August 2006
I have 2 1996 Fiestas in my fleet. Last night in the middle of a field (dont ask) SWMBO managed to lock one of them using the ' wrong' key, no problem you may say, but the correct key was still sitting in the ignition. And the key that locked it resolutely refused to unlock it, despite much practised jiggling. Of course it was the car that doesnt have a spare key to hand (or safely stowed in a plastic money bag under the front bumper). The only tool to hand was a blunt chisel from a friendly builder, so my solution was to carefully cut out the tailgate glass rubber, and send in an agile 10 year old to open the car.
I now have a rubber seal on order at 60? (5 days!) and to make sure that the temporary tarpaulin stays in place in the face of an increasing Mistral. Of course last night was the first rain in the last 2 months.
Lesson learnt - it would be cheaper to have permanent spare keys concealed under the car! I just hope I dont drop the glass when refitting it.
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pmh (was peter)
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Surely should have more go than this?! Was being overtaken uphill by lorries on the A23, having to change down just to make it up some of 'em...
Had a quick look to make sure brakes aren't binding or incorrectly adjusted, nothing hot or obviously amiss.
Belongs to girlfriend, 24,000 miles, been standing for few months but was same before that she says.
Any ideas please?
Simon. Read more
Back box wadding collapsed ......?
Typical ford problem and it doesnt help that its been stood.................
The rings may well be gummed as said so the blast idea is certainly worth a try ,blackpool is my prefered location bag of chips stick of rock and back up the m55 .......must look at the irish sea next time i"m there.............
I am considering having the wheel Alignment done / Tracking - I need to replace the Drivers side front tyre soon due to wear (not uneven) as lower than the passenger front side..... But as a rule I always change in pairs anyway.
Is it best to have it done with the old tyres still in place then have new ones fitted or have new tyres fitted then have the tracking done ??
cheers Read more
It won't make any difference however if they've jacked the front of the car up then you need to move the car to settle the front suspension after tyre fitting & before any alignment is done.
The future of Jaguar, once one of Britain?s foremost car marques, is hanging in the balance as Ford, its troubled American parent, is poised to embark on a wide- ranging review of its poorest- performing assets.
Last night Ford appointed Kenneth Leet, a former Wall Street investment banker from Goldman Sachs, as a special strategic adviser reporting directly to Bill Ford Jr, the company?s chief executive.
Mr Leet has been charged with identifying the weakest elements of the struggling carmaker and with devising a swift turnaround plan of each.
Jaguar is among the poorest- performing parts of Ford and responsible for much of the $162 million (£86 million) loss made in the second quarter at its Premier Automotive Group (PAG), a division that includes marques such as Volvo, Aston Martin and Land Rover alongside Jaguar. It is understood that Mr Leet has told Mr Ford that a sale of Jaguar would stem losses at PAG.
A senior Ford insider said that Jaguar had been making progress of late, with the consolidation of its manufacturing facilities in Coventry, a repositioning of its brand and the launch of the new XK model. However, none of those initiatives has translated into significant or profitable sales, which is a source of great concern among Ford executives and shareholders.
Mr Leet is also said to have discussed with Mr Ford initiatives such as a strategic alliance with a rival carmaker to help to turn round Jaguar and other parts of the company. The strategic alliance is a buzzword in the American car market at present. General Motors is in talks with Renault and Nissan about striking such a venture to help to turn round GM?s operations.
Jaguar revenue has plunged in the past two years, despite a boom in global luxury car sales. It is estimated that the company sold 41,000 Jaguars in the first half of 2006, compared with 118,000 in 2004.
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Chevrolet?
It might have been a good idea to change the shape of the cars too. Poo in a bag or poo in a box, it still smells like poo
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
How do i know if a single carriageway has 2,3 or 4 traffic lanes when the only marking on the road is a central line? It is not uncommon to see 2 cars side by side on a single carriageway with no traffic lane marking, particularly just before a traffic light, but is it legal?
Any ideas? Read more
Most magistrates work to the "Spirit of the law" not to the "Letter".
How straightforward would it be to get cruise control on a '99 2.0l Zetec Ghia Focus?
Apart from the obvious steering wheel controls, would there be a lot of engine / gearbox work involved i.e. brake / clutch / accelerator sensors, actuator, computer etc...
or is it likely that, as a factory fit option on this model that the loom is already wired for this, just without the controls?
if this was an aftermarket fit, any ideas on cost for an "average" system? as i do mostly clear motorway driving, this would be a real benefit
Any advice much appreciated Read more
The 99 2.0L Ghia in our household has cruise control and grey leather so perhaps it was a factory option.
Possible options?
www.ultimatedesign.co.uk/
www.conrad-anderson.co.uk
www.honestjohn.co.uk/motoring_answers/index.htm?id...8
Hi all,
i am looking at replacing my car soon and was thinking about getting a diesel with a auto box. Just wondered what people think of this decision. Also which vehicles are worth taking a look at. I was looking for something up to about £6k. So please no comments like buy a brand new merc its only £30k cos there is no way i can afford to buy it even if i sold myself /
many thanks. Read more
Kia Sedona ? loads of 'em - fully spec too.
Papho
Hi I have just bought a Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec 2002.It's being Mot.Serviced and 2 new tyres fitted to be collected Monday.How many keys should I recieve with it?In the past I have had to pay £100 for a spare key from the local Ford dealer.I don't fancy doing that again.Would appreciate anyone's advice please. Read more
<< By the
way I find this car intolerably noisy, anyone else find that
with their focus?
Only with poverty spec LXs. You should have got a Ghia.
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L\'escargot.
I've got a Honda Jazz and love it to bits and now it's time to replace it! It's a 52 plate but will have to spend a few thou to update it to an 04 plate or I could go for something different and get nearly new. What do I do .... Replacements we've looked at are Vauxhall Merivas, Mitsubishi Colts, Toyota Yaris (seems a bit small), Suzuki Swifts. Not keen on Fiats as a family member has had them and bits keep falling off. Any ideas? Read more
I've been into a couple of dealerships now and quite like the look of the Nissan Note. Only thing is I could only afford the 1.4 SE as that seems to be the one that's . It's bigger than the Jazz and I presume not quite as economical. Looking on different sites it seems to get an OK review but not as good as the Jazz (surprise surprise). Anyone got one or know of anything horrendous about them?
Yes.In the boot (trunk) there is a flip down plastic cover behind the light assembly.This reveals a plastic knob.Unscrew anticlockwise and this releases the springy metal bracket that secures the lamp to the body.There is a small retaining lug at about the 1o'clock position.Manoeure the lamp off the body.hth
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Job done.
Wife held the window from the rear (so her fault if it hit the ground), whilst I pulled the cord from inside the car. Fitted without lubricant and went in like a dream. French garage came up with rubber on time as promised and gave me a 10% discount on the original quote price.
Much easier than the last windscreen I fitted about 40 years ago, I guess that production tolerances have got tighter.
I will just keep my fingers crossed the first time I open the sunroof at 130kph.
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions
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pmh (was peter)