March 2006
Does anyone have any clues why the charge light stays on,the car is an L reg corsa diesel,it is charging at 13.5 volts and starts OK,I have read on another forum about a charging relay,any advice please, Regards Burman Read more
I have a Honda accord iCTDi saloon and am shortly to have a small dog which I wish to transport safely. Is there a dog guard available which will allow the dog to ride in the car--back seat up or down, but will prevent the dog ending up arouind my neck?
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My old car had an arm rest on the backseat that would fold down and allow access to the boot. Dog used to wander in and out freely, but preferred the boot.
I've not generally been Ford fan, a 1996 Escort 1.8 TD put me off Fords and diesels for years. However this week I have been using a new Focus 1.4 and cannot really find much bad to say about it.
I liked:
Good enough performance given its small size. Refined and economical, averaged 40mpg. Fit and finsh good, apart from the interior light which was badly fitted. Very sharp steering, handling but still soft enough ride. Good support from the seats. Nice gearchange.
Didn't like:
When you open the boot when it's wet, water goes inside the boot. Interior and exterior styling a bit dull compared to original Focus. Fake aluminium trim - why can't we have the real thing?
But now it's gone back to its owner, so I am back in Megane. Seats are more comfortable in the Renault and the trim quality is also better, including the door panels. Megane's steering is not as sharp but handles about the same and not much in the ride. Brakes much sharper in Megane. Gear change a bit more notchy than Focus.
But more than anything that impressed me was how much cars have come on in the last few years. Megane and Focus are just ordinary hatches but compared to the Escort and previous Megane, are light years ahead.
So will a Ford darken my garage sometime? Well, we will see, maybe one day... Read more
"It spooks me how that Focus made the same noise in first gear as an old 1981 Escort 1.6 I once drove some years back. Must be some common componentry there somewhere??"
I find the same in my 04 Fiesta Zetec Diesel sounding like a mark 3 escort! My car Seems to go through drive shaft bearings very quickly so maybe that.
Baz
Some BackRoomers have had comments about Hondas - here's a chance to express them (indirectly) to Honda:
Speak your mind on Honda's Blog site
HONDA UK is taking the adventurous step in supporting an internet blogging network for its brand.
The Honda-sponsored site - www.2talkabout.com/Honda - goes live on February 28 and is aimed at anyone with an interest in Honda cars. Read more
There's no suggestion that it's meant to be Civic specific -
although that's pretty well all that's on it at the moment.
Anything from Woody?
and I may be some time.
It's snowing!!! And I'm about to undertake a perilous journey fraught with....peril.
It's like Lapland! I can't wait to wheelspin all the way there!
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Incidentally, I missed the ;-) off my Motoring Please comment.
I'd hate for you to think I was being serious! Without me, DD would be out of a job!
***** This thread is now closed, please CLICK HERE to go to Volume 8 *****
Following on from Stargazer's original thread, Vol 2, Vol 3, Vol 4, Vol 5, & Vol 6:-
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=23902 (Vol 1)
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=23901 (Vol 2)
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=25308 (Vol 3)
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=31443 (Vol 4)
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=32419 (Vol 5)
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=34483 (Vol 6)
Another thread for commenting on rare, unusual, old or just plain daft cars etc.
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Alfa Romeo Veloce Spyder, late 1950s model but G suffix reg.., medium blue. Seen on my commute in the Peak District in the snow, ice and salt the past few days.
A very pretty car - I'd never seen one before.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty. Read more
Was in York last week and a garage had two unregistered Rovers on the forecourt. The 75 was £11,995.
Saw an immaculate W reg (1980ish) Mk 1 Cavalier 2000 GLS Coupe in brown. Were these that common even when they were new? Most Cavaliers I remember were 4 door saloons.
Hi,
Cold weather seems to have a significant effect on my HDi. It drinks diesel and there is a lot of head noise (crackle, esp. under load).
I remember my old XUD had a system of cables & levers to advance injection timing when cold, and this certainly made it sound like a bucket of nails being shaken.
Presumably the ECU on the HDi is doing something similar?
Why advance timing when cold?
What other tricks does the ECU get up to?
Ta. Read more
I posted about this exact same thing not so long back - the general consenus was that it was OK, and that winter diesel doesn't help.
In my continued search for a newer car I am now looking at X type Jags and would welcome comments on the 2 litre auto which is the one that appears to offer best value for money,has reasonable mpg and more than adequate performance for me.
As usual,the cheapest deals seem to be in the north of England or Scotland while I'm based in Kent,but distance is no object if I can save a couple of grand!
Yes I know that Mercs and BMW are probably better cars but a 1 or 2 year old model is still too close to the new price. Whereas I've seen some X types Jags at two thirds their cost price at only a year old so in the real world,a one year old 3 series is £20k,but the similar equipped jag is £15k! Thats gotta be a better deal hasn't it?
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haha! For the elimination of doubt, I get double the mileage from the same amount of fuel. Surprisingly the 2.2D feels quite a bit faster than the 2.5 Petrol. It also depreciates much slower according to What Car indexes.
Most importantly - because a Diesel takes longer to warm up, there's an electric heating circuit that means you get warm air out of the ventilation system on a cold morning much quicker than in a Petrol!! I must be getting old!
I'm fantasising and looking at an IS200, year 2000, 90K miles, for 6,000 pounds with an one year warranty (being sold at a main dealer, near where I live in France)). Looks like a good deal, and insurance is reasonable (550 Euros fully comp.)
From a mechanical point of view, is this a sound long-term buy?? I know they're generally a recommended buy, but I'd like a nice car that I may keep for many years. In particular,do these cars stand up well to very high mileages(assuming service history is there). Any expereinces or comments people have, I'd appreciate it.
cheers Read more
A Lexus with just 90k on the clock, providing it has been properly serviced, will just keep on going and going.
It is a premium brand for Toyota and I've driven 50k plus examples that have felt like brand new vehicles.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
My car is doing my nut, in the last month it has had a new thermostat, and subsequently a new pipe where the coolant is returned from the engine. The car is presently drinking about 2 litres of coolant per day, even though I only make short journeys, and the heater has now decided not to function properly until after about 20 minutes of having the engine on.
When topped up the coolant seems to just disappear, and the coolant bottle emits a burning smell. I have checked under the oil filler cap and the oil is fine. I dont know if the thermostat has gone again, or there is a more serious problem with the cooling system or engine.
I would be grateful for any opinion as to whether it is worth repairing again or to start looking for a another car.
Many Thanks
Big Phil Read more
Thanks for the replies, have decided to look at other cars, the car has however been fine over the weekend, dont think the garage had done something right, as the coolant level mysteriously was at the max mark when I checked again over the weekend, dont know if there was an airlock, but all seems fine again.....
Browse
The car has been checked today by professionaly checked today,the charge relay was found to be U/S,all now seems to be OK,thanks to everyone who helped,Regards Burman