April 2006
Deep Breath. Thinking of buying an used one, can't find any data on BMW's Web about warranty, anybody know whether it's a 12 month or 3 year one, or something in between ? Read more
Perhaps not the best place to ask this question but even Google doesn't help very much......
I work for a small charity. We don't take credit cards at the moment but we have decided to do so, although only by telephone/email/postal, *not* internet. However, the only company I can track in the UK that provides the facility is Barclaycard Merchant Services, but the charges are relatively high for our projected turnover. Does anyone know of anyone else that provides the service?? Read more
Just to clarify, this is being considered ahead of a new-build house with (AFAIK) underfloor heating. If it was me I think I'd be leaning towards the heat exchanger idea too, only post-installation costs of those are maintenance and running the pumps. I'd also install a normal wood-burning stove for extra heat if required, rather than spend many times more for something not that much more efficient.
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andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
Please could someone give advice, I have a Vectra 1.8 LS with an ecotec engine X18XE1. The engine management light is on all the time. We took it to a local garage and they put it on their computer and it showed up some codes:-
Coil pack and also p0115 Intake Coolant Temperature Sensor (CTS) malfunction.
The garage cleared the coil pack code and tried to clear the CTS code but this kept coming back. We changed the CTS and took car back to garage to have code cleared but it wouldn?t. We were advised that we needed electrical check done which we did. We were told that the ECU was giving out the wrong messages and we need a new one and also the coil pack code had showed up again. Contacted local Vauxhall dealers and given a scary price of £742 for new ECU! I asked if we got a brand new one ourselves would they fit it for us (trying hard to save some money!) And they said they would only fit one if it came with a Vauxhall receipt.
The car starts okay when cold but when knocked off very hard to restart! And when restarted misfires badly! It is drinking petrol only doing 200 miles for a full tank. Scared to use it now can anyone offer any advice?
If we got our ECU refurbished would we need it recoded of would it just go straight back on?
Kind regards
{Shouting amended, and ETC replaced for it's correct name, which is CTS - DD} Read more
Hiya , we have had an auto electrician look at the car and he checked the wire from the ecu to the temperature sensor and said it was ok.When he disconnected the cts he said that the ecu showed that the temperature was still rising even though the cts sensor was disconnected . He couldn't understand or explain why , this is why he came to the conclusion that the ecu is defective and should be replaced.
A few days ago I had a 'coming together' of door mirrors whilst driving down a narrow country road. I'd blame the other driver as he was nowhere near the edge of his side of the road, but there's not much you can really do in this situation.
Anyway, this got me thinking regarding the status of a passenger as a witness in traffic accidents (those somewhat more serious than mirror clashes!).
Is your spouse/mate/relative regarded as an 'independent' witness to an accident in which you are involved - or would it always be assumed they'd be 'taking your side'? Read more
Interesting strategy though - the Civil Procedure Rules are supposed to make litigation less overtly confrontational and there could be costs issues arising when you suddenly drop a witness in at the last minute when, had the other side known about the witness, they would have settled months ago.
It shouldn't affect you as the Claimant but it could mean a lot of unpaid work for the Solicitor.
Hello,
My Mondeo passed its second MOT yesterday, 4 years and 105k miles, no problems. It's first MOT last year was just prior to the computerised system being introduced, I recall the tester revving it hard three or four times re the emissions test. I am not sure if the test has changed though this time it was an Opacity test measuring the transmission of light through the exhaust emissions, I understand that the car can go through up to six test cycles to be within the max 3.00, mine came out at 1.46 first time so one application of full throttle for a second or so was all it required.
Has the test changed or do different test centres use different methods re diesel emissions?
Regards. Read more
White smoke when it's really cold outside and the engine is stone cold, and plenty of cack in the mirror if I floor it at night, but apart from that it seems quite clean. My car has enjoyed a fast pass the last three times I've had it tested, and the tester has only blipped the throttle.
My car has a space saver, the wife's has an expanding space saver, daughter's has a steel spare with a higher profile tyre.
Are these still illegal as the letter of the law stands?
How many of us know if our spare is the same size as the road wheels? Read more
The current Mondeo's have a space saver as standard, with a
full size spare available for an additional £50.
>>
Ford claim it is a full size spare but on everyone I drove or looked at the spare wheel and tyre were a different size! May be full size but not same size.
This is driving me nuts. I've searched around the web and some reviews of the Toyota MMT imply that it just gets rid of the clutch pedal - i.e. you still have to change gear manually. Other reviews imply that it can change gear automatically. Toyota's web site gives no details on how it works.
Can someone put me out of my misery?
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Anyway, there is no clutch pedal. You can put it
in the E position and drive it like an auto, or
opt to shift manually (but without needing to press a clutch
pedal). HTH.
Thanks Aprilia. In case you were wondering, here is an example of a web page saying that the MMT requires manual gear changes:
uk.cars.yahoo.com/car-reviews/car-and-driving/toyo...l
"Basically, what were talking about here is a clutchless manual gearbox, rather than a full auto, so although you still change gear yourself with the normal gearstick in the normal way, youve no need for a clutch."
Also a friend of mine was told by a Toyota dealer than the MMT on the new Yaris requires you to change gears manually. Presumably another case of salesmen not knowing what they're talking about, or perhaps a misunderstanding by my friend.
I am looking to buy a 2002 or 2003 Merc E320 CDi 7 seater estate . I have read that there are reliability problems with Mercs produced around that time . Has anyone any general advice as to whether or not to steer clear of this purchase please ?
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I've worked on MB's for 20+ years and have owned a few and bought/sold loads.
The W201, 124, 126's were great cars. Basically very simple cars (all the same basic design) but very very thoroughly engineered - by engineers.
Around the early-mid 1990's the accountants and marketing wonks got hold of the company and started to prattle about 'shareholder value', 'leveraging the brand' and all of the rest of the 'Anglo-Saxon' business-school garbage. That did a lot of damage to the company - they started to drift away from what they were good add, cutting back on quality to increase profit, and started adding 'gimmicks' to the cars. They also started designing things like the A-class, Smart and the Vaneo in an effort to extract more from the brand by appealing to a wider range of customers.
Hopefully the latest models will see a return to traditional MB values.
Anyone drives a Citreon C2 1.4 HDi 2003 onwards? What are the MPG like on the motorway (70 - 80 mph). Is it noisey at the speeds?
If I do buy this car, I'm anticipated to drive at least 15K miles a year 95% on motorway. Will the engine/car capable like other capable diesel car i.e. VW TDi?
Have anyone experienced any high cost damage bill or major problem with the car. I have never bought a French car before, so I have no feel of its reliablity. I have driven Japanese and German cars in past with no major issues. As I previously posted I was initially looking to buy a VW Bora TDi, but its either too dificult to find one, or its too expensive.
Appreciate any respond.
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...or a Seat Toledo TDi (mk II) as previously mentioned which is v similar in size to the Bora, better equipped and far cheaper
I have a Mondeo 2001 ST200 4 dr. I have discovered that a seal on my front, driver side 'Anti roll bar drop link' has a split in it. Now that the ball joint no longer protected, when I steer I get a loud creaking noise.
I have brought a new link from TCH, £36.
With regards to fitting this part, I am concerned about what will happen when I disconnect the exsisting link. Will the roll bar spring open or shut, considering that the suspension spring will be fully extended when I remove the link, or is it a simple case of unbolt the old link and bolt on the new?
TIA AdyBee Read more
He's probably done it by now,it was over three years ago.
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A smidgin under 200 miles yesterday - marvelous mix of of A, B, and C roads - no duals or Motorways. Envelope stats figure around 60 MPG, cracking bikes - far more common sight since I first posted - "paced" a Traffic car for a few miles - no issues. Nice, nice day very little traffic on the chosen routes.