September 2007
Hey guys, bought an old volvo for 350 quid fsh and only 53000 miles.
Car runs perfect but horn would not work, i replaced the unit and it worked for a while, but then stopped.
I have checked the fuses and there is current at the horn terminals as i have tested it with a multimeter.
I am stumped any suggestions? Read more
have checked the fuses and there is current at the horn terminals as i have tested it with a multimeter.
Depending upon how the measurement was made, it's easy to be misled. Bell Boy has hinted obliquely at this in his post.
Did you actually measure current? or was it voltage?
I suspect you actually measured voltage, with the ignition on, without disconnecting the wires at the horn, and without pushing the horn button, with one lead of the multimeter earthed, you would expect to see 12v at *both* horn terminals. It's only when you push the horn switch, and earth one of them that the voltage at one of the horn terminals should drop to 0.2 - 0.3 volts or so, and the horn sounds.
Test the horn by wiring it straight to a battery - assuming that the horn is OK;
If there's a good supply at the horn - try using the supply to light a 21W bulb as a test lamp with a temporary lead direct to a good earth - the bulb should be lit while the ignition is on, and should be lit regardless of what you do with the horn push.
Assuming all OK so far, then, you need to concentrate on the switched, earth side. To do this, you need to access the switched earth wire at the horn push or switch. I'm not sure how to do that in detail on your car, but, as Bell Boy has suggested, this is a likely source of the problem. There's got to be some mechanism to get the connection into the steering wheel, either a slip ring, or a clock spring.
Number_Cruncher
Hello,
My new Galaxy 2.0tcdi Ghia is nearing it's 1st birthday, and so will need it's 12 month service shortly. I'm not over pleased with quality of service I received from the main dealer where I got the car, so was thinking of an alternative - approved Ford service provider here in the black country.
Is there any benefit to be gained from having the service done at a main dealer, or is it throwing money away ?
Does anyone know of an approved service center near the Dudley area ?
Cheers
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Go to a Ford dealer.
Also, get the 'body and paint' inspection done otherwise you may be in trouble should rust rear its ugly head.
You may get the service done £50 - £75 cheaper at an indy, but I think that the potential grief is just not worth it.
VW has made losses in North America for 5 years on the trot
Article on moves to remedy the situation
Volkswagen AG, Europe's largest carmaker, will move its U.S. headquarters to Virginia from Michigan and eliminate 400 jobs after four consecutive years of losses in the country.
The company plans to cut 400 positions, move 400 people to a new headquarters outside Washington in Herndon, Virginia, and keep 600 people in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Andreas Meurer, a Volkswagen spokesman, said in a telephone interview today. The carmaker will invest $100 million in the Virginia office.
Volkswagen has replaced the top three North American executives in the last three years, most recently naming Stefan Jacoby to take over U.S. operations starting this month as the company struggles to end North American losses.
The Wolfsburg, Germany-based carmaker last made a profit in the U.S. in 2002 and lost 607 million euros ($828 million) last year.
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The Yen is a different matter. Particularly in the light of recent fears over excess
credit; the security of the main Japanese banks has never been fully established and that
must have an effect on the currency's desirability.
The Japanese economy and its banks are sound enough. They've just been investing too much abroad and when the average Japanese gets a bit of extra money in his hand, he saves it! We go out and spend it.
All,
When the tread is flush with the tread wear indicators, how much depth of tread is left?
IE are the TWI's 1mm, 1.6mm or 2mm? Are they even uniform amongst tyre manufacturers?
My Conti's are getting close to the TWI's but the treads still feel quite deep (3-3.5mm at a guess)
Thanks Read more
The leasing companies work on the basis that there's no point in changing the tyres before they have to because you might write the car off the nxt day. It sounds harsh, but with thousands of cars on their hands, then that must happen.
What used to work was to get them done on a Sunday, when the lease company maint controllers were not available to authorise the replacements. However the bigger ones now work on Sunday and the other cracked down by only allowing tyre replacement in an emergency.
As big an issue as the wear, is the leasing companies insistance on only using certain brands. Ours always used Firestone, because of longer life, but they're very different to the tyres the car comes with. I got Peugeot to tell our fleet manager that in the event of a serious accident they might point to the tyres and say they weren't approved. Peugeot were at pains to point out that there was no problem with Firestone, just that they hadn't tested the car on those tyres. However that was enough for our fleet manager to wet himself and insist that the tyres were replaced like for like in future.
On daughter's Ibiza, it came with Dunlop SP Sports - even though only 2 were replaced (and put on front, contrary to all advice) VAG insisted on Continental EcoContacts. That's a *very* different tyre.
I'm just intrigued by how people decide how much to spend on a motor car.
I am reminded by the old chestnut of the man who goes into a car showroom for an Astra; he has £2,000 to spend. Salesman says 'I've one coming in tomorrow at £1,500'; man says 'too cheap'. Later in the week he receives a call offering him an Astra for £2,000 which he acepts. It is of course the same car. Happy punter. Happier dealer.
I can of course understand the 'I want a new Porsche, therefore I have to pay £75,000' mentality. But why £2,500 not £1,500 or £3,500?
Numbercruncher (iirc) posted some very shrewd advice last week to pay under £1,000 private sale, or over £5,000 from a dealer, warranty backed.
So go on: you want a 'new' car, how much are you going to spend?
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I spend far less now than I used to.although I've never been a 'big' spender. When I was buying cars for enjoyment, then I didnt have to justify the cost at all. Now that I'm in effect buying family transport I am not so interested in pumping cash into them.
I have a look around at what I want. See how much it costs, think about the depreciation and running costs. Think about where on the cars life is the best point to buy (ie new / 1 year old / 3 years old etc) and what else that cash might be doing for me (I would never pay to borrow money for a car).
The result is that I think I'm likely to spend about £7K on an accord, less whatever I get for the v70 so probably only £4k being spent.
I'm looking for something smallish, or at least not unncessarily huge, but with enough room to take golf clubs width-wise [4.5 feet roughly in old money]. The current Merc Sports Coupe is fine with the back seat down, but then noisy. I'm looking at the BMW 3 series Touring, Volvo S60 or Subaru Forester [I had a Legacy but it's large for mostly town driving]. All are around the same reasonable length. Can anyone suggest others to check? Read more
You might want to check the S60 very carefully.
The boot opening is only 90cms wide and 45 or 50cms (I can't remember exactly off the top of my head) high. Huge boot once inside but very narrow opening.
V70 might be of more useful comparrison to Touring and Forester, basically the same car but estate rear end.
A friend, who drives an M3, has been rear-ended by a driver on his mobile, while on his way to work. Said friend is an IT contractor who earns approx £500/day. Due to this he missed the day off work.
For tax reasons pretty much all IT contractors operate through a limited company (which is 100% owned by the contractor). ITCo Ltd. has the lost the services of my friend for one day. (Friend owns Ltd. Ltd employs friend. Ltd invoices client on a daily basis for each day worked by friend.)
Friend and his company are separate legal entities so my friend cannot himself claim for the loss of earnings. But can his company claim against the at-fault party? Anyone experienced this before? Read more
"Of course they could just be fraudsters!"
They are within the law but I think they are fraudsters! They will use the services paid for by the tax they avoid all the time. Maybe if someone earning that much and doesn't pay tax they pay for the service at proper price when used including roads.
Since headlight alignment is part of the MOT, how come so many cars have dipped lights aimed too high? Is it deliberate?
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L\'escargot. Read more
New car headlights should be set at PDI. But the job is probably given to the same 16.Y.O. on £4.20/hour who puts an extra litre of oil in the sump and the reg. plate at a jaunty angle.
Most MoT'ers are sharp on headlights since its one of the easiest things for VOSA to catch them out on, should they happen to drop by...
...but unfortunately only for 2 seconds and there were two ossifers holding him up!
Again! Again! as they say in Tellytubby land :o) Read more
And the award for the tenuous motoring link of the week goes to...........
Thread Locked. DD.
I think I'd love the acceleration but I'm not sure I could cope with the handling.
Anyone know what it'll fetch?
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I read often, only post occasionally