August 2007
Hi there, I recently bought a 1997 mk4 Ford Fiesta and it came with only one key (a black one with a red bit on the top). I know this isn't the master key, and I've heard that if I wanted another key (which I do) I'd have to go to my Ford dealer to get a "Red Master" key which costs around £100.
I can't really afford to do this, so I'd like to get all the info I can before I have to shell out on the key, but I'd like to know what's so special about the red master key? What's inside it? Why can't I just buy a blank key from eBay and get my local locksmith to program it for a tenth of the price?
Secondly, on a completely unrelated topic, how feasible is it to get central locking in my car or even to go as ambitious as remote central locking with remote boot opening?
Thanks for all your help in advance,
Ali Logan. Read more
Thinking of buying a Passat 1.9 diesel (105PS), 12 months old (Sept 2006) only 5k on the clock from a non-franchised dealer. What should I look out for and are there any characteristic faults that I need to be wary of? I've heard mixed reports of VW's reliability recently. Read more
I was assuming (maybe incorrectly) that as it was '06 registered it was probably a B5.5 runout rather than a B6, especially as it is for sale in a non VW dealership. The new B6 Passat has a transverse engine - a quick look will confirm.
The B6 transverse engine cars don't have the lunatic front suspension (I'm sure VAG will never do that again). They do have interior rattles galore and electric auto handbrake which could politely be described as an acquired taste.
659.
hi
what is the best way to respray a plastic bumper??
mine has bubbled up and has a patch of paint falling off.
ive started to rub it down but it just keeps flaking and getting bigger....
with metal it was always SO much easier!!
or i may just take it to be sprayed..
incidently its an FTO ive just bought to play around with and "tinker" Read more
what ive decided to do is....jetwash it off as said above..then let a REAL car sprayer finish the job!!! thx again for the tip
I have had a new PAYE Coding notice today and my tax code has been reduced.
Aged in the 65 to 74 group my allowance should be £7550 before tax. This was the case in my notice earlier in the year but in this one just arrived the tax code has dropped considerably.
Took quite a while to figure out why but eventually found the answer in the ?Understanding your Tax Code?was that for every £2.00 your income goes over £20100 your allowance drops by £1.00.
My circumstances haven?t changed and as most of my assets are in either a PEP or ISA which I believed were protected from all tax, (apart from dividends taxed at source) I would have been under that limit.
However having searched the web I can find no reference to whether your income includes PEPs and ISAs. for the purpose of calculating Personal allowance tax codes.
My question only relates to personal Allowances for persons aged 65 and over.
Any advice would be welcome before ringing the tax office and talking myself into having to fill in a new tax return.
wemyss
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>>Presumably its put some better roots down this year
Unlikely. The rain means that it won't have had to bother growing its roots this year. Waste of effort - instead it has put its effort into the top.
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618634
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Knew it had to be wrong.
But the strange this on Amazon at the moment a TomTom 720 is cheaper than a standard 520! Although the 520T is cheaper again. Maybe this is because a 720 can be sold anywhere in Europe. The 520's are regionalised so buying more 720s might be cheaper than stocking lots of different 520s?? i..e GB/Eire, Italy, France, Germany, etc. etc.
My wife's J-reg Toyota Starlet is leaking fuel from the seam half way up the tank.
If she runs it quite low and puts in no more than £8 of fuel at a time, then the level stays below the seam and there's no leak.
If the leak area looks dry, will the MOT tester fail it?
Thanks for any advice
A new tank is approx £150 from Toyota.
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There are plenty of putty-type repair goops you can apply to the outside which should be fine on an old car like this to keep it from leaking. It's not like there's any pressure behind the leak.
hi
i need to replace the steering wheel on my 03 focus with like for like. info i have says to remove airbag by first disconnecting battery earth lead. leave for at least 1 minute, remove airbag, undo nut and remove steering wheel. fit new wheel, tighten nut and fit air bag. reconnect earth lead. is that it or am i missing anything. anything i should watch for.
thanks in advance Read more
mk 2 cortina gt wheels were terrible for this,i used to have black hands when i finished a journey,didnt use brylcream in those days so i blame the cows
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PU
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das dumme gewinde beckons - Do hope so ! Just suggest no one mentions the war though !
Just wondered if anyone had come across an aerosol spray that i could use to protect the seat fabric on my wife's car.
For some reason so much as a drop of rain on the seat leaves an unsightly dirty looking circular mark that can only be removed with a damp cloth.
I wondered if there was a spray on the market that gives a waterproof quality to fabrics. Read more
Gave it a spray this morning. Went back after ten mins or so and was mildly alarmed when it seemed to be drying somewhat patchy. After an hour (it recommends leaving overnight) it was even although the seats do look slightly whiter that they were and there is a bit of a white dust residue remaining that will need to be hoovered off (I'm getting such a nerd these days).
The description of the product indicates that it will give the fabric a waterproof and stain resistant quality which hopefully will do the trick.
I'll let you know when the seats get wet or abused!
Guys I would like to know what colour you dislike the most when it comes to cars?
For me it has to be bright red followed by white.
But I've seen a Mazda 323 in white which looks quite nice but I'm not entirely sure whether to purchase it or not. What you think of white cars? Thanks Read more
Only fit for non car loving teenage women.
The sort that call their cars by a name, I ask you!
Browse
Surely it does though, as you are making a new working key and rendering the red one useless; because if you were to program a new key using the car, wouldn't it just give the transponder the same code as the first key would have, so both methods would produce exactly the same result, so the cloning method bypasses the PATS system by rendering its key copying facility useless.
OK, I admit it doesn't completely bypass it because you still need a key with a correctly coded transponder to start the engine, but it does bypass the copy protection it has where you are meant to have the really expensive "red master" key in order to be able to make a new key.