December 2007
I'm in the process of trying to buy a battery. I want an ordinary car battery of 85-90 Amp/hours but the sales people I speak to on the phone talk of Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) which is a unit I'm not familiar with. From the Internet I know that CCA is "is the number of amps the battery can deliver at 0° Fahrenheit for 30 seconds, while maintaining a voltage of at least 7.2 volts, for a 12 volt battery".
Is there a conversion from CCA to Amp/hours?
Who uses their car at 0° Fahrenheit when a sledge and huskies would be more appropriate for goodness sake?
Thanks in advance.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land Read more
Hi, posted this on an Audi site but sadly no replies..can you help?
'Despite claims that Audi Auto-Transmission fluids are lifelong, I fell a service is in order. Has anyone ever had a service on their transmission before. I am sure (and hope) a little oil/filter change will make a world of difference to a very clunky Audi transmission.... (A3 1.8t 2000, 50K)'
I am just slightly nervous that the transmission oil/filter should not be touched, only the Oil should be topped up as Audi insist that the ATF fluid and filter are lifelong..
Thanks
I am aware the Audi mutli and s-tronic transmissions need to have their oil changed every 40k but not the older version transmission, but why, given the evidence that Oil is a major reason behind transmission failure.. (am I missing something)
Read more
Will do some homework and see what i can come up with in relation to Audi..
Cheers again..
How do you reset the central locking on a Ford Mondeo W reg?
The keyfob remotes don't seem to work, when I press any of the three buttons (lock all doors/open all doors/open boot) none work.
The red LED light is permanently on, on the dashboard.
The alarm doesn't come on.
The rear doors have child locks and I cant get them open.
I can open the passenger and drivers door individually with the key, but the central locking does not work when I open and lock the doors.
Any help greatly appreciated, cant get our 2yr old in the car at present. Read more
My mk2 has started its annual winter central locking weirdness again.
Whenever the overnight temperature drops below about 3°C, as it has recently, there is a delay of 5-20 seconds between unlocking the drivers door, and the central locking doing the business on the other doors. On warmer nights, it works fine, and rain/damp doesn't affect it either. It's purely ambient temperature related.
Sometimes you can also hear the locking do another "unlock" pulse a few minutes after driving away, although not always, and only ever the once if it happens.
I've lived with it for 2 years, and it's not a massive problem, but sometimes I am curious as to what causes it. I'm presuming it's some sort of dodgy wiring problem.
Cheers
DP
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
Why don't they let LPG cars in the channel tunnel, its so stupid makes me so mad!
Kush Read more
Strangely; it seems to be Mull [where you could almost float a can across] that is the worst affected. A friend on the Ross was bemoaning the problems of getting paint quite recently.
Maybe all the fishing traffic to the outer isles makes the difference.
Hello,
I have an intermittant problem with the alarm (factory fit) on my 53 plate Zetec S.
The car locks correctly ie press the lock button twice but the lights don't flash, then sometimes the alarm goes off a short while later.
Anyone had a similar problems or ideas, Cheers
Euan Read more
UPDATE. I replaced the hood latch (quite easy) and all is well with the alarm
Hello all,well i am in a fix here,I bought a 2nd hand 2004 Jag XKR 22500 miles F.J.S.H, last May '07,that still had 4-5 weeks Manufacturer warranty on it. Got it supplied by a v.reliable, v. local car dealer,and was initially thrilled.....then after 7-10 days-250 mls, an amber engine warning light came on with "Restricted Performance" in the message center,so I rang the local main dealer,they said bring it down,and we'll look at it. They cleared the light and i took it home,it comes on again on the way home. I ring them,they say,we'll book you in,they seemed to think it was a gunged-up EGR valve assembly,they cleaned it up,while i was there,took it home,same thing happens on the way home,so they book me in to spend more time on it,i leave it with them for a week,pick it up same thing happens,amber light appears!!! This has been ongoing since June,the end of my warranty,but they said "don't worry,you got the problem logged before the warranty ran out,so no need to worry,we'll get to the bottom of it". It's now December, and the car has been going back & forth to them,and they have examined exhaust Cat sensors,the exhaust Cats,EGR valve,Air flow,supercharger, checks for air leaks,then last week,they said they had finally found the fault,an ECU circuit leak on the Left Hand Wiring Harness,so they ordered one,fitted it,then said I had to pay for it because it was now out of warranty!!! I objected saying they hadn't actually fixed the fault that i had reported under warranty,originally,that this had been going on far too long,and that i'd been there 4 times for repairs and had a courtesy car 4 times. Then they unbelievably said they had me logged there only 3 times! And that this was a different fault than first reported!!! They wouldn't budge at all,and suggested that I go to my Car Supplier (an ex jag dealer 20 yrs ago,still is a car dealer,repairer/renovator to this day) that i got the car from. Well basically,there was a bit of a barney between them,and the main dealer said the best they could do was a 50% off offer of £480,that I had to agree to it before 5.30pm,or pay the full cost £960,or have the car back unrepaired! Extremely unhappily I went with the 50% reduction offer,which my car supplier payd for,while spitting feathers. They fitted the harness,another week went by,they put 200 more miles on it,then called me to pick it up,which i did,it had one drip of fuel left in the tank as usual,so i filled it up,made for home, and yes, you guessed it,Amber Engine Warning Light appears, with"Restricted Performance" in the message center. So I went back,they said it may need an replacement ECU,or go back to Jaguar,which could be costly. I said it won't cost me a penny,cos I ain't paying. But,seriously, Where The Heck Do I Stand In All Of This Mire,surely this is not up to a fair trading standard? I am very disappointed,this car has done no miles 25700,and I have hardly driven it anywhere,but to & fro to the main dealer. I was going to keep this car for the rest of my life,i bought it with compensation money from a motorcycle RTA,i lost a leg to get this car,and i'm completely gutted,and feel let down by the manufacturer who don't want to honour a warranty. If You can help,or You know where i can find him,maybe i can hire the Honest John Team!!! Many Thanks for reading this depressing needless drivel. Thanks Again.
slt Read more
Check out xk8/r Enthusiasts Club Forum non member posting area. At least 2 xk8 owners have had same fault. One found fault was plugs and cylinder misfire.
The other was sensors on the throttle body. Hope this helps.
Just spotted a very good looking one of these at a respectable local dealer for a very good price. it's a 5 door too, which is great because of the amount of lugging elderly relatives around I have to do. I've grabbed a couple of insurance quotes and they seem surprisingly reasonable for a hot hatch, which came as a pleasant surprise.
Thing is, I've known two people who've owned these - one loved it and the other believed it was the spawn of Satan, as just about everything possible went wrong with it. I've dug up a few standard things to check including a very interesting built in diagnostic routine and fault code list, but I was wondering if any backroomers had any personal experience of this model? Read more
Much appreciated, thank you!
My first choice is actually a MK1 Leon Cupra, but having narrowly missed two good ones within my price range it seems that the remainder either have poor service histories (accident waiting to happen on these), unrealistic prices or have been tinkered with in various ways. I've also considered the 1.8 turbo Octavias which I find genuinely pleasant cars to live with in the right trim, but the mid sized hatch is more practical for me because of local parking and the like. I've worked out that I could get the ST170 on the road, taxed and tested for around 5k which is the most I can afford to go to.
The Focus isn't a natural choice for me as I dislike the interior styling, but I always reasoned that if it was interesting in other ways I could live with it ;)
When driving along a road with 2 lanes , one a bus lane on the left and the other for cars, who has priority if a car wants to turn left across the bus lane and into a side street. If the car is a good distance in front of the vehicle in the bus lane is it right to expect the driver in the bus lane to stop or slow while you cross in front of them. Having looked at the highway code site I could find no mention of it. I only ask as I nearly had a big accident the other day when a London taxi completely ignored my long signalled intention to turn left into a side road. Read more
As a former PCV driver - though thankfully not in London - I can offer the advice that pulling straight into the path of a bus which is proceeding along a clear bus lane is neither clever nor pretty, and is certainly not legitimate.
Buses will tend to be fitted with powerful air brakes, which if applied hard - such as in the case of an incompetent idiot pulling straight across in front of the vehicle - will almost certainly launch passengers out of their seats and down the inside of the bus, causing injuries. A sharp driver may very well, if given the chance to do so, make a perfectly reasonable judgement that the impending destruction of a badly placed car is less of a concern than multiple injuries to innocent members of the travelling public. It's probably also a better option for the idiot in the other vehicle than a visit from the Police and the worry of being charged with Careless Driving or something similar - next time you pass a London bus count the number of CCTV cameras you can see attached to the outside....
Posting this in discussion for general views.
Our 2005 Vivaro van (1.9 cdti) has been in the garage for about five weeks out of the past eight. 3 vists to first dealer then 1 vist to another dealer.
The van is using oil - about 1 litre per 100 miles. Noisey Turbo. First dealed said they have replaced Turbo, intercooler and various other parts to do with exhaust manifold (they said this was making the noise after replacing turbo).
Second dealer replaced Mass Airflow Meter (becasue thats what the computer told them).
After a run on Friday the problem is still there. When we collected the van from the second dealer, they said if the problem persits then they would have to strip the engine and check for piston wear & that this would not be covered by warranty.
The van was registered in march 2005 and has done 72k so is still covered by manufacturer 3 yr / 100k warranty.
Is there a case for claiming this is due to wear & tear?
Chris Read more
Just to update this, eventually got the camshaft fixed by Vauxhall. Now have new problem (in Tech) and van is now over 3 years old :-(
OK folks, I buy and sell cars a bit on the side for fun, buying stuff I fancy owning for a while and then selling on. I have a chance to pick up a 2001Y 156 1.8TS saloon, in red with a factory rear wing, leather, alloys, CC etc., 73k, FSH but not had its 72k cambelt, few dents but otherwise good nick. Recent service and MOT, when new tyres were put on.
But I'm scared. Never had an Alfa, mainly because I hear SO MANY horror stories and they always come near the bottom of those 'car satisfaction' tables, that I'm terrified of having huge bills that I can't pay. But how unreliable are 156s? Are bits going to drop off/grind to a halt/malfunction within a few months of ownership at this mileage and age? I've test driven it, and loved it. No squeaks or rattles, just an occasional slight buzzing noise that sounded like the exhaust heat shield? No variator issue, or really bad flat spots.
Bloke wants a grand for it. I would then promptly do the cambelt for £225 at local Italian Specialist. I'd want to see to the dents so that's a couple of hundred more. So it will set me back around £1500. This sounds like cheap thrills to me, which is why I'm tempted, but I don't want to be a sucker and buy with my heart when really I need to be able to enjoy it for a while and sell on, hopefully making some profit but definitely not wanting to lose anything.
What do you lot think?
Thanks in advance....
p.s. Is that gigantic wing a good thing or a bad thing in resale terms?! Read more
Big end failures generally attributable to oil stravation due to an owner who hasn't kept an eye on it.
Camshaft variator issues are indeed identifiable by the diesel like rattle at start up, but are not necessarily a reason to avoid the car. They aren't a reliability issue, and will cause no further problems with the engine or car.
And if you're going to get the cambelt changed on buying the car anyway, the variator can be easily changed at the same time.
Browse
>>I could also check the electrolyte but I've never done that before,
>>
NO.
For a start you could undo the caps and see if the vertical plates in each cell are submerged. If they are not then some "battery" water is required up to the correct level. This used to easy when using a proper battery bottle.
I assume such bottles are still available.