June 2006
Arhh another episode in my saga to get my car fixed...
Cam belt broken.. had to get my Renault Laguna 1.8 RT towed to a garage.. Its been in there almost two weeks. I got a original quote over the phone..£450 plus Vat to fix it... apparently more than one valve was bent.. it seems to drag on and on.. All garages promise they will phone back but they never do..and all i get is excuses there a problem with this and that and they doing it now..i was supposed have car back on friday and its Tuesday now..they say that engine is running but cuts out - might be the sensor..and that they have to contact renault..I just think they are dragging things on to bump up charges or one of the mechanics has borrowed it to go on holiday! if they decided to bump up the bill.. I have half a mind to say keep the car..as its not worth much.. I guess £350 - £650 on a 96 p.. any advice on what i should do next? has anyone else had bad experiences? Read more
I have been searching unsuccessfully for a 5dr Polo GTI for my £4.5k budget. The polo fits my requirements about right being; 125 bhp performance, style, 5dr for occasional family use, small so fits comfortably down the side of the house, reliable (well, it's a VW ?!) and lots of spec.
However, they seem pretty rare and almost non existent at my budget for a low miles/full service example.
So now I'm thinking of widening the goal-posts.
So suggestions please for something that fits the above criteria.
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Impreza Sportswagon. All the fun of an Impreza but the chavs don't like them so cheap and not thrashed.
ive got a 2000 uylesse , the remote button for unlocking the car has come of the board anyone know if i can have a new one soldered on?
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S.O.S new to site.In need of help.PLEASE
Hi, Barty here.I've got a camper van thats had a 1.9 tdi passat engine put in it. It seems to pul very well in 3rd on short hills but in 4th on the motorway it loses power at around 50-60 mph and just dies on hills. Also when first starting sometimes theres no turbo at all but if I rev hard say in 2nd it suddenly cuts in or if I stop then restart it sometimes comes straight back. I've read other peoples postings on the same problem but being a complete dougnut when it comes to anything but driving the thing I don't understand what AFN, ECU,EGR IIRC or any of that means so if anyone could explain what I should try to resolve this problem I would be eternally grateful.Cheers
Yours ( a complete dougnut on vehicles) Barty
{Subject header amended, as per one of the sticky messages at the top of the page - DD} Read more
Mac Mini Intel - New macs are Intel PCs with DRM and can run Windows.
On Ross Tech, it says it runs fine in XP on a Mac.
I have a 1993 rover 218sld diesel which is using a lot of water. After a couple of minutes running the water is boiling out of the overflow pipe on the expansion tank and continues to boil until the tank is empty. Any suggestions on what the problem could be would be appreciated - thanks. Read more
Re: thermostat. I wouldn't bother with a scrapyard for one. Go buy a newone , they're not expensive.
By "expansion tank sniffed" he means getting a garage to test for hydrocarbons (HC) in the coolant using a gas analyser to see if exhaust gasses are present, which will confirm whether your head gasket is leaking or not.
The sensor ring on the front RH drive shaft has broken. Is it possible to obtain a replacement for this or do I have to replace the complete CV joint or Driveshaft which is in perfectly good condition?
I tried glueing the ring back in position with araldite, this worked for a short while but the ABS malfunctionwarning has returned. I assume the glue has not held.
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On the (mechanically similar) Xantia the ABS ring is part of the driveshaft, about £250 fitted at quality independant rates in the East Midlands. If you are anywhere near Northampton I can vouch for both a franchised cit repair agent and an independant.
What the cheapest sat nat that does the job it should?
And where would I get it?
Many thanks for any help. Read more
Not the cheapest but if you get the chance to specify a system for a company car etc (ie someone else is paying) it is hard to beat the Smartnav system for ease of use. Basically a mobile phone in a box - push a button on the dash and speak to a real live operator - state destination - route downloaded to vehicle then follow audio prompts. Biggest benefit is the human interface - you can actually just ask for the nearest place to get a coffee and get a result!
Hi. I bought a R Reg Laguna a few weeks ago. It was slightly drifting to the left. I had the tracking done as I thought that would fix the problem. It's a little better but still doesnt go in a straight line if you let go of the steering wheel.Still drifts to the left.
I have made sure all tyres are the same pressure but the problem is still there.
Anyone got any idea what else could be wrong?
Many thanks. Read more
I joined the deleted extended warranty scheme which included cover for wear and tear in March 2006. My ABS system became faulty and this part was covered by the policy. However the repair garage said it would take 2 hours to replace the ABS sensor which was the faulty part. The warranty company accepted that the part was faulty but has only authorised 20 minutes repair time. As this repair can only be done at the main dealer where the labour rates are about £98/hour, this would leave me having to pay almost ALL the labour rates. This is appalling and I would discourage anyone from buying a policy with deleted. I have had 2 other encounters with them and they picked on some real small print to disallow the claim including that I hadn't reported one claim within 7 days.
Can anyone advise ? Has anyone dealt with deleted before. I have now had to threaten them with legal action in a small claims court.
{Company names removed, as per our no naming / shaming rule - DD}
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Probably one for trading standards. I have a feeling one of the ombudsmen or office of fair trading have made judgements on warranty companies refusing to pay realistic time for jobs or realistic hourly rates. Most companies only pay £25-30 an hour so main dealer of £100 an hour is probably why you've got 20 minutes worth. A lot of warranty companies are slippery and will avoid paying out as much as possible. If you ever want to make claims then you have to make sure you are always within the small print. Again the OFT or similar have ruled on what is allowable and what isn't within the terms and conditions.
teabelly
Hi
I own a cavalier 1995 i.8
( C18NZ )
GM Multec CFI
Whilst driving to my sisters today the engine management light came on and the RPM dropped from around 900rpm to 400rpm.
I switched off the engine and restarted which seemed to cure the fault for a mile and again it reoccured.
When i got home and tested it i get the codes
22
24
These both seem to point to a Low Voltage fault on both sensors.
Can i ask HOW i can sort this problem out?
Is this a fault in the Sensor or perhaps a wiring fault?
Any helps would be greatly appreciated
Martin Read more
Righty
It was the VSS on the back of the clocks it was fried (how i hear you ask?) well to be honest i have NO idea how but fried it was.
I had to replace the whole clocks as my clocks had the built in VSS not the interchangable one so i added 10.000 to the clock over night (and not a speed ticket in sight lol)
All done now back to normal thanks for your input lads
Martin
Browse
Worst experience I had from a garage was...I had a lovely Mercedes 260E,had it in for a service at a well established place prior to a week touring south wales,(long way from oldham).When I went to collect it, I asked if the rear brake pads were OK as I had done them myself. The mechanic??! said "oh yeah mate no problem mate sound as a pound."I knew by his answer there was something wrong.About two weeks later the front brakes started to make a nasty noise,the discs and pads were so worn that the lip that had formed on the discs was touching the metal of the pad.I changed them myself,took an hour and a half start to finish.I went back to the garage to see my mate (I hope you see the sarcasm) threw the old parts on the desk in front of a full waiting room and told them what I thought of them in no uncertain terms.