January 2008
Hi, how can I get a replacement lock key if I don't have the code? Do all keys have a different code or is it per model of car? Thanks Read more
I have a vectra which is a p reg so I have assumed it is the above.
I've not had it long but a friend helped me to find it and has serviced it just after i got it with all the usual stuff being checked or changed.
I know that the radiator has been changed, oil, brakes and discs and lots of other bits too.
The car after i have driven about 20miles then park and then get back in just after i have started driving again ( i basically drive from work to parents house, pick up son then drive home again) i normally pull into the same road (my parents road) and reverse out. Anyway it has started to stall at this place mainly and then the ignition light comes on. Sometimes it starts straight away but not always I have had to give it some welly with the gas to get it going again. I did think i might have been stalling it myself but i am not.
It done this on the motorway a few days ago. It doesn't give warning and is quite worrying to be honest with the distance and speed that i had to do on the motorway.
I had the radiator replaced as i was losing water.The ignition light came on during driving and didnt go off just before it was changed. I restarted later on my drive back and was fine, no lights.
Today when I went to move it the ignition light came on and wouldn't start till I pushed the gas down. I stopped then tried again and it did the same.
Can anyone give me any ideas, the friend has plugged it into a computer and the car has not logged any faults with it. Am running out of patience with it as it really is costing a lot of money which as a single parent I don't have. Any ideas will be appreciated. Read more
have had car 'read' on meter by 2 reputable garages and they both said it was a faulty air flow sensor-causing probs-prob loose wire or summat.
Went back to original garage who fitted this thing and told them the score.
Am having it replaced (so they say) with another one and my 122£ back. Hows that?
The Vectra has been feeling a bit twitchy for a while now - sometimes in a straight line and sometimes when braking. Some of the points I have noticed are:
The car was pulling to the left so I had the tracking adjusted about 2 months ago. It seems better but the steering wheel is sometimes offset slightly when straight ahead; sometimes it is about spot on.
I have noticed that scarring to the road surface can affect the handling although the car always had a tendency to be pulled in this case which I put down to the width of the tyres.
Braking on loose or slippery surfaces can occasionally cause the ABS to chatter.
The car sometimes feels as if it is crabbing.
The near-side anti-roll bar drop link was replaced about 18 months ago.
When I had the tracking checked the tyre dealer used 4-wheel alignment using a laser jig. I have seen another system that measures camber, etc and provides a printout of the vehcile geometry. Has anyone tried this?
The car has not been involved in any accident or had the wheels kerbed.
Any thoughts would be appreaciated before I have the alignment looked at again?
{year found via a forum search} Read more
Well, I still I haven't got very far with this one! I had the car serviced in November and asked the garage to change the rear bushes. I got the car back and was told the bushes didn't need changing. Apparently, the mechanic tested them by levering with a bar and the result was that there was no movement, thus they were not changed.
The main dealer found no problem and the car is due an MOT in the next month or so and the last one did not find a fault.
The next questions are ...
What are the symptoms of worn rear and front bushes? My car skips around at the rear on uneven surfaces and over potholes. SWMBO has noticed it too, so it's not just me! On one particular road the car crashes over a ridge in the road. So could it be bushes or the the rear shocks, or could it be both? It also seems to sit very low with a load in the back.
Do cars noramally sit evenly side to side, ie. the gap from the top of the tyre to the wheel arch is even on both sides at the frnt or the rear.
Thanks again for any ideas. SWMBO wants the car sorted! but I do not want to replace shocks if it a bush or vice-versa
Hello all,
I have a question; When driving my 3Litre BMW Diesel lump around, I often drop the tiptronic automatic box into neutral when I can see the traffic well ahead is stopped. As I can sometimes see 1-2 miles ahead, I do it from 70mph sometimes on the dual carriageway and arrive at the slow traffic at a leisurely 30mph...
My mecahnic has said " if you run an auto in neutral, the pump works extra hard above 30mph, or 55mph in some cars, and the whole gearbox can suddenly go".
Does this make sense or is freewheeling / coasting an auto box possibly stressing the car? It's a 110,000 Mile E39 3L Touring.
And yes, I have heard about coasting "not being in control of the vehicle" but when I'm spening £80/week on diesel to get to work and back (15miles direct, 25 by road each way), I need to save every drop!
Thanks
p.s. I have not tried the "Acetone in Diesel" trick yet - that's next in line. (I was a proponent of this a while back) Read more
We got an auto too ,but based on my experience in the manual Galaxy with the trip/fuel computer. when on the overrun or going downhill.
It reads 99.99mpg
ergo not using fuel
DESPITE still being in gear
and if I am in fifth, i use the small amount of engine braking to slow up/ coast
strangely I have never "freewheeled" downhill or otherwise
i manage about 50 mpg summer, 52.5 mpg over 100 hrs driving recorded on camera
45 mpg winter
though in fairness mostly running solo
cheers
M
Ps
I find the drag induced by my anorak hood is significent
I've seen a very tidy Pug 806 2L HDI 8 seater. I'm aware it's a smaller car than the Previa I curently have but wondered if anyone (even as a taxi) had experience 1) of using it as an 8 seater and 2) what the car is like in general? Read more
I had a turbo problem and I could not get it fixed at several places - eventually I took it to a dealer (Warners in Tewkesbury) and they sorted it out - cost me £18. There was a unit at the back of the engine that had failed / was leaking; apparently this unit is not really necessary so the guy just blocked it off (would have cost a lot to replace it). That was about 3 or 4 years ago and the car has run fine ever since. The symptom of the problem was that the turbo just did not seem to cut in and there was a real lack of power / difficulty getting up hills.
I am looking for a used Panda with 3 seat belts in the back. Nearly all the UK models seem to have 2 rear seat belts only. I've been told the 3rd belt is a factory option which is seldom specified. Apparently a lap belt is no longer allowed, so it has to be fixed to the roof (although I did drive a new Panda in Poland in 2006 which had a lap belt). Anyway, can anyone help me to find one with 3 seatbelts on the rear bench? There must be one out there! I will pay a fair price.
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Thanks a lot for the advice. I have now managed to buy the car I wanted, not this one because it's 150 miles from where I live, but your tip gave me hope, and in the end the wife spotted one on E-Bay! Cheers everyone.
Had the rear discs and pads done over a week ago on the Honda. Last couple of days noticed a rubbery/burning type smell on getting out of the car. Seems to come from rear drivers side wheel. This wheel is noticeably hotter than the other side when you touch it. Should I get things looked at again or is it likely to settle as the new brakes bed in? Don't think there's any significant binding as car will roll on a minimal slope.
All advice appreciated.
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Not sure why they can't do on site? Is this normal? Told me often replacement calipers are reconditioned anyway with the old one going back in part exchange. My car doesn't seem to have any available "off the shelf" so going to have to get my own one back after reconditioning. It's certainly a very large saving over a new Honda caliper!
hello, i'm liam i only signed up today so i'm new to this forum. i was just wondering if anybody could help i have a vauxhall corsa 1.2i 8v and the water pump snapped and the cam belt fell of as i was goin down the road. I then replaced the cambelt and water pump then tried to start it and took a little while to go then and when it did it sounded like it wasn't firing on all four cylinders so i asked around and was told it was the cat. so i brought a new 1 and fitted it and then tried to start it again but still the same so i took it to a garage but he said the only thing he could think off is the head gaskett. i just wanted to see if anyone else could think of something beforei go spending a load more money on it. any ideas anyone?
liam
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>>1.2 8v - starting problem after waterpump failure - Screwloose
liam
Do a compression test. The chances of bent valves after a cam-belt failure is very high on all but the 1.4 engine.
You need better sources of advice.
i have a 1.4 corsa and supposedly when cam belt goes it cannot damage the valves, but it can. my cam belt snapped due to water pump and i tried to start it up twice only to find out from the garage that after all repairs it was only firing on 2 cylinders and i had bent two valves.
Hi,
We've had loads of problems with our 53 plate 1.0 T3 Yaris surrounding the clutch. It's now on it's 3rd replacement clutch (all work performed at the main dealer) due to a 'squarking' sound when pulling away in first gear.
Today, I noticed a judder feel to the clutch, but was told by the technician that I wasn't applying enough revs to the car. The car is my wifes' and I drive a zafira diesel 99% of the time. On the zafira I can pull away without applying any revs, yet the Yaris just stalls if I do this.
It's been years since I last owned a petrol car and cannot remember if I can drive it the same way asI drive my diesel. Can anyone enlighten me ?
Regards,
John Read more
A quick update.....
Yesterday we picked up the car from the garage and it's now on it's 5th Clutch and hopefully this one will last. We were told it's had a modified clutch plate, cover and bearing installed and Toyota admitted that they had NOT installed this type of clutch before in our car - yet after consulting Toyota Techs they were told they needed to fit the modified parts.
At the moment it's fingers crossed and everything is working fine!!
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Great pic - did the escape chute land on a tree?
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When I lost my wheel bolt locking key for my Astra, I had to produce the reference code from the box together with V5 and id evidence.
Locking wheel bolts are a security feature - security only works if restrictions stop every Tom, Dick & Harry obtaining keys.