Hi everyone,

New to this forum so please forgive if I've posted in the wrong area

Just started up my existing car (1995 318is) and its sounds like a tractor!!. When iddling the engine shudders quite a bit, something it never did. I've never had a problem like this before and I've just moved it off the park and there a patch that smells like petrol. Its booked in for a service but the earliest the garage I use can look it is friday and I'm worried that I'm causing damage if I drive it. One of my mates thinks it needs new spark plugs but I'm not sure if thats all.

Also, I'm looking at two replacements:

2003 03 FORD FOCUS 1.8 TDCi Ghia Full Leather Interior 5 Door Hatchback
2003 03 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1.9 SE TDI 100 5 Door Hatchback

Both are priced at £5995 and appear to be in really good nick but the have quite high mileage around 90,000 on each. I've never had a deisel before so I'm unsure if they are decent buys.

Any advice would be appreciated

Cheers
Andrew
Read more

This sounds like a cliche, but please bear with me.

I've had this Mondeo for 14 months now and put 21,000 miles on it. For all my satisfaction with it in most respects, even I will admit it has always struggled to even move its own weight below 1,800 RPM. The turbo then comes in with a surge between here and 2,000 RPM. As other Mondeo TD's I've tried have all been much the same, it was a lot of car for what I paid for it, I can drive around it easily enough, and I like the car in other respects so it's never bothered me too much.

And so it has been until last weekend when I did the routine oil and filter change. I normally use the cheapest 10W/40 semi synthetic diesel oil I can find as long as it has a half recognisable brand. This time however, I got a good deal on some fully synthetic 5W/40 stuff from Halfords (which I posted in the General board to let others know). I put this into the engine on Saturday of last week, installed a new oil filter (Motorcraft as always) and changed the diesel filter (second time since I've had the car). Everything else was just the usual check over / top up. No other parts or fluids were replaced. No hoses, cables or wires were disturbed

All I can say is that from this moment on, the gargantuan flat spot at the bottom end has gone. I can now accelerate from pretty much idle in third or fourth, and the car actually responds to the accelerator. Of course there's no boost this low down, but it will actually pick up enough to keep up with town traffic which it wouldn't before. The turbo now starts to wake at 1,500 RPM, and builds progressively up towards 2,000 instead of coming in with a surge just past 1,800 with absolutely zip below it. The car feels no faster outright, but is just so much nicer to drive.

Doubting myself, and as a test, I kept quiet about it in front of SWMBO who rarely drives the car (she hates its sluggishness), and generally doesn't know or care about cars particularly. She took the Mondeo today on a 40 mile round trip to a mate's house, the first time she'd used it since this recent service. On her return, the conversation went something like:

SWMBO walking in the door: "what have you done to the Mondeo?"
Me (seeming uninterested): "Nothing. Serviced it last weekend but that's about it. Why, what's wrong with it?"
SWMBO: "It's still horrible, but it feels like a sports car compared to before. That horrible laggy / flat bit at low revs has gone and the throttle actually does something at low revs now. Much nicer to drive"

So, not my imagination.

Any ideas? Anyone seen this before?

Cheers
DP Read more

Is it possible to get traction control fitted? We're thinking of getting the Saab chipped by Abbott Racing from 150 BHP to 220 and if so traction control would obviously be handy to harness the extra ohhmp.
Also, can think of a way to assure my dad that the engine won't blow up with the new chip?

Many Thanks School boy.
Read more

Just bought a 96 Camry 3.0 V6 with 68k recorded miles

I had a large 63K service including cam belt change and auto transmission fluid change by Toyota dealers to ensure car was completely up to scratch.

Before service, gear changes were as smooth as silk, now they are rougher and jarring.

Dealer reckons it is within acceptable limits but I am unhappy.

Anyone any ideas what could have happened ?



Thanks for any comments Read more

Evening !
After a Focus Diesel for about £3500 - £4500 but I can't find one in the right spec, Would like a Golf TDI but bit aprehensive of the price and mileage in my price range and their general reliability,, Any other Diesels in the Focus,Golf type for my price range ??

I have thought about the 206 HDI and the Xsara HDI but not sure on French cars again and not sure if they are as nice as the Focus and Golf. Read more