September 2007
OK am being smug here but am very pleased to see that the garage doing my Mondeo service/MOT have advised that my tyres (Dunlop SP2000E) are registering a tread depth of 6mm. They've now done 26,000 miles since they were put on and look good for another few miles yet.
I should say that I'm not a crawler when driving but neither do I accelerate or brake hard.
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hi guys i am confused with my car, there seems to be a slight tinny rattle sound comeing from under the car (i suspect the excaust?) i think it might be this silver thing under the car looks like a heat shield thing, has anyone got any ideas or experienced a similar problem?
my car is a 1999 focus 1.8 zetec 4dr manual
s Read more
I guess a local friendly tyre and exhaust place might be able to rivet/clamp/tie the shield back on for you at a nominal cost? The shield itself tends to break apart around the original mounting points but you can easily punch through the shield to make a new hole.
I parked on a kerb and lay under the car to do mine - took 5 minutes and a piece of carpet to lie on!
5th gear has an interesting crash test tonight, surprised if it's type hasn't been done before? A Volvo 940 and a Renault Modus in an offset frontal crash at 40mph.
My money's on the Volvo physically holding up well but something nasty in the cabin harming the driver. Not sure that offset tests were really in when the 940 was designed so perhaps the test criteria is different?
Will 5th Gear go into some background and informed detail about this, or will it be a few slow-mo clips and a soundbite?
Which do you think will come off best? Read more
"T-Shirted, Shorts-wearing, no helmet biker saved by the airbag"
Pity.
i have a 97 vw passat.i keep getting oil warning lamp going off after the engine is warm but when checked there is enough oil
on the gauge.i have changed the oil switch and even sent to vw main dealer but nothing was found.after an oil change,i dont get this but
after 1 month it will start again.can anyone help. Read more
Enough oil on the 'gauge' - what gauge or do you mean the dipstick?
Under "Motability" scheme have, for last three years been driving Mondeo 2.0 ltr. Auto Petrol,with which I have been very satisfied.
Have been informed new Mondeos do not include petrol autos!! Have therefore ordered 2.0 ltr. diesel auto.
Is what I've been told true?
Comments please on what I can expect in the way of driving experience
Approx 8000 mls.p.a. 90% town driving
Never had a diesel before.
s
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Nowt wrong at all with the grunt and go of the PD130 motors ... but even their best friends would say they are a shade uncouth :-)
I will really miss the instant shove when mine goes ...
I have a red '97 Astra estate, which when we bought it were aware that it had some accident repairs in a "previous life". As it has aged, the drivers, door, wing and bonnet have oxidised far more than the rest of the car, which looks very good for its age. I have used T-cut in the past prior to polishing, which does help improve the finish for a short time, but removes an alarming amount of colour each time.
Is there a "foolproof" way for an amateur to improve the shine and colour and preserve this finish long term? I don't really want to resort to having these panels re-sprayed, but they really let the car down at the moment.
Any advice much appreciated, thanks! Read more
A good bodyshop proprietor once told me never to use T-cut on red paint as it contains ammonia which causes the pigment to oxidise and turn white.
Typical! We're about to go abroad with SWMBO's 306 HD1 X reg. A knocking noise has developed coming fom the "belts" side of the engine, quite loud when started from cold. The local Peugeot garage listened to it (warmed up, of course) and said they couldn't hear anything wrong. They've kept the car and will have another listen when it's cold.
My thoughts are that the problem could be the damped crankshaft pulley that drives the auxiliary belt. I gather that on this vintage they are the spring-damped, not the rubber-damped type. The car has done 50 000 miles or so and as far as we know, has not had the cambelt changed.
My fear is that the garage will be uncertain and we'll be faced with the choice of either taking the car and worrying about it, or taking the "other" car, with all the hassle of changing the ferry booking/breakdown cover etc etc.
Any diagnosis, guys, please? Should we take this car on a jaunt across Europe? Read more
Forgot to thank everyone who contributed and thereby helped us to deal with the garage.
Could anyone advise where i can find the govt fuel consumption figures for older cars, ie approx 1994 through to 2001. The Urban, 56mph and 75mph type figures. In the market for an older 4*4 and want to make some comparisons.
I am a new member of the back room and look forward to your input
Thanks in advance
Mark W Read more
Thanks all those that replied, the 1st 2 replies came through whilst still logged on having just posted question!. The AA road test archive works well and is free, does not detail the govt fuel figures but it's own findings. which is still useful. The link that someone gave to me sadly details only current cars on sale at the moment but thanks anyhow. Will be shortly posting further questions re specific vehicles and there fuel consumption. thanks again to you all
Mark
I got into the habit with my last car of parking in gear but I am now worried doing this in the xantia doesnt allow the hydraulic suspension to lower while parked. Is this likely to cause damage to the hydraulic system?
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I got a knock on the door one day from a passer by who wondered why my Xantia had just rolled out of the driveway into the middle of the road, with no driver. The handbrake was fully on, since then I've always left it in gear.
Does anyone have any experience of how used up-market cars are selling in the UK at the moment, now financial markets are starting to melt down?
For a while I've been looking for something unusual from the UK to replace the classic cars sold when we went ex-pat.
I've noticed that normally a trawl of Autotrader comes up with one or two Honda NSXs - this weekend there were more than a dozen.
Am I alone in thinking there might be a killing to be made before long? Read more
Can´t think who you´re referring to there, Scarg...