October 2006
does anybody have any idea's on how to open the bonnet of a t reg 1999 laguna, the cable has broken and cant get to it.
done the bounce on the bonnet thing and pulled the cable and that is when it snapped.. went to renault and they wanted £70 to open it
any idea's anyone Read more
I'm thinking about buying a second had Jaguar X Type diesel. I live miles away from a Jaguar dealer, and in any case think that their service rates will be high. Do you think a Ford dealer would be able to service an X type adequately and cheaply? Read more
Why not ask them?
Its a 2000 1.8 20v sport auto estate-we have only had it about a week and the air con/fans arnt coming on? is this a normal fault with these and is there anything i can do? or is it a dealer only fault?.
Thanks Ray Read more
The electric cooling fan should turn on when the climate is turned on.
Does the climate control product cold air ?
If so then it's probably just the fan that is duff.
The fan is cabled back to the connector panel just beside the power steering reservoir.
Look for the connector with the thick black and red wires.
Use a meter to check the resistance if the fan motor. If it's open then the motor is duff.
Use a meter to look for 12v being supplied from the socket. If there is not 12v then the aircon may have sufficient pressure.
Just bought a 99 Octavia sdi.A bit ropey,ex taxi I think,but came at handy money.Two things have come up.First thing, it pops out of 5th and3rd,at about 4000 revs. Have looked at the linkages and they seem a bit sloppy but not too bad, I know golfs suffer from weak linkages as they get on a bit but havent heard of Octavias having a problem.This car is showing 126k on the clock but inside it looks more like 226k confirming the taxi theory,the scrapes on the roof from the aerial are a bit of a give away not helped by the sticky circles inside where the no smoking stickers were.Secondly I can only find the chassis number on the bulk head,no stickers,no vin plate,no etched glass,usually vw group have stickers in the boot with chassis no. and colour etc on it,cant find it?Do these yokes have it stamped or stuck anywhere else?many thanks James. Read more
Definitely no vin,stickers,no nothing,,,,,,I as you probably guessed am a welder,and I am pretty sure the stamped no. is genuine,I cant see any evidence of welding,unless the whole front was replaced,but it looks as if it has never been touched,,,,,,,must have another look.,,,,,,,,,,,,,still have a dodgy gearbox though..
Apparently SMC of Slough have the last 3 unregistered MG ZT V8's (Rover 75 derived) left in the country* so if you fancy a stonking Ford powered V8 you know what to do!
Old technology OHV engine and shocking fuel consumption.. who cares?
..and the real beauty the price is just £15995.
If I had the cash i would be there like a shot. BTW I have no connection whatsoever with this garage, just passing on a great oppertunity.!
Only possible issue is that they where manufactured at least 18 months ago.
*source, Autocar magazine Read more
Who did the engine management ?
If it's not Ford then problem diagnosis could be difficult.
Definitely a car to avoid in my book.
Hi..
I was wondeing what kind of discount people have got for paying cash, with no trade in on a used car, what to expect or any tips for gettting a discount..Thanks Read more
My 'tried and tested' method is to first acquire a thorough knowledge of the vehicle you intend to purchase in order that you can converse with total confidence when conducting your negotiations.
Next, contact as many appropriate dealers of your chosen marque outside of your home area via the phone, including internet dealers, indicating that you are a private 'cash' purchaser without part ex and not requiring finance etc.
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Then armed with your documented lowest quote make personal visits to relevant dealerships within your home area ALWAYS in the last week of the month when sales targets are a primacy and after making an appointment to see the respective Sales Manager.
Finally, indicate that you intend 'doing the deal today' if your lowest quote can be bettered and ALWAYS act in a firm but friendly manner.
I have made many purchases of new cars and motorcycles over almost 50 years and this method has always worked for me!
Is it just me or are these 3 new cars almost identical in fundamental shape - ie glasshouse/pillars/proportion etc Also from the rear three quarter position they seem very similar too. I noticed this walking past my local rental outlet which has a ton of the first two and normally has alot of Corsas too.
What on earth is the point of such "me too" styling?
Will there not be alot of people in supermarket car parks trying to get into strangers' cars (and no I am not meaning that sort of activity after the supermarket has closed..)?
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Well certainly you'd think that the marketing guys would have an easier time if people really could tell which car was which.
As you say things have happened in the past eg the Pinifarina Austin Cambridge and Peugeot 404 looking very similar.
This subject was put forward on a different thread and when you read about it in the motoring context it really is fascinating stuff. I have copied a a piece of the web to clarify:
"A prime example is Germany's Volkswagen AG. Faced with the challenge of reducing the cost of designing and building vehicles while maintaining styling distinctive enough to appeal to different customers, the company has adopted a modular approach based on shared product platforms.
By sharing frames and parts across numerous models and brands, Volkswagen has been able to reduce design costs and consolidate its vehicle operations from 16 product platforms to four."
Now although the company shares frames, parts and designs, they are obvioulsy actually totally different vehicles (I now realise) - they just have the same parts and designs as it says above.
What it means is that VAG can reduce costs and be extremely competitive.
This must be one of the most innovative ways of selling many individual and different products but only desgining them all in one go.
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The arch exponents at one time were of course BMC, just
think how many versions of the 1100, 1300 and Mini etc
there were with Austin Morris, Riley, Wolsey and MG badges applied.
The strange thing was that despite 'better' or anyway more elaborate trim and engine/chassis tweaks, the Riley, Wolseley and MG variants of all the transverse-engined Mini and 1100 cars looked so grotesque that you (or anyway I) would want to be paid to own one. The Austin and Morris versions looked perfectly all right.
Approximately 3 years ago my car was hit from behind whilst I was stationary,waiting for a lorry to come through in a lane.
The car that hit me was insured but the car that hit her was not.
Long story shortened the consequence of this was that even though she hit me and was insured I was told by my insurance company who clearly has to be unnamed that because the car that hit her was uninsured I COULD NOT CLAIM OFF OF HER COMPANY.
What I would like to ask now is have i been stitched up by my insurance company and if i have is it too late to pursue the matter.All views would be appreciated and welcomed Read more
Just to sat thank you for everyone for replying even though there were differing views.
I don't know if it just me or whether or not this happens, but after a long motorway run the clutch feels heaver than normal. I was wondering what causes this to happen after a long journey when the clutch is not used??
many thanks
Sid
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In my 96 mk 1 1.8 petrol, the clutch is heavier when the engine/gearbox is warmed up. I believe there was a problem with the seal in the slave cylinder (buried inside the bellhousing). I reckon it runs a lot warmer in there. I believe Ford came up with an imoproved version. Obviously it is an expensive fix if you have no reason to change the other clutch components. Strange, I would have thought later models would have had the problem sorted out. I have found that bleeding the cylinder to give it a change of fluid helps for a while.
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how many cars do you see running round on the safety catch though?i see loads,at one time i would flag them down but road chivelry has got to be approached carefully these days and is often easier/safer to ignore and go on your way
sad but true