September 2006
my daughters yreg clio 1.2 16v has done 30k and has a weird intermittent problem - it sometimes cuts out when slowing down at lights etc.there is an orange light comes on(electronic fault) and the car idling speeds up and slows down of its own accord.it also nearly stalls and if it does it wont start again for a while.this only happens when the light appears otherwise the car runs perfectly.it has happened 4 times in the last 2 weeks.we have had a diagnostic computer check done but the light wasnt on at the time and the garage couldnt find anything wrong.if the light appears can it be sorted by dipping the clutch and revving the engine?? my daughter needs her car for getting to work and is worried she will break down all together.any suggestions of help would be appreciated.btw the car is fully serviced and looked after.we are going to get the timing belt done as it is 5years old.
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Moved from dangerous driving pt2 thread as became more of a speeding discussion - DD
Hmm. I'm not really persuaded that prison is a wonderfully effective punishment, though I don't like this release-with-a-tag business: it'd be much better to have such folks released to heavy-duty community service.
But the thing that does horrify me is that the driving ban was only four years: he'll be back on the road far too soon, and I'd have thought that a ten-year-ban would be more appropriate. Or better still, a ban until his victim has fully recovered (which will probably be never).
However, it strikes me that one of the issues here is the whole fast car culture. Compulsory speedlimiters would remove a lot of the appeal of cars like the one Naseem was driving.
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The more I think about it, the more I'm concluding that the story must be complete pink fluffy dice. It just doesn't make sense to blog a highly illegal journey like this in real time - you would be just asking to get yourself in trouble. Also, I can't believe you would do so while obviously acting on the half of your employers. Health and safety law in the UK would make this illegal, and I can't imagine that US law would be terribly sympathetic to a coordinated approach to law breaking such as described.
There are other parts of the story that don't really make sense. For example, at one point the main blogger is arrested, and his mate comes on to tell us such and say that his friend is in handcuffs. Given how twitchy the US police normally are about anyone in the car, I simply can't believe this would be possible.
All in all, it's an entertaining read, but I think it's a load of rubbish.
What a cracking idea - linked to GPS technology to automatically reduce the speed of the car to the immediate prevailing limit.
Advantages:
lower fuel consumption
less points on licenses
probably less accidents/road deaths
less chance of being slammed into at 90mph by someone coming the other way.
It wouldn´t be too expensive, as the cost of producing 30,000,000 would drive the prices down.
Obviously you could raise the motorway limit to 85, safe in the knowledge that noone could exceed it.
There would be small portable units available for shortterm hire at the ferry ports for foreign vehicles.
What does the BR think? Read more
I've seen some scary dangerous ideas in my time but this is the limit.(er)
My 2000 115BHP TDI PD Passat is making what I can only describe as a "quacking" sound!!!
Its coming from the top of the inlet manifold and I thinks its something to do with the EGR valve arrangement thats there. The "quacking" noise sounds like air escaping from one of the diaphragms and happens approximately every second at tickover speed.
The car is running fine, normal MPG and is using no oil.
There is a small air operated valve on the EGR arrangement, this appears to be working normally (operates when engine is turned off for approx 5 seconds and then returns to original position)
There are no signs of leaking or split pipes.
Any of you VW diesel experts have any ideas/suggestions?
Cheers,
Nick Read more
Quacking!! I wish my cars quacked. Is it an optional extra?
Hi all, I have a 1994 P106 diesel which makes a "knocking" sound when turning - this started quite some time ago but seems to have got worse recently. It's just passed an MOT without problems but I'm worried that this may be a safety issue - can anyone advise the likely source of the noise and whether it's worth fixing on a car of this age?
All advice gratefully received! Read more
A knocking soun on reversing only may be the exhaust system - check for signs (rust/shiny surfaces) , It could also be a the lower engine mounting (altho may give noises in 1st - more likely)...
madf
Good morning all.
I'm new to this forum and would appreciate a little advice on a small matter. I'm sure this chestnut has been dealt with on a previous thread. I'll try and start somewhere at the beginning.
I bought a 02 Astra Envoy from Yes Car Credit (I know, but I have a few glitches on my credit file) in November 2005. The deposit was paid and the agreement set up. The first payment was due to be deducted on 24 Dec but because their system didnt recognise mt bank account number, it never went through.... anyway, many phonecalls and penalty payments later I decided to let them have the car back in March 06.
I never heard from them for 6 weeks until receiving a letter from their solicitors threatening court action......I ignored it, thinking the car is here let them take it!
a week later I receive a county court summons... the interesting thing is, the summons mentions nothing about the car, instead saying I was advanced a sum of money by the finance company. I replied to the summons making an offer of payment. After 8 weeks I heard nothing. I have since moved house and took the car with me, registered it at my new address and am waiting to see what happens
I know the car is not legally mine, but the judgement failed to mention the car, nor did the finance company request the court to order me to return it.
I would like to know what is likely to happen with the car... are they likely to come and take it i'm still using it at present until its taken. Any advice would be appreciated
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Globalcon, if you enjoy getting in a whole heap of bother with people that have no sense of humour, thus adding to the other difficulties that you're having, then by all means sell the car now.
Seriously, don't go there if there remains uncertainty over who actually owns it. I have to deal with the repo arms of various finance houses in a professional capacity and "nice" isn't an adjective that applies.
I would echo what other people have said about considering petitioning for your own bankruptcy. These guys are the Gov't department who deal with such matters in their initial stages:
www.insolvency.gov.uk
The advice on there is pretty sound. Also, most reputable firms of insolvency practitioners will give a free initial consultation if you want advice. Many advertise in the Yellow Pages.
Be warned, though, that there are firms out there who will offer to get you out of trouble by means of getting you to enter into an individual voluntary arrangement in which you agree to pay £xxx per month for a period of up to five years; they will tell you that this is always preferable to bankruptcy but that may not be correct in your circumstances.
I'm replacing my current car and have been thinking about going for a Mk1 Focus (prob. 2002/3 115ps TDCi Zetec estate in particular) and was wondering whether any of these have Isofix child seat fixings. None of those I've seen so far have had it and there seem to be a miniscule number that mention it in Autotrader (3 in the entire country of any type of Mk1 Focus, although I guess it's not the first thing people are going to put in their ads).
1) Anyone out there ever seen one with Isofix (beginning to wonder whether those that came up in the search were mistakes)?
2) Is this an across-the-range option that apparently very few people went for or is it only on certain models/ages?
3) Is it possible to retrofit Isofix to a Mk1 Focus (think I can guess the answer to that one!!)? Read more
Stupid Ford!
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Funny they;ve been allowed to keep the word Camp as well. Private Eye do joke (and probably the final resting place for the Nation's sense of humour)
Dear All,
I am driving Renault Scenic RXE 2.0 (1998). I just replaced my remote keys' batteries. Unfortunately the remote central locking don't work at all, even the immobilizer. My car can not be started now. Can anyone help me how to reset or deactivate the immobilizer OR start the car! Many thanks!
John Read more
Your keys have probably gone out of synch. You need someone with a "clip" or a clip clone (the "clip" is the renault handheld diag tool) to resynch your keys to the car.,
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
So, I picked up my shiny new car yesterday, complete with 12 mths RAC cover.
Simple task for today - phone breakdown provider for my previous car and cancel the old policy, expecting a decent refund as it only commenced on 15 July....
(Old provider not named as I don't want to contravene the naming and shaming rule)
After a couple of conversations with the Mumbai/Delhi call centre of the provider I have been told that all I will get for cancellation is a voucher entitling me to a 20% discount next time I want to buy cover from them. Apparently this is made clear in the terms and conditions (may well be, I haven't looked yet), but that certainly contradicts what I was told over the phone when renewing in Jul 05 (didn't bother checking again this year).
To be honest, I am fuming over this - to be offered no refund on a 12 month policy cancelled after just 6 weeks is nothing short of disgraceful, in my opinion. An admin charge would be fine, a refund for 9 months would be fine, maybe even 6 months. But a 20% discount on future services is an insult - I have no desire to spend money with this company again, even if it was a 50% discount!
(Incidentally, I was told I could transfer the policy, free of charge, into another name - it was suggested I could hawk my lightly-used breakdown policy amongst friends and colleagues for a cash deal!)
So my questions:
- is this the 'industry standard' for breakdown companies?
- has anyone been told this, but subsequently been able to secure a fair refund after talking to the right person/department?
Cheers for any thoughts or comments you have....
Rich
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Pugugly...Could be wrong but I think you can get a refund on your annual Insurance policy for the remaining months.
A lot to be said for Direct debit payments. You are at least in control of that.
we took the car to a garage today to get checked again and they think it is the air/idle control valve that will need cleaned out with carb cleaner.we mentioned the cover and they are going to check that also.the cover appears to be loose and could well be contributing to the problem, so thanks for your suggestion.