August 2007
The instrument panel lights for the alternator and door open are not working. Can the bulbs be replaced? If so how can they be identified. I removed the instrument console and remove the back but could not see how to replace the faulty bulbs (if there are bulbs!) Read more
Ford ka, 52 plate, 40k miles, fsh (oil changes every 10k but now due). Old 'Enduro' pushrod engine with injection.
Car is producing a fair bit of grey (not blue) smoke on startup when cold, worse after standing overnight, worse again on cold days. Just a bit too bad to 'let it develop' although once warm, its fine. Drives well, uses a litre of oil in 6k, doesn't use any water, doesn't pressurise coolant excessively. Valve stem oil seals look ok with rockerbox off - soft, not hardened as far as I can tell. Any thoughts?
Ta
Neil
Subject line changed to include model and year. - PU Read more
Heres a little moral question that i found being asked on anothr forum (Martins Money Tips), of course the names are hypothetical, but it is a situation which i'm sure does exist in the real world.
What do other B/R's think?
Lewis gives his colleague Fernando a lift to work most days of the year, as otherwise Fernando would have to get an hour-long bus journey instead of the 20 minute car ride. Lewis rarely uses his car outside work, and come MOT time, there are a number of maintenance costs; new tyres, new brake pads and an oil change, totalling £300. As Fernando is in the car during most of its use, Lewis thinks he should shoulder half of the cost, but Fernando thinks as it's Lewis?s car, it?s his cost.
Billy
{Car related, so kicks out of the IHAQ thread - DD} Read more
Exactly! being offered payment (and declining), has the "feel good" factor, because it's your choice, - but being taken for granted (i.e no choice) fuels resentment.
Iwould rather be offered 10p (and turn it down )than nothing at all,and be expected to pick the person up again the next day.
Whats worse (and this has happened to me and the others in the car) is when you go around at 5.30am to pick them up, and they've slept in, it makes you all late, but even then they've come out on top because they've still got into work, whereby they wouldn't have made it if you hadn't bothered to call for them!.
If you see what i mean?
I discovered last night that, by finally reading the manuals for my car, that if you hold the key in the drivers door lock in the unlock position, all the windows wind down. If you hold the key in the lock position, they all close again.
Why? what's the point? Has anyone actually used this feature, apart from 'Oh, look what happens when...'?
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Aim low, expect nothing & dont be disappointed Read more
See, all this technology thinks it's clever, but it's not.
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Aim low, expect nothing & dont be disappointed
Afternoon all,
Got my aging Citroen Saxo on the road this morning on the way to work, 5 mins from house, a loud rhythmic banging started. Didn't have a clue what it was of where it was coming from so got out and looked under the car and couldn't see anything out of place... got back in and carried on driving but was still happening so turned around and limped home in it...
As I said, the banging is rhythmic - the faster I go, the more (quickly) it bangs but still at regular intervals...
Anyone got any ideas what the problem could be?
Thanks Read more
Thanks for everyone's help... problem now solved!!!
The handbrake cable had come unclipped and was catching on the tyre.... when I drove it, it must have been twanging the handbrake cable like a guitar string and it was no doubt springing back up and hitting the underside of the car!
Thanks again!
Sorry, but I cannot reliably get Vol 1 to download in its entirety. Far too long. Hence I suggest a new volume.
On the tax point with the leather seats, yes, RF will suffer extra tax.
His only obvious recourse is to his employer/the lease company. But beware, the compensation will be taxable, as it is a sum of money received in connection with employment, so will have to be grossed up for tax, and tax paid on it.
Confirmed BTW with the PAYE specialist who sits next to me.
***** Volume one of this thread can be found by CLICKING HERE *****
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It will be sold as an ex-demo. The purchaser won't see the V5 until after
they have bought it and so won't know its famous history.
AFAIK "ex-demo" cars are typically sold on the understanding that they have only been used by the dealer/manu previously - i.e. the dealer or manu. will be the only owner on the V5. So when the purchaser gets the V5 and queries the 2 (or more) owners on it, one of which is a lease company, how is the dealer going to explain it?
The radiator on the new car looks like is in bad condition with kinks and dents in it, as there is no coolant loss as far as I can tell could this be what is causing the slight over heating problem? (see previous sensor post for background, I don't want to repeat stuff here) this is a general question btw, the car is being looked on Friday by mechanic.
It just seems a bit strange that the radiator is in bad condition and it only starts overheating in traffic, you can feel the air flow round the pipes and the radiator is hot but if some bars are damaged could it just not be working efficiently?
Slight tweak to subject line, tempted to add it to the numerous other threads concerning Rattle's Fiesta, ;lucky HJ's not charging by the Post ! - PU Read more
When you get the stat it will be marked with it's start of opening temp. 82, 88, 92 and 97 are the common ones.
Purchased a car at auction ( some £250 buyers premium !)
just done a HPI check via RAC and showing car was scrapped last year .( DVLA scrapped marker on condition alert register recorded against Vin & VRM)
Auction says their check (experian) was OK
DVLA would not give more info but said not usual to issue me a new V5 ( which they have) if car was scrapped
RAC/ HPI just have a answerphone !
any thoughts
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Over the years I've found HPI to be in error from time to time. Sometimes they can be very slow to update records. For accident damage I would tend to make use of visual inspection. There are a great number of cars that have had heavy damage and are not on HPI.
Driving to Gatwick yesterday along the A303 I was behind a Romanian registered car in a queue of traffic which was playing an interesting game. It couldn't go flat out, but every time he got to a speed camera he hung back to create a gap, and then floored it to set the camera off. Quite apart from the fact that this bloke was nailing it through accident blackspots, is there any likelihood that his misdiscretions will catch up with him down the line? Read more
Yes the nearest camera to me is on a long straight 30mph road that the
kids cross to get to school. Before the camera was installed people used to drive
at 50mph and there were several accidents including some involving children.
Exactly the same story with my second-nearest camera. Regular fatal accidents before camera installed, no fatalities in the four or five years since. That's a real, proven safety measure, and if those few who choose to ignore it pay plenty of money into govt coffers, so much the better.
In the FIAT - Peugeot based vans, the radio will work without the ignition key being present, but only for 20 minutes and then it switches off.
I dimly remember being told that this was a programming option and that it could be altered so that the radio never switches off. Can anyone tell me if this is the case and if it is, how do I reprogram the radio?
PS the radio is in a motorcaravan and there is little chance of its being left on permanently. Read more
In the FIAT - Peugeot based vans the radio will work without the ignition key
being present but only for 20 minutes and then it switches off.
I suspect you'd need to tell us make and model of the radio to stand a chance of a useful reply, assuming it is the radio which is doing the switching.
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Bellboy, cheers mate. Will have another look at this based on what you said.
Ta
Neil