March 2007

ahearn

Just noticed a problem while accelerating recently.
Driving along and I change gear from say 3rd to 4th or 4th to 5th etc... if I press hard on the accelerator the car judders a bit then settles down...
i.e. rather then smooth acceleration it is jerky for a few seconds.
Happens from 2nd gear upwards, especially say coming to a turn off and I have to go from 3rd down to 2nd, turn corner then accelerate and up to 3rd it starts..
weird, I was told it might be fuel-injection issue.
Anyone any ideas?
tks. Read more

DP

I didn't know Ford made plugs.


The Ford plugs I bought to service my mum's StreetKa were in Ford boxes, but were actually NGK plugs.

That said, they were actually a couple of quid a set less than Halfords wanted for identical plugs in an NGK blister pack, so it didn't matter particularly.
The Gingerous One

Especially the Pug 306 TD. A mate here recently sold his R reg 306 TD 100k-miles ish with 12 months MoT for £1400. it needed its' aircon sorting, had 7 year old rear tyres with extensive cracking and was bought by a trader (I assume he saw some money in it ??!!)

But why so much ? A 10 yr old non-prestige car with 12 months MoT is worth about £500 to me as long as it has some sort of service history, hasn't been a taxi or had as many owners as I've had hot dinners. At this level, if it goes 'bang' then throw it away or sell it spares/repairs.
Why do people like these old 306 diesels ?

another case was a mates Rover 220 SDi. again, R reg, 170k miles, no MoT or tax and it went for best part of £500 ??!!!
I'd suggested putting in as 'spares or repair" (box had taken to jumping out of gear occansionally) for £100. I wouldn't have given him any more than that for it should I have been in the market for such a car.

Why ?
The Pug case seems unreal. £1400 for a 10 year french car. it's a banger, why would someone pay a 4-figure sum ?


thoughts most appreciated, the buyers of these 2 cars are beyond my understanding...


Read more

rogue-trooper

This makes me think I sold our 12 year old Xantia
1.9 TD for too little (£500). I had only recently
spent about that amount on it to have it serviced, new
spheres and rear brake discs. It was a snip at
that price, considering it also had two nearly new tyres and
a new rad fitted only about a year before.


I've had mixed reactions to my PX values on my DERVS

First was my 306xtdt bought 11.5k and PX'd for 8 with 2 years and 48k on the clock. Needed new tyres and body work damaged (prob 5-700 in all)

After that I had an e36 325tds that I PX'd at 5yrs and 88k miles for 6k. Not happy with that as I thought that it was a great car (and some scrot knocked 45k miles off a year later)
talbot649

Hi there,

I'm hoping somebody can help.

We've had our V Reg Citroen Xsara for about 6 months, and over the last few months we've been having problems with over-choking.

Basically, on occasion it can over-choke so it revs between 3000 and 4000 rpm when idling. When driving these can drop away and then kick back in sporadically, causing you to bunny-hop.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem, and how to fix it?

Many thanks in advance. Read more

injection doc

I would check for an air leak first, check all vacum pipes, If you have an air leak it makes it run rich & with extra air going in can make the rev's higher.
Diagnostic check may save time & money, even an air leak would be spotted on live data by a lower than normal vacum reading

Vin {P}

Yesterday I was overtaken on the M3 by a brace of Priuses (Prii?)

I was making what I like to class as keen progress. They were doing a minimum of 90mph.

I wonder just how self-satisfied they felt at being in an eco-wagon and saving the planet at that speed? The physics is incontrovertible. The only source for the power to keep them cruising at that speed on the motorway was petrol, so they were exactly as inefficient as any other car at that speed, aerodynamics notwithstanding. i wonder what the "smugness" meter on the dashboard was showing? (I assume they have one).

Or am I missing something. Were they saving the planet more than me in my Jag 2.5V6 gas-guzzler? Should I be racked with guilt?

V Read more

Pugugly {P}

We run two of these Honda IMAs as pool cars. (old shape), better fuel economy from a similar sized diesel, the stop start system is a nuisance if not dwonright dangerous if it's not your everyday car.....

menu du jour

As a disabled driver I notice an increasing number of people[ who are not disabled in any way obvious to me ] using disabled bays especially in supermarkets.
In a Sainsburys park the other day, a large people carrier pulled up and mum and dad and four children got out. All were walking normally. Is having children and a large vehicle now classed as a disability?
Cumhead Read more

deepwith

Our local large store has plastic signs pointing out the error of their ways that the security guy places on cars that are offending. They have also been known to call out the registration number of the car/s and request the driver to come to Customer Services - although I haven't heard them do that recently.
On the bays at 'Recreation Centres', we take 13 families with a special child to a swimming session at our local centre - usually half the 8 spaces are already taken by the able so I am afraid we often need to block the area nearest reception while we decant our children then park elsewhere. As Angelman says, being closer just makes one little bit of life easier.

zebidee

Hi everyone I hope somebody can help me please !!!

When driving the car I have noticed that it slants to the left like the suspension or shock absorbers have gone, this is especially noticeable when there is a passenger or you go around corners.

I had a mate look at it and they have said that the rubber bits on the suspension( possibly the upper arm - but not sure if its callled this) have perished and when they go competely it will cause the car to steer really badly. Trouble is I have no idea what the rubber parts are called and i need ot get some !!! ? Trouble is I can't find anything that looks like the rubber bit on the internet and when i lok at upper arms they do not appear to have this rubber bit attached.

Can anybody help me please? Read more

neil99

Problem on passat and A4. There are about 8 bits to suspension but dont be fooled into having lot changed. I have paid between £70 and £200 quid in the past. Last time was cheapest when local garage only changed one part and its been fine for last 18 months. There are a few previous posts on this site and many peopole will have had same problem. I'm probably due for another part to be change!

Question BMW Diesels
prm72

Thinking of getting a 320d, can anyone tell me when the common rail was introduced, which ones had the turbo probs, and would the direct injection be better or worse than the cr, thanks Read more

prm72

Thanks for your advice guys.

adverse camber

Hi,

I wonder if anyone could give me an idea of the prices at auction for an alfa 156 jtd sportwagon diesel?

Looking at the online glasses guide it is quoting very reasonable prices for 2001/2002 models. However I cant see anything like that low on autotrader. there are some on ebay but I could easily spend a lot of time travelling to look at rubbish and being in North Yorkshire there are not many very close to us.

So I am thinking of speaking to one of the auction buyers, but I dont want to waste their time if the prices are actually far higher than glasses suggests.

thanks

Read more

No Do$h

Sorry Uda, no idea on where you might source a haynes-type manual, although there is a prolific market for workshop CDs for Fiats and Alfas on ebay. I had a workshop manual CD for the 156JTD and it was superb.

Regards

ND

Forum Ultraseal
IanJohnson

SWMBO has suffered five puncures in around 30k miles - two repairable and three new tyres. In comparison I have suffered 2 in the last 250k in company cars.

I am considering Ultraseal for her tyres - cost for all four of around 50% of the price of one new tyre.

Anyone any experience of this product? Read more

Hamsafar

I used some peach coloured goop a few years ago, after an expensive spate of non-repairable punctures.
It wasn't great, it would centrifuge out of the hole and leave a line of splat on the wheel arc liner. The only good thing it would do it prevent sudden deflations and slow them down to over a few days. There were no balancing problems, and when I had a tyre replaced, the goop had formed a thin and neat uniform layer over the inside of the tyre, rather like pva glue when half dry, it didn't run, once spead out, it was more like gravy or custard after you spread that out - it stays where it is.

Hawesy1982

Hi,

Driving home from work today, i stopped on a shallow hill to let cars past me, then when pulling off again there was a pop/bang and then no drive to the wheels.

Engine is fine, revs properly, but no gears therefore no drive. Trying to engage a gear it sounds like something knocking around under the car.

The car is sitting where i pushed it to and got a lift home, but i'll take it to a garage on Saturday. Nothing hanging obviously loose under the car.

So, is it the gearbox? The clutch? Or, ideally, the gearbox linkages coming off? There was no warning of this happening at all and i'm pretty sure i didn't hit anything/run anything over.

Clutch and gearbox are both original at 163k but neither was particularly ropey.

Any idea of cost to fix, whichever problem it may turn out to be?

Thanks in advance

Steve Read more

sine

>>but no gears therefore no drive. Trying to engage a gear it sounds like something knocking around under the car

How can a drive shaft problem cause problems engaging gears?