March 2007
Two questions about grey-import IS200s (badged Toyota Altezzas)
(A) Quite like the look of theIS200/300 estate, but they are mega-expensive here so thought of grey-import.
But doing an autotrader National search there are no estate Altezzas - were the estates only made for the european market or people just don't bother bringing the imports in ?
(B) The towing limit of even the IS300 is only 1200kg - why so low for a 3.0i car when even a 2.0 mondeo has 1500kg ??
. Is it a transmisson/enngine strength or bodyshell strength issue, or are Ford overoptimistic. Just My sister has a caravan I'd like to borrow, and I think it is 1100kg unladen.... Read more
What do they actually mean by 'quick clear' - is nearly 2 minutes with a slight frost reasonable !! Read more
Of of my gaffers has it on his Mini, came as an option.
Lee
I've noticed a rattle from the engine for about 10/15 seconds when the engine cold, even worse when it's been stood all night at freezing temperatures. I've driven diesels for the last 10 years so i'm used to the sound. It's only a year old with 25k on the clock fully serviced oil level ok etc etc. Very much like the old 2.0l petrol ford engine when the cam followers were worn, tap tap tap !. It's been to the dealer for review and they said they've tweaked the engine management (my words not there's). It's going back again in about two weeks for another review. Comments anyone. Read more
Hi they are renowned for injector faults,it could be hydraulic tappets have you tried an oil change + the manufacturer is very specific on the specification of oil used. I had a diesel jag/mondeo which when frosty out would rattle like the pistons were 10mm too small. They actually needed recoding & that was at 16000miles + my new jag had a single tap when cold under load and hi doses of injector cleaner cured that. When my Jag spent a week at the dealer they two said it was fine till I had to put pressure on them!
The tweeking they referred to may have been recoding so ask.
Hope this helps
Please, is there anyone out there who can help me with my Vectra that keeps losing all power after braking? The fault is extremely intermittent and the lack of power only lasts for a couple of seconds. When taking my foot off the brake and then back on to the accelerator it feels like the ignition has been turned off. Sometimes the engine management light comes on often it does not.
{Shouting, ie, solely UPPER CASE text amended - DD} Read more
Thanks David, have already had this suggested to me and checked it out. I even fitted new bulbs but the fault is still there.
{Shouting amended once again! If you persist in typing solely in upper case; next time I will delete rather than edit as it's much quicker.
DD - BR Moderator}
Having a few months ago come across two different oil filter specs and sizes for the same Focus when changing the oil for my mother-in-law, today I bought a filter from a Renault dealer for the wife's Clio, it is about 2/3 the size of every other one that has been fitted to the car though is categorically the right one according to the dealer, the spec has changed they say, it is a '98 1.6 RXE manual.
Any thoughts? Read more
HI 2002 was about the time i was at renault .they did have a lot of changes. if you are not sure go with the one you have used in the past and not had a prob with./why fix somthing what aint broke if you know what i mean.hope this helps
Well, I left the Belfry Hotel this at midday to trek back to north Liverpool. Got on to the M42 slip for the M6 north and my oil light came on (56 plate Golf 1.9TDi with 6500 miles). I thought "that's odd" and stopped on the shoulder to have a gander. No leaks, no untoward drips, just virtually no oil in the car...!
Put in a call to Europcar (they do our company cars) and an hour later A Very Nice Man came and chucked some oil in. Probably not the specified oil for a PD engine, but hey, it's going back to Europcar on Monday.....
How come a brand new car uses all its oil in 6500 miles? So much for long life servicing!
Incidentally, later on same journey I was in lane 2 at 75(ish) being overtaken by a new 3 series. Clouds of smoke - his osr tyre came off the rim. He just about made it to the hard shoulder (after some avoidance moves from me) before the tyre came clean off and he ended up on his rim......
DB
Read more
Golf has an amber warning light that lights up on low
oil, all my recent BMWs have had it as well...
Hmmm. I changed the oil on the Toledo today, and for curiosity turned on the ignition (Not the engine!) while it was empty of oil. Not a peep!
My 2003 Almera?s headlamps produce a very weak beam on unlit rural roads. I noticed that Nowheels had a similar problem attributing it to projector headlamps.
Would fitting spotlights be the answer?
Read more
I have a Mondeo TDCI 54 which is now 21/2 years old which I believed came with a 3 years warranty.
I am having difficulties in establishing exactly what is covered by this so called warranty.
For a few months I have had problems with water getting in through the rear passenger door seal and according to the dealership this is not covered by Ford!
Now, my car is booked in next week for a gearbox problem where I am unable to engage the reverse gear first thing in the morning without first going through a couple of other gears. The dealership has already hinted that it is a major issue but also that it is not covered by the warranty as it is classed as normal wear and tear.
Does anyone know what is coverd by the warranty and how I can approach Ford when as I expect the warranty repair will be rejected?
Cheers Read more
>> Doesn't need a 20min appt to look for corrosion on
alloys.
>> Takes about 30 seconds per wheel. >>
Clearly though the dealer is willing to give it 20mins at
no cost to the customer ...........
But they won't give it 20mins. They will tell customer to park it somewhere. Service bloke will then, at his leisure, wander over to it, take a look for a minute or two and wander back. Its a bit like when dealers want your car for a day to do a service. They spend less than an hour on it, but want it there for the day so that they can do it when it suits them.
Main dealers must be some of the most inefficient business organisations known to man. Usually have several managers fighting each other (new sales, used sales, service, parts) different and non-integrated computer systems etc etc. Many now have 'service writers' and my local VW agent is currently making so much money they can afford to employ a 'greeter' who stands by the door and directs customers to 'parts', 'service' etc etc - all of which are only a few metres away and have great big signs over them.
I am self employed and am thinking of leasing a car instead of buying. I have always bought in the past but am curious about the leasing angle. Anybody really clued up on this? Read more
Your annual mileage will make a big diffence as to whether leasing is worthwhile or not. When I was instructing I looked into it a few times, but all the deals I saw had an upper mileage limit of 15000 tops, which was totally unrealistic as I was clocking 35-40 thou. The surcharge per thousand miles for exceeding that limit made leasing out of the question.
--
Hi,
Are any nationals offering good prices/discounts on car batteries? The Xantia's died this morning. It's a type 096 I need.
Thanks.
Steve.
---
Xantia HDi Exclusive.
XM 2.1 VSX. Read more
I always use www.buypartsby.co.uk/battery-make.php
They are slightly cheaper than costco for BOSCH and no joining fee, but the delivery is £8 :(
Browse
.jpg)
I used to have an IS200 and enjoyed it.
Google "Lexus Owners Club" and go to the UK IS200 and Imports forums. They'll give you chapter and verse.