December 2006
If anyone can help with this problem they will have succeeded where the main dealer and independent specialists have failed.
My '02 800cc Matiz's engine intermittenly cuts out when the revs drop, such as when slowing down at lights and junctions. It restarts immediately but will only continue running if the revs are kept up. If driven in this condition it is fine under acceleration, lurches like a kangaroo when on steady throttle cuts out again when revs fall. This will persist for 3 - 4 miles and then it will suddenly clear. In addition, the engine management warning light is on constantly, even when it's running well.
Just about every sensor has been replaced or substituted, including the ECU. The injectors have been changed, as has the inlet manifold and the engine wiring harness. Sticking valves have been suggested and ruled out. Electronic diagnosis gizmos seem to come up with a different code each time they are plugged in.
I'm at my wit's end. The car has covered just 29,000 miles and in all other respects is in excellent condition. I want to sell it but unless a solution is found I'm faced with having to scrap it. Any suggestions gratefully received. Read more
My sisters MGF has finally developed a fault.
When you turn the wheel clockwise, about 20 degrees round, it goes very stiff, then with a bit of effort, frees up again.
It only happens at one point and only going one way as far as I could tell.
It hasnt got worse for the last 6 months, but my sister wants to know where to point the mechanic.
The only time ive ever felt something similar was when I had a battered Rover 820 with a PAS leak and the steering weighted up and became 'sticky' when it was low on fluid, but my sisters car has fresh fluid, up to the level and it isnt using any fluid either.
Any ideas? Read more
The MGF has all electric PAS - there are no hydraulics involved.
What happens if you take out the fuse (under the bonnet - a big single fuse if I remember) ?
The steering should then feel perfectly normal, except a bit heavy at parking speeds. If you still have problems with the electrics disabled, then it's a mechanical problem.
Rover did not sell spare parts for the PAS system - you had to buy a complete new steering column (which incorporates the motor and torque sensors) - but you can probably get spares from any of the normal MGF sources now.
With regard to the 2nd part of the visible sill being structural - then I would think it is. This part was changed in the TF - there is no visible seam. Sills are typically a major structural component on a convertible.
I was absolutely gutted to arrive at my beloved Ibiza TDI today to find that the passenger door has been vandalised / accidentally damaged.
It looks as if someone has 'kneed' it in two seperate places - the dents are quite large but luckily there is no damage to the metallic black paintwork and no sharp crease in either of the dents.
I am an uncommonly car-proud person and am keen to get this sorted out as soon as possible. I have heard that mobile dent removal companies can represent better value than body shops. I'm not exactly flush with cash at the moment but I obviously want to get the door back to 'as new' condition.
Can anyone make any personal recommendations of mobile dent removal companies or good value bodyshops in the Worcester area?
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Thanks to both of you for your advice - I will be taking it up - Mark
Just had a £200+ bill for damage to a Focus rear suspension.
Apparently the Tiebar / knuckle was bent.
My trusted independant says it is quite a common problem on Focus and Mondeos.
Probably caused by reversing into a kerb. Not me ! is the response in the household so no idea when/how it happened.
It is very easy to see the effect. One rear wheel was much closer to the front of the wheel arch than the other.
The tiebar was in effect a flattened S shape instead of being straight.
So beware reverse with care! Read more
I recently went to Kwik Fit to have my oil changed on my Vauxhall Astra 1.6 Petrol 2001. I usually do this myself but due to ill health could not do it this time. They opened the filler cap and found that it contained milky white oil and recommended to have it flushed out and checked by a gargage because they felt the head gasket had gone.
The only problem with this is that I am not losing any water and the milky oil looks like its collected around the top of the filler cap and flowed down into the top end of the engine, so making it look worse.
Another factor has been that the wife has had it 2 weeks ago and only did short journeys, therefore could this just be condensation. I am back to my normal driving, 50 miles a day, but would this get rid of the milky oil or would it remain once there?
Any advise would be appreciated
Crol
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Recent Astra 1.6 8v engines do seem particularly prone to mayo under the oil filler, much more so than older, smaller, variants of the same engine design.
I looked at a 3.0 Z4 yesterday (first one I've seen). The rear o/s was down to about 3mm of tread and the n/s was down to 5mm - is this a cause for concern? Apart from that and mild scuffing of the alloys it seemed absolutely mint. Read more
many thanks
about your last car?
I miss the variable speed intermittent wipers - which I thought were the work of genius.
My new car has automatic wipers that seem to have a mind of their own and prefer to be on the fastest setting even in light drizzle....
Madness. Read more
Yes ! But it also had an electric starter that doubled as the dynamo and a decompression lever to aid engine spin up on the starter.
Fun days at 16yrs :)
On my way to work I pass a 3 mile stretch of major roadworks where a narrow A road is being upgraded, widened, bends taken out. Work has now stopped because of the constant rain, leaving a long muddy building site and a series of about three or four sets of temporary traffic lights.
Every morning one or more of these are faulty. Either totally out, or stuck on red one or both ways, or flicking erraticaly from red to green.
What is the legal position? Is one allowed to ignore faulty lights? This morning a long stretch was permanently green in the opposite direction, no lights at all in mine. When the road was clear I went, and met a car head on. We passed by sidling round a site hut.
As the lights are the contractor's, not local authority, do they actually have any legal authority? Read more
Can someone in the know please clarify the types of bulb currently available and the approx prices?
I've read several posts here about bulbs costing over £100. I simply will not buy a car if I know it takes one of these bulbs. Presumably there is a certain keyword ('xenon?') to look for in the car specification?
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My last Xenon bulbs lasted 9 years, and were still going strong.
You can get them for about £30 each if you shop around and I mean proper Philips or Osram too.
***** This thread is now closed, please CLICK HERE to go to Volume 27 *****
{originally titled "Top Gear Returns on Jan 28th, YAY!" but as vol 25 was nearly at 100 posts, it makes sense to start a new thread and call this vol 26 - DD}
I looked but I can't see another thread on this so I'll break the news for once on here.. mwahahahah
www.autoblog.com/2006/12/13/top-gears-back-with-ha.../
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My wife says I don't listen to her, or something like that Read more
Was Perry McCarthy, now Ben Collins.
ps, this will be moved to the current Top Gear thread shortly
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sounds like coolant temperature senser has failed and probably the lambda as well has been killed .
a co test would confirm the lambda .
you must have some pretty crap garages near you if they cant fix a simple matoozi