January 2007
i quite like the look of these cars and was thinking about gettine one. it will be used on a 98/99/00 plate and i wont be spending more than 2k on one. i have read and heard very mixed reviews on this car, so i now think i nedd some proper advice of you guys....... Read more
Recently bought a 98 Rover 400 1.6l for a run around but its beggining to drive me nuts. Heater control worked only at max (common prob 4 these) so thought to check the heating fan resistor which I discovered had been removed at some point. Am still to buy the resistor but now the electricals are playing tricks on me. Keeps blowing Fuse # 13 (Circuit : Engine cooling fan, wing mirrors and of cause, Internal Heating) Have looked everywhere for a short circuit but cant figure it out. Took it to my local and they couldn't too. Funny thing is sometimes blows fuse immediately after key on and sometimes after driving for a while.
Anybody has a clue whats going on? Thanks in advance!! Read more
As elekie&a/c doctor says common fault remove the connections to the fan motor and see if the fuse still blows.
Good evening! I hope that someone can give me some motoring-related legal advice...
I recently hired a car in London, and, whilst lost, somehow managed to turn right at what I now gather was a no right-turn junction (along with a stream of other cars). I have just received a letter from the hire car company forwarding on a penalty charge of £100 from "transport for London", and charging me a further £30 handling fee. Leaving aside the error I made (I have worked out how to dispute the penalty, and my father went to look at the junction on my behalf and believes that the signposting is totally unclear and has taken some photos to prove the point), I am also somewhat unhappy about the additional £30 charge from the hire car company.
I read recently a BBC article about banks having to refund excess "penalty charges" on the grounds that one can only recover costs for actual losses -
article at www.tiny.cc/VswHI
I am now wondering whether the same principal applies to car hire companies. Surely there is no way that they can claim that it actually cost them £30 to forward on this one letter? I could believe a £5 charge for someone's time and postage (the man at the hire car desk was almost illiterate, so I cannot believe that they were paying him that much), but not £30. Does anyone have any thoughts?
Any comment gratefully received,
"Archie" Read more
Ok, here is the law!
the law of contract says that "penalty" clauses in contracts are unenforceable. a penalty clause is a cluase which says what damages will be payable in the event of a breach of that contract.
a clause is a penalty clause if if is not a genuine attempt to pre-estimate the loss that teh claiming party will suffer in teh event of a breach.
Going over your overdraft limit is a breach of the terms of the bank mandate (which is just another contract) The standard £30charge has not been tested in court, but it has been widely reported that banks are prepared to refund these charges rather than fight it out in court in each individual case.
I am not sure that the administration charge claimed by teh hire comapny would amount to a penalty clause. It does not relate to a breach of the hire agreement, so it isn't really to do with damages.
We hear a lot about the problems if you put petrol in a diesel.
But what might be the problems (if any) if you put diesel in a petrol.
Hypothetical of course... :-0 Read more
If it's pre-injection & pre cat and you've only put in £10 of diesel, then just top up with petrol and you can drive away as if nothing has happened.
The car will occasionally smoke and splutter until the stuff is sufficiently diluted with further top-ups.
Not that I've done it.... ;-)
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One mans junk is another mans treasure
We have a 2000 Golf, 1.6 petrol that has suddenly started to splutter badley on acceleraton until you get above 3/4000 revs. No warning, this problem just appeared hours after passing its MOT without fault. I checked the distributor and it was badley pitted, and the arm very badley pitted and worn. Fitted new ones and it didnt change a thing. There is a spark on every plug, but cyclinder number one made little difference when disconected until I cleaned the plug up. I then went on to think it was a fuel fault so added red-x to the tank and took it out for a 20min run and the problem seem to get worse.
Whilst idling its fine but from just reving it causes it to splutter, and worsens under load (actually driving it)
Help, Please!! Its our only way of getting to work and pray for an easy solution
Thanks for your time
Paul & katie Read more
Buying from new. Which would you buy? a Skoda Fabia 1.4 Ambiente 5dr hatchback or 'equivalent' VW Polo 1.4S or SE 5 dr Hatchback.?
The Polo's engine, for the same capacity, seems to have less horses (PS). Otherwise I wonder which is truly the better buy, in terms of quality and reliability?
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Yes
I think 'yes' is too simple an answer - VAG cars are intermixed all over the place. Some Ibiza's and Polo's (and Golf's) were made in the Skoda factory in Bratislava, but it probably all changes on a fairly regular basis.
Hi all! I've owned a new Mazda3 for a just over 2 months. All's been fine until a very recent spate of hesitant starting. Prior to this the car started at the first turn of the key, very much like the previous Mazdas I've owned over the years.
So, the starter motor is turning, but would appear to be a fuel problem perhaps. The car hasn't been 'flooded' because there's no situation that could have caused it.
If it continues, then it's back to the Mazda dealer, and then I suppose the fun will start there, or maybe not!
It takes the edge off of a very nice car. I'm not being fusy expecting the car to fire-up first time everytime am I?
Any suggestions? Strange, but I never thought that I would have cause to complain about hesitant starting of a Japanese car. Read more
I would just like to say that the new Mazda 3 now is more of a European car and not a Japanese as the Mazda 3 is completely patterned now to German designs.
For example in the hood, take a look at the radiator, it doesn't have a removable cap in itself like a normal Japaneses car, but instead the removable cap where you put coolant would have to be the expansion container itself. Japanese car usually have two removable caps for a radiator, one in the radiator itself and the other in the container.
Ford, since it owns Mazda basically has consulted Germans for their new vehicle lines, just like the Focus and now of course the Mazda 3.
Problems may arise as different experience lines comes across (Japanese-German). Japanese have been very good in producing mass productions with technology employing the strategy of Stevenson (a great American operations consultant) and the Germans basically, as i would say this as I am a fan, are usually really advanced and the quality is really high or maybe in Europe itself. Europe is considered in International Business as centers of power in car technology. Come to think of it, when you say Ferrari, Porsche, Lambo, Jaguar, BMW, Benz-- you see any Japanese in these? So now Japanese brands are slowly getting the designs of European cars to be more competitive. So now when you turn on the head light of new Japanese cars, you have a separate switch like a knob typical of European cars and not the typical switch in the steering alongside signal lights etc.
Just a thought.
Well, good to hear your car is okay now, but nothing to worry for your car is new, you can make use of your warranty.
Hi, this is the second time I have posted asking the value of a fiesta.
I now have a bit more precise info than I had before.
The car is an Oct 97 Fiesta 1.4 5 door Ghia, 2owners, it has done only 27,000 miles,taxed and mot'd till Oct 07. tidy and clean outside and inside. Metalic dark green.
The only minus point is it has slight collision damage to the hatch which does not affect the opening/closing and w/screen wiper operation. the damage covers an area of about 250mm round.
This car has got to sell for a "first to see it ill buy it" price as I am selling on behalf of my Mother-in-law after Father- in-law passed away. (everything has been cleared with solicitors and DVLA to sell the vehicle).
Difficult I know without seeing the damage but if you can imagine a scrunch slightlt to the right of the rear wiper down to the lip around 250mm area and manualy pushed out by hand.
So what price will sell it quickly without giving it away.
Regards Mal Read more
i'd get the dent done if not too expensive and then get a good valet with polish and try it at 1250.
these small cars are really wanted as second cars for many familes and as starter cars paid for by parents for their kids. condition is key in these circumstances
For 2 1/2 years (since the car was new) ive been questioning the fuel consumption figures, the best my self and the vauxhall garage can get out of it is 41mpg (the official figures are 53mpg). Vauxhall have had the car back about ten times and changed a variety of parts but no improvement, they are now saying that this mpg is exceptable.
Has anyone else got any experience on this or owns a zafira with good/bad consumption?
kind regards in advance Read more
cheers red...........but i dont understand how i can get 35mpg around town and only 41mpg on a run!
Skoda Octavia 1.9 Tdi Estate Ambiente
I have had the above for six months and 22,000 miles. My choice at the time of ordering was between the mid spec Skoda and a Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI LX Estate.
On paper the Skoda won due to the better spec, bigger boot, better looking dash and inverted snobbery. The only lead the Focus had over the Skoda was a better crash test result.
The car arrived in August last year having been driven up from our lease company?s pound in Oxford and so had 400 odd miles on it to start with and since then I have followed the breaking in advice in the FAQ section. Oil consumption has been higher than other diesels I have had but nothing too scary (2 litres odd in the first 10,000 miles). I have averaged around 46 mpg with mainly 5th gear driving and a full heavily laden boot. In fact the car looks better with a full boot as it sits a bit lower.
Starting inside, the seats are a bit too narrow but are an improvement length wise over the old car. A lot of the ?missing? space is used up by a cubby and plastic covering for the seat mechanism so why no wide seats?
It?s easy to get a good position behind the wheel likewise my passengers are comfortable too. The space in the back is much improved over the previous model although my daughter?s car seat still has to sit behind the passenger one.
The dashboard is made from robust materials and feels and looks better quality than the Mk 5 Golf. The juries out on the plastic silver strip across the dashboard but it lifts the all black appearance. The driver?s internal door handle is showing signs of wear from the seatbelt clip bashing against it but other than that it looks as good as new inside. The boot shape is very good as well but the exterior handle is a pain when the car is dirty as your hand gets filthy. The load lip that gets many car magazines irate is no problem at all and is actually a help as it stops stuff falling out.
Outside, the silver paint is holding up well but the rear bumper is not up to the abuse the car gets parked outside my house and is already scuffed and a bit worn looking. On the bright side the doors have seals that stop a lot of muck getting in.
Not many days pass when I don?t wish I had plumped for the 2 litre diesel as it is a bit sluggish sometimes on clear A roads. The lack of a sixth gear makes motorway driving a bit noisy if pushing on. I quite like the turbo lag around town though as it remains easy to stay in 3rd gear and 30 miles per hour, so no speeding tickets for me.
My main gripe is the service indicator. The first service indicator came on and only gave me 2000 miles notice which was not enough to change around my schedule to get it serviced in time especially over Christmas.
Overall the car has been a good companion and I would recommend it, although probably as a 2 litre diesel
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>>Not many days pass when I don?t wish I had plumped for the 2 litre diesel as it is a bit sluggish sometimes on clear A roads
I've remapped, chipped or "Power boxed" my last 3 diesel cars which transformed the driving experience for roughly £3 a week over the time I ran the cars. Not entirely practical on a company car I admit (insurance for one) but......
Browse
If you get a twin spark make sure the belts are changed every 3yr or 36k miles. Apart from that and the suspension noises to look out for they're fantastic cars. Ive had 3 now, one 1.8 and then 2 GTAs. Love em!