April 2007
Hey guys looking for some advice on what car to get the misses.
We currently have a seat leon cupra which she uses for work but is doing 12000 miles or more a year in it and only gets around 25-30mpg and it eats tyres, the insurance is high, road tax is high etc etc but it is fun to drive!!
Cause of the above I am looking to get a car that is more economical in the order of 50mpg, reasonable servicing costs, lower road tax band either B or C and and was really looking to spend no more than £5k and obviously I would be looking at second hand cars at that price.
My thinking was a Honda or Toyota (Aygo or Yaris).
Anybody have any recommendations on what cars I should look at,
Cheers for any help.
Brian
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I have a 52 plate zafira 2.0dti. one of the dashboard lights keeps coming on and when it does the engine is limited to 2500/3000 rpm and is very slugish, I think there is no turbo when this happens. the light is a picture of a car with a spanner inside it not the engine fault light. Any suggestions? Read more
I rang my local vauxhall dealer and spoke to a very helpful gentleman there and he told me before doing anything check the oil and make sure it is full but do it when the engine is stone cold. So I did this and this oil was not low but then was not full so I topped it up and the light has not come on yet.
So we will wait and see what happens next...
Couple of weeks ago I received my VEL renewal for 30th April. £195.00 for my anti social, gas guzzling , caravan towing 4X4. Filed it on the side on the "to do" file - not yet urgent, and forgot about it.
Today I went to do a bit of shopping and as I returned to the vehicle i glanced at my VEL. The expiry date was 31st March.
Oh golly gosh better get home and get it done on the tinterweb. Pulled out the reminder and yes it said it didn't want doing until the end of April nor can I re tax it until 15 days prior to the end of April.
Bought the car Good Frday last year (14th April) so I will have paid for the tax from the beginning of April.
Seem DVLA have given me an extra free month!! - well 2 weeks as they had a free fortnight out of me. Oh dear me what am I to do??? ;-)
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Fullchat Read more
In 26 years I have never known anyone get reported by a police officer for merely 'failing to display' or indeed anyone be prosecuted for it by DVLA ...... although as suggested above if an officer or traffic warden was unsure, they could submit the form CLE2/8 and then DVLA can consider it.
I have run my motorcycle now for over 5 years (and one before that for 3 years) with the tax disc kept in my m/c jacket pocket. The thinking behind it is that it won't get wet & become unreadable and if parked no oik can steal it.... I have never had any difficulties and wouldn't expect any...... and this includes a time i was stopped by traffic officers and warned for a minor offence
modern systems like ANPR show whether something is taxed or not.........and the bigger picture is whether or not you've got the tax, not if it's displayed .
hi all.
could anyone please advise me on how to uprate my standard ford speakers to a set of better speakers. the ford ones are very poor and i want to change them for some with a bit of a kick in them, but im unsure of what fits and what size to get etc etc. any help would be great.
thanks
kevin. Read more
I searched on google for 'replace standard mondeo speakers'
Lots of hits including
www.avforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-211183...l
Having just opted out of a compnay car scheme I am trying to drive my car as economically as possible.
I have a 53plate Laguna 1.9DCi with 6 speed box.
I have a feeling that the most economical speed is just below where the turbo kicks in but the turbo is so smooth I am not certain where it begins.
Have so far tried (with the aid of cruise control)
55, 60, 65, 70, 75.
and the fule consumption seems to peak just below 60 (1700 rpm) then drops off quickly but rises again after 75?
Does anyone know (theory or experience) what is the most fuel effiencent way to drive my car on the motorway.
oops forgot to say 80% of my driving is up and down the motorways. Read more
I will try 65 and see how I go.
I find a good blast every now and again is a good idea to blow all the soot out.
can anyone please tell me how LPG works and method of installing it? Even some web links would be great. Read more
Hi
RE: 2008 1.8 Ford Mondeo - 74,000miles on clock. Purchased in January.
I am due to make a 400 mile trip this weekend and whilst driving at any speed the dials have suddenly starting dropping to zero, then shooting back up again. Also, the milometer keeps clearing and showing just lines, then coming back on again. Both these faults occur at any speed. Also, when the fault first occured the engine management light came and stayed on. I took it back to the garage and they said the error code that came back was undefined and don't want to know. They reset something, and now the engine light isn't on, but the fault above is still occuring. Has this happened to you and do you know why? Also, obviously worried about making trip. Any advice?
Cheers
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Could be just the connections to the instruments, if purchsed from a dealer in Jan it is down to them under warranty.
Last week I was run over by a cyclist. He cycled at high speed across a pedestrian crossing, onto the pavement, and then straight into me. I had a fraction of a second warning between seeing the cyclist and the impact to extend my arms in front for protection. No damage was done as I'm fit and healthy but had I been elderly and inform, it could have been nasty. But I was shocked.
Then a few days later at the weekend I was on a narrow path down the side of a chalk hill in the Chilterns, with hedges and woodland either side, birds tweeting in the trees, when I saw a bike heading down hill, straight for me. I had a second or two to stand aside, and was told "There's five more behind." Yup. Five more bikes, all going at full pelt, "Four more", "Three more". Not a word of thanks. Maniacs the lot of them. I doubt they could have stopped in time had I not moved. What about walkers with little dogs not on leads? Or little children? All had helmets and lycra so must have been serious about the 'sport'.
Over the past few years I've twice been scared witless by a cyclist going at full tilt on the pavement and passing me from behind so I was unaware of their presence until I felt the whoosh of the air past me. One false movement by me as they pass and splat. On one occasion I turned round at the noise, and nearly stepped in his path. (It is always a him.)
A year ago I saw a cyclist cycling along the pavement, and then straight across a zebra crossing, without looking, directly into the path of a poor van driver, who had to swerve to avoid killing the cyclist.
And Slough was full of cyclists using the green painted cycle lanes on the roads, but on the wrong side of the road. Or without lights, at night, on the roads.
I know not all cyclists are like this, but cripes they have more than their fair share of totally self centred nutters.
A colleague said there is a hierarchy. Lorries frighten cars. Cars frighten cyclists. Cyclists frighten pedestrians.
But I don't think it is any worse than 20 years ago. I used to cycle 45 minutes to work in central London, and van and car drivers were dangerous. Some were no more than vicious thugs.
(The title reminds me of a bad joke. Man goes into a bar, and sees a piece of tarmac having a pint. Barman says not to mess with him. Man says why. Barman says "He's a cyclepath." Boom boom. Sorry.) Read more
A good balanced thread here.
I am a 'roadie' cyclist (lycra larry type) and always stick to the highway code, for the simple fact that if in a incident and you aren't doing so, then you will be at fault, and I am a decent person.
I have a pet hate of cyclists of all levels who don't follow the law - even I nearly run down unlit cyclists on my bike, never mind a car.
I'll give you a typical incident from a cyclist's point of view...
Cycling along a wide road at a fair pace (plus 20mph) this morning, and a car passes very close to me, then swerves to within inches of the curb, then slows down. Kicks up all sort of debris at me. I don't respond, just think the 'w' word. Carry on, catch up with motorist in traffic and pass on outside of him and others. A mile or so later, he does the same thing, cut's in and showers me with debris... same again, I pass and am gone by now. What has he got to prove ? This isn't untypical of some 'poor' motorists.
The only reason I won't get into an argument is that I wear proper cycling shoes and carbon fibre soled shoes with cleats that don't give you a good foot hold on tarmac if a fight starts (bit like standing on ice). You can't walk in the things !
There are idiot cyclists and motorists. The cyclists are far more likely to win the Darwin awards though !
hi, i own a 02 reg transit 2.4 di - medium wheelbase.... the problem is that when i go to lock the van (whether by key or on the fob) it locks, but then immediately unlocks, so basically i can't lock my van...can anyone help as im having to leave it overnight in my drive unlocked! Read more
And watch the door locks, in the front see if they both go down.
As an overnight fix you could disconnect the battery, then lock the doors manually.
I will use this thread for any questions I have on this job
Daewoo Nexia 1.5L 8V SOHC 1997 P reg, Engine is basically a vauxhall SOHC
I have so far removed the air box, wiring loom from top of engine, alternator & belt, Air con belt, exhaust manifold heatshield, fuel feed pipe and return from the fuel rail. Top half timing belt cover, and eventually got the lower half TB cover off aswell.
I have lined up the timing marks top and bottom, top slightly out when bottom lined up, so I marked where the top was (with bottom lined up). Is this correct?
If you have access to data sheets I'd appreciate some help, or just from your experience.
The bottom timing pointer, is on the lower half front timing belt cover (i.e. the bit that you remove) so I am concerned about that because with the cover removed, I have no reference point to make sure everything is still ok, or to reset it if I move the lower sprocket.
There were 3 retaining screws for the lower TB cover, the 3rd in the middle was behind the crank pulley??? I used an offset 10mm ring spanner to get it off but my spanner did not seat very well, and I'm not sure about how good it will be in tightening on refitting.........So, Are you supposed to remove the crank pulley? before removing the lower TB cover? - note this pulley only has one single bolt - presumably goes through the crank sprocket aswell!
If you are supposed to remove the crank pulley.......How to do this? Do I put it in 2nd gear?
And then if the crankshaft moves I just line it up again before I remove it completely. How about refitting the crankshaft pulley? Is 2nd gear going to be strong enough when I put about 100 lb/ft on it? - Can you give me the precise torque settings (listed below). The crank pulley only has one central bolthead 18mm hexhead, holding it on, presumably this bolt goes all the way through the crankshaft sprocket aswell? My vauxhall book, shows an engine which has 4 outer bolts (20Nm) which hold the pulley to the crankshaft sprocket, this Daewoo engine is not as easy as that.
Once I have removed the crankpulley and the TB cover. I can see there is a waterpump sprocket, I can see one allen head retaining screw for the waterpump, But I cannot see the other two screws - presumably when I have the crankshaft pulley off, I will see the other two waterpump retaining screws? Next to the waterpump sproket there is a spindle where the belt goes round on the flat side of the belt. It is a similar diameter spindle to the size of the waterpump sprocket. This spindle appears to be retained with a 13mm hex head bolt, this bolthead was visible through a hole in the lower TB cover - which did lead me to think that it might be linked to the method of tensioning the TB (without having to remove the TB cover. But I think now, it has nothing to do with tensioning, and is just a spindle - Am I right about that?
I need the torque settings for:
Crankshaft pulley/sprocket bolt
Camshaft sprocket bolt
Cylinder head bolts
Hope you can help. Read more
Think it's all been said but do double check the tension/timing marks after turning the engine over a couple of times. It's easiest to engage 5th gear and jack the offside wheel up and turn the engine over on that.
Don't think you would regret buying an impact wrench (SIP are the best you can buy without spending alot more money imho) , go for pneumatic if you have a compressor as the elecric types are less reliable and powerful.
Regards
Browse
If you are looking at Aygo, why not go for Ford KA?? It has a 1.3 engine, I've had one myself previously and known several people with KAs, all have been very happy with them, not a single problem. A good choice for urban start-stop driving. Group II insurance, therefore cheap. Also, cheap to buy even new.