February 2008

motorprop


This car has a screen displaying navigation / radio settings . It works well, but just now it has started to play up : After initially being well lit as usual at the start of each drive, the screen becomes blank after about 5 minutes, though the radio continues to operate normally, channels can be changed etc. It then comes on sporadically . This sounds like an obvious loose contact , but where is it ? When blank, looked on from a certain angle , you can see the display faintly , but there is obviously a fault that has just manifested itself .

any advice gratefully considered - also , Mitsubishi want about £125 for an updated Navteq navigation disc , with the original being a 2000 vintage . I do have a portable sat nav , but the built - in one is more reliable . Navteq refers you to the dealers . That is too much IMHO to pay for a mapped CD . Any ideas of where to get it cheaper ? Read more

adam f

After 4 years of pretty much driving "bangers" i am thinking of getting a renault megane. The one i looked at, at the renault garage is a 1.4 3dr extreme. Pretty much an entry level car, but does have e/windows and cd player (yipee). Its done 20k with a tidy body. Has anyone driven/owned/experienced this car. any views - good or bad Read more

bathtub tom

Naturally aspirated (although I believe this still leaves more than one option).
The fuel pump is mounted on the front RH (drivers) side, if this helps!

I got fed up today with the absolute lack of performance of this heap I'm obliged to drive. I was sure its lack of performance was due to a slack throttle cable, and managed to prise off the plastic engine cover. I removed the 'hairclip' from the pump end of the throttle cable, got a colleague to hold the accelerator pedal fully down, and pulled the cable to get full movement at the pump. I replaced the 'hairclip', released the cable, and colleague released the accelerator pedal.

The result is now the revs max out at over 5K instead of about 4200, and it has enough acceleration to pull out into unrestricted roads with more confidence. I reckon it's now got about twice as much throttle movement.

Is this the correct adjustment procedure, and out of curiosity, can anyone tell me what the other bowden cable going to the pump below the throttle cable is for? Read more

Screwloose

Tom

It's certainly one way to set it.

The other cable is probably the warm-up fast idle.

paitonboy

I have been reading various reports that the EGS autobox on the C5 Grand Picasso is very bad when manoeuvring in and out of parking spaces. Has anyone had experience of this and, if so, did they approach Citroen with the problem.

If this is indeed the case then I will abandon the idea of buying this car and look for another 6/7 seater MPV with a better autobox. Anyone have any suggestions on this front? Must be reliable. Read more

gordonbennet

Its literally only just become available in the last few weeks, i've seen it on the 'lounge' model, and its supposed to be available as an option on the others too, it does pull away nice and smoothly unlike the auto/manual thingy.

Would the hyundai mpv be considerable for you (can't think of the name at the mo, memory's going to the dogs), its a big un. (found it, trajet).

Smaller alternative, Kia carens.

I'm surprised at there being bad reports on previa boxes, however i know very little about the new previa, but the box on the old model was a gem, mind you the previa's the size of a small bungalow.

Bumble

I am considering trading in my one year old automatic car for a cheaper manual car about 2 years old.

The price difference is probably going to be between £1000 and £1500.

Will a main dealer permit a transaction like this? It would mean giving me the manual car plus giving me money back.

Does anybody know if a dealer would entertain this scenario?

Many thanks Read more

nick1975

My comment was really aimed at the OPs statement that


"The price difference is probably going to be between £1000 and £1500."

I just cant see a dealer doing this for this kind of sum

garelang

I am in the process of buying an Audi A3 Sportback. My big question is new or nearly new?

Buying second hand from a dealer seems very expensive compared to buying a new one from a broker. I have been looking at an 18 month old, 17k on the clock for £19000. I can buy a similarly speced one new for £21,500.

My other question is can these brokers be trusted? Will I be waiting 6 months for the car and get it in the wrong colour? Is the best option to go to the dealer with an internet price to get them to match it? Would Audi even consider this: my experience so far with them is that they don?t seem particularly interested in my business!

This is my first car purchase and I am baffled, please help

Read more

Jonathan {p}

This might work!

snipurl.com/20g76

henry k

The well known seat belt warning - 4 x flashes, pause, 4 x flashes has returned.
IIRC it is often a connector, under a front seat, making poor contact,
Before I start the contortion act can anyone advise me, is there more than one connection and if so which one should I concentrate on.

( A. N. Other moved the drivers seat at a tyre fitting site an I suspect this triggered it) Read more

henry k

Thanks. I will report back

kaputa

I bought a 316 SE auto (V Reg) few months ago. It has a full service history.(Stamped service record book only, no bills) I am concerned re fuel consumption.It does only about 23mpg with no city driving involved. I did a motorway run of 300 miles which averaged about 30 mpg. Could anyone please tell me if this is about right? If not what could be the problem? (I do drive sensibly) Read more

independantmillionaire

Your heading states 1.9ltr but your text states a 316 which is actually 1.7 ltr. I would say a 1.7 is a bit small for an auto. My friends' 1.9ltr manual does 32mpg and 36mpg under these conditions.

Have you checked out the gearbox and drive for age and drag problems? You did check the gearbox level?

If you live in a city 23mpg might not be bad for a low power auto.

Just a few thoughts.

henry k

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7251333.stm

Read more

tack

I have some sympathy with the council. Some streets looked damned awful with broken walls, cracked paving, carelessly laid gravel by people who won't or cannot afford to pay for a dropped kerb. Before anyone bites my head off, it is all about living in a more pleasant envionment.

Where I live, there are lots of grass verges between the pavement and kerbstone with signs asking drivers not to park on them. Needles to say, they get parked on, churned up, ridged etc and just spoil what could be a very nice looking road.

It just says a lot about the selfish me, me, me people who consider most things a right when, in fact, they may only be a privilege.

renailt

Car sounds fine, pulls well and never stalls. But when I slow down and then try to speed up again, it bunnyhops violently. Touchthe clutch and it stops messing about.
I have seen a similar thread (see below), but don't know where the vacuum hose is - anyone help?


"Try the cheapest option first.....Remove and examine the rubber vacuum hose from the inlet manifold to the MAP sensor on the bulkhead. Check for splits that may only show up when you bend the hose.

I've had two of these to replace on Megane's. This pipe is quite stiff and short, at certain engine positions the split would open and ruin the MAP input/mixture.

It was happening the most when you were drifting through town at low revs and then tried to pull away, you know how that makes the engine rock on the mounts. Once you had reached a cruising speed the split stayed closed and all was well." MM Read more