February 2008
I bought a new Jazz 1.4 SE cvt auto. The car does good 40mpg fuel economy around town but I'm not so happy with the firm ride.
Even driving slowly on say block paved streets, there is noticable vibration through the steering and seat.
I don't have a problem with the ride with other cars like 2001 Polo, Touran, 98 Civc and A150 (15" wheels)
The Jazz is fitted with standard fit 15" alloys with Bridgestone RE040 185/55 15" H rated tyres, and I've read this combination can make the ride worse. I understand the Jazz rides better on 14" wheels.
Can anyone advise if changing the Bridgestones for a different make of tyre will make any real difference in reducing the firmness (and harshness) of the car's ride, or would I be simply wasting my money? I'm considering Michelin Energy tyres as Costco can do a good price on them.
b Read more
A little advice needed please. I bought the Go 520 about 3 weeks ago and in general have been very pleased with it. However I am experiencing a recurring problem with it, in that when I turn the unit off it will often turn itself back on again after a few minutes.
It did it to me 4 times tonight when I got home before it finally decided to stay off. Sometimes it comes back on after 20-30 seconds, sometimes a few minutes, and sometimes it turns off OK first time...
I have spoken to Halfords Direct where I bought it from (£159.99) and they suggested I may be accidentally knocking the switch to turn it back on again, which is definately not the case- how can you accidentally knock it to turn it on when you have to press and hold for several seconds?
Does anybody else have any experience of this problem. Am I being completely stupid and missing something? Or does it need to go back?
Thanks in advance.
Nick Read more
Hi Guys
Can someone please help me, I've just purchased a second hand Tomtom Go 500 and it was working ok but now I cannot get any display image.
I'd be grateful for any help, thanks
Regards
cheekysheepy
Today I went along to a showroom near Dublin and I sat in the driving seat of the new Ford Mondeo for the first time. Wow,that car truly is quality!! The driving seat is so comfortable and all the knobs seem to be in the right place. The car seems extremely well put together and the dashboard materials etc seemed to be of a high standard. I also sat in the middle seat in the rear. It seemed comfortable. They always nowadays put a folded up armrest for the back of the middle rear seat; but the one in the Mondeo is comfortable. The back seat as a whole is extremely comfortable though. Nice flat floor in the middle of the rear. I quite often carry five people in my car for reasonably long trips. My wife was with me and we were both extremely impressed with the car. We both like the metal rather than the wood for trimmings. I would rather have the softer Ghia suspension though. I would probably be forced to have the wood though. It would be alright if it is dark enough.Such a fantastic car at a reasonable price even in Dublin. I can't wait to test drive the Mondeo. I would definitely go for the 2.0 litre diesel 140 bhp. It would have to be manual, as I read the automatic has to be 130 bhp and it is much higher in CO2s and is slower and uses more fuel.I read all that!! ( If it was Mercedes I would definitely go for automatic).
In Dublin the Ghia Mondeo saloon manual 2.0 TDCi 140 bhp is 37,725 euros. The 2.5i TitaniumX 220 bhp manual is 43,025 euros. Read more
John F.
Very interesting fact about your Audi! I think the new Polo is actually larger than the orrigional VW Golf. I have actually read that fact.
As regards to Fords, I really think it would be great if they brought back a retro model of the old Angia with the funny sloping back window. That used to look quite cute. I know Ford don't have the money; but they are now certainly doing well with the new Mondeo sales and particularly smaller Fords.
Could someone please advise me whether it is difficult to change the fuel sender on these cars. Does the tank need to be removed to do this?
thanks
{year and engine details found via a forum search and added to the subject header. Please remember to include these yourself. Also please remember it is a lot easier for us to delete than edit - ::points to the 2 separate sticky posts at the top of the page::} Read more
just as i was hoping, thanks
I have seen a few roomers querying the risk (or otherwise) of accepting cheques/drafts for car sales.
I quote below the new rules which came into force in November last year: Mind you, I still wouldn't accept one, even taking para three into account.
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The UK banking industry has announced the start date for changes to cheque clearing processes.
The changes, known as 2-4-6, are a major development that will benefit anyone who accepts a cheque, banker?s draft or building society cheque. The changes will apply on all cheques paid in to major banks and building societies in the UK with effect from Friday 30 November.
For the first time, after paying in a cheque, customers can be sure that at the end of six working days, the money has safely cleared and they are protected from any loss if that cheque should subsequently bounce.
The changes set maximum timescales for the day that customers can expect to earn interest, or when the balance on which overdraft interest is charged is reduced. This will be no later than two working days after paying in a cheque.
Customers will be able to withdraw money no later than four working days after paying in a cheque under the new maximum timescales. Banks and building societies will still compete to offer services that beat these guaranteed limits.
Certainty and clarity
In research commissioned by the Cheque and Credit Clearing Company, less than a quarter of cheque users surveyed knew the correct timescales for cheque clearing, and more than half were worried about accepting cheques for fear they may bounce.
The 2-4-6 changes address these uncertainties, and provide guaranteed maximum time limits on cheque clearing to help businesses and personal customers decide how best to manage the cheque payments they receive.
Angela Thomas, Cheque and Credit Clearing Company Managing Director, said, ?Although cheque use has fallen over the last few years, cheques remain important for certain customers in certain situations. Whether it?s a small business or someone selling a car, there are many occasions where cheques still get handed over. These changes will really benefit anyone paying in a cheque, offering them certainty and clarity on when the money has cleared and giving real peace of mind.?
Despite the positive change, the industry continues to remind customers to be wary of accepting cheques if they don?t know or trust the person offering them the cheque. Other options include CHAPS or making an online or phone payment.
Downloadable advice guides
Any customer who is uncertain about clearing timescales for a particular cheque should check with their bank or building society.
The Cheque and Credit Clearing Company and APACS have issued downloadable advice guides and a range of information for personal and business customers, available free from their websites, to explain the changes.
These changes cover cheques, bankers? drafts and building society cheques drawn on and paid into a UK current or basic bank account. For saving accounts the maximum time limit for withdrawal is longer, six days instead of four.
Basic bank account holders are likely to be able to withdraw cash more quickly than before as a result of these changes. Small businesses will benefit from the certainty of funds for managing their cash flow, and for deciding when to release goods and services that are paid for by cheque.
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A CHAPS transfer costs £25-35, as you say, but it has to be initiated from the account-holder's bank - now in the town we have no HSBC, for example, so if I sold a car to an HSBC acct holder, we'd have to drive six miles to the nearest one. Not a huge deal, but it could be much more in more rural parts.
Most people use a local branch, so the facility to go into their branch and do the whole thing off the card would be good. A debit card transaction is PIN protected, and not very easy to reverse, as the transaction process checks the availability of funds, and earmarks them for the specific transaction.
Any ideas on this one please.
Renault Espace 2.2 DTi The Race, 2002 (02 reg).
On the motorway the other day, noticed a bit of smoke, thought due to lack of use over the last few weeks it may just need a blast. got upto 70mph, tried to overtake and accelerated to 80, it all went wrong from there. Started to loose power, slowing involuntarily, pulled over to the hard shoulder, loads of smoke, engine running rough, like a missfire. Switched it off check all fluid levels and engine temp... all ok! started up and idle is rough, maybe running on 3 cylinders, smoke from exhaust, put your foot on the accelerator and it struggles to pick up, really struggles, when it does pick up the miss fire clears (or so it seems) but it smokes like hell. Absolute loss of power, had to limp it off the motorway.
In short, no power, poor idle, missfire and shed loads of smoke. HELP.
Any suggestions, other than a box of matches and a gallon of petrol greatfully received.
Thanks
Chris
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Faulty or blocked EGR valves are very common on these. Often they fall to bits inside too.
Remove the plug and the three 10mm screws. Remove the EGR valve, and check that it is in one piece. If it is then clean it with carburettor cleaner and a brush. This is quite a messy job, but when it is clean and the valve opens and closes freely put it back in and re-connect it. Power should now be restored to normal.
If it is in bits then fish out the broken parts with a magnet. Do not start the engine until you have done so. Once you are sure that all the parts are out of the manifold re-fit the EGR valve turned 180 degrees from the correct position. Only two of the screw holes will now line up, and you will not be able to connect the plug as it will be facing the wrong way. This will cause the engine management lamp to be on as the ECU now sees a fault, but you can drive like this quite normally as a temporary get-you-home until you can get a new EGR valve........
Hi all,
Just a quick update on my 2 year costs (since purchase)for my Audi 80 2.0 L reg. One question, looking at the costs do you think this is in Bangernomics territory. I terribly hope so!
Start mileage 107051
Distributor £75.00 108000
Front Tyres £90.00 110500
Front Bushes £20.00 112150
MOT £40.00 114110
Front Discs + Pads £45.00 114500
Oil Change £10.00 117000
Air Filter £10.00 117000
Headlight Bulbs £10.00 117000
Battery £25.00 118000
Timing Belt £80.00 120000
Fuel Pump £60.00 120500
Rear Tyres £90.00 120650
Door Lock £25.00 121300
Rear WB £25.00 121800
Exhaust £128.00 125000
MOT £40.00 126000
Front Tyres £90.00 127450
Oil Change £10.00 129000
Oil Change £10.00 135000
Rear Tyres £35.00 137000
Front Tyres £75.00 141000
Fan Switch £5.00 144450
Coolant Change £10.00 144450
Thhings to note are;
Car cost me 450 pound to buy (Dec 2005)
Mileage is now around 148000
I do 20k per year (fuel has worked out at 5k for 2 years) at 30 -35 mpg
Car insurance has cost 700 pound for two years
Cat tax has cost 400 pound for two years
Things outsatnding on car
Slightly unlucky with door lock going both within space of a month, still they wont need changing for a while
Original clutch, hope to get to 200k on this one before replacement
Needs a oil change soon
Could benefit from some spark plugs
Brake fluid renewal
SO do you guys think this is a cash pit or quite reasonable? Just wanted another opioion really. All guys at work are into their new cars and I seems to like the older motors more.
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TO - just had a look at the pics of your car - very nice, I always thought that red was the best colour for an Audi, looks like its still got a great shine to it.
Take care of it, I look forward to your 4 year update!
Just read that Hot rod king Boyd Coddington has died at the early age of 63. Great loss to the Hot rod community. Read more
Ditto zookeepers comments.
Always enjoyed watching American Hotrod on the Discovery channels. I must admit to prefering the older series though with Bluebear, Mike Curtis, Charlie, and not forgetting Roy, than the newer series shown more recently.
RIP Boyd.
Robbers raid bar only to find 50 bikers having a meeting - with the inevitable result
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7268653.stm
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For anyone who enjoyed life on mars, you might like ashes to ashes. looks like the star for this series will be the Audi Quatro:
www.bbc.co.uk/drama/ashestoashes/gallery/ashestoas...4
I reckon the Quattro will end up on ebay once the series is over, anyone want to take a guess now at how much it will go for?
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The easiest way to tell the Quattro apart from the Coupe visually is to look at the front wings and rear quarter panels. On the Quattro there's a prominent horizontal line that runs along the front wing and the rear quarter panel, about 4" above the top of the arch, with a marked outward flaring of the arch below this line.
If you stand at front or rear quarter view and look along the side of the car, there's a marked "hourglass" effect where the arches bulge out in front and behind the door, with the door itself being standard body width. These are not bolt on arch extensions, but are the shape of the panels themselves.
It gives the car one of the finest rear quarter views ever in my opinion.
And while looking for examples on Google, I came across this. Heartbreaking.
www.infinicar.com/parts/cars/djf944y/index.htm
Cheers
DP
Browse
I have a 54 plate Jazz CVT.
The front Yokohama Aspec original tyres lasted 15222 miles.
The rears still have 5mm tread at 34130 miles.
The fronts were replaced with fateO AR 35 Advance 175/65/14s and I will replace them in the next few miles-so 19K as opposed to 15k on Yokohamas.
I had fateOs on a K-reg Astra auto which would not wear out!-so got them for the Jazz.
They came from a local independent-£34.50 each, inc. new valve & balance.
Their tread wear rating is 320-I don't notice any reduction in grip.
As for ride quality,low profiles seem to make all cars worse (various HJ test drives).
Personally, I don't think the Jazz rides worse than a Focus-wich is longer, wider, more expensive,lousy auto box, and no more luggage or passenger space.