October 2007
Having done a good deal of research we ordered an Smax titanium 2.0 tdci and are expecting delivery in the next few weeks. It was one of the few cars/suvs/mpvs that had three individual second row seats that eventually swung it for us. (Three boys 15,13,10)
With the anticipation of receiving the car we started looking at the forum to get advise as to the running in etc. We were quite concerned to see all the problems with Mondeo III 2.0 tdci we understand it is the same engine. There is advise on running in a diesel in the FAQ section, but we wondered whether somebody could give us the definitive on engine care.
i.e. Should one avoid supermarket diesel, use any additive, frequency of oil/filter change and any other tips anybody might have? We live in the country and so most runs are 12 miles to town to ferry kids.
This is the first new car we have ever had and have bought it for the long haul. we do wonder whether it was such a good idea to go for the diesel option. If we get to the end of the 3 years should we change?
I apologise if this is going over the same subject but we could not find all of this information on the forum or in the archive.
Many thanks in anticipation Read more
I recently watched a local bicycle policeman ride across a road, across the pedestrian divider across the other carriageway onto the pavement on the other side and away, around the local shops. I wonder if he's taken his cycling proficiency test? Read more
Motoring link is so tenuous as to be invisible. Locked.
mileage 80k
I recently changed the cam belt tensioner etc , all seems well , starting ok power ok. But i have noticed that the car blows smoke when pulling away at low speeds or accelerating from 15-20 mph following an overun period. Also the fuel consumption seems worse according to the computer (which was reset following service). It seems to be a little high on oil , could that do it ? I have only done very short runs since the belt change .
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Overfilling PD engines with oil is potentially harmful to the catalytic converter - on mine there are two notices warning against this.
The recommended air filter change periods for this engine are, in my view, wrong. If you allow an air cleaner element to stay in the engine for too long, the inlet tract to the turbocharger operates at significant negative pressure under conditions of high air flow. This causes oil to be pulled into the engine both via the breather and via the turbocharger compressor seals. Unless you live in a very clean area, 20k miles is the absolute limit for an air cleaner element - 10k miles would be better.
When you changed your timing belt, did you use the correct locking tools and adjust the vernier on the camshaft wheel? Doing a straight belt change and not setting both the tension and position of the belt and camwheel with the three vernier bolts slackened will result in the camshaft timing being wrong. This is bad news for this engine as it also influences injection timing.
659.
>>The Scottish sales performance of car manufacturer Mazda over the course of September >>has set the company up for a good 2008, it has claimed.
>>According to the firm, it delivered a 3.8 per cent market share in the country during >>September, with it having already sold as many cars this year as it did in 2006.
I have a Mazda and I am delighted with it.
Maybe because the Mazda outlets did so well this year was the reason the sales staff in 2 x Mazda outfits did not get a sale. Ignored in 1 outlet (he did not get out his chair when asked for the price of a car in the showroom) and not given the attention I thought was required at another when I asked about a test drive.
Neither asked me how much I was planning to spend I was looking to spend £15K or a bit more however their views of me were coloured by my 7 yr old/90K mls Civic in their car park (immacualte for yr & mileage).
In the end I bought Japanese and not from a franchised outlet but from Motorpoint.
The chap was very pleasant, showed me what I wanted to see, gave me the approx T/I value other franchises offered and sealed the deal in 90 minutes.
3 weeks later I am delighted with the car and would recommend Motorpoint Glasgow. My son bought a Goldf there 12 mths ago and had equally good service. Read more
I recall that Renault have also done extremely well in Scotland in the recent past. As a Scot (living in England) I can't really see why there should be a marked difference against the rest of the UK in mainstream car choice. Unless its a lingering bias in England to perceived "British" marques (Vauxhall, Ford especially). From a Scottish viewpoint all cars are foreign built. More likely company car registrations - which still I guess show the same bias for a range of reasons, not least fleet pricing and will tend to be registered top an English address even if used in Scotland. Either way I'm not sure Scottishness is the reason, rather its an indirect effect of other factors. Hillman Imp (last mass produced Scottish car) anyone?
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
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.
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.
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Not sure about the Mazda 3 but for the Volvos, the 1.6l and 2.0l are the Ford/PSA units, not the 2.0l found in the Mondeo III.