April 2007
Hi Back Roomers,
The drive to my home is actually a private road (more like a track) which is shared by several households, but owned by a local farmer. It used to be properly surfaced (years ago before I used it), but now it's in a poor condition with lots of divets and ruts, and it doesn't drain properly when it rains heavily. The final straw today was when, despite driving over it slowly and carefully, I managed to ground the car. Don't think any damage was done (will check), but I want to get it sorted.
Is it simply a case of writing to the farmer explaining the situation, and asking what he intends to do about it? Do I need to mention that I grounded the car today? I know some of the other residents who use it are also unhappy - should we send a joint letter?
I'd like to do it in a friendly manner and avoid hostilities if possible :-)
Thanks very much,
Antony Read more
In last Saturdays D T . HJ referred to the Nissan Note was fitted with a Renault 4 speed Auto gearbox and said that it may give problems after three to four years use.
How many miles would one expect to cover in this time and what sort of problems would be expected?
I have only covered 2K milesand am very pleased with the vehicle but reading this comment gives me cause for concern.
i would appreciate your comments.
Read more
I think the six speed box has given cause for concern to some users in
both Nissan and Renault vehicles ie disintergrating.
I doubt that a 1.4 litre Nissan Note would have a 6-speed box. Like I said, I don't know a lot about gearboxes, but I have experience of both Renault and Nissan's 5-speed boxes and never had a problem with either.
Please can somebody help!
I am changing brakes on my fiesta 1997 and do not know the rear hub nut torque settings! I do have a torque wrench any help would be very appreciated!
Mike. Read more
Number_Cruncher is correct..........
i took my rear hub off today using the bignut to inspect and adjust shoes..........
Hi, i've just bought a car off EBay (yes -I know!!!). It was from a dealer clearing his trade-ins. I bought it on Friday. It was a 98 Clio and seemed to drive fine. It had an MOT issued the day before so I skipped some of the basic checks I would normally have done - as in all of them! Believe it or not I trusted the dealer. Anyway, I live in Cambridge and he's in Derby. I paid for the car (cash as that was all he'd take). When I got home I went to wash the car I found I couldn't unlock the drivers rear door - either from the pull -up latch inside or the central locking button. Further investigation revealed that I couldn't open the other rear door using the outside handle (works using inside handle). The bonnet release also does nothing!
I contacted the guy on his mobile when I got home and found all this and he agreed to sort it if I brought it up today (Tuesday). Have been trying to contact him all yesterday and today and no answer. So, in preparing for the possibility I've been scammed I want to know what I should do. It seems to me that the MOT should never have been issued, so should I contact the issuing garage directly? Also, does the garage have to give me the details of the person they did the MOT for? I'm going to head back up there tomorrow regardless of wether I can contact the seller or not and go to the address I bought the car from. If no joy, I was going to go round to the garage but wanted to know where I stood.
Can anyone help?
thanks Read more
I've had things break during an MoT.
The bonnet release may have failed during the MoT - it's unlikely to have been noted though.
Make sure it's not one of the Clio self opening bonnets !
I don't think there's much here to discuss with the MoT station, or VOSA - though if you can get it fixed by the seller then that would be a good result.
How shouldn't you drive a diesel engine?
I'm failing more into the trap of buying a pretty fast diesel car and i know nothing about them in terms of servicing and reliability / parts costs etc in comparison to petrol cars. I always assumed that it wasn't ideal to redline a petrol car all the time because it would eventually reduce the life of the engine and other parts.
When we talk diesel, their engines produce max power with little effort, its not like you thrash it to death for it to respond. They can go uphill just as fast in 5th gear without troubles - so how do you / can you stress a diesel car/engine by driving it badly or is it just as solid at any engine speed.
Thanks! Read more
people who drive ,but dont own, tend to stress diesels most.
Definitely!
Hello again!
Some weeks ago you all helped me with some advice about my Mondeo which had a very poor idle. After cleaning the Idle Speed Control Valve and the MAF Sensor (which the main dealer disconnected) the idle problem seems to be resolved... however...
The car started running hot and I noticed that there was a leak in the area of the water pump. A local garage has now replaced the water pump, along with the cam belt and tensioners, auxillary belt (and completed an oil change whilst they were in there!)...
All this added up, but it was a cost I was willing to pay.
The car is 10 years old with 115000 on the clock. 2.0 Ghia Auto zetec engine...
My problem now?
The garage reported that they carried out a test on the coolant reservoir, which indicated "exhaust gases" in the coolant. I remember seeing other people mention this test elsewhere on this forum. This indicates a problem with the head gasket?
The car is now still running hot, the pressure cap on the reservoir is constantly releasing steam (when up to temp) and I don't know what to do for the best.
Can I get away with putting in some sort of "weld" solution to help prevent the head gasket from getting worse (for a period of time)?
I'd like to get another 10,000 miles out of the car (or even 5,000!), but with the syptoms showing, should I sell up for what I can get and re-invest?
If I were to get the head gasket changed, is £600 too expensive? This is what the garage have quoted me.
Any advice would be welcome.
S
Read more
For those that remember by Mondeo Zetec problems - an update (and further help?!)
My car has been in a local garage for a week. They told me up front that they would need it for a week because of their workload. I was happy to let tham do it in their own time as they have been highly recommended by a friend.
The head gasket had clearly gone and the head needed skimming. Fine, this was to be expected.
Today my Mondeo was running again, but.....
They report that the cooling fan has seized and needs replacing too! This could have been the original cause for the failure of the waterpump and subsequent HG failure.
If they cannot source a replacement (second hand) unit from a local supplier, they are suggesting a Ford new part. (this sounds expensive)
What would the implication be for me to get the car back and replace the unit myself. The car has Air Con, which I believe makes it more complex?
What price might I expect to be added to the bill for the HG work, if they replace the fan assembly (either with a second hand unit or a new one?)
Thanks in advance!
Hi all wondered if anyone knows what is normal running temp on a 3.5 V8 rover. Does 110 C sound about right...cheers...Keo. Read more
The are very prone to suffering from heavey corrosion in the radiator, viscous fan failure and head gasket weakness.
what happens if you turn the heater on full heat and full fan speed in the car, does this help keep the temp lower ? If its lowers the chance is the rads blocked and I can tell you no amount of cleaning will clear it. They bung up something chronic ! internally
H reg VW Polo 1L
While I was driving this evening, about 10 minutes after starting the engine, I noticed that the accelerator had become 'sluggish'. The engine started to run a bit rough with the power varying slightly. Stopped the car and listened to the engine at idle, which was smooth and sounded perfectly normal. When I revved the engine the RPM climbed smoothly to the expected speed, then dropped back again and then stalled. The moment I released the accelerator the engine ran smoothly again at idle.
Started driving again and the engine cut out a few times when accelerating in 1st and 2nd gears, so lots of acceleration needed. Also noticed an intermittent popping or banging noise from the exhaust when driving when the engine was just above idle. Couldn't replicate the noise when stationary (despite rocking etc. the car so am reasonably certain it's not the exhaust banging against the underside).
About 2 weeks ago it had an MoT where it failed on emissions but was corrected by (I think) adjusting the carburettor. Its run fine since then though (about 150 miles).
Anyone have any ideas?!?
Read more
i've had a simmilar problem on my 1.3 golf, the fault was with the springs in the choke housing, or it could be the plastic cam on the choke, this is that i'm assuming you have a simmikar 2E3 pie burger carb, if you wana take the carb oiff there 4 nuts in the bottom of the intake manifold, and disconnect any pipes or connections before removal, to take to top part of the carb the's philips screws on the top that takes it off and there you can clean you jet, let me know how you get on!
email me:kevin_jones87@msn.com
Hi,
The temp gauge on my 100k Mondeo now shoots up to the top end of normal after only traveling a couple of miles.
Have checked coolant levels and pipes and all are ok.
Took it for a four mile drive and when I got back had a look and the cooling fan on the rad wasn't going round which you'd expect surely?
How do I check if it's the fan, or the coolant sensors, etc?
Help and advice much appreciated. Read more
i would recommend the pump, some of the zetec engines have a coolant pump that has a plastic impellor which are prone to disconnecting from the metal shaft, therefore it doesnt work. when i used to work for ford we started to use no genuine pumps on none warranty jobs as theses had metal impellors which we never had a prob with. hope that helps mate
I was in Halfords yesterday, after a bit for my pushbike. I had a mooch around the store and saw that Halfords are now selling various aircon products, including a cleaner (containing a biocide) for smelly aircon, and also a regassing kit. The regassing kit is £40, and consists of a large aerosol containing the refridgerant and lubricant, together with a connector. The connector contains a pressure gauge so that the user can tell when he has pumped enough refridgerant in.
They also sell leak testing kits etc.
As Mrs Lawman's Picasso has pretty much non-functioning aircon I bought one of these kits, and tried to use it last night. Locating the inlet nozzle was a doddle, as was connecting the connector. The gauge immediately showed that the pressure was low. I pumped in enough refridgerant to get the pressure up into the acceptable band.
However, no noticable results! Oh well, £40 down the swannee. Of course, they may be something other than low gas that is causing the aircon not to work.
Has anyone else tried one of these kits and dows anyone have any views? Read more
I had mine regassed for £50.
It didn't help... the system had a leak in it which was going to cost
£250 to replace the part. Oh well.
This week i had mine done for £55 which also includes a dye which is placed inside the system to highlight any leakages if there was to be a fault.
--
Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
Browse
.jpg)
As stated earlier, the OP needs to check his rights carefully. I have a friend whose family also lives at the end of such a road, but they do *not* have the right to repair the road, only to drive along it to reach their farmyard.