October 2007
Apologies if it's been done before but I can't find it. Test yourself on these 50 questions and report your score back. I got a below average 84.
www.forddoctorsdts.com/quizzes/MechanicalAptitude....p
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land Read more
I have just fitted a tow bar to my Peugeot 306 and now need to fit the electrics.
1) Do I simply drill a hole in the underside of the car and fit a gromet and drag the wire through or is there some other better route/ way / position for this that a pro would use ?
2) Where do I attach the electrics. Looking at the car from the back, the right hand side lamp has more wires/ connectors coming out of the back of it than the left hand one. Is there a junction box somewhere or do I just do my best to attach them to the wires that feed the right hand lamp.
ps anyone know of a web site with any such details - I did a search and nothing came up that I could find.
Regards
Jim
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Or even at Halfords.
Just wondering if anyone knows whether a March 2005 Grand Scenic 1.5dci Dynamique has 86 or 106 bhp as I can't seem to find out.
Thanks
David Read more
Yes, it's the 100 bhp unit.
We test drove a 1.5 and I would describe it as just about adequate two-up if you're prepared to work the gearbox. Laden with kids and luggage, as these cars were designed to be, it would clearly struggle. The 86 bhp unit is available in the standard 5 seat Scenic though.
The 1.9 is a far better match for the car. Smooth, effortless and just lopes along at minimal revs always seeming to have something in reserve. Doesn't suffer the same reliability worries as the earlier 1.9dCi in the Laguna either. It will do 40 mpg "without trying", but don't expect much more than 42-43 average unless you're absurdly gentle with it. In fairness, it's a 1550kg lump of lard!
Ours is now on 46k, and has just been given a clean bill of health on its first MOT with nothing other than three main dealer services since new, and some attention to a door handle and the panoramic sunroof.
Cheers
DP
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
I managed to put 9 1/2 liters of petrol on top of 30 litres of diesel in an old technology VW 110 engine, any idea if I can get away with diluting with a full tank of diesel on top??
Chris S Read more
Don't be tempted to go for a blast - diesel doesn't burn quick enough at higher engine revs.
Morning,
Can anybody help me with a problem on my Ibiza Sport 2001,
Went to flash a car the other night when i flicked the full beam on the abs light came on and went off every couple of seconds, also the lights on the car started diming and flickering also the car then cut out and everything went off strange!!!
After about 5 seconds everything came back on(resetting everything on the car) this has not happened again any idears? (no engine managment light on)
Thanks for you help
James Read more
A good VW independent with VAG-COM should identify this quickly.
Topic
`Circumstances arise where cars are acting as life support machines: Discuss`
My proposition is that often unwittingly and for varying periods of time, cars are driven through `zones` where an engine dead breakdown could be fatal.
That these days with mobile phones it could be considered rare to be caught in a remote area , broken down in shirt sleeves in a sub zero wind.
But I remember clearly on impulse as a teenager going late at night down a track to a remote beach. There was something romantic about us sharing a moment at midnight in atrocious, rare, sub zero wind conditions. We had just got in the car and gone, no coats.
Great fun, no one around but us.
Then there was that flash of sudden insight and clarity, perhaps augmented by adrenalin as i inserted the ignition key. That the car HAD to restart.
The stupidity being remembered now just as it was recognised then in that brief moment of inserting the ignition key.
A lesson well learnt in youth.
But are you aware of any moments where the car you are travelling in was actually acting ( albeit momentarily) as a life support system?
Regards Read more
I always carry jump leads, a long kagoul and several towels. I have used the jump leads several times over the years, the kagoul once (to keep dry when changing a tyre) and the towels never. Towels? They keep you warm and can dry you out. Remember HHGTTG!
I once drove in Arizona on a back dirt road for interest rather than take the main highway. I was in a regular saloon, and in four hours I saw only three other vehicles, all of which were 4x4s. If I got stuck, it would have been interesting.
hi
been looking for months now for a van, i run an old shape transit, been excellent for running costs but i need a bigger van but max size is mwb due to parking and tight streets
old Transit Lutons gone to the moon and back and 10 mph in a head wind
new transits told nightmare running costs and parts very soft same with Vauxhall vans. LDV not up to it, VW expensive and Merc expensive.
All I hear is negative stuff about anything i go for
Anyone got advice for a van mwb ideally Luton shaped - i like the look of the Movano aero body but told part wear out quickly .....yawn
budget 3-6k depending on van
What's mwb - being totally ignorant in these things ? Some post tidying done. Read more
You talk about a flywheel problem on VW LT. It's concerning which engines/dates...
thought id post up that i bought some philips 80% plus bulbs in h4 fitment
they seem to do what they claim ( had the 50% in already) noticeably whiter light and they light up plenty of the road ahead
good value at £20 posted from ebay
anyone else tried em yet? what do you think Read more
Sounds great, anyone tried them in main beams? I have had HIDs on last two cars, but would like the main beams to be better, tried some Visionplus and couldn't tell the difference (but could in dips on other cars).
Hi all,
Dilema time, and where else to ask for balanced feedback?
I have recently gave up a 120 mile commute, now replaced with a 20, and after the new year a 10, and as I have moved from the hills back into the big smoke, I've decided that the L200 has got to go. It hardly gets a chance to warm up in the morning, and the parking headache in the city multi-stories is driving me insane.
After some consideration, my brief has to consist of the following:
Comfy drive - I want to be cosseted, the jarring drive of the pickup over all these poorly repaired town roads has made me want to spend my next year and a bit in a quiet, smooth riding cocoon.
Practical - must be able to take SWMBOs 3ft square art canvases, as well as the labrador and the weekly shop.
Diesel / Petrol - don't mind, the L200 is no speed demon, and with a drop from 30 odd thousand to less than 8k in a year for all my driving, I doubt any money saved in fuel choice is going to be an attraction, although I do like the power delivery / lazy driving style of the diesel.
AWD / 4WD - would be nice, but please, no big SUVs.
Can it be done?
I thought the Subaru Impreza Sportswagon - 2 ltr non turbo would be my answer after seeing so many favourable comments on the backroom, however Subaru have gone and made the new model year all short hatchbacky, and I'm not struck on the new shape.
So where now?
There seem to be a fair few of these longer wheelbase hatches now, despite the removal of the Impreza. So far I've found options in the shape of the Kia Cee'd SW - Diesel / Petrol choice, but no AWD, the Audi A3 Sportback - and if I go crazy available in a Quattro, the Saab 9-3 Sport Wagon, nice, but the base model starts at a good bit more than a base model A3, and finally, unless there are more suggestions - the Peugot 207SW and 307SW.
I know there are Backroomers with real experience of these, and all comments will be welcome. Budget should be circa £17k, mpg doesn't matter, but practicality, real life reliability, and any info on ownership / dealer woes are welcome. Happy to purchase new, but at the miles I'll be doing, suggestions up to 12 mnths old are fine.
Can I have the best of all worlds in one of these cars?
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You're all wrong for thinking Imprezza or Legacy wagons - but on the button with Subaru. The obvious choice is the Forester. Far better for the art and dog, better ride for the potholes, far more confortable to get into and out of, still AWD with unburstable Subaru mechanicals and just as fast in the real world as an Imprezza and faster than a Legacy because it is smaller.
Hi,
My sun roof is leaking and I was wondering if anyone has any idea what I can do to stop it?
I've taken it to a few garages but they refuse to touch it and recommend going to a dealership but I'd prefer to avoid that if possible.
Any ideas?
L x Read more
>>check drain tubes first though - the parts list only shows 2 on the front corners.<<
Should only take 1/2 as long to check, then. -:)
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92% first time, (some days ago) and exited without reviewing my answers. Just been back to find out my mistakes and got just the worm gear one wrong. I found tricky to know which way the thread was moving.