go beyond the basics of "remove part x which varies the valve timing somehow".
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,
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Mike Farrow Read more
IC engines in the 3rd year - sounds like a mech
eng course?
you got it! :-)
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Mike Farrow
my partner is having lessons with a driving school and now she thinks it is a good idea to have a car and for me to sit in with her so she can gain extra driving time on the road. i am with esure insurance and they will not entertain this on any account. is their any way round this. has anybody got any ideas
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Does she want to drive your car, or are you planning to get a second car for her to drive?
If the latter then she can insure the car in her own name, as a learner. Try Diamond (part of Bell), but fist run it through confused.com - which will give you a Diamond quote amongst others. We did just this for my daughter a year ago, but I'll re-quote for her second year if she get a 1 year NCB.
I was chucking some old papers out and my eye was caught by "2.6 V6 turbo" and "250BHP" along with "£17,995". It was an advert for the SAAB 9-3 estate. Now, if it had a Vauxhall badge on the front that sounds about right, at least for list price. But my perception of SAAB is of a premium brand. You could argue that I'm being offered a premium product at a bargain price or you could say that GM are destroying the brand value. Any thoughts, especially from current or ex SAAB owners?
JH Read more
I remember seeing the same advert. My initial reaction was the same, but I read the small print to see that the headline price referred to an entry level model.
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pmh (was peter)
my girlfriend's p reg polo is sucking air in somewhere,i can see it in the fuel lines near the fuel filter but cant find where its coming from,ive changed the fuel filter and all the connections on it but its still doing it,please help as the car is running rough and sounds like a tank. Read more
Had similar problem for 2 months , went to diesel specialist who had also had his fingers burnt as well with same pbroblem. 1st thing he said was change the fuel filter for Bosch N6172 and bypass the plastic return fitting to the filter by joining the return lines together. This is how the air gets in. No problems since
Browse
>>and a flimsy/awkward handbrake design rule it out for me>>
I feel like i'm driving a train with 'that' handle.
Much prefer a discreet parking brake button, like on my Passat.
Simular irritant in the Zafira too (indicator lever), why reinvent something that doesn't need reinventing?
But that's been done to death in here.