August 2006
Just mulling over the merits of the japanese diesels, and wondered peoples thoughts.....
Avensis - seems to be several different bhp of engine - are there differently priced options, or a series of updated engines fitted over time.
My price range is prob the early current-shape avensis diesel - 110bhp it seems, is that enough or is the car underpowered ? What other (better ? ) engines are there ?
Can the early current shape engine be "chipped" to produce better performance ? What about the other engines ? WHat are insurance Co. attitudes to this - what approx is the price premium increase, and do they require some kindof engineers report to verify the Bhp of the mods ?
IF I was feeling flush might think about the accord 2.2 diesel - but reports on Car-by-car breakdown of high oil consumptiuon and poor mpg - what do owners find here ???
What are the likely probs of these modern diesels as they get older and the miles go on - I know earlier diesels were simple things, hence little to go wrong, but will these high-tech engines be "pig" once the yget older, and cease to be worth repairing - Hence should one really be buying a higher miler car, as many of these diesels will be, or will one be in for a big bill over 120Kmiles say ?
Thanks for peoples knowledge - as always good on this site ! Read more
Dear all, i changed my fiesta for a ST220 yesterday. Its a 53 plate and is in fantastic condition with only 21'000 on the clock, and was bought from a large national car supermarket. The v5 which i was shown showed the car to be an import as did an hpi check which i did independantly (for my own piece of mind). There is only one discrepancy which i don't understand at all. The service book shows that the car was PDI'd by a franchise ford dealership (it still bears the trade plate for this franchise on the car), however, when i phoned the dearship today the salesman, who was most helpful, checked the reg and said that it was indeed an import and that the dealership had no record of the vehicle with them, he also said that he would do some research for me and get back to me.
This has got me worried, as i now am wondering if the service book has been faked.
As i said the car was bought from a large reputable supermarket. Does anyone have any explanation as to how the service book may be like this, do main dealers sometimes dabble in imports on the side to keep things off the books? Or can an import be PDI'd privately by a main dealer on the UK when it hits the shores here.
As a happy aside, the car is incredible on the road. An absolute peach, and very understated.
cheers
smoke Read more
As a happy aside, the car was bought new in the UK was taken to germany by a member of the armed forces, and then brought back to the UK. So all sorted, its a UK car. Is booked in for a major service (37.5k) so will get that done and enjoy it.
Sid
I'm selling my 2003 Toledo TDi SE (see classifieds here). It's been advertised for just less than a week, I've had a couple of casual calls, but this evening I had a call from a guy who seems seriously interested in the car. I'm in the North East, he's in Edinburgh, and the earliest he can get down to see it is Thursday. Because I work through the day, he can't be here until after 6 to view the car.
We've already negotiated on price on the phone, and he's asked me about payment should he wish to take the car away on Thursday. Having read the advice on this site (How to buy and sell cars on the left), I suggested I could only accept a Building Society cheque or cash, as it will be outside banking hours so I wouldn't be able to check a draft was genuine.
This is the first time I've sold a car privately, and whilst I realise I can make a little extra from this deal, I'm a little apprehensive. If the guy brings cash, I can't pay it in until the next day. Is there any way I can be sure it's genuine? He certainly sounds very much so on the phone, and clearly he's travelling a significant distance to view the car. The other issue is that I have a px offer from the dealer. I already discussed with them when I did the deal, and they are happy to honour the deal without the px. I am supposed to be picking up my new car on Friday, so it would certainly be short notice for them to do the paperwork. Should I delay picking up the car (which I don't really want to!)
Your advice very much appreciated! Read more
Not bad advice if you dont handle much cash; but I have seen notes that have beaten these checkers.
You cant beat experience of cash for the feel of a note, and the print (especially on the back).
If doubtful, exchange the cash, keys and v5 at a bank where they will tell you if any notes are bad. Any body handing over notes he knows are dodgy will not go the bank to do it; so just decline his cash!
car was driving fine then went to start it and it wont fire up .....phoned up breakdown as i had my kids the weekend,he said soilnoid was knackered....so off iwent to get a new one then bloke in starter motor shop said "before i sell you one make sure the flywheel isnt leaking into your starter motor,so i went home to take alook ..no leaks around the said areas,but now i got a terrible rattle on start up that goes after 3 mins to 5 mins and becomes a funny whistle when accelarating.....now the whistle i thought maybe was the turbo????anybody help out please..The car starts up still but u can tell the solinoid is going has sumtimes it doesnt start for 5 seconds with the key held at point 3 on the barrel...the motor has done 116,000miles.....i changed oil 2 mths ago and was driving lovely until recently ...and the water keeps going down as well ?
many thank you for reading Read more
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I'm thinking of getting my Astra Van (Z 1.7cdti) remapped. Been looking at figures on chips, tweaks, modules, etc.etc...but so far the best returns i can find are by remapping instead of plugging things in. Any thoughts - recommendations? Read more
i would recommend this fine engine is left as it is ................
My first car was a Viva HB around 1972 in Blandford. It's still around too! Got me thinking when this young chap wants a type ''r'' as a first car how times have changed. Petrol was under 50p a GALLON etc etc. How about you? Read more
Citroen ZX 1.4 Aura. Not really mine (bought by Dad), bt the first car I had unlimited access to. £450 in 2003, as it turned 10 and 100,000 miles and had a Cd player. Carburetor was shockingly bad. Spun it once in the wet - that darned PSA lift-oversteer (mainly cause it was a 205 under the skin and all the better for it). Immense fun-to-drive in a crude way with the bestFrench gearbox I've tried to date (including 405 TD, Megane I, 206/306 HDi, 207) and an astounding ride quality. Creaky/rattling/squeaking interior, but spacious enough and the rear seats slid (so the Yaris wasn't that much of a innovator after all!). I loved that car. It was just horrifically unreliable/expensive to repair by Feb 2005 and didn't have a/c... Traded in at a £200 value for Focus, which in spite of it's clear superiority in every way (space, quality, handling, reliability, safety, security, equipment) but ride quality, just, somehow, isn't quite as loveable...
My car is a 1992 Volvo 240 SE manual 5-gear estate.
Hopefully this is a more straightforward problem than my last post! Thank you for the answers.
The problem is that the wire that runs to the high break-light has severed at the tailgate hinge.
I've got round this up to now by wiring the number plate light separately and making do with the 2 breaklights in the rear clusters (which work OK).
Problem is that the breaklight fuse keeps blowing (intermittently). I strongly suspect that this is because the severed end of the high break-light wire is flapping about and blowing the fuse when it happens to short out. I can't access the severed end because it's stuck too far into the roof. It's too difficult to remove the roof lining because (I think) it's a massive sheet of metal which is very hard to move without (a lot) of effort.
What I would rather do is break into the wire somewhere more convenient and either cap the stub off (or even reconnect it with a wire run through the car).
Where is the EASIEST place to access this wire?
I am happy to drill into the car body or destroy a small section of lining or trim; I don't care (much) about resale value (which is negligable). Possibly the left hand windscreen pillar above the fuse box; but I don't want to go randomly stabbing round with a drill or start ripping the interior when I might be barking up the wrong tree.
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Have you got the roof lining freed? Grasp the rear edge, stretch it backwards, and you will see it has a kind of rigid plastic stiffener that hooks behind the metal lip. With that free you can peel it back to see where the wires come from. The tailgate loom plugs into a socket somewhere just inside the rear of the headlining.
Yours is presumably broken somewhere at the hinge, so you just need to locate the junction and work from there.
Tie a bit of string onto the broken wires from the tailgate before pulling them out, as it is tricky getting new wires down the inside of the tailgate.
Watch the colour coding, as I found mine was different from the book. Also if getting a proper loom you need the one to match the socket type. I once retrieved a good secondhand one only to find it wouldn't plug in.
Members of the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committe have recommended an increase of £300 within each band of VED with a top rate of £1800. uk.news.yahoo.com/28082006/344/tax-hike-hit-family...l
I'll bet that they are all on huge car allowances paid for by us.
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What's so great about a Prius anyway? Toyota can claim what it likes but regular users of the Prius state that they average around 48mpg (according to a newspaper article I read recently). My Leon diesel averages 52mpg: why then is my tax £110 a year more expensive than that of a Prius? In addition, why are 4X4's taxed extra because they give less mpg (resulting in higher emissions) when no extra tax is payable by high performance sports cars (or 'classic' cars over 25years old) often doing less mpg?
The motor industry has cleaned up its act a lot in recent years: generally increasing mpg rates, lower emissions and cars are more recyclable than previously etc. Add to this improvements in safety and it is clear that the industry has at least attempted to clean up its act a little. Why don't the government (and environmentalists) target these other industries: afterall vehicles only contribute 20% of the economy's CO2 emisssions.... what about targetting the causes of the other 80%?
(Rant over).
12 months ago, I changed the coolant in my ford escort. In about April, I realised that the coolant level was a bit low, so I topped up with a mixture of antifreeze and water. Since then, the coolant level slowly falls, ie I have to top it up every week or two. On a few occasions, (especially during the hot weather), the coolant would steam out of the cap. this would happen after the radiator had just been topped up.
Due to the volume of coolant I was losing, i decided to top up with water only. This was OK for a month or two, but recently, whilst topping the expansion tank, I realised the water was very dirty and brown. I topped up to the MAX level, and only a week later, it had dropped to well below the MIN mark. I am considering having the radiator flushed out and the coolant replaced. I have also read that it maybe a good idea to replace the cap on the expansion tank.
Could the problem be more serious? Read more
I had a look under the car the other day and noticed that there was some oil or something similar that was covering the front drivers side axle. It was also under the engine. When I touched it, it was black, and thick. I also parked my car on the driveway, and within an hour, there was a tiny mark caused by some liquid. This was different as it was not black, but it definitely was not petrol.
hopefully someone can help,i own a p reg polo deisel, 1.9 naturally aspirated,on idle the car shakes and is very loud,have changed the fuel filter,had the timing checked and double checked,fuel additive made a slight differance but still very loud, any ideas would be gratefully appreciated Read more
Had the injectors serviced on my wife's Polo 1.9D and engine a lot smoother. Cost £15 per injector
Browse
Steve, I know exactly what you mean, but I do have to disagree. My sister has a 1.9 non-turbo 206, and it's fine for everyday driving. Except. When you try to pull out onto a busy road, or overtake, you realise that there's nothing left. At all. I nearly got rear-ended by something on the A46 in Cov - I'd simply not appreciated that I'd been driving it nearly flat out. A 17 second (or something like that) 0-60 apparently correlates quite nicely with my usual relaxed driving style.
I drive a 140 HP Accord diesel. I don't use the power most of the time, but it's very good to have. Overtaking effortlessly and quickly (and therefore safely) is very easy. I feel that this is well worth it. Necessary? Probably not, but it feels justifiable to me.
Gord.