April 2008
I have a VW Golf Diesel 130,manuel, 22000 gentle miles.
Recently I have noticed an unusual noise from the front wheel ( probably offside) It is quiet and does not happen every time Sometimes it "sounds like " a brake pad sticking on the disc. or imagine while you have stopped a walnut is put under the front tyre and the sound heard is a feint pop as you drive off over it. Whenever it happens ( not all the time) it happens when the car is moving away from stationery in first gear.
Has anyone experienced anything similar or have any opinions as to what it maybe ? Read more
I need to put 2 new tyres on my 2002 Rover 75 2.0 diesel for as little as possible. I do mainly local journeys and cover around 14K miles a year. What tyres do Backroomers suggest? I am looking to spend around £50 a corner and have found several well known brands in my price range, namely Avon, Yokohama, Goodyear, Firestone, Uniroyal, Pirelli or Dunlop. Obviously I'd like something hard-wearing but not too noisy or that gives a hard ride.
Any advice on what to go for or avoid would be appreciated as I know nothing about tyres!! Cheers. Read more
I had Dunlop SP200E's on my Passat when new. I thought they were rubbish, hopeless in the wet. I replaced them with Pirelli P7's and the car's handling and grip in the wet was transformed.
On your list I would go for the Pirellis, make sure they are P7, or the Goodyears.
My mother's car had Dunlops on when new, after a few years a huge bulge came up on one wheel, I replaced all 4 not with Dunlops!
I have a 1993 E-220 estate - petrol with 229,000 miles on the clock. The rear suspension has become very soft & "spongy". The non return valve has been changed but the problem remains.
I think the answer maybe to fit conventional shock absorbers ?
Has anyone any ideas or advice please.
Dw(wos)
{Volume lowered, ie got rid of the SHOUTING!} Read more
Dear number cruncher,
Many thanks for your tip. I will try it and see what happens.
I have a small problem on Ford Fiesta mk4: the cabin fan is not working at positions 1 and 3, it works on 2 and 4.
I heard that that is a common problem - that the resistors burn out. Where are they, how can I find them?
Thanks. Read more
Hi,
I have just recently purchased a Rover 400 (1600 petrol).
When I apply the brakes they function correctly. However, when I release the brake pedal and re-apply immediately (at slow speeds), the ABS seems to become active i.e. I get a juddering from the brake pedal. It does not seem to do this when I first appy the brakes, but only only the second attempt.
The ABS light on the dash is not illuminated.
Any suggestions to resolve this annoying little problem.
King Regards.
Anthony Read more
Thank you for the prompt reply.
Kind Regards.
I fix and repair computers for a living as well as all the usual network/software stuff. There are certain jobs I dread as I either cannot make much money out of, or is more trouble than its worth.
Is their any cars like this? I can imagine the Citroen XM/Renault Safrane are quite dreaded.
Equally what jobs do you love doing and can make a lot of money out of? I love working in big houses as they usually have lots of computers all need looking at but not much wrong with them etc. Read more
Good grief, thats a lot to fix a Ford. What was wrong with it?
Hello,
We have just purchased a 2003 Vauxhall Astra 1.6 Dual Fuel
Unfortunately we have no documentation for the use of the LPG, and seeing as we bought it as a reposession, we couldn't ask the previous owner for a demonstration.
Does anyone know if there is a manual or idiots' guide out there on the web?
Or is there any kind soul who could explain how it all works!
I know how to fill 'em up OK, but the finer points of the Vauxhall Dual Fuel is the gap in the knowledge.
There is a switch to swap between petrol & LPG - does the LPG kick in straight away, or is it after a delay?
Also how does the fuel gauge work? Allegedly it reads both petrol & gas on the same dial but I cannot fathom how. Have had a fiddle with it, switching doesn't do anything to the gauge, and the switch itself starts flashing - what's occuring???
(Yes, I know we should really have thought about it BEFORE parting with money, but when you are getting it at half the forecourt price you have to take a flyer sometimes!!)
Thanks in advance,
POG xxx Read more
A couple of oil companies made about £7billion profit in first quarter of this year - that's about £28 billion per year. That's a lot, thinks I on hearing it being discussed on radio news but at least only a small proportion comes from petrol and diesel sales; at least these companies do the exploration, the drilling, refining, distribution, and the oil is turned into a multitude of different products etc., etc and they are huge companies who employ thousands and pay dividends to shareholders (including my pension fund I hope).
And then someone pointed out that the Gov made £25 billion from fuel tax last year (on much lower prices) and would make a nice little bonus on the increased prices this year for doing nothing except collecting the tax - and I wondered - who is ripping off who? Are the oil companies ripping us off? Or is it someone else? And then I started thinking of what I get for all this tax, especially since I am I am lucky enough not to have been to the doctors for a few years.................and then I got home and had a glass of wine and a little cigar which cheered me up a bit (especially since I bought them in France at about £7 for 5 litres and 6 euros for 20 cigars - less than half the price here).
Sorry to burden you with my rambling - but it gets it off my chest which is more than the cigars do!
Read more
"I don't know why they sold. They made a decent profit first quarter this year, anyway."
The reason the oil companies are selling these areas of the business is due to events such as EXXON Valdiz. After that, the industry started to to sell off risky parts of the business such as shipping so that they don't get the bad P.R. when a disaster occurs and so that the smaller company would fold because it has no brand it is disposable. It is much better for Shell, BP etc... to be a customer than the polluter. Of course, a bit of digging will show that the same families own these smaller companies as the oil companies.
Mk1 Golf 1.5 Cab - parked in a garage in a fully running condition. Left for four years. Engine now seized. Nothing has been done to it since it came out of the garage.
What do you suggest, BRs?
Car has 86k, FVSH, sound hood, one wing to be painted and I've bought it for £300! Read more
If its had water leaked into it that's a different ball game, the rings would have rusted to the bores. Oil and gentle persuasion would be the key. Perhaps a socket on the crankshaft pully bolt with a l-o-n-g bar.
is this just a Segway with a seat and just as daft?
uk.gizmodo.com/2008/04/27/uno_motorbike_brilliant_...l Read more
At least with a Segway you can just step off it.
A solution in search of a problem, IMHO, but as a method of obtaining some publicity, it seems effective...
Browse
Hello! I had a similar problem with my 115 TDI 160000 hard miles! have the Aux belt tensioner checked. i ended up replacing the tensioner and belt, but then mine has done considerably more miles than yours!! hopefully this helps.