June 2007
occasionally fails to start despite thorough servicing. Only occurs after engine is switched off shortly after initial firing and attept to restart. any idea why? Read more
I have read a few posts about incorrect or misleading diagnosis of car faults and this must be costing many needless millions to motorists. I recall being told I needed a new differential for a Volvo 340 as it was leaking a small amount of fluid and was quoted megabucks. Fortunately I knew a mechanic who rang his mates at Volvo and apparently this was a common thing and all you had to do was top up the fluid once in a while. This saved me the bill and the car was fine. Anyone else had a near escape from a pointless repair? Read more
SWMBO's MX5 had an overheating issue a while back. Dealer couldn't trace it, finally suggested the head gasket, despite none of the other telltales. I went onto the MX5 OC forum, and was very quickly told it was the rad, a known fault. Changed this and thermostat (for good measure), and been fine ever since. Not so much the garage trying to rip us off, more that didn't have the specialist knowledge about the model. Then again, he could have done what I did and kept the business..
Cheers,
Alex.
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Dr Alex Mears
MG BGT 1971
Volvo 940S estate 1992
If you are in a hole stop digging...unless
I have trouble with the key fob
firstly it lock and unlocks ok however when you open the drivers door all the others lock again and will not unlock until the driver door is shut.
also if you open the drivers door to about 6/8inches and sway it back and forth you can see the doors locking and unlocking and here the solenoids operating.
what is going on? I've been told that the code or key needs resetting what does this mean and is there anything I can do myself to fix it
thanks guys !!!!! Read more
On a multiplexed Xsara the BSI won't let the electric window operate if it *thinks* the door is still open, so an electric window not working could still be a symptom of a fault with the locking, even if the earth to the door is fine.
hi guys is it possible to adjust the clutch on a 205 or is it going any advice welcome cheers andy
{Subject header made less vague - DD} Read more
hi richard it some times seems to slip when overtaking you accelarate and it doesnt seem to get any faster just revs higher but doesnt happen all the time
{Unnecessary quoting removed. Please either just summarize the quote to keep it concise, or put "in repy to xxx" (and preferably before you start writing rather than after) - Thankyou ~DD}
I recently passed six "average speed" cameras on the same stretch of road and sometimes I could see them flash and sometimes I couldn't. What would you normally expect? Do the cameras just work in pairs or would the six have averaged the speed over each of the five stretches of road that they covered.
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L\'escargot. Read more
Shame.
I drive to work each day along a dual carriageway, on the opposite side of the road is a speed camera, now I recently noticed that it has started going off for no reason, I thought that it might be set off by high-sided lorries coming towards it on my side of the road, but this isn't always the case.
You can see that the flashing has started to distract drivers who are going well within the limit as they think that they have set it off (it flashes as the cars have just passed the last road marker line).
Do cameras do a self-test and flash at nothing? Read more
Some flash all the time, others at oncoming traffic when they shouldn't. But you get a ticket and ask them to prove it was working correctly! In this police state, you're guilty until proved innocent, and anything that's run by the state is always correct.
Hi All,
I'm experiencing a few problems with my MX3, which are in some way related to the fuel injection system I believe. Basically, its getting somewhat lumpy in certain rev ranges, and I'm getting real problems with kangarooing when the car shouldn't (read downshifting to 3rd, 2nd). Also certain rev ranges in 2nd and 1st seem to be suceptable to this! I've also had a few instances of it stalling on idle, and twice (I think) the engine revving itself up and down a bit on idle after a drive.
Bear in mind the car does need a service (I'm getting quotes and trying to sort this in the best/most economical way), so things like the fuel filter, air filter could do with replacing. Other pertinent info is that the car was sat for about 6 months before I bought it. However I don't remember having any particular problems with it (although I noticed a slight bit of kangarooing perhaps) when I got it, but it seems to be getting steadily worse.
So, possible problems I've identified (please add to list):
Dirty Fuel Filter
Fuel Supply/Pump problem
Dirty/Blocked/Sticking Injector
Faulty O2 Sensor
Any other things I've missed? I like to be fully informed before I go to a garage (Don't think I'll be able to sort the service myself, nor the problem unfortunately...).
Thanks very much for your help, much appreciated! Read more
Just for completeness/archival - the car's been in for a service, and the garage think its a split in the air intake which has caused the problem as the engine was unable to adjust the mix properly. They've taped it and it'll need replacing at some point (easy job for me I think! Provided I can get hold of one).
They also noted a few other bits too so thats good to know (even though they're gonna cost me money! Better to be aware and take appropriate actions now!).
Thanks again,
2000/W
Bmw 523i tourer
Was fine now intermittent abs comes on and stays on ,brakes all ok
Light then stays out for days any ideas?
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Or buy one yourself off E-Bay for less than £100!
Sorry to repeat an old topic but I could do with some help.
I've owned my July 2002 Passat TDI Sport from new. It's done 42,000 miles and ran perfectly until a recent service, i.e. it pulled strongly up to 2,000 revs, then a fantastic surge of power and torque kicked in giving excellent performance, even in high gears, when it still pulled like a steam train from low revs.
It was a standard service except for the replacement of brake pads. On collecting the car it was immediately apparent there was no surge of power at 2,000 revs and it drove like an old donkey. There now seems to be a kick in and a significant increase of power from 3,100+ revs onwards, though I'm not sure if this is due to the turbo or just the increase in revs. Only by revving the car hard and excessive use of the gearbox to keep it above 3,500 revs can I get the sort of performance I experienced before. It is particularly reluctant to pull a high gear in low revs and needs to be above 3,500 revs to get any decent movement in a high gear.
I?ve now been back to garage twice and had 2 different mechanics look at it. The first one checked the MAF sensor and insisted it was correctly fitted and suggested there was nothing wrong with the car and I should just thrash it a bit more! The second one was more professional, he checked the MAF sensor and ran all the Bosch computer analysis and could not find anything wrong. However he agreed with me that it was way down on power, especially at low revs and couldn?t hear the turbo whining at around 3,000 revs as he would expect. The garage are now at a loss to offer an explanation. I have been invited to bring the car back a 3rd time to have the oil and oil filter that was fitted during the service changed. They claim to be VW specialist and insist they only ever fit the correct PD oil recommended by VW, but wanted to eliminate the possibility of being delivered oil with the wrong viscosity, which apparently might affect the running of the turbo???
Two final thoughts ? when the first mechanic [who also did the original service] checked the MAF sensor I noticed one of the cables had a small part of the outer cover stripped, I think possibly exposing a small part of the inner cable about 2cm long. When he realised I had seen this he told me it was where the cable had been rubbing and was there before. Could this affect the performance of the sensors/electronics??? Finally are any of the turbo lines near the air filter as this is changed during the service and could one have been damaged in the process???
A local VW main dealer has offered to conduct an investigation ? at £110 an hour + VAT! All I want is my car running as it was before. Any ideas would be gratefully received as the garage have run out of ideas and I see me either having to put up or pay VW big money with no guarantee of success ? or a refund from the servicing garage.
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Re the actuator 659 mentioned: here is a link with pictures and a method of freeing off, IF this is the problem. www.technologie-entwicklung.de/Gasturbines/VNT15-T...l
I read this article in the DT concerning protected NCB's. As someone who does protect their NCB am I being ripped off ?
Has anyone had the misfortune of proving whether the theory below is indeed correct ?
I would be grateful for your views.
Protecting a no-claims bonus doesn't make money
Paying to "protect" your no-claims bonus is a complete waste of money.
This protection can push insurance costs up by 10 per cent a year. But many drivers pay this assuming it means the cost of their car insurance will be largely unaffected if they make a claim.
Big mistake. What insurers fail to point out is that your car insurance premiums will soar following a claim, regardless of whether you have "protected" your no-claims bonus or not.
All you have bought is a guarantee that the same discount will be taken off the annual premium. Rather than pay to protect your no-claims bonus, save this money to pay for small claims yourself to avoid claiming on your insurance where possible.
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If you did not have protected NCD and had to make 2 claims in 1 year your premium would soar. The claims might not even be your fault. E.G Theft or vandalism or even hit by third pary in a car park who did not leave their details.
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I work for an Insurance company that allows 3 claims in 5 years before you lose you NCB adn if you pay the extra 12.5% for protection we will not load your policy.
however there are Insurers out there that will offer you protected bonus for life. these are the ones that start loading your policy if you have claims. How else will they make their money back???
Anyway, as a worker in the motor insurance industry, I would never have a policy without protected NCB now.
Browse
Very common. I think you'll find there is an improved coolant temp sensor and short piece of wiring loom available from your dealer.