May 2007
can anyone please shed light on the cambelt change interval on the mazda 626 W reg im banking on 60k/5years but if anyone knows different please say so. thanks Read more
Whilst undertaking the usual pre-season service and check on the P4 on Friday I was taken aback to find the tread separating from the casing on the front tyres. As I bought these S/H a couple of years ago from a 'friend' who was emigrating all I can do is to bite the bullet and buy some new ones.
My rear tyres are Avon Super and these still good after many years service, and these are available for £94, however the same supplier has Camac tyres for half this price. As this is a brand I have not heard of before, wondered if anyone has ever had these fitted and what sort of quality they are. Obviously I don't want to skimp on safety, however I don't push mileage or performance envelopes in this car, and a £100 saving would be useful -;)
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One mans junk is another mans treasure Read more
Just to close this off, and if anyone has the same query, I eventually purchased the Avons, purely on the basis that these are tubeless whereas crossply Camacs would require a tube.
This reduces the price differential by £10, and more significantly would increase the chances of having to actually use the spare wheel! As a bonus the two new Avons will match the existing tyres in pattern and size.
Thanks again to all who responded.
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One mans junk is another mans treasure
hello all,
I'm in need of a diagram showing which hoses go where for the boost valve for a tdi, when I purchased the car this valve was disconnected at the plug, I plan to reconnect it...I have removed the device to check that it was actually working, it seems to be clicking okay and the ports open/close...however and I will openly admit I forgot to mark which pipes go where...
please can some help.... Read more
I've agreed to buy a secondhand car from a private seller and have given him a cheque for £500 deposit. I'll run an HPI check on the car, but he told me he has £21k outstanding finance on it. This is the first time I've bought when there is o/s finance, and would welcome advice on how to proceed.
I'm not at all keen simply to pay him the balance - what guarantee do I have that he will use it to pay off the finance instead of vanishing with my money? Presumably, the car remains the property of the finance company until the loan is settled.
Could I pay the finance company directly? This way, I know there would be no outstanding finance, but I would be loathe to do this without getting the keys to the car at the same time - how do I know the seller isn't going to vanish with the car?
I'm sure there is a smooth and safe process for situations like this, but I can't visualise it.
Read more
1. Stop the cheque
2. Ring the seller, apologise.
3. Open drink of choice, sit down, thank lucky stars.
4. Go round the all the localish dealers who sell the model of choice, and negotiate on their demo/pre-reg/"management" cars.
5. Come back on here and promise not to pull your stunt again.
hi all,
helping a mate buy a family car tomoz he's seen a W reg 626 2.0 in a local garage for 2495. i managed to get the price down to 1800 for reddies. we've also seen an R reg honda civic 1.4i, thats got 30k less than the mazda but from 2295 i've only got him down to 2150. it is a tidy motor.
can any one tell me the cambelt change interval on the mazda please. im reckoning on 60k/5years.
which motor would you go for? im with the honda. Read more
I'd be inclined to go for the Mazda 626 which were very sound cars. Would want a full service history though.
As a treat as a second car, as readers may know, I bought a Nissan 200SX turbo, S14 touring 3 weeks ago.
this is why I loved it:
great looks, stealthy, and in dark perlescant blue, a real head turner (yes I know this is subjective)
gorgeous leather interior
well kitted out, CD Changer, AIRCON, electric sunroof (after market fit),
Good value, I found an immaculate example with 80K miles on it, R Reg, for under £4K..
lovely responsive automatic
Smooth power delivery
Fast cruiser as opposed to hard core sports appeal
Exclusive, you simply do not see many around - I like that. Friends were stopping and asking me what it was.
In original (un modded form) avoids boy racer image
But, i wrote it off after 2 weeks, first road accident in 18 years of driving. Spun off the rood exiting a roundabout at moderate speed after hitting some slimy wet mud in the rain.
HJ says they have a tendancy to swap ends in the wet, and the users group forum is full of people who say things like 200SX, plus rain, plus hard rubber = hedge!. Something to do with RWD (yes I know what that is) and Limited Slip Differential (I don't really know what this is).
So, suggestions please for something fun, that will make me feel like I want to drive it (have a boring 7 seater for family outings), that will put a smile on my face.
Thoughts so far.
Honda Accord Coupe (last version) - similar luxury, leather, probably milder performance, (though whats the V6 like), hopefully less of a handful to handle. But many have cream leather which I don't like
Alfa 147. Yeah I know different as chalk and cheese, but near coupe looks (even 5 door) and a 1.6 Lusso quite appeals, the interior is gorgeous, the exterior is stylish, but at at the end of the day it is still a hatchback not a coupe.
Volkswager Bora - completely off topic, but you can get a 2.3 V5 of 2.84Motion for far less than Golf equivalent, and i had one (a Tdi) a few years back as a company car and it was really rather good.
Honda Prelude - should be fun, and has good safetly features to accompany it s performance, but the interior is SO low grade - looks worse than a Honda Civic from same period.
MG ZS - could be tempted, but what are the risks in buying an MG / Rover, and were late ones subject to any dodgy cost cutting at manufacturer, I know that late Rover 75s were awful (I had one as a hire car and it felt stripped of all the quality that made the earlier ones appealing. Also not sure about by racer image on that car.
Ford Cougar - looks nice on outside, but nothing special inside (early Mondeo style dash), and Autobox not a great feature on it.
Obviously 4 - 5 k doesn't give me too much to play with, but still... suggestions welcome.
Golf - not interested... sorry, but I would like something a little more exclusive
another 200SX... hmmmmm .,.. not unless my wife and I both go on a track day and learn about avoiding drifting, how to handle it when the rear looses grip - life is too short.
\thanks in advance
Guy Read more
Whatever you buy spend some of the budget on a book called "Roadcraft"
Will tell you what to look out for e.g. loose road surface or mud on road.
I have just purchased a NAVMAN F20. Does anybody know what type of 'card' fits this unit and can you download things from the internet for it (new maps, etc)?
Read more
They use Tele Atlas maps, mine's dated from september last year.
I think if you want updated maps you have to buy a new SD card, don't know for sure.
A friend of mine is relocating permanently to SW France and fancies treating himself to a brand new car (LHD), probably a Peugot estate. Does anyone know the best deals available? For instance, do the French have internet brokers like we have? Can you negotiate a discount with main dealers? Would a nearly new car be a better buy? etc
I'm pretty sure that someone out there has just the advice I told him I'd get!!! Read more
A few remarks aboput buying cars in France:
Delaers for the 'national' makes can be insufferably snotty and just about refuse to accept that anything foreign can come anywhere near their (in my view, shoddy) offers. As a result negociating the price down more than a symbolic sum is pretty rare. But that's no reason not to try. Dealers for imported, particularly Japanese, makes are much more reasonable.
Beware of the brokers offering 'new' cars at 25 or 30% off. They regularly get a very bad press. Questions to ask: Will the car come straight from the factory or port to me (or will it have spent a year sitting unsold in a field near Athens before the Greek importer cut his losses)? Can I have ALL the options and colours given by the manufacturer/importer (beware if the answer is NO)? Where wiil the car be delivered (think of your costs if the answer is Copenhagen)? What deposit do you want (no more than 5% of the car's value)? Can you guarantee a delivery date to within a week or two and what will you do to compensate me of delivery date is delayed?
Some of the brokers may be honest,competent and completely above board but the problem is being certain of that before you part with any cash.
Hello,
I have a glow plug question.
Car: A4 tdi 90BHP 1996 Non-PD 1Z engine.
The glow plugs only seem to stay on for a second, may be two at the most, which makes (made) starting a real pain first thing.
I have checked all the glow plugs and they are working fine, I know the plugs are only staying for a couple of seconds because I have put my multmeter across them.
Now, IF I disconnect the coolant temp sensor from by the thermostat the plugs stay on for approx 20 seconds regardless...this makes me suspect the sensor is faulty, however how do I check for sure?
I have a VAG-com unit but are only running the free software. I have taken a look and checked all the coolant parameters and they appear to be reading correctly....does anyone know if the thermostat sensor is 'just for the glow plugs' Will it have any adverse effect if the sensor is disconnected whilst driving?
I plan to get another sensor shortly but I wanted to check I had covered all my bases before getting one.
Also, injection pump timing, a while ago I was told these are 'adjustable' and has an effect on the car starting (screwloose was it you?).....I will be doing the cam belt week....
Thanks
H Read more
Aretas
That would fit; it's a double [4-pin] sensor on most VAG cars - one thermistor for the gauge and a separate one for the ECU [and the CAN network on the later ones.]
...including mine. Lots of the usual stuff - people waddling down the outside lane at 45 and staying in the way because they think they're at the limit, all that.
But for those who know the Box Hill roundabout on the A24, which is slow going south but negotiable at any speed going north now the A24 northbound has right of way there... I was hurrying down the outside lane towards it out of Dorking, somewhat over the NSL, when I noticed a red Mk1 Golf GTI had come up even faster and was behind. There was as always on Sunday a lot of scattered traffic of variable ability and speed.
Just before the roundabout the 2-lane carriageway sprouts a third, right turn lane. People aren't too clever about nipping into it. There was a slow Micra or something ahead, signalling right, and some more traffic ahead of it in the NS lane. It started, rather slowly, to edge into the right-turn slip lane. I realised the roundabout had been ruined for me - don't entirely trust it anyway especially on Sundays - so I started to back off and ease into the NS lane. Then the Micra got out of the way and I started to ease back into the outside lane (I know! I know! Don't say it!) and come back on the loud pedal, speed 60ish by this time. Big horn noise, OS door mirror suddenly full of red Golf, so I gave it best with a curse. As the Golf went by, just about as we reached the roundabout, a cyclist wobbled slowly from the hidden NS of the road across both lanes heading for Box Hill. A very silly and lucky cyclist.
I was furious with the Golf whose driver was of course wearing a baseball cap. But if I hadn't got in its way there was every chance it would have collected the cyclist at high speed. And if the Micra hadn't got in my way, I might have... Shudder..... Read more
And the (really rather good) 10cc album was of course named after the Mickleham bends
a little further north. >>
That's right, they are deceptive because of the way they tighten.
I used to be a Sunday regular at Box Hill, yes there were bike accidents occasionally though probably below the national average due to the sheer number of bikes.
As an aside he also said Honda were in a right state at the moment
because of the instability of their big patrol bikes when loaded up at high speed.
Not a nice experience I can imagine! The bikes (not 750s maybe 950s/1100s?) have had
to be withdrawn from use while they try and work out how to fix them.
Strangely it doesn't affect all the bikes.
It is the Pan European ST1300's.
hey mate can you get access to autodata? it will tell you in the service instructions it does sound about right but never delay a cambelt change if you do loads of miles / kilometres i suggest change it anyway
{SMS mobile phone words amended - DD}