September 2007
hello,
My friend just got himself a Focus 1.6 lx, 06 plate, with 12k on the clock, now seems half the time he gets a engine stutter, while driving along, very jerky, 2nd gear worst, and sometimes a lack of power? till about 3000 rpm, then its like the cars on boost!?
engine warning light flickers on/off but never stays on, runs fine 90% of the time,
any ideas?
s
Read more
Up early today HJ? Or posting from another country?
At first sight, the figures all look pretty good - too good? To good to be true? Bus journeys up 6%, average age of buses down, more low floor buses, more buses with CCTV and GPS, fares fell by 3% in real terms, it just goes on and on!
Public transport usage has gone up significantly by every measurement, it wouldn't be because motorists are fed up with traffic jams - would it?
Does the figure for licensed taxis include private hire vehicles (mini-cabs) presumably not. Read more
With more passengers I look forward to more capacity (as is obviously required) and lower fares per passenger. Perhaps also better punctuality as the operators take their job of carrying more passengers, more seriously.
I'm sure all of these will be forthcoming :-)
Just bought my first 2002 almera tino 1.8 s not a bad vehicle ,i was always used to a vauxhall so i haven't got used to the gears and gear stick yet, seeing the vauxhall has a relatively small stick, its when i put my hand on the tinos stick i feel a slight vibration it this normal and there seems to be a bit of play between 1 and 2 there's only 55000 on the clock and another prob is the the wee box situated below the speedo where the time ,out -side temp and the miles accumalter is situated in seems to be brighter at one side of the box and dark at the other side as if there is a bulb out at one side the rest of the dash is alright , is it hard to take the panel where the speedo is situated out to check the bulbs
any help would be great
s Read more
I ran into a woman that didn't give way at a roundabout, and HSBC wanted me to get a quote for the repairs to submit. It needs a new front bumper and the metal crash bar behind (although it looks fine to me).
They've quoted £159 for labour to remove and fit the bumper and bar, and paint it. Considering the bumper is only held on by 4 screws and 4 plastic clips, and the bar has 4 bolts, it seems a bit high. I know they only normally charge about £25/hour, so I'm not sure why it would take 6 hours.
There's also £120 for paint. Is there really £120 worth of paint on a bumper?
The total cost comes to just under £700. Ok, so I'm not going to be paying, but even so it seems high. At these prices it must be getting close to a write off, as a '99 Honda Shuttle with 160,000 miles can't be worth much. Read more
>>If I was going to invest in a business then a bodyshop dependent on insurance co. repairs
>>would be one the last places I'd put my money.
>>There's more money fitting bodykits and doing custom paint jobs.
Very true and neither would I invest in a bodyshop where most of the work was insurance accident repairs. Take a look around, you will never see anyone making a fortune in the panel beating/painting trade full stop. If they did then they would all be driving round in top of the range Mercedes and BMW's such as say a lawyer (for example) does etc.
Another point that has been briefly mentioned in this thread which I can expand on is about the courtesy cars supplied by these approved repairers. The cars themselves generally speaking are solely financed by the bodyshop in question. They receive no payment from the insurers for the use of them, it is a case of 'if you want our business then you will supply the customers with courtesy cars'. And you can't give them any old banger either. Often the insurers specify that they have to be less than three years old, they have to be insured by the bodyshop for customers use, they obviously have to be roadworthy and taxed and valeted everytime they are given out. In fact the only thing that you don't have to supply for the courtesy cars is the fuel that the customer uses whilst it is in their possesion. Like I said there is no payment for any of this, you have to subsidise it your self out of the 'profit' (which isn't a great deal anyway) from doing the accident repairs.
My car is a 1998 Golf MK IV 1.6 Petrol. I recently had a new cam belt kit fitted as my car had done 80,000 miles. The problem is that now it seems to run very harsh at cruising speeds (65-70 mph). The rev counter shows the same revs at 70 mph as before, but the car feels like it's very shrill, almost like it's in 4th gear. Is this a common problem, or is it just the belt running in (I am an idiot when it comes to the technical stuff)? It should be said that I couldn't use my regular mechanic as I was away, and had to use an untested garage.
Any ideas? Would rather not the engine blow up on the M4.
RJ
s Read more
>>Belt might be a tooth out.
Or might not be tensioned correctly - humming/whining if it's too tight, flapping and banging if it's too loose.
Number_Cruncher
What a good looking car. First time I've seen one in the flesh.
Despite Ford's intention of trying to get it "up market", the one I saw today was a true workhorse already - ladders on the roof rail/rack, filthy paintwork, and alloys covered in brake dust.
So maybe there is hope that as they start to appear, in a year or two's time, the prices will be "reasonable" for the used market after all! Read more
That's a very facile way of looking at it.
There are over 100,000 deaths each year caused by cancer. 4000 people die at home in accidents each year. DIY is more dangerous than roads.
Given the number of people driving, walking, cycling in our roads and the billions of motoring miles done each year, 3000 deaths is nothing more than statistical noise.
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< Ex RF, Ex TVM >
Helo...can anyone tell me what is making my headlights go out when the main beam is on...the sidelights and headlights work fine until the main beam is switched on and then the headlights go out..they come back on if i turn the main beam off..the car has just failed the mot because of it. 1998 fiat punto.
Many thanks for any replies Read more
It's quite usual for dipped beam to switch off when main beam is selected - it's just that you don't normally see it because both lamp filaments illuminate the same light unit.
In fact, it's not unknown for people to bodge around with the wiring to make the dip filament stay on while the main filament is on - when these two filaments are housed within the same glass envleope, overheating soon follows, and the life of the bulb is short.
If I have interpreted the OP's question correctly, I think he is being over-zealous. It may be worth prompting the tester, and ask him to look up the correct wording for the "reason for rejection"
Number_Cruncher
Primera 97 (1.6 Si) has now become Primera 00 (2.0 Sport which I am VERY pleased with)
I am after 4 new tyres 205/50/16 V rated.
I popped into a tyre dealer near work and he suggested a 205/55/16 would give a better ride.
Is this likely to cause any problems?
He suggested Kumho tyres at £60 each all in for either the 50 or 55 profile and both in stock.
Any advice on the profile and tyre choice appreciated.
I drive around 17K miles a year in a mostly relaxed style.
Thanks Read more
I used to fit Kuhmo wherever possible on my van as they always gave excellent service. Couldn't find them for the Master but would recommend above most choices.
VBR...................MD.
Hi there,
As many of you may be aware, I am not satisfied with my 1.6 TDCi 110 LX Focus, 5dr 06-reg. Having paid £9,000 I actually consider it disappointing as an all-round car (handling inferior to old model, no real equipment e.g. computer, heated front screen, alloys etc, and the interior is a let down, feeling cheaper in areas than the old Focus), and I really need about £2,000 for other personal uses, so I have decided to sell the car. It has done 20,000 miles I was thinking I could get around £8,500 for it. Would this be correct in your opinion?
The car does about 12-15,000 miles a year and I want something reliable, excellent to drive, but economical too.
The replacement cars I am considering are: Vauxhall Astra 1.6 SXi 04-reg (new shape). I like the look of the new-shape Astra and having driven one it's much quieter than any Focus, but haven't heard great things about reliability/quality - lots of people have talked of clutch judder. And this model would be out of warranty...the one I've seen is £6,999 and has done 33,000 miles.
Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi Edge/Zetec (Climate) 5dr - I figure this will be economical and faster than my current Focus, being slightly more powerful and lighter. I know the handling of this shape Focus to be top-notch, and I've seen a 2005 54-plate Zetec Climate with 40,000 miles for £6,800. I like the security of having at least a few months warranty left...
Renault Clio Dynamique a/c 3dr - Smaller than the rest, but i drove one and liked it's stability and big-car feel, and it felt very responsive around town. Quite a lot of toys for the money too. Only driven the 1.4, and have found one an 06-reg for £6,600 with 10,000 miles, but I've also seen a 1.5 86bhp model for just £400 more, although with 30,000miles showing...not driven this model yet, but would I be right to assume it'll feel slow compared to the others?
Ford Focus 1.6 Ebony 3dr - this is the engine and shape I had before and liked, but the Ebony spec has heated leather seats, ABS and traction control, multi-change CD-player, improved styling. I've found a 2003 52-reg 35,000 mile one for £5,200, but lacks warranty, obviously.
If you were in my place which would you pick? The Ebony petrol Focus has my eye, simply cause it's so well equipped, and cheap, but likewise the other cars have their pluses and minuses, I guess I'm just wondering what other people's experiences long-term on any of these might reveal...and which they think is the soundest buy. Read more
Hello, here are my thoughts -
1. I agree that the new focus is a bit disappointing. It's a good car but too heavy and so lacks the fun of the old model. I think I might end up buying one.
2. £9k for it doesn't sound bad to me though. I thought diesels were more expensive than this. I normally buy private and pay whatever Parkers says for a good example.
3. The new focus is the best of a bad bunch. It is the safest according to EURONCAP (even amongst 5* cars). The 1.6 diesel is a peugeot engine but shame about the economy.
4. I personally found the new Astra (1.6) very enjoyable to drive indeed (a bit like the old focus) but the road noise was terrible (wide tyres) and worse than the new focus for me.
5. Are these replacement focuses all the old model? It sounds like it, but I think they are overpriced as stated by other posters.
6. Renaults are known for ownership problems.
In conclusion here's what I would do -
1. Keep your existing car as it is.
OR
2. Get some eibach springs and possibly dampers fitted to it. The guys on the focus forums rave about how these improve the handling. You don't need to be a boy racer. Ford fit them as an option on new cars.
OR
3. Buy a 2003 Zetec climate for about £4500.
OR
4. Knock the price down on the Ebony 3dr. Still no heated front screen though.
I'm guessing you would be happiest with the Ebony. Or maybe even a Golf (nice interior)?
I have a 205 gti 1.9 which is massively overfuelling! I have changed the pressure regulator, air flow meter, fuel pump relay even the ecu and it still pumps a ridiculous amount of fuel into the rail, therefore flooding the barrels. The car is a 1.6 body and gearbox with a 1.9 engine, since the engine was fitted it has never ran correctly. People keep talking about a tachymetric relay! Where is this relay on the vehicle, I have spoken to my local dealer who do not have a clue!!! Could this be causing the problem? Is it true that the fuel pumps are either on or off on these? Should it be supplying a constant run of fuel across the rail? The only thing i can think of is maybe the coolant temp sensor but the worry i have is the amount of fuel it is pumping, it quarter fills a 5 litre jerry can in about 20 seconds of cranking!
Somebody please help!!!
Changing the ecu sorted an injector problem i had but i still have overfuelling!
s Read more
Almost certainly valve stem oil seals - a very common occurnace on the XU series engines.For all things 205 related get yourself over to www.205gtidrivers.com
An AZQ is a 3-cyl chain drive 12-valve - they still jump though. This must be one of the very first of the current model.
If it's done 50K+, it's getting tired; so replace the whole unit if the chain's jumped.