February 2007
Hi,
Rover 400 diesel, keeps blowing 10A No.19 fuse (instrument lights & rear tail light R/H) bulbs are fine. Fuse blows instantly so possible short? Any help ideas where to check next please!
Cheers, Ian Read more
My parents are considering replacing their 4 1/2 year old Focus 1.6 Flight, now coming up to 80k miles.
They will not consider any of the following:-
i. buying a nearly-new car from a car supermarket or even a main dealer;
ii. buying a new import (fair enough - they're not cheap enough for me either);
iii. buying from a dealer outside the local area;
iv. selling the car privately so they can haggle just on the price of the new one.
So if they get within £2k of the cost to change of a private sale and then buying from a broker (which should be about £6,500 for a new Focus 1.6 LX) they'll be doing well.
The overwhelming likelihood is that they'll have a new Focus (my mother hasn't owned a car without a blue badge on it since 1979 - and before that she only ever had two Austins). However they've noticed an ad. for the local Chevrolet dealer in the paper and whilst a Lacetti is hardly inspiring, at £8,500 for a 1.6 SX it's good value - probably £3k less than they'd have to pay for a Focus.
But is it cheap enough or will they wish they had something else (and if so what?) in 2011 when my mother retires and they replace it? Read more
Wise words Gromit.
Helping to buy a car is a bit like selling one to friends or family,any small niggle or repair in the first ten years and youve sold or helped them get a lemon.
A friend has a 1998 E430. He has had some paintwork done on it. It was purely cosmetic work on the wheel arches. The paint shop removed the wheels to do the job. No welding was done and the battery was not disconnected. The suspension is AMG. The car is now in limp mode with the ESP warning light illuminated on the dash. It won't rev and will just crawl along in gear(automatic transmission, not sequential).
Anything simple we can look at? Could the garage have disturbed the self leveling suspension by jacking it up? It was moved around the workshop only with 4 bolts instead of 5 holding the wheels on. (locking bolts being replaced). Would a sensor system pick this up?
Any help would be much appreciated. Read more
If the car has been in the paint shop chances are the battery has gone flat.Jacking up the car should have no effect if the ignition was off. Try rotating the steering wheel from lock to lock a few times with engine running ,It is possible that the steering angle sensor needs re.initialising.If this does not cure the fault ,the car will need to go on a diagnostic system.hth
The airbag warning light on out Peugeot 406 has began flashing continuously despite not having been in an accident. It wasn't like it when we bought it. Has anybody got any advice how we can rectify this (economically!)? Thanks
Read more
Will give it a try, thanks for the quick response.
i have a mk4 golf with the chunky expensive looking wipers...the g/f turned them on when frozen the other day so they now need replacing
are refill inserts avaialable for these or do you replace the whole blade? Read more
steveo, these will be fine : 200078247990
Hi all,
I've just got a new job & am looking to change my car. I have a Golf mk4 GTi, 1.8 turbo, chipped to 190BHP. I absolutely love the car and find it fast & nice to drive (despite what others say about it on this board!). I now want to buy something that will be in the next level up of performance, and want some prestige with it too (sad I know) which means not having something too old unless it's pretty special. The cars I've thought about are:
BMW M3 E46 ('01 ish) -- worried about losing value now new shape is due
BMW Z4 ('03) --
A4 Conv 3.0 / 3.0 quat ('02-'03) -- doesn't look that fast on paper (7.6s 0-60)
Boxter S ('00 ish) --
Other considerations (where running costs scare me):
Maseratti 3200 ('99 ish)
Merc CL500 ('01 ish)
BMW M5 ('01 ish)
Has anyone got any feedback? Am I right to be scared of the running costs of the cars in the last group? I can spend arround 800-1000 a year on servicing / repairs / parts Read more
double dougnuts
The current online information suggests this motorway is clear, but I´m looking for confirmation that the M62 is open and passable before Mrs Barchetta attempts it this morning (she has FWD and winter tyres).
Thanks for any information.
Barchettaman Read more
Thanks all. She had no problems, just the usual airport maelstrom to contend with.
Good weekend everyone,
Barchettaman
I have a '99 220 CDi C-class Esprit Estate, 5 speed manual with 156k. Driving home from Brum to Oxford in the snow today, I had a tedious hour crawling along icy roads before getting to the M40. Perhpas unrelated, I drove through a large puddle, a few inches deep, a couple of miles before getting onto the motorway. Big splash but nothing untoward noticed.
Once on the M40, I had not gone more than a few miles when I noticed a lack of power, especially uphill, where it would not go over 70. Stopping after leaving the M40 I revved the engine and it was limiting itself to 3,000 rpm. I stopped for 20 minutes or so and on returning to the car it was back to normal - it would rev to over 4,000 happily and the acceleration was back - for about 3 miles, after which, power loss and the 3,000 limit returned.
It has plenty of oil and water. Any suggestions as to the cause? Anything I should check in the morning?
Read more
Hi,
Thanks for the responses, no engine management lights came on - I only became aware something was amiss when it slowed down going uphill on the motorway. Saturday morning I checked the electrical connections I could find and took it for a run and it's been running OK since. It's about to go in for MOT so I'll get them to check the computer. I'll have a look at the air filter too.
Thanks
Have bought a 03 plate used approved Bmw 320ci Sport Auto convertible. They are always sold as having Full BMW service history. My fault as i never looked, just trusted dealer. got it home to see in the service book, it had a service at 15K in 2004, then absolutly nothing. the car has 41K miles on it. so it should have had a service at 30K ish in 2005. it is now 2007. We bought it hoem with 4700 miles to go before service, guy said he would do us a good deal on service. 1 day after getting home and 60 miles later it now shows 3900 on service indicator.
Used approved should have service done if 4000 or below.
have phoned for a month now, and the salesman, takes around 4-5 days returning my calls. not had a call back for 1 week and 1 day now. so have written a letter stating the facts and that i want to know where and when the 30K mile service was done.
what i would like to know is if i get no joy from BMW dealer, can i take my case to BMW UK?
or should i start with BMW dealer principle? MD ?
Read more
You sat they are sold as having full service history. If this cannot be proven by the the dealer then you should have a strong trades description case. I would check this out to get the facts straight and take it from there.....should have checked the docs though!
Following my cousin from the crematorium to the wake through the far north-western fringes of the great Wen this afternoon - it was snowing a bit too - we came up behind a box-bodied seven tonner (I think) whose offside rear door was open and swinging wide following acceleration on left-hand bends. It was low enough, and certainly heavy enough, to damage the windscreen of a car coming the other way, and several such vehicles flinched visibly...
At the second attempt, at a traffic light, my good cousin managed to leap out and attract the driver's attention. He came back, looking aghast, and secured the door. Seemed touchingly grateful but at a traffic light, in traffic, there's no time to waste... Read more
When I lived in Liverpool I was almost taken out by the swinging nearside engine cover of a Leyland Atlantean bus. Thankfully the bustop was 'guarded' by a lamppost which took the brunt of the impact. Thankfully the old bone shakers where mostly retired shortly afterwards (mid 90s, I think)
Browse
Hi, it was the bulb!
Cheers, Ian