September 2006
hi have got a 406 turbo, which is coming up for a belt change. it's the XU10J2TE engine and i assume the tensioner setup will be similer to the XU10J2 steup found in the 306 xsi as i beleive the turbo design to be based on the 8 valve xsi lump? also any hints tips on what to look out for while it's being done? it's getting new tensioners and water pump as standard so think that will cover everything apart from checking the auxiliary belt aswell
cheers
chris Read more
My wife's car was written off in July. Insurer has paid out but we wanted to keep the personal number. The car is described as repairable by the accident centre it was taken to.
Sent V5 off to Swansea with appropriate documents (Insurer unhappy at delay). When new V5 returned we sent the change of ownership part (Part 9?) to the insurer for them to complete and return (so we can send it to Swansea fullfilling our legal obligation) tellling them that when we get this back we will release the rest of the V5 to them. We also sent the certificate which allows them to get plates without the V5 which arrived a day or two earlier. This was mid August.
Insurer returned letter saying they did not recognise claim reference or (original) reg. no. even though they paiod out nearly 10k against these! They did not send back the uncompleted part of the V5 so have presumably lost this. The same day we got a call from the insurer complaining that they had not been advised of the new number, eventually they apologised and admitted they had a two week mail backlog!
We have written again asking for the part of the V5 to be completed and returned and saying again that we will release the remainder of the V5 when this is done.
Are we playing this correctly or being over zealous?
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i had my front brake pads changed recently. soon after that, one day i was driving on the North circular when a driver in the next lane gestured to me that something was wrong with my bront wheel drivers side. i stopped at a stopped immediately to find that there was some smoke coming up from the brakes area and a strong smell of rubber. and there was so much heat. I poured some water on it to cool it down. The next day i went back to the garage where the brake pads had been fitted. I explained exactly what happened to the guy. He rais the car up on the ramp and took the wheel off. Upon inspecting the brakes he said that the reason why this had happed was because he had only changed the brake pads and not the disks and since the brake pads were new and the disk was old, this sort of thing happens but there was nothing wrong with the brakes since they were working properly. He assured me it shouldnt happen again and put back the wheel and i was on my way.
Since that time i realised that i was using more fuel than i normally did but i ever suspected anything. until last night when a similar incident as the one described above happened again. Except that this time when i drive i can feel that when im accelarating the car feels like im applying the brakes at the same time.I have a feeling that the brakes on the front wheel are constantly on which is what i think causes the friction which heats up the wheel. And also yesterday on a 20mile stretch on road that i use all the time, i used almost 30quid worth of fuel which normally takes me longer distances. Actually my fuel ran out and I had to be rescued. the wheel was very hot and there was also a very strong smell of rubber.
Help, does anyone know what happening! by the way the brake pads were changed on bothe front wheels and its only the one wheel on the drivers side that is doing this. i do not have any brake warning on my computer, actually i dont have any warning at all.
So if someone knows, can u please help!!
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Is it me or is Zip Wax a very 'limp wristed' cleaner?
Anything tougher than dust or dirt it just won't shift.
Luckily I have a spray bottle of Muc Off for bikes which made short work of bugs, berry juice, random stuck on things, etc.
Not very impressive though. Read more
Where's my post commenting on stunorthants comments??
sorry oldgit, I removed the original comment and your reply, but forgot to add a comment as to why I had done so. Nothing wrong with your post, but as it quoted stunorthants post, I had to remove it as well.
Oh, the reason why I removed the comment in the first place was that an allegation of a "particular" shop selling nothing but shoddy goods was made and therefore falling foul of the sites no naming / shaming rules.
DD.
www.just-auto.com/article.aspx?ID=88905&lk=dm
ITALY: Alfa plans Junior to take on Mini Cooper S
4 September 2006| Source: just-auto.com editorial team
Alfa Romeo plans to build an entry-level premium car to compete with the Mini Cooper S according to a report in Automotive News.
The sporty three-door hatchback, called the Junior, is to be based on the Fiat Grande Punto platform. But it will have a different body.
Alfa won corporate approval for the design from parent Fiat Auto S.p.A. this month, the report said.
The Junior, due by 2008, is expected to become Alfa's new entry model. It will fit below the 147, which will be replaced in early 2009 by the larger 149.
Alfa plans a return to the US market in late 2008, beginning with expensive sports cars sold through the US dealers that sell its sister brand, Maserati. But the new Mini-fighter is not slated for the United States because the Grande Punto platform was not engineered for US regulations, the report said.
The Junior is expected to sell 60,000 to 80,000 units a year, the report added.
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Not great. And I´m a fan - I love ´em.
Hmmm - seems to me that our oversupplied market may not exactly be gagging for them then.
My 1998 VW Polo (1.6 GL) failed its MOT last week because just one of the indicator tell tale lights on the dashboard wasn?t working. It hasn?t worked for years despite which it has passed at least 2 previous MOTs. When I suggested the dealer (deleted, as 1. not really relevant; and 2, you're asking if they have ripped you off, which counts as an allegation against them - hence naming / shaming - DD) simply fit a new bulb I was told this was not possible and I would have to have a new dashboard unit for the princely sum of £218. I do not have the technical knowledge to dispute this, only to vent my exasperation with the service receptionist but they assured me this is the only solution so I have had to pay up in order to maintain the car?s legality. I have a sneaking feeling I have been ripped off. Please reassure me I haven?t been. Additionally I asked them to fit a new bulb into the heater panel as this had failed. I was told that would require a new heater control panel to remedy this; I declined their offer. I am sure I can find a new bulb from Halfords for a few pence and fit it myself. Can I?
Their list of offers for additional work included new wiper blades all round (£49.89), middle exhaust section blowing slightly (£153.34), rear washer jet (£39.27) none of which are obviously faulty. I declined them all. Are workshop mechanics on an incentive scheme to sell parts and labour to unwitting customers? Or is this just another way in which they aim to get a return on their investment in over elaborate premises?
Anthonyf
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What you have to remember is that in almost all dealers (not just VW) the staff will be on some kind of sales bonus scheme - everyone from the parts guy to the service technicians. So the techs earn more the quicker they do the job and the more work they find to do on your car. And they won't want to do it the cheapest way (why fix it for £20 when you can find a way of fixing it for £100). Basically the system works to increase profit by spending as little time as possible on a job, at the highest cost - not really in the customer's interests. Customer loyalty is not really much of an issue - a fair number of the guys will have left by the time you come in for your next service and they tend to be isolated from the customer anyway (by receptionists or 'service advisors').
For your information VW run a CSI (customer satisfaction index) scheme which uses points scores from customers to award (or not) a bonus to each dealer. The scores are added up on a quarterly basis. The snag is that many dealers see providing good service as a manufacturer imposition and something they have to do to keep the manufacturer happy rather then something they should be doing as part of their business. At the end of the day I think the business environment is too soft for most dealers and they are getting away with far too much.
Hi,
I am new to this forum but have been reading it for a few months.
Excellent work from all you guys.
My son has recently passed his driving test (well 3 months ago) and he has his heart set on a MK1 Golf.
Now I dont know much about these cars but we went to see it yesterday.
The car is very tidy bodywise and has minimal rust for the year. Its a 1982 model.
The golf is a 1600cc diesel model. It must be very economical im assuming being a smallish diesel engine with a light body.
One cuse for concern I noticed was that with the engine running when I removed the oil filler cap from the engine there was smoke coming from the filler hole. It was also the same (but less apparent) when I removed the engine dipstick.
The engine has had a bottom end rebuild. It has had new piston rings and shells...what ever that means.
I did drive the car and it seemed ok. Performance was sluggish but it pulled well. By the way it has a four speed gearbox.
Car has got 12 months MOT.
Asking price is £500 ono.
Can any of you advise me as to any know problems on MK1 golfs.
Are these 1600cc diesel engines any good? the car has got 129000 miles on the clock.
Is the asking price reasonable for the car?
What does the smoke from the engine mean?
I look forward to all comments Read more
Only change the oil every 6 months and a drop of injector cleaner won't hurt. Get the wynns diesel injector cleaner. It's a very old car so no need to go over the top with servicing.
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locked, as I believe the author of this thread is just a time waster. DD
Does a failing MAF sensor always light up the engine management light?
How fragile are these things exactly? My economy has been down since I changed the oil, diesel and air filter. :-S
I had to be quite rough and ready with the air filter housing, as I couldn't get the big pipe off the lid part of the housing, and I assume the MAF is the little sensor near there.
No warning lights and performance still seems OK. I'm still running it on 'holiday' pressures in the tyres (4 passengers and luggage) yet the trip computer still reads 45mpg average. It would be over 50 most of the time.
Only other thing I can think is that maybe a brake is sticking. It had new tyres recently, and the guy that fitted was complete moron. Only remembered he'd left the locking wheel nut key in behind the cover when I asked him where it was! I have checked them after a run and all the discs burnt my fingers by the same amount. :^D SO I don't think it's that.
Any other thoughts? Read more
Just to let you know - a dose of Millers DIesel Power Plus has brought the computer MPG average back up to 52mpg.
Real affect or duping the car's brain I don't know - satisfying though!
I know - you couldn't make it up but my auntie is torn between these two cars.
The Mini is 02 plate with twenty something miles on the clock and the Chilli pack on. It has an enormous screen which one can only assume is the sat nav and a lot of toys including two sunroofs.
The Mondeo is 53 plate with 30 odd thousands miles on but is the Ghia X and has everything. Reliable and comfy.
However, whilst she is torn, she really wants the Mini. The only problems are the massive difference in price an the insurance costs. (She doesn't care about economy to an extent).
The Mini is working out at a fair bit more than the Mondeo but assuming this all gets sorted, is there any reason why she shouldn't get this Mini? Before you answer, a few slight points about it:
* The steering wheel "Mini" bit is scratched quite a bit on the silver circle. It would annoy me if it were mine but she noticed it too. Any way of just replacing this or would a new steering wheel be the answer?
* The silver switches for the stability program, windows and all that malarky have flaked a tiny amount of silver. Given the easy life of the car, how could this be?
Despite this, she really likes it. Another important point is that she plans to keep it for a good while. I know the Mondeo makes sense, I know it's cheaper and I know it probably gives a better motorway ride but you can tell she wants something fun and I can't really blame her so, like I said, assuming the insurance doesn't become a problem, and the price gets sorted out, in other words, assuming all things are equal, why should she not buy this MIni?
Many thanks,
Adam
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Just to update you all - she's staying in her job and is keeping her company car (an 06 plate Astra diesel) so probably best all round from a cost point of view.
Thanks for all the help and advice.
Adam
A friend of mine works for a VW outlet in the midlands in the sales dept.He was telling me about a new initiative from VW where they will record the encounter either with video or if its a phone call on tape.
My question is,how legal is this?to record all of this without permission.I know if it was me i certainly would not like it. Read more
>>Shopped dozens of service departments for a vehicle manufacturer and only one, ever, did a great job. All the rest were just a comedy of errors.
This comes as no surprise to me. Anyone who is any good can get better pay and conditions outside the retail motor trade. There are some who really do the job because they love cars - but not many!!
This weekend I had a chat with one of the few enthusiastic dealer mechanics that I know. He currently feels let down by poor workshop management, and after nearly 20 years in the job is finally looking to get out. As he is the only one in the dealer who knows how to code ECUs, and who knows *anything* about CAN-BUS, they will really struggle without him - his computer skills will mean he can easily get better`work.
Number_Cruncher
thanks guys for your help. LHM, i have jacked the car as per your instructions. the wheel turns but not freely.You can tell its been held by the pads.I will take the car to a volvo dealer..got a Friday booking. keeping my fingers crossed they wont charge me and arm and a leg.I have never spent less that 100 quid everytime i have gone to a volvo dealer.so i would want to avoid very much going there if i can.But i will go and will come back and tell you what happens