December 2006
Well somebody's got to start it! (It's only a week now!)
Seasonal greetings to all Backroomers, Moderators and of course Honest John and all your Families.
From Imagos. Read more
Has anyone ever fitted something like this:-
tinyurl.com/yhmw6m
And if yes how easy are they to fit? I am quite competent as far as electrical matters go, i.e am quite happy to fit a car radio by wiring directly into loom rather then using harness adapters etc. Just thinking about getting something like this fitted to my accord. Read more
Hi there, just come across your comments about fitting cobra 1046.
Could you let me know where you got this price, was it local or nationwide?
Cheers
I own a toyota carina 2.0i and it seems to idle very eratically.
It revs between 1900 and 2100 revs whilst idling, and when accelerating it also seems to be less smooth and increases and reduces throttle.
I don't know what this could be. Any thoughts? Read more
Did the garage say that it was the head gasket? If so, I doubt if it's worth paying the garage to change the head gasket. However, if the correct procedure isn't followed, low readings can result.
No liability: Try re-torquing the head fixings, perhaps 5ft lb above specified figure.
Has the garage looked for air leaks to try and reduce the idle? The car has probably reached the end of its economic life, suggest start looking for a replacement.
I believe this is a common fault on Polos. The metal window clips that the glass sits it are connected to the wire (that moves, causing the window to go up/down) via a pastic clip and these have failed.
I think I saw somewhere someone on Ebay advertising replacement metal parts but sods law dictates that I can't find them now!
Does anyone know if metal replacement parts exist? It's not the metal bits that the glass sits in, it's the bit that the metal clips 'clip' onto - if you get my drift.
My Polo is a 1996 P reg 3 door version. Read more
You have email - thank you!
Hi All.
With the current '00 1.8 petrol Vectra just short of 100k, I am planning my shortlist for a replacement - which finances depending - should occur around 2008ish and 130k on the clock. One of the cars on my future shortlist will probably be another Vectra (2.2 SRi diesel) but I have become rather intrigued by the 607 (the twin turbo 2.2 Hdi).
As I will be buying a used car, it seems to be a lot of car for relatively little money, giving its depreciation during the first 12 - 18 months. From the research I've done thus far, it seems like a great cruiser (fine with me given a 85 mile round commute per day), slighly odd looking (doesn't bother me), not suited for chucking it around country corners (fine with me) and a huge boot (fine for the children's stuff).
As I own cars until they fall apart (perhaps not litterally), any further depreciation is not likely to be an issue.
So the question is, is it a sensible choice for the shortlist given my high (private) miles, need for a comfy motorway cruiser and a big boot to cater for family life? At the moment I am tempted but wondered if the 2.2 SRi would be a safer choice? Mondeos don't do it for me and the recent stories here of the TDCi engine troubles and only being 130bhp don't tempt me. If I can get over my badge snobbery, the Superb/Octavia would also be a consideration.
Thanks.
TT.
--
Top Turkey - the fastest hands in Brum Read more
What's not to like? Why do the French survive using their home-made large cars (almost exclusively - I don't see many Mercs/BMWs outside Paris)? We are such stupid car snobs that we cannot see straight.
As long as depreciation is not due to anticipated shelf life (which it is, say, on Alfas) , the higher it is the better - for all but the 1st owner.
Big and French means fabulous comfort, reliable engines, cheapish parts, loads of extras for the money and it certainly looks better than the 'Jaws' appearance of the 406s. Peugeot have a pretty good reputation for a mainstream manufacturer - it and Renault put us Brits to shame. Even when we subsidised our firms to the hilt, they still produced rubbish. The Vel Satis, Avantime, Espace, 205, C6, Picasso - all worthy of purchase for those for whom they do the job required.
Hi,
I have a problem with my motorhome. On the way back from Coventry the clutch seized after excessive
fibration and not engaing. The RAC man thinks the spline has sheared of the clutch plate. Had to be relayed back to Enfield (very embarrasing). Does anyone know cost of a complete clutch & fitting (Fiat Ducato) for 1982 Talbot Motorhome. Does anyone know of a good, reliable and honest mechanic who would be willing to replace the clutch at reasonable rates in the Enfield area please? The vehicle will have to be collected.
Thanks.
Mike.
Read more
Mike
It'll be very difficult for anyone to quote an accurate all-in price for this vehicle until it's all apart and exactly what's fitted to it is established. Not only are there various different engines; but the curse of the Sevel vans is that what's supposed to be fitted, rarely is.
The drivers side window of my R reg XK8 will not drop (it raises half an inch instead when the door is opened) to enable the door to close after exiting the car. I have tried the re programming sequence several times to no avail, I have made sure that the battery is fully charged as this has caused problems with the general electrics in the past but this has made no difference. Can anyone help please before I take it in to my local Jag Dealer and spend a small fortune.
Thanks
Pam Read more
Aprilia
As of Jan 2 2007 I will be a full time self employed electrician (well, domestic installer really). I've been doing it part time for about 4 months and cannot cope with the amount of work it's generating, so have decided to go full time.
Frankly I'm sick of working for unappreciative simpletons.
Looking to purchase either the Pathfinder or Kia Sorento in the new year (new).
Read several write ups on both, but just wondered whether anyone out there owns either and would care to comment ....good or bad. Read more
Locally I know three people who bought new Pathfinders. They have been replaced by a Toyota Landcruiser, Mitsibushi L200 (new model) and a Renault Espace. I talked to the last one recently at the petrol station -he said the PAthfinder was easily the worst car he had owned in 20 years driving - try getting into seats 6 and 7!
www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=38123
Not the greatest F! driver, but terrific to watch on an a good day. Someone of the Alesi mould (or rather Alesi in F1 was of the same mould) as this obituary indicates. Read more
A racing driver with bags of character and on his day as fast as (almost) anyone.
I seem to recall a great win at Monza in the Ferrari (1975?), getting the 1977 Ensign into unfeasibly high positions (before it broke down) and of course Williams' first win..
Hey all,
Does anyone offer a quality warranty product without mileage restriction?
The BMW AUC warranty on my 530i Sport is expiring. Previously, it has been renewed each year. But BMW have now changed their rules, and will not allow me to renew becuase the car has over 100,000 miles on it.
This is a shame - as the car literally did spend its entire first owners life on the Motorway, it is in truely remarkable condition for its mileage. There is not a mark on it bar the usual front end stonechips, the interior is immaculate, and after a recent full checkover by the main dealer, everything was found to be in excellent mechanical order. We also have a 49,000 mile 530 in the family of the same age and my car is easily comparable in terms of condition.
But alas, everyone seems to look at the mileage and refuse to offer any sort of warranty product. Quite how the mileage affects things like the likleness of the DSC computer, for example, failing I dont know - it's probably had the same amount of time 'in use' as a car with half the mileage thats lived in town at an average speed of 20mph!
Does anyone know of a decent warranty product I could use, or am I on my own now? Read more
Michael -
I wouldn?t worry too much ? if you?ve got a good BMW that?s been serviced and it?s been checked over and found to be ok ? then do as others have suggested and ?allocate? the amount of money you would spend (surely about £6/700 now IIRC? ) to a savings account and it?s there if you need it.
I had a similar situation with a high mileage ?99BMW 323 bought at 80K miles and under remaining 3 months of an (unlimited mileage) BMW AUC .
I renewed for 2 years running but the premiums got so high I stopped 2 years ago.
My experience was that I had 2 issues with BMW, I had slightly noisy hydraulic tappets at 100K and having been told by the dealer that it was a warranty item I booked the car in ? but received a call from the dealer saying that BMW would now only pay 50% cost because of ?high mileage?. I rang BMW at Bracknall, argued, and got all 100% paid (£800 + VAT). A similar thing happened when the car was MOT?d at the dealer, front suspension bushes needed replacing (110K miles) and dealer said ?not covered? and again I refused to pay as the Warranty specifically included MOT insurance and mentioned suspension!???dealers aarrgh !
When I was sent the invitation to renew again I rang BMW Warranty and gave them 2 or 3 hypothetical situations and asked if they would be covered under the warranty (failed gearbox selector, blown head gasket, faulty aircon) should I renew and in each case was told that due to the mileage (130k by then) that these problems would be deemed fair wear and tear ??.because of the mileage..? and that the ?prime benefit? of the warranty ? in my case ? would be the MOT insurance.
I concluded that it wasn?t worth it.
Fortunately since then in the 2 years I?ve had no problems whatsoever (mileage now 166K) and the bonus is that I don?t need to visit the dealer for overpriced servicing to keep the warranty intact. I?ve found an independent BMW garage in my area for the Insp 1 & 2 (every 30K) and do an oil change myself every 7.5K.
If I get a problem I?ll take the hit but I?m about £1700 ?in credit? so far.
Jacks
Browse
Someone considered it offensive enough to send in a report; I removed it - end of.
Now as per the rule book you helped write, if you have any views of how this site is moderated, then address them by email.
Many thanks. DD.