March 2008
My wife's 02 Fiesta 1.4 Zetec has a worrying and persistent problem.
From time to time it will lose power and put on an engine warning light .If she stops and waits a while and restarts the car it will usually start OK.
This has been looked at several times by our local garage who have hooked it up to Bosch diagnostics and cannot detect a fault .They have even had the local ford dealer check it over.
This is dangerous , for example, if it happened while overtaking and in heavy fast traffic would mean deceleration without any warning signs to those behind.
Any ideas?
petrol or diesel ? Read more
Hi all, I am currently living in France, and still hanging onto my old (1987) Citroen BX Turbo Diesel. Living in the Alps, but it usually performs remarkably well in the cold. This is the second time though this year that we've had a flat battery, first was probably due to extreme cold and that we hadn't given the car a good run for a while. Unfortunately this time lights were left on (wasn't me!).
Tried to jump start it today with jump leads using our VW Caravelle Diesel Turbo, but after many attempts it just wasn't charging. My partner reckons the VW battery not giving enough charge, perhaps as it is diesel - diesel. Could this be right? Would a petrol car have a higher charge?
Excuse my niavety, I am blonde :) but very practical and want to find a solution without having to pay yet another 100 Euros for a guy to turn up with a charger. Or should we buy a battery charger?
Any advice welcome, thank-you.
(subject line amended to include year) Read more
Hi Backroomers, hope someone can help.
I need a replacement steering rack for the MOT, but it has to be with variable power assistance (with power feed to the rack?) Apparently there are plenty around without variable assistance but mine is rare.
My question really is - do I need the variable assistance? (with plug unconnected I assume)
I seem to recall driving cars with 'full time' assistance and found it quite un-nerving, with reduced feel through the wheel.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Mapsimus
Regular reader - Very rare poster. Read more
Just wondering if anybody knows if the lovely little Mazda2 is likely to be made available with an automatic or CVT in the near future.
Also, has anybody managed to persuade their local, friendly, Mazda dealer to let them have one for a 24 hour (or longer) test drive?
Cheers. Read more
I bought this lovely car nearly a year ago and it has now done only 56,000 miles. Since I got it, it has always been sluggish to move off from rest - it seems to be starting off in 2nd gear. If you 'wellie' it it kicks down but gives no more acceleration! If you select 'Low' it really struggles to move. On a recent trip to the Lake District it almost embarrassed me on a very steep incline - it flew up all the hills as long as it didn't have to drop into 'low', then full revs gave me about 1 mph - it felt as if the handbrake was full on. I don't think it's torque converter problems, because the rest of the 'box' seems fine - although I admit to not knowing too much about the mysteries of the auto gearbox. Has anybody any ideas? Read more
Will be of interest to know outcome of your visit to Edinburgh.
Will cross fingers et et for you.
Happy Motoring Phil I
Hello,
Does anyone know where I can buy a BMW Rearview mirror for my 518se tried Ebay etc but can't seem to find any. I googled it as well but no luck. If anyone does know that would be great
Cheers
Harry Read more
Have you tried BMW? They might be able to get hold of BMW parts.
Or how about a breaker's yard?
If the pch over 36 months is no worse than the depreciation aren't you better off with hire?
Or am I missing something? Read more
I did BCH and when I handed the car back after 3 years they went over it with a fine tooth comb and magnifying glass! I am a bit of a geek when it comes to car detailing and the car was immaculate but they tried their best to list every chip and mark. I was lucky and had nothing extra to pay but friends have had bills of several hundred pounds. The biggest problem I found was the inflexibility of the contract especially if you want to do many more miles than contracted as you get charged a higher price per mile.
hi my 1998 s reg windscreen wiper is playing up when i put them on intermittent they just move a few inches .when i put them on at normal speed they work but will not go back to resting place so its a bit of hit and miss i am sure its the motor that needs replaced is it a easy task..any help will be gratfull...also will this make me fail a mot...
You don't need an MoT but your car might ! Year of car inserted in the subject line Read more
Has the same trouble with my Cavalier when new. Faulty wiper relay in fuse box under dash (not sure where it is on a Vectra) replaced under warranty & fixed it straight away.
There have been a few discussions on here regarding SUV type estate cars or hatchbacks, suggesting that they handle and ride like Golfs etc. I cannot see how this can be possible bearing in mind that most are a good deal heavier than an equivalent car with a ground clearance of 8 or 9 inches moving the C of G up accordingly. I understand that they can be relatively comfy, but handling and ride on par with a Golf?
Perhaps somebody who understands vehicle dynamics could explain for me. Read more
Me neither. Hated a friend's Disco. It felt like floating on jelly.
Hey there everyone, ive searched and searched for a problem without having to pay for a mechanic to come and charge me a stupid call out fee just to tell me its something i could of done myself..
The problem started couple of months ago and i haven't driven the car since, my car has a fitted alarm which didn't work when i first got the car but i wasn't too bothered about that as i could replace it for a working one. But one day i got into my car and the alarm started going nuts.. working out of nowhere, now i have the keyfob and rpelaced the battery and the alarm would not turn off. Once the alarm gave up i put hte key in the ignition to no response at all, ive had to unplug the alarm just to have a look at what could be causing the problem, When i turn the ignition the key code comes up then goes off as if its accepted the key, but the engine will not make a noise, all the electrics work, wipers etc, but no reponse form the engine.
I charged my battery up full and tried again but still nothing.
Can any of you guys help me out in what the problem coulf be?
thanks
Gaz Read more
Hey Gaz, am surprised this hasn't had a reply yet and yes I know I am late, but still. This info might help others.
The old Punto's dont have an alarm at all, they only have a factory fitted immobiliser. The issue you are having is with an after-market alarm/immobiliser combo. How do I know? Simple the factory immobiliser still allows the engine to try and fire, it just doesn't start as the immobiliser stops the fuel from actually getting to the engine, your issue is simply the alarm setup, from what you say it's more than likely been wired to the starter motor stopping it from even firing. Best thing you can do is either get someone to service the alarm, find a manual for it or remove it by following all it's leads to find where it hooks in.
Just unplugging the alarm actually makes it worse as you are basically unplugging the engine.
Hope this helps a few people.
Browse
A very confident statement - care to explain exactly how? I've used a few dozen cans in my time and the workshop isn't littered with dead engines......