July 2006
Could someone please clarify for me whether or not the saloons have rear seats that will fold down. I have been looking at the tourers, but there are a lot more saloons on the market. I need to fit my fishing rods in. Cheers Paul Read more
did anyone else read the telegraph on saturday in relation to renault taking a stake in gm?
got this pm today
Renault, Nissan and GM alliance
Today the Financial Times says the board of French carmaker Renault will meet this evening to talk about adding General Motors to their alliance. The FT says that the idea involves Renault and Nissan injecting cash into GM in return for a combined 20% stake If it happens, the enlarged alliance would control nearly a quarter of world car development, purchasing and sales budgets.
any comments? Read more
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simca
Simca started off producing copies of Fiat's (sound familiar?).
Simca bought the Ford France operation including the factory at Poissy.
Simca were bought by Chrysler in 1963. Chrylser also owned Rootes as was. The two bits were encouraged to co-operate so the Alpine was (i think) a British design with Simca derived mechanicals. Or maybe that was the Horizon.
Anyway, Chrysler sold the whole lot to Peugeot, who renamed it Talbot and gradually ran it down. The last Talbot car was the Arizona, released as the Peugeot 309.
The Poissy factory is still going, Ryton is shutting, and Linwood is long gone.
1.6 ZM Engine (BJ)MAZDA 323F. Can someone tell me, when bleeding brakes does the engine have to be switched on to keep the ABS pump running. Or do you just bleed the brakes the normal way using two persons. It's just that I changed the brake fluid and now the pedel goes down a lot. Pumping makes it return to where it use to be.
Also can someone tell me if this car as a Cabin Filter( Pollen Filter) if so where is it fitted.
Read more
Part/ex'd my Honda CRV against a diesel CRV on 28th June, (already been in discussion with the dealer) and I was stalling on cost to change price as I know there's a new one out at the end of the year, he just phoned up with a better deal (end of the month targets?) He took a £200 deposit on a credit card, delivery for sometime this week but obviously had to be registered for the end of the June. No problem, been there before. Wifey got a phone call from dealer today while I was at work, no car as yet but would like the balance tomorrow, first time I have been asked to pay before collecting the car. Any comments please, dealer will accept debit card, no paperwork has been signed yet but the registration document turned up this morning all in order.
Now I am happy with the deal, but am a bit worried if it is possible the dealer could go under before I get the car. Proper Honda dealer, fairly large chain of garages in the NE, but does the fact that the registration doc is pukka and the garage says the car is on the way from Honda cover me.
Any advice from more expert/cynical/legal backroomers would be appreciated Read more
Exactty what happened, getting the car on Friday, paying on Friday after inspecting same, thanks for all the advice guys.
ford mondeo 1.8 petrol; this is my first car with air con'. i have had it re-gassed but it is not blowing cold , i can not find any fuses blown. anybody any ideas. thanks in advance, gibbo007 Read more
Have you got the airflow direction control selected for aircon ?
With standard aircon (rather than climate) there may be just one position on the direction knob for cold air.
This is probably out of the dashboard vents - select anything else and cold air is blocked off.
Your handbook should say.
Do you get water pooling under the car after aircon has been used ?
There's an option for me to buy a Volvo S60 2.0T auto or 2.4T SE auto, both 53-pate with 100k on the clock. I have read through the car-by-car breakdown and the previous posts of potential issues. I'm interested to hear from those who owns a higher-mileage S60 or knows about repairing high-mileage S60 on following subjects.
1) What have been repaired on your car? How much are the repair costs?
2) What's the fuel economy like between the 2.0 and 2.4? I use the car in central London and I heard that the 2.4 is significantly more thirsty in traffic.
3) Is the auto-box reliable?
4) As the 2.0 is only 20hp less than the 2.4, is the 2.0 similar to drive to the 2.4?
Thank you very much.
Regards, Gazza Read more
Well, a Mercedes McLaren SLR will empty its (90 litre?) fuel tank in something like a quarter of an hour at maximum speed, and a Bugatti Veyron will likewise empty its 100 litre tank in twelve and a half minutes.
I observed a car being 'Removed' last Saturday. It was parked on double yellows right in the middle of the Stockport shopping precinct. A national car pickup company had been contracted to collect it, and quite expertly too. Because of the restricted space the pickup vehicle had to make an approach about 15 to 20 degrees out of straight. The tow hook was attached to get the front wheels onto the incline ramp, and then alternately straight and offset to the opposite side of the ramp until it was fully on. The operator was cool and collected, never hurried, but worked quickly. A heavy with a radio was stood by. The car was in gear, handbrake on, steering locked, so it was a case of bounce forward and skid sideways. SWMBOI asked me whether I thought that the owner was a lady standing nearby and looking concerned. She looked it. She had probably been doing it for years and regarded rules as being for others. I wonder what it cost her. Read more
Many years ago whilst driving Hertz courtesy buses at Heathrow Airport, I witnessed a police removal of a car. The car was being towed rear end up through an underpass near Terminal 1. The front wheels must have turned of their own accord and the car vered into the wall.
The Officers could hardly contain their laughter!
My job being what it was, involving driving a larger than normal vehicle around the airport complex, I had no sympathy in general with anyone that tried to evade the parking arrangements. IMO they had it coming.
H
I Have a 2000, 2.0 Vectra with a 135,000 miles on the clock. It was given to me by my brother a couple of months ago. He didn't use it for about 6 months due to having a company car. Now after having it for this time it often stalls when in stationary traffic. I notice it's about to happen as the idle drops from about 600 rpm (which I suspect is too low). The engine seems to make a 'whiney' noise on acceleration, although there is no problem with the performance. I'm not mechanically minded so will be taking it to the garage. Read more
Very interesting Ashok. Will do. Thanks
I've only ever driven cars that have a sensible gear layout (Reverse down on the right)
The Toledo has one of those 'Press gearstick down and up to the left' layouts.
Vauxhalls have this layout too.
What is it about this design that makes reverse crunch?
Peugeot, various Fiestas, sensible layout - no problem.
Various Astras, Corsas, the Toledo - every now and then - CRUNCH!
Grrrr. Any tips bar the usual 'make sure you've stopped completely, hold the clutch down for a few seconds'. Read more
This is not a gearbox problem (if it happens when the car is stationary) it is 'clutch drag'. If it happens when the clutch has been depressed for more than about 5s (to allow the input shaft to spin down) the you have a problem. The clutch is not fully disengaging - could be the centre plate sticking on its splines (typically does this mainly when its cold) or could be that the actuator mechanism is not fully releasing the plate - or could be the input shaft sticking in the pilot bearing (rare).
anyone know anything about these. believe thy are only 125cc
what are your thoughts etc etc. Read more
Browse
Thanks to all of you for your advice. I think you have confirmed that I need to get a tourer (2 rod bags won't fit through the hole where the armrest is). Incidentaly, do the seats fold down in these at this age. I know the newer ones do but I can't afford one of them.