February 2007
Due to the hike in van tax i am going to park my service van up and for the first time in 20yrs i will have to buy a second car,the tax is going to cost me 770 quid per year just to bring a smelly transit home(thanks Mr Brown).I am thinking of a Fiat cinquicento,i have max no claims on my X trail,what do you think will be the likely running costs for this vehicle will be (insurance,tax,fuel,passing mot etc).Going off other readers experiances is this a good cheap run around to buy?if not what are the other options?or should i keep paying the tax on the works van.I think the van tax is likely to go up each year in the budget .thanks Andrew. Read more
I am taking the train on Sat 10th Feb to sunny Preston £35 return first class with Virgin beats the cost of diesel. However I need to park near Watford station, can anyone give me any tips for this? The car park at the station is a tenner for the weekend but I dont mind leaving the crappy old mondeo on a street, you never know it might get nicked with any luck. Read more
The station parking might get pressured in weekday rushour but over a weekend it's all yours.
Is tehre such a thing? It seems to me the more I look the more complex the issues surrounding towing and its legislations are.
Question is I eventualkly started driving proper in the year 2000, I had been holding a prov license since a long time before, Im 30.5 now and got it on my 16/17th b'day but been able to drive since age of 13. I'm perfectly confident in my abilities to tow but since Im going to be towing a lot of cars about soon I thought it best to brush up on the law as theres a distinct difference between a trailer load of vegetation for the tip and a track car on a trailer on the motorway.
Problem is theres mention of needing trailer license after a certain dat but only on trailers above a certain threhold in a vehicle of certain threshold and various weight limits and speed limits etc. Ive searched all the usual places DVLA etc but to no avail can I find out a definate answer as to what I can and cant tow in what vehicle!
I even rang DVLA and asked and the girl who answered was slightly inept.
So, anyone know what the exact law is in leymens terms? Read more
My main towing will be a small hatchback (205) on an A frame which I will be pulling with a rover 620sdi.
Rover handbook states max weight to tow is 1200kg, the 205 weighs in under 900kg (stripped for track use) and the way I read the law that means Im within my limits, problem will come when Im going to a ytrack thats not local I will have to use a proper transporter trailer for the motorways and this is where I may come unstuck. I'll have to dig out some info on trailers weight etc.
Unknown to the dealership I had bought the car from, another dealer in the group had also sold the car.
I am now the owner of a receipt detailing the car I was buying (year, mileage, model etc), and the car I was trading in. Receipt is signed by both dealer and myself. I have verbally told them I need this sorted out by the weekend.
I would be most happy for the dealer to say the car was available again, and that I can pick it up. However, if this does not happen, am I right to believe the dealer has to supply me a car of equal or better standard contained in the receipt? What should be my next steps if nothing materialises this weekend?
As always, your advice is appreciated. Read more
"loss of bargain"
Thanks horatio, that's the phrase I was looking for. Loss of bargain.
I am taking her in tomorrow for a service but I suspect the following may need doing:-
1) Curing a rattle from the camshaft area, as discussed on another thread oil change should help or fix this.
2) Brake pads
3) Valve clearances checked
4)Tappets adjusted
5) New oil, filter and plugs.
How much would this cost me? Is spending £200 on a car I have just paid £400 for stupid?
The car runs fine, there is a few spots of rust but I have repaired the worst bits, the rest of the body is spotless and so is the chassis.
Its an N Reg Fiesta 1.1 btw :) with 101.7k on the clock.
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Good advice from Richie:
Dont forget about the spark plugs. They have a horrid tendency to corrode into the cylinder head and seize. >>
This happened many years ago to my SiL's Fiesta, so beware!
>>Also clean out the breather regularly as the moisture from the engine leaves a mayonaise like residue caused by oil and steam in the breather attatchment.>>
If we don't pay regular attention to this in my son's old Fiesta it causes the engine to die after a few hundred yards. The only way we can get it going again is to clean out the 'mayo' and tow-start it. It can be a particular problem after a spate of short journeys in cold weather and I suspect (only suspect) it can be reduced when using 10-40 rather than 20-40 oil.
Traffic Cameras are an NLE ( Nice Little Earner)
Scottsdale, AZ conducted a nine-month experiment of using photo-radar cameras on Loop 101 freeway to catch speeders. The experiment apparently was a success, as the city council just voted 5-1 to turn the cameras back on, The Arizona Republic reports.
The cameras generated more than $2.3 million for state coffers through citation surcharges during a nine-month test that ended Oct. 23. Scottsdale estimates the state will get another $1.69 million through June.
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Never look a gift horse in the mouth ---- even in Arizona!
Can anyone advise on method of removal and cleaning of this valve please? Is any setting up necessary when re-fitting, or is it simply a clean & replace job? Read more
Thanks for your input. Do you know if there is a gasket or seal to worry about?
can anyone shed some light.
i have a 94 214 i wich has got a leak in the boot , thought it was coming in through the rear light seal, so i have re-sealed the light.
but still have a leak seems to be coming in above the light !
anyone have any ideas?
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checked that as well all ok now have come to a grinding halt.
Replacement front fog light lense identified at recent service - dealers name / location deleted - {no naming & shaming please - DD} quoted twice, once on the phone, once in the showroom when collecting car from service, £18-20 plus £9 - 10 for the lense.
Go bak this week, have it done, bill presented to me £8.98 for the lense and, wait for it........£51.32 labour. This is the rate that includes 30% discount because I'm special. Must have taken all of 20 minutes. I was in a hurry and despite protestations they were adamant that that was the bill.
I would never have gone near them had they told me this (am qualified aircraft engineer, never had one crash yet) so know what am doing.
Now begins the tedious task of complaining talking to solicitor etc......
Enough to make me think of a BMW
Any thoughts, similar experiences? Read more
The Ford dealer I customarily used before I moved house offered a free pre-service consultation on the condition of the car. The car was inspected, under the bonnet and underneath on a hoist, in your presence and you were given an honest opinion of what needed attention. The boiling point of the brake fluid and power steering fluid was checked, as was the concentration of the antifreeze in the coolant. On one occasion I pointed out that the rear silencer was holed, but the Service Advisor said that it was double-skinned and it was only the outer skin was holed and that there was no reason for it to be renewed
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L\'escargot.
How difficult is it to change the fuel filter on a 96 Endura engined 1.8 diesel Fiesta? I have done oil & filters on the car several times, next one due in a couple of weeks, and thought I'd stick a new fuel filter on at the same time. I don't have any hose clamps though - can I make do with pliers or a small pair of grips? I'm unsure how to avoid getting air into the system. Thanks guys. Read more
It is often easier to remove the whole filter assy. to change the element-you can then see that all the seals are in the right place.Most of the fuel pipes have quick release connectors-squeeze the knobs in and they slide off the pipe-just slide them back on afterwards.All Ford fuel systems of this date will self-bleed(eventually).It then depends if your system is Bosch or Cav/Lucas/Rotodiesel-the Bosch filter has no bleed pump,just crank-on the Cav,remove the fuel supply pipe at the injection pump,and then pump the rubber bulb on the filter assy.till fuel comes out of this pipe,refit the pipe and then start the engine-let it run for a few minutes to ensure all the air is purged from the system.You'll need to know if it's Bosch or Cav to get the correct filter element.
Browse
I haven't got a Cinquicento, but I have got one of the later Seicento's, which is mechanically very similar. I'll tell you about my thoughts...
The cars share the same engines, 1.1 FIRE engine in the sportings, and 899cc in the non-sporting Cinq's. I have a Seicento SX, with the 899cc. The lowest fuel consumption I have got was about 36mpg IIRC, but that was in stop start traffic (very bad). I generally don't get any less than 39-40mpg. On the motorway I can get upto 60mpg, usually 55-58mpg with good traffic. Performance isn't great, but it's not as bad as 899cc sounds. The 1.1 sporting is obviously faster, but also thirstier and puts the insurance group upto group 3. The 899cc engines are usually very reliable and I've heard of people doing over 150,000 miles with them. The 1.1 FIRE engine do suffer from head gasket failures. A sporting may be more suitable for you if you carry much weight.
My Seicento also has a supprising amount of room in it. If you fold the rear seats down (they go completely flat in the Sei), it's like a small van. With these there aren't as many curves, and pieces of plastic in the back, which waste space.
I also enjoy driving mine, and they're very good value. If you get the low spec ones, you don't get many extras, but if you get the SX I think you get most things like sunroof, central locking, and electric windows. The Sporting also has a lot of extras, and alloy wheels. Oh yeah, my one does drink a bit of oil (runs fine though), so if you do get one, keep a close eye on the oil!