February 2008
Has anyone any opinions on the best make, age and place to buy a small car to buy in terms of price and overall running costs. eg. petrol, insurance, tax, devaluation, reliability. I probably aim to travel only 6000 miles/yr
The main factor is least Hazzle. I originally looked at Toyota Yaris and Honda Jazz, these have a good reliability record and I have a Toyota garage nearby, unfortunately there are few genuine private sales out there and the dealers ask for top prices. I took a trip to Trade Sales in Slough, there are plenty of them and very cheap but of course one cannot take a test drive or even start the engine!
Perhaps I should extend my look to traditionally less reliable makes such as the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa, since at least there should be some private sales.
Originally I was looking for a 1 year old vehicle so it was still in warranty and quite a bit of devaluation had come off, however perhaps warranty isn't important nowadays since cars are far more reliable than they used to be so a 4 to 5 year old might be best value? Read more
where is the diagnostic socket on my rover 75 on 05 reg,any help appreciated.
{Subject header edited to make less vague, AND to include the year, as per the requests that you obviously haven't spotted!} Read more
Indeed!
This site ain't bad either!
forums.mg-rover.org/forumdisplay.php?f=90
Any advice for this one?!
The instrument lights went out very suddenly this evening, that is the dashboard lighting and all the lighting for the radio, auto gearbox selection etc....
I've looked up the fuses and decided it was Fuse 31, 7.5 amps. Changed the fuse, even though it looked fine. Checked all the other 7.5 amp fuses, they are all ok too.
Any ideas if there is anything else I need to check or a different fuse?
Its very dark driving with no interior illumination!! (well, at night, anyway!)
Thanks! Read more
Same problem on my 1998 2.0L GLX. All sidelights were out, though the parking position worked fine. I'd guessed it might be the switch but was not sure, and then discovered this excellent thread.
Much the same cause, except there was no sign of any burning on the connectors. But what I did notice, on exactly the same red wire connection (in the green block) that everyone else mentions here, was the connector leaves were badly splayed, so it was not going to grip the pin pushing into it. No doubt another symptom of getting a bit hot. So I carefully closed the connector to a sensible gap again, using a very small watchmakers screwdriver. But note it's important to not accidentally short the connector to ground when you do this, else you will blow a fuse! (Unless of course you've been ultra-good and disconnected the battery - which I could not be bothered with).
After which I was rewarded with that very heartening little warning ping!
AARGH! Help! My brain hurts! Can't decide between these two SUVs. Love the interior of the Honda, very comfortable and good to drive. Diesel much quieter than Rav4. But Rav exterior styling is a lot more pleasing to the eye. And the XTR is an amazingly well equipped vehicle for the money. My wife says the Honda has a more user friendly gear change, she doesn't like the long throw of the Rav. We have test driven both petrols and diesels, and performance is similar like for like. Now need divine intervention to help make a decision before my head explodes!!!!
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Still some old (2007 model) X-trails @ Motorpoint - £13K for a brand new / old model car - about £10K less than the price of a new new CRV or RAV4.
£10K saved what could you do with that?
hi ive got a zafira 2.dti 52 reg run realy well easy to start but garage told me it needed new glow plus so let them fit them now car is hard to start in the morning and run lumpy for a few minuits can any one help have had codes read and it comes up with no faults have taken back to garage and was told there nothing wrong and that all zafiras are like this
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i have just been told that i need a new pump, glow plugs, injector seals, something called a handyman valve and something else to get my zafira going. mechanic estimated £2500 for parts alone. this is maybe more than my car is worth. think i will sell it for breaking. body and interior very good so might get a few hundred quid
hi, im new to this forum and i must say its very informative and the responses are very quick , i would like some pointers as to where i could enrol in auto electrician courses or similar in the Nottingham area , i tried the open university web site looking for a correspondence course but i dont think they cater for such things, or does a dvd home mechanics tutorial exist? thankyou Read more
Hello there mate...
I know it's been awhile since this post, However, I'm really interested on your out come... Did you find anything positive to take your knowledge in 'auto diagnostics further?...
Really weird!! If I touch the accelerator before turning the ignition the starter will turn the engine over but the engine will not fire. However, the slightest "bump start" will get it going. My local garage and the AA have not solved the problem. Any ideas out there?
Engine/Year detail added - obviously three visual prompts asking to provide the info is too hard to see..... Read more
I have had my micra for over a year now with no problems till a month ago, when I came to start it up, the engine would not turn over so I called out the RAC they got me started after a while and told me to get new spark plugs which I did the same day. The next day it would not start again so I phoned a mobile mechanic he got me started and charged me £30 but the next day it would not start again so I went and bought a set of bosch spark plugs the car started straight away its been great the last 2 weeks but went to start up again this morning and again the engine wont turn over. Can anyone help?
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Hi All,
I'm wondering what experience people have of Chinese engines, both in motorbikes and as static engines in industrial, plant or agricultural machinery.
There seems to be quite a few Chinese engines out there, such as Lifan, Kinlon, Shineray, Zongshen, but there seems to be hundreds of other names too.
Then there are the copies / clones of Honda by companies like Loncin amongst others. They all seem very cheap to buy in comparison to 'the real thing', whether on a bike or bolted to a wacker plate.
Are they up to the same or similar standards of reliability or refinement of engines from the known European or Japanese manufacturers?
Would you replace a Honda engine on your cement mixer or rotivator with a Chinese clone when the 'real thing' costs more than twice the price of the clone?
Would you consider a motorbike with a Chinese engine?
I suppose this will be more of a decision when the Chinese actively export their own cars over here.
Simon Read more
Have run a chinese Furzou engine in my boat for the past three years with no problems It is a 1600 twin diesel imported in the early 90s together with many more It has now done 2500 hrs Have come across 3 others with this engine installed at about the same time as mine but done alot more hours [ one was 7000] Itis very basic in design but is big and solidand puts out 26hp
Been used for 15yrs now so cant be too bad
I'm after a bit of advice or recommendations.
I need an estate/ 4x4 with a large boot. The boot needs to be relatively square.
I'm replacing my unreliable Focus estate, which is fab in terms of boot space - not so big as many others, but a really practical shape - no wheel arches bending in and quite a square opening.
I have a dog crate to fit in the boot and while I know it will have to be altered to fit in the back of a different model, I don't want to lose too much space for the dogs.
I've tried a Mondeo, Accord and Mazda 6 - all have bigger bootsby total volume, but the crate will not fit in any because either the roof is too low or there are wheel arches in the way limiting the minimum width or, in the Mondeo's case, the boot curves to the tailgate, meaning the opening is narrower than the Focus - so the crate's maximum width will have to be reduced to get it past the curvature.
Any suggestions - I'm getting desperate now - I'm loathe to get a bigger car and have less room for the dogs.
Many thanks in advance... Read more
Local dog walker uses a citroen berlingo multispace - fits a variety of dog cages.
As other posters have reported well, even the brilliance of the 6 cylinder diesel engine is not enough to compensate for the twitchiness of the 3 series on the run flats. I drove a 325d Sport last weekend. Loved the engine, should be labelled entertainment, but felt as if we were in a cross wind the whole time with minor steering adjustment being constantly required.
I previously tried the new C Class. The 220 diesel sounded like a tractor in the cabin at idle. The 200K was quieter but both were too soft and soggy for my taste, and the steering was light and wooly. The ancient 5 speed auto available is a real disappointment for someone coming out of the Tiptronic era.
I?m trying the new A4 this weekend. I wonder if the 2.7 Multitronic (I?m strictly a two pedal guy) might be the compromise for me ? between the skate-like BMW and the four poster Merc.
However, I?ve read nasty reports about the longevity of the Multitronic auto box. I know Audi claim to have beefed it up recently (not before time) and it?s too early to tell if that has improved the reliability.
It would be useful to hear the full story of this upgrade if anyone knows it.
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My 04 Audi with Multitronic has had a failure and Audi wants £4500 to replace it. Failed in the first 40k miles but outside of warranty.
Lots of others have had similar experiences with such early failures.
Perhaps the new ones are better?
My common advice is:
(1) Make sure you get a 7 plate clutch - the 5 plate ones are the cause of the juttering (had mine changed under warranty)
(2) Have your gearbox oil changed every 40k miles -- it's in the service book, but often gets forgotten. Someone else recommended changing it every 20k which i may start doing as these gearboxes seem notorious for failures
(3) If your PRNDS light is flashing, it may just be the switch on the transmission which costs £1000 instead of £4500 for a whole new gearbox. Specialist multitronic garages will be cheaper than main audi dealers but make sure you go to a specialist as multitronics are very complex...
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Hyundai Getz? Cheap even when new.
SWMBO is still very pleased after owning hers for 10 months.