March 2007
The time will soon be here to replace the missus' 306 Sedan with something with at least 6 seats. She doesn't want the length of an estate - so my V70 escapes fitment of optional third row seats and I don't get the Elise I thought I might - and quite likes the Zafira as a "shorter and taller" approach. Applying the 80:20 rule, the advantages this gives her in projected normal use outweighs the nuisance factor when wanting to conduct an airport run with a full compliment of passengers and their baggage.
When it comes to engine, she cares little beyond disliking the slightest trace of diesel clatter either inside or outside the cabin. A diesel is therefore a strict no-no. The car will be driven only 9k miles or so per annum, so beyond not wishing to rape the planet, getting every last MPG is of little interest anyway. Ownership is likely to be very long term, so depreciation is not our biggest worry, either. Although in due course it won't be used on a school run (this will be a 150 yard walk when the kids are old enough to go) the car will carry sticky fingered, seat back scratching, Toms, Dicks, and Harrys we have little jurisdiction over; it will thus be a "new to us" purchase, not a brand new purchase.
Of course I will drive the car too on occasion, and in any case will be paying both to buy and run it, so what about what I would like? Putting the missus's wishes first, which don't include engine beyond "no diesel", I could probably still have some fun with a second hand Mk I Zafira GSi or ex demo Mk II SRi or VXR. This would also satisfy my like of strong performance aided by the torque and power curves of an excellent range of turbocharged engines. There's one problem though; whilst the missus dislikes diesels, I'm not a fan of four cylinder motors, only purchasing the 306 because it was a sacrificial first car for her and cost buttons to buy and insure. No, I prefer a five cylinder growl or six cylinder howl.
The new Galaxy is longer and wider than the missus wants, likewise the Galaxy with a haircut, the superb S-Max, so buying ex-demo versions of either of these with the fabulous Volvo 2.5T engine is unlikely.
Can any BRer think of a true Zafira sized MPV with front wheel drive, at least 6 seats, a 5 or 6 cylinder engine, and available second hand or ex-demo?
I can't find one from a trawl through the mags, which to be honest has not surprised me, but does one exist that I have missed before I resign us to a 1.8 base model with adjust-it-yourself aircon? (it's the 5 or 6 cylinders I'm prepared to pay for, not the trim level and gizmos; these would only come as a "bonus" of higher end engine spec)
Ta muchly. Read more
Sneaky positioning, they're all hidden behind road signs.
That is all. Read more
40 minutes! Who ate all the sandwiches (pies)?
Hi,
£20 of diesel has been added to petrol engine on Fiat Ducato van.
The engine was started once then stalled.
What is required to remove the fuel? (is there a plug to the petrol tank)
What needs to be replaced aswell?
Thanks.
Mike.
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It's a bit cheeky answering for Mikey but I remember he has an old (pre 95) Ducato so has a 'normal' filler opening.
The bonus is that it is a 'proper' engine with a carb, nary a sensor nor ECU in sight, so once the diesel is drained out of the tank, fuel line, and float chamber, it will just shake itself and carry on as if nothing had happened
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One mans junk is another mans treasure
My old '91 1600 Cavalier saloon goes for re-cycling soon - is it worth keeping any bits for use on the replacement '95 2.0i Ecotec hatchback? Which?
Is this "discussion", or "technical" - ? Read more
I need to change the cam belt for the second time - approx 120k miles.
Does anyone have any advice on whether the tensioner and idler pulleys need to be changed - the belt itself is £30ish but the two idler pulleys and the tensioner are over £150.
thanks
rgds
steve Read more
Change the lot and then you will sleep at night. If you have to ask the question, you really know the answer don't you?
Can these parts be imported from the USA where they are very much cheaper?
My interest in the CO2 debate was warmed by the loading for band G at £400 - seems fair enough
But - I have an Audi A6 2.7TDI - my usual economy is around 45mpg - today I did 300 miles at 49mpg. Why am I band F - very grateful not to be band G of course! - but surely 45mpg is about average (better than average?) for CO2 emissions?
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.......... just compare the weekly cost of VED with all the other motoring costs and (perhaps more >> importantly) what you fritter away on cigarettes and alcohol etc and you'll wonder why you were >> making such a fuss about VED!
Quite true, especially compared to first year depreciation. That doesn't stop it being irksome because it's a crude piece of gesture politics, and a cynical political calculation; that all Band G drivers are cruising around in +£30k motors, can well afford to be soaked and wouldn't be idiot enough to vote Labour anyway. Only the last part is true in my case.
I will be starting a new job in 4-5 weeks that will require travelling around 35K a year just commuting with weekend on top! The job comes with a £6K a year car allowance rather than a company car scheme.
This is a new situation to me so would appreciate peoples opinions and reccomendations. I currently drive a 2003 Audi A4 diesel that has done 118,000 miles.
I would like either:
a new(ish) car that is out of the ordinary (Alfa GT possibly?) to use all of the time
or
something for the weekly slog and then a nice car for the weekend (softtop of some kind)
Budget is 10K plus what I can get for my Audi (or do I keep that!)
Any help appreciated Read more
The service and cambelt is at an independant VAG specialist. Its working out around £550 plus VAT for the belt, tensioners, long life service and the injectors to be flushed and cleaned. (dealer wasnt far short of £1000 all in which is quite extortionate IMO). I also need two new tyres for the front thats going to cost another £180 plus whatever else they may find at the time. Only known problem is the gearstick moves under accelleration, especially noticeable in 6th, however this hasnt got any worse for quite a number of miles.
I think the valet idea may be the way to go - probably take it in somewhere so when I pick it back up it will at least feel new.
I have a 3.0 V6 D9 Peugeot 406 Coupe. It has recently been to Peugeot after repeatedly coming up with "anti-pollution system defective" on the car's radio/information screen, along with Engine management light on the dashboard being lit. I have my own code reader and the code causing this was "P0430 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 2)". I cleared the code and it would go away for a week or so and then come back. The odd thing is it passed its emissions test OK at MOT too... It kept doing the above for a while and then started saying "anti-pollution system inoperative" and the car began to run poorly, like it wasn't firing on all cylinders which was confirmed by a code read of "P0303 Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected". I suspected a faulty coil pack (there's one on each cylinder on my model of coupe) and after taking it to a Pug garage they confirmed coil #3 was on the way out and replaced it and the car ran fine with no more faults. Then recently the "anti-pollution system defective" warning has started coming up again = P0430 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 2). What does this actually mean, is another coil on the way out, is it something to do with the pre Cat or Cat on bank 2 or a sensor/other fault?!? I really don't want to have to take it back to the pug garage as they charge an arm and a leg!! At the moment the car still runs absolutely fine and I just clear the fault code to put the Engine diagnostic light out for another week or two til it decides to do it again. Anyone giving me a final working solution to this will earn themselves a suitable reward!
Thanks in anticipation
Mark (hyperion_blue)
p.s. I am already a member of www.peugeot406coupe.com and have had no joy from them yet either! Read more
Thanks for the tips, in the end the problem worsened and it turned out to be coil #5 on it's way out. A chap on the Coupe club site mentioned that once one goes, the rest seem to go too! In the end I've had all 3 under the manifold replaced, which leaves only 2 not yet replaced. I asked them to keep the two good ones for me so I have these as spares for the front 2 if they start to play up. Just thought I'd post an update which might help other... Cheers
Just a quick question. Car back from MOT recently and on checking oil I found dipstick not replaced and lying in engine compartment. A little bit of oil looks to have been lost but level still fine. Usually a good garage and not too worried - these things happen. 2 questions - why is dipstick removed for MOT (could just have been checking oil anyway) and does running car without dipstick cause problems other than a small amount of oil loss (it only did about 50 miles before I checked)?
Thanks in advance
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As a side note my brother in law once had his
'87 Astra returned with the dipstick bent at a right angle
to the tube. We couldn't work out how they did that
or that they couldn't be bothered to bend it back straight!
Dipstick only just inserted into tube so sitting up proud and then the bonnet shut?
I am going to look at a P reg L200 with 102k on the clock. It has 11 months test. What should I look for or be wary of? What should I pay (it's from an independant dealer) ?
Johnny Read more
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Is the Renault Espace really that big? I know that the Grande Espace is but the "bog standard" one isn't as long as my Mitsub. Grandis and the Grandis in turn has nearly exactly the same dimensions as my BMW 5 Estate (old shape e39)