I have just discovered that my 02 Clio is more than 5 years old (5 years and 2 months). It hasn't done many miles (less than 20.000) but the service book recommends that the timing belt gets changed after 72.000 miles or 5 years (whichever comes first). I went around to my garage and they only have time to change it in 2 weeks time. Can somebody please inform me whether it is dangerous to continue driving in it for another two weeks?

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Hi,
My girlfriends corsa has recently developed a problem which i think is related to the oil but I'm not quite sure. Basically after a driving with a few revs the oil light will come on and the car will judder like its in the wrong gear, despite being in neutral. A quick rev of the engine gets rid of the judders and the light. I have noticed that the oil light will only come on under 800 rpm. On occasion he car will also do a similar thing when just starting in the morning. The oil light never remains illuminated for very long. I have checked the oil and its spot on where it should be.

Any help would be much appreciated- if you need more info just ask

cheers

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I was at Europort a few weeks back and saw only one UK car with beam deflectors on,
Is depressing the headlights to the lowest position an alternative? and is this the likely reason?

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This is a BMW 320d M Sport Touring (manual): report of six months? ownership from new and 7,000 miles:

Why choose the BMW? Well, there was nothing wrong with the Audi A4 Avant 2.0 FSI Sport that preceded it, apart from 50,000 miles and just over three years? ownership ? I fancied a change. So that ruled out another A4, even though the facelift model is a significant improvement over the 03/03 model I had. So that left a Mercedes C Class or a BMW 3 ? everything else was ruled out by personal preference and prejudice; German ?premium brand? it had to be. At the time of deliberation ? late last year ? the C was due for replacement, so that left the BM. And anyway, I really fancied one. Test drives were impressive.

Originally I wanted a 330d, but in the end went for the 320d on grounds of lower cost and better economy (and saving the planet?). Which spec? It had to be the M Sport on grounds of looks and kit, and, anyway, I prefer a firmer ride and sharper handling. Extras were:

Le Mans Blue metallic
Leather ? over-priced but I?ve wanted it for ages
Xenon lights ? over-priced but I like the look (!) and they do perform well
Auto-dimming mirrors ? saving the hassles arising from xenon-equipped vehicles behind?

And the local BMW dealer matched the well discounted price from Drivethedeal.

So what?s it like and how has it been?

Features:
Mrs MM and I have ?his and hers? keys ? the car recognises each key and remembers the last setting of the mirrors, the aircon and the radio. Cool.

You can set the near-side mirror to dip automatically when you engage reverse.

You can drop stuff in the boot by lifting the rear window (as an alternative to opening the rear hatch).

There?s an iPod connection, but I can?t control the iPod from the radio. I think you can on the latest models.

Accommodation:
What you?d expect from a car in this sector. The interior suits our family of three very well, and at 6 ft tall I?m comfortable in the back. On paper the boot is about the same size as the A4?s but we don?t seem to be able to get so much in it. The rear seats fold down to form a flat load floor.

Comfort:
It took me about five months to find a comfortable driving position, but that?s a product of a seat that adjusts for height and tilt (and cushion length) as well as the usual reach from pedals and backrest rake. BMW really ought to have backrest adjustment by wheel instead of a lever: the graduations in adjustment are too coarse. Overall I?d say the driving position is more flexible than the Audi?s. The seats aren?t as firm as I remember the (brilliant) seats in my old R-reg 323i to have been; is that because of the leather?

The car is serenely quiet at a cruise: next to no engine or wind noise and very little tyre roar. At lower speeds and when accelerating the engine makes its presence known, but it?s not at all an unpleasant noise.

The drive:
Steering nicely weighted, decent feel. The low-profile run-flats are sensitive to road surface irregularities; sometimes you have to work at keeping the car on course. This is a bit of a disappointment, although I found this less of an issue on roads in France and Belgium than in the UK. And the ride is maybe a bit too firm, especially on our lousy non-M/non-A roads (I never thought I?d be saying this!). I suspect the standard suspension set up works rather better. Having said all that, I note that a well known motoring weekly praised the ride and driving characteristics of an Alpina D3 it had on long-term test; that had 18 in wheels, although they were shod with Michelin Pilots ? maybe these behave better than my Bridgestone Potenzas.

I can?t say I?ve explored the handling to any great degree ? you?d need a track to do that. And anyway, the handling?s never going to be that involving given the combination of about 165 bhp with 225/45 tyres on the front and 255/40s on the back. But it?s done all I?ve asked it in a responsive and secure manner. Its RWD characteristics are distinguishable from the FWD ones of the A4, and I prefer them. Overall it?s a nicer drive than the Audi was.

The engine isn?t as punchy as I expected. In particular it hasn?t the torquiness at low revs that I remember from the Golf GT TDI 110 that preceded the Audi. The power delivery is more linear in nature, and you have to use the gearbox more. But it does the job, and I?ve never really found myself wanting more power (although, really, I ALWAYS want more?).

Quality, reliability, economy, practicality:
So far nothing has fallen off or gone wrong. No rattles or squeaks either.

The plastic of the front door pockets seems a bit down-market. Ditto the carpet. The doors don?t shut with the lovely ?thunk? that the Audi?s did. The paintwork is a little ?orange-peely? in places. But otherwise the quality is good. The actions of the steering wheel stalks have a lovely silky feel. The climate control is very efficient and the ergonomics are very good.

Economy? Well I?ve been disappointed not to crack 50 mpg. The closest I?ve got is about 49, and I?ve just averaged 46.5 cruising to (at an indicated 75-80 mph) and around the Ardennes in Belgium and Luxembourg. That was three-up and with luggage for about two-thirds of the total distance (about 1,000 miles). The trip computer was telling me 49.5 mpg. The engine has used a little oil ? but I doubt I?ll need to top it up in the 13,000 miles the computer informs me have yet to pass before the first service.

Overall the car has been easy to live with and has served the MMs well. But those 17 in wheels and low-profile tyres need looking after. I castigated Mrs MM for grazing the front near-side alloy during some careless parking, and then yesterday I clipped a low metal kerb inside a Eurotunnel shuttle carriage causing a surprisingly serious mark. I was only doing about 7 mph! I duly castigated myself. Looks like I need a new alloy (only perfection will do).

In conclusion:
Is it a good car? Yes, on experience so far anyway.

Am I thrilled with it? No. it?s an efficient, capable machine. I admire it but I don?t love it. (It does look gorgeous, though.)

Was it worth the money? There are so many ways of interpreting this question (but for most of them the answer would be ?No?). Could I have got the same (or more) satisfaction in a new car of the same size for less money? Maybe, but I kinda doubt it. I like this BMW?s style, design philosophy and ergonomics, as well as the self-assured way it does what is asked of it. There?s nothing that irritates. It?s a good car.
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A colleague bought a BMW about a month ago and has arrived at work this morning with some problems.
The car is a 330i SE 52 reg. and done 141,000.
The car has been fine until he was on the way to work this morning when it started smoking. The smoke is blue (oil we assume). We have been looking at the car in the car park and can find nothing wrong with it. When the engine is revved it throws out a cloud of blue smoke. At idle there is a faint blueness about the exhaust gases. It was not doing this yesterday. The oil and water levels seem to be alright and it is not overheating and does not have a high temperature. The oil pressure appears to be OK. He reckons the engine might be a bit noisier than usual and possibly has a little less power, but basically it drives OK.
He's wondering whether is should be driven.
Can anyone suggest a BMW specialist (not a dealer) who might be able to help with this - Leicestershire area - and say whether running the car could damage it.

Thank you.

Left in discussion rather than Tech in view of the last paragraph - PU Read more