October 2007
I want to change my Corolla Verso.
I was thinking of upgrading to a 2.2 diesel Verso but have seen the Mazda 5 2.0d which looks good.
This would be the main car for a family of 4.
Anybody with expereince of running both back to back or any views? Read more
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You did. Now clarified !
dear all,
following on from the mitsi evo 8 as a daily commute car on the m62 for 90 miles a day.
How would a 2004 imreza sportwagon wrx with prodrive sportpack be?
fuel is paid for on fuel card.
its on for £8500 with 100k on the clock. 04 plate.
Good price?
as always an advise welcome Read more
1. Tyres - replaced after 31K miles still with 3.0mm on. Sticking to the original
Bridgestone RE050s. And this was not dawdling round the bends either. If you're changing tyres
at 5 to 10K either your tracking's out or you're doing doughnuts at Maccy D's.
It's probably more due to hanging the back end out for a quarter mile stretch on a fairly regular basis. What's the point of owning a car like this if you're not going to drive the car as it was designed to be driven.
Mind you, I've got through a set of caterham rear tyres in 800 miles, though at £45 a corner and replaceable in pairs rather than fours its a lot cheaper fun.
Aprilas comments that clutch and tyre life have both improved on more recent cars are good to hear. I'd consider another scooby now, though I suspect it'll be a while before I get bored of the Boxster I distractedly bought last week.
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I read often, only post occasionally
Had to have the tyres on my 2006/56 Avensis replaced at 20k miles recently. Curious to know if this is typical wear or not (both the servicing dealer and tyre dealer thought 20k was well on the good side of normal).
The reason I question this is that I got almost 30k out of a set of Michelins on my previous Mondeo - but that was a gutless 1.8 petrol, whereas the Avensis is the 2.2 D4D 150, so clearly its OE Bridgestones had substantially more power to handle.
My second reason for concern is that the car has been in two front-end accidents - side swiped from both wings on separate occasions at low speed.
The fronts were down to around 1.6/3/1.6 and 1.5/3/0 (yikes), but they have never been run under-inflated by more than 1-2 psi, so hopefully this wear pattern is normal, although the excessive wear on the outer right side of the drivers side tyre is a worry - there was not much tread on the outer 1cm or so of the tread pattern.
The way it is driven is clearly important info - daily commute of 30 miles each way, 22 of which are motorway. No tyre squealing antics (it isn't that sort of car!), but the odd strong prod of the right pedal thru 2nd/3rd/4th when everything is pointing in the same direction.
So, what's the consensus on 20k tyre life for this sort of car in this sort of motorway-biased use - good/bad/indifferent? Read more
I guess some of the answer to the rain question is that they have winter
tyres too.
Actually, IIRC the tyres I saw were generally All Season tyres - which I presume are somewhere between the Summer tyres that we use and Winter tyres. I found this flyer and the All Seasons go up to 60K miles and others higher than I saw, up to 80K.
i.walmart.com/i/if/hmp/fusion/06_Q3_TireFlyer.pdf
Interesting to see on that flyer that they'll do what amounts to a service on a modern car, with fully synth oil for $40!!
Are the auto gearboxes on vectras anygood? and are they good cars? Seen a 2.2i Direct Elite 5dr that I am interested in. Read more
>> Perhaps DD can explain why most of the 2.2 Vectra Cs have the autobox
- seemingly as standard ?
At the end of the day very few Vectras are bought by private owners with the bigger engine, most will be Rep specials the same as Mondeos. So very few will have been allowed the extra £1K for the Auto & if they have that flexibility then they probably won't be looking at a Vectra or Mondeo but will go for a pauper spec BMW, Audi etc.
This is the reason that Jag X-Types depreciate so badly, a lot on the market are very base spec. & this drags down the overall value.
I have a 2004 Mitsubishi Carisma 1.9 Turbo Diesel
Where is the ecu?
I've looked in the engine bay,under the dash and removed the centre console.
Have i missed the obvious? (probably!)
Hope someone has some ideas :) Read more
Norman
To flag a low supply voltage code the ECU would have to see below 9 volts across it's feed and earths.
I'd go with Red's idea and check the feed and the volt drop between the ECU earth and the battery neg. This is a very unusual fault. [But then; it is French...]
I currently run a Cappuccino as my "weekend fun car", but after a recent operation, my wife can't get into it, so it looks as if I'll have to get rid of it :-( Shame, because it's really the only car I've ever owned which takes me back about 40 years and turns me into a grinning 18-year-old....
I'm a classic car enthusiast, so a recent "Eurostandard ragtop" is not really of interest to me. and I appear to have settled on a 944 S2 cabriolet as a suitable alternative. I've heard all the positives like "bulletproof", "galvanised body", "excellent handling" etc; I am aware that a Full Service History is vital.
I'd be most grateful for any tips from people who have lived with a 944 - is it really the sort of car that I should be toying with the idea of buying for fun? Where's the best place I should be looking for one?
Thanks,
muso Read more
If your missus would have problems getting in and out of an MX5 then she'll probably have the same problem with a 944. The seats are low down (although height adjustable) and there's a noticeable sill to climb over. Find one and try it out before discounting it though - she may be prepared to forgive it once she's seen it, especially if you're prepared to be a gentleman and offer her a hand to get her bum off the seat.
I used one as my daily driver in the early 90's and it was one of the best all-round cars I've ever driven. Excellent handling, good ride quality, pin sharp steering and a range of power options. The only minor complaint I'd have is with the gearchange. The linkage runs to the rear transaxle and can't be rushed. It's fine once you get used to it though.
They are extremely reliable if looked after and the build quality is top notch.
The S2 is probably the easiest to live with and a Cabriolet in Guards with cream interior would be my choice.
Kevin...
Having problems with both headlights. The electronic adjustment still works, but the highest position is set "too low" so light spread forward is VERY low on dip. Anyone worked on these, or had a similar problem? Presumably the electronic adjustment mechanism is similar to that on other Audis...
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Tim{P} Read more
Thanks for your comments: what sort of electrical connector? I have solved the problem by lifting the headlight up and supporting it with a block of wood! (vorsprung durch it's broken) at least my wife (main driver) doesn't complain quite so much about how little light there is at night now (and she was right, too) but I have sourced a replacement headlight. All I need now is some drier, warmer weather, and knowledge of how to remove the front bumper.
For several months the car has displayed the engine warning light. Been comprehensively checked, but no fault found. Now the light has gone out, but so has the left-hand side of the panel display! Nothing obviously wrong with the display end, but where do I start looking to find the fault - or should I just assume the display is shot, and try and find a replacement at a local scrapyard?
SLT Read more
tinyurl.com/29qwzq
Read the whole thread, there is also a link to guide on changing bulbs in the unit.
tinyurl.com/yoqznl
Heraultcatman - Looking at your user name , are you in 34?
I think I might reinvent myself and become heraultdogman!
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pmh (was peter)
I posted on this site about 3 months ago when my cars engine blew its brains out about 200 metres away from the dealer who said it would be fine to drive. Anyway, having spent a fortune on new Engine, Turbo, 4 injectors, intercooler, clutch and all associated deisel pipes as well as labour from the main dealer am back in trouble looking for advice.
Since picking up the car we have been getting an error message saying the fap level is low, I was assured by the dealer that it was not. Anyway, we used the car for a family holiday to Portugal covering about 3000 miles no problems, kept the engine speeds below 2500 rpm, let the engine idle for a minute or so before stopping it etc all the things I was told I had done wrong before.
A couple of days after returning from holiday we got a second error message saying something like fap filter recycle needed urgently, the next day the dreaded Engine Anti Pollution Sytem Faulty error came on and we are now limping everywhere. Took it back to the dealer and was told it need anew sensor, so had them do it, picked it up, on the way home all 3 errors came up, limped to the garage and left it with them again, was told it needed a new sender unit in the fap additive reservoir, had it done, same problem, left it with the dealer again who apparently called in an expert to look collectively at the 4 2.2 hdi engined cars that were all showing similar faults.
Five weeks later was assured that it was all fine now, picked the car up this afternoon started the engine surrounded by happy mechanics who are fed up withy my ranting and raving.
I had not even got out of the parking space before the fap additive level warning came on, I was then assured that this error would not cause the limp home mode that we had before, was told just to drive it and see if it would correct itself with movement.
After about 2 miles the engine anti pollution system faulty message appeared closely followed by the little orange light that means I am struggling to get to 30mph up hill.
Anybody got any ideas, any recourse on the dealer, any anything???
Read more
From my experiences with my C5 2.2, although the addative ECU knows the reservoir level is low, it doesn't stop trying to pump.
I originally got the low level alarm at 153k together with anti pollution fault & limp home mode.
After the FAP was cleaned & Eolys added (without resetting the addative ECU), I had no more problems even though I get the 'LOW ADDATIVE' alarm every time the car is used.
Car is now on 173k & just been changed to Passat 130 PD which feels like 150bhp in comparison to the Citroen.
Are you sure about mazda 5 ? I think we mazda 5 auto 2.0 petrol is available.