October 2007
hi my car wont start very well i have to switch it on &off about 4 times then when it does start youd think it was on fire there is a little bolt that goes that connects the first cable to the last on the glow plugs i have been told that this should get hot but it is luke warm. it turns over slower in the morning could this be my battery could you please help me with this problem Read more
My fiesta has a really strange problem: I can only get a warm(ish) breeze through the driver's side vents on blower setting 1 and just cold air on settings 2-4. The passenger side blows hot on all settings so I'm sure fluids, matrix and thermostat are OK.
Any help or advice would be deeply appreciated.
SLT Read more
>> How do you "push" a parked car probably with handbrake on and maybe in
gear
>> in a straight line along a road?
Could have used trolleys but I'm sure even a small mini-digger would be able to drag a car along with the tyres skidding on the road.
I was once on site and 30 yards away a big 360' excavator, something like a 25 tonner, was loading an 8-wheel on-road tipper lorry. I happened to be watching and the tipper driver started to drive off when the back was not yet full.
The excavator driver swiftly put the bucket on the tailgate of the truck and pulled it back about 10 feet into place with a minimum of effort, lorry wheels still turning in the dust trying to go forwards. There was an exchange of air horns between drivers but the lorry driver didnt bother to get out of his cab..
;o)
Looking for a bike rack that will fit on the back of a 2002 Mondeo saloon. I'm aiming for an economy rack that won't gouge lumps out of the boot. TIA. Read more
Agree with reccomendation for Pendle products. I have used a strap on (Avensis H/B) Pendle for years with no problems or so much as a scratch to the car.
Hi - just a quick question (as done a fair bit of research but unsure what to do)
jsut recevied a NIP today 24/10/07 where it states the offence was carried out on the 04/10/07
now i know this is over the 14 days (most probably due to teh post stike) but there is no post frank on the letter so i can't tell when it was posted.
now the other thing i've noticed is that the date at the top of the NIP says 19/10/07 which to me is 15 days after the incident.
the only thing i can come up with is that this is a lease car and they would have had to get the details from the leasing company - although i wasn't driving as the missus was as the time.
i've checked the camera to make sure it's calibrated and it is but is it worth taking the 3points/£60 or have i got something to go back to them with and stand a very good chance of winning?
thanks Read more
Surely it would be better if "kept" and "keeper" were changed to "owned" and "owner". Then there would be no ambiguity.
I have recently had a rental Gran Punto 5 door for 3 weeks. I did 1300 miles in it and found it OK but not compelling. My first impressions were good. The styling is smart and the grille is reminiscent of better Italian cars of bygone years. The boot proved surprisingly large and was able to swallow two 60cm suitcases standing up with room left for a couple of smaller bags. Inside the seats were comfortable and seemed better than average for a budget car. It had lots of little storage areas however they weren't a very useful size. I ended up having to put my sunglasses in the door pocket because there wasn't a suitable dash space. Same when I wanted to put a bit of small change handy for bridge tolls. The interior looked smart but didn't seem as practical as my Mazda 323.
The engine was a 1.2 with a 5 speed manual. Much to my surprise it managed reasonable performance in town provided you revved it hard and used the gears. On the motorways and A roads it could keep up with the traffic and cruised ok at 70mph and even 80 in places however there was no power left for overtaking. It could do with a bigger engine. It was also a bit noisy at speed but that has to be expected from such a light little car. I didn't keep fuel consumption figures however I was pleasantly surprised by how little petrol it used. Another pleasant surprise was that the rear visibility was quite good.
Dislikes - it didn't come with a users manual and I had trouble figuring out how somethings worked. Unlocking the fuel cap in a crowded service station on the A1 proved embarrassing. Eventually I got the hang of it but I still think it unnecessary and complicated. If someone wants to steal your fuel and the cap is locked he will just put his tin under your fuel tank and bash a hole with a screw driver. Lockable caps are a waste of time. Same problem with the radio. I could get it to switch on but not to switch off. I spent 3 weeks with the volume at zero! Either it was broken or it was over complicated. Then the seal on the drivers door fell off and the grille became loose.
Conclusion - I wouldn't buy one. Poor assembly and lack of quality control. The woman at the Hertz desk said the same and she has seen dozens of them. Read more
My GP 130 Sporting was bought new in June. So far I've done 8,000 miles. Not much to report. Fit and finish are good - nothing squeaks or rattles. Car hasn't missed a beat. Performance and handling are pleasing but economy could be better; around 45 mpg.
Dislikes? There is a little bit of dead travel at the start of the accelerator pedal travel and I'm not too fond of the speed-related intermittent setting on the wipers, I'd rather have control over that myself. There's not much throughput of air into the cabin without the fan on. Otherwise... that's it.
My new 420 D has a squealing pulley - by the looks of it, the bearing has gone or its just loose - it is on the route of the alternator belt ( also water pump? ), which looks like it runs off the engine, so my question is really, should I worry about the pulley in an urgent way as it appears it could affect the cambelt if the pulley gave way altogether?
The surface of the pulley is worn almost to a chrome finish whereas the others are dull, so I think its not a new problem - could it also affect the belt?
The car does seem to be affected in the way it runs by this but should I keep driving it or lay it up till monday when its going in for servicing? I dont want to invite disaster! Read more
its for the fuel pump that sits on the front of engine, change this belt at same time.
My son's 1.6L 'L'plate occasionally doesn't allow him in - just can't unlock it occasionally! Is this a known problem? [the other night he left it unlocked and the low-life stole....a rear door! ]
Is there any way of turning it off and just turning the key in the lock? Read more
Many thanks for your help - [the plus side is it hasn't rained much...]
Has anyone got recommendations of where to source:
- 'Peg' for parcel shelf that the string hangs off of so the back shelf is pulled up when the boot opens
- The 'Badge' on top of the Gear Stick with the diagram of the (6 plus Reverse) Gears
These bits of Trim are difficult to find on the usual Web sites and VW want £106 and £38 respectively.
Cheers,
Matt. Read more
Specialist Breakers like Volks-a-part etc have a look in the VW magazine or exchage and mart.
Changed the engine on my pug 306 4/5 months mainly thanks to my mate. I particularly remember what a pig the aux/fan belt was to get back on.
In the last few weeks i have been getting a whirring noise coming when idle. Yesterday this sounded worse, also a clicking could be heard when turning over engine. I was concerned that a bearing could be going on the diesel pump or a/c pump ( sounded like noise was coming from there). Had a quick look last night in dark and sprayed a bit of pen oil on the pulley bearings where accessible.
Started car this morning noisey again at first, went 100 yards and aux/belt went.
Does it sound like bearing has caused the problem, caused by overtighted belt or do i just need a new belt.
My air con leaks anyway so dont want to get a new pump if i can help it.
Any help would be great. Many thanks Read more
I expect the tensioner wheel has a worn bearing, common XUD point.
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
Steve,
Do you mind replying within the same post as you originally created. Saves one of us having to move them back in there and avoids when confusion to other readers.
Thanks