April 2008
This is my first post here.
I have a 98 VW Golf estate and I think the wheel baring has gone because I get a humming noise from the back wheels when i'm driving and last time this happened it was the wheel baring.
Unfortunatly I can't afford to have it replaced for another 3 weeks and in that time i'll need to drive 1500 miles (roughly 100 miles a day) to and from work. I'd like to know if its safe to do that because I don't want to wheel to fall off while i'm doing 70mph on the motorway.
Any idvice you can give me would be great. Read more
Just taken delivery of a TS2 spec Mazda 6. I noticed today that dipped headlights are always on when the engine is running or even if the key is in the ignition with the electrics switched on, the only way to switch them off is to select side lights from the stalk. Even though there is an OFF and AUTO option on the stalk the lights cannot be switched off. According to the lease company the Mazda dealer says this is what is supposed to happen, but I am not so sure, and it certainly doesn't state that in the manual.
The AUTO option does not work at all as whether there is bright sunlight or if you are covering the sensor the dipped main lights are on, and I would have thought the OFF selection would have switched them off. Anyone else have this problem, and is this how it is supposed to function? Read more
A bizarre revival of an old thread.
Who would want to start an e-mail conversation with someone who suddenly pops up out of nowhere after eight years?
I have a problem since removing the battery for head gasket change, it would appear that the key and immobiliser unit have de coded themselves. Does anyone have any ideas as to how i can recode them or get the immobiliser off. As it is the car will not start it is just dead when you turn the ignition to start it.
The key fob unlocks the doors, but does not disarm the immobiliser
Had this problem with 306's and found if you turned ignition on before connecting battery then immobiliser disarmed and everything worked as it should.
Is there any quick fix for this one or is it a trip to the dealers. Read more
after searching for this problem, i have found that inside the key fob, the LED that provides the infrared, becomes unsoldered from the circuit board inside the key. this is an easy fix for those with a soldering iron. you will have no more problems with the key as long as the LED is soldered into its original posistion. im shocked that renault have failed to make this info readily available. i have fixed 3 cars with the fabled immobiliser problem. so there is no need to have your security bypasssed which also means losing your remote central locking capability. please feel free to email me if you have any queries iankissarmy79@aol.com
hi everyone,
would be grateful if you could offer some advice
am looking to buy the petrol 1.6 focus. have narrowed it down to the zetec climate but unsure as to whether to go for the 100 or 115 bhp. am i right is saying that the 115 has a cam belt whereas the former has a chain cam and hence will require changing at a later date? how much would this cost? is there any difference in the driving experience between the two cars and any other differences?
thank you for the help
david Read more
My average mpg over this period calculated brim - brim has beem 37. The bestacheived
is 42 the worst 35. >>
These figures are almost identical to SWMBO's 1.6 Focus Chic. Call me a boring old frat, but I think it's a great car.
My old and up to then faithful SEAT Alhambra has finally bitten the dust (£200 for scrap). It did us proud and lasted through 8 years of family abuse. We bought it 2 years old so it didn't owe us anything.
Now I need a replacement - I have to have:
7 seats
I want:
Not to break down on the hard shoulder of the motorway
Not to spend a fortune on running costs - petrol/repairs
I have up to 9 grand to spend but I am open to creative suggestions and would like to spend less if I could reasonably get away with it. It's hard to get excited about this kind of purchase but it would be nice. It can be diesel or petrol and I reckon I would be against anything older than 02 plate and 60K miles.
What do you all think you experts!? Read more
We've got a Mistubishi Grandis 2.0 DID Elegance. It has seven seats, a bit of a boot with all seven seats up, the rear seats fold into the floor, it does 36-40mpg and has apparently the VW / Audi 2.0 turbo diesel engine. 130 or 150 bhp, i can't remember.
Likes
Really easy to use, nice to drive (shame it's not auto), high in-dash gear lever, six speeds, climate, two sunroofs, 10CD stacker and a decent stereo, leather throughout and stands up to kids and the wife's mobility buggy thingy ok. Has cruise, but i never use it. Fairly nippy for a big car. Big LED lights at the back
Dislikes
Some of the leather on the door cards is peeling off, and the driver's arm rest keeps falling. Takes ages to warm up (it is diesel). Er, that's it. No breakdowns at all.
We drove the Warrior at the same time, it's a bit nicer ride, but spec isn't as good - you lose the sunroofs for a DVD player, when you can get a DVD player for £60 in Argos. No satnav, but i have a TomTom that's portable.
Recommended.
My car is 2005 Focus 1.6 tdci.
I find that at mway cruising speeds ( about 70 - 75, since I have 9 points! ) engine noise is low due to high overall gearing.
However road noise is far louder than the engine on most surfaces unless you are on very smooth tarmac. Most seems to come from the rear of the car.
I believe that since the tyres are more than half worn, they are most likely contributing a fair bit, but what I'm wondering is; do aftermarket kits of felt stuff and glue really work on this sort of noise ?
Otherwise I would be sticking the felt stuff in all sorts of difficult to get to places to no avail.
Anybody have any experience of this ? Read more
Re bbd yes it was aimed at OP pity the post is ancient only just noticed as I tend to live in the present. Still it might apply to someone with an old car, I did it myself as a project and it worked a treat.
I tried to do a good deed and allowed to jumpstart their car via my megane 1.9DCI 2003
I dont know al ot about cars, but he connected the correct cables but think one of the cables was not touching the terminal- but instead that little pack that fits ontop of the battery & has wires and metal. He reved his car and mine cut out and came out and displayed a msg 'electrical fault'.
I had to have the car towed home. It is completely dead but lights, cd player, locks all work fine (although a message also at the time stated auto lights fault.
I do not have the cash to take the car to the main dealers and have been told renaults can only be fixed at main dealers.
I am well stressed and have no car.
What could be wrong and what are my options?
any help is appreciated :0(
moved over from Discussion and your duplicated post here deleted. Read more
The French should stick to bicyclettes; they've just no idea when it comes to electrics.....
I think monseur Ampere would disagree
I had a problem yesterday and the recovery driver said that the suspension coil had gone, front offside(the front had collapsed after a bang and smell of burning rubber/blue smoke). Cost me £175 to join AA + Relay, towed 40 miles to home dealer.
Is it normal that a 2005 Vectra should experience this problem?
I am a careful driver (old man of 55), owned the vehicle from new, seem to have regular problems, for example -
July 05 - Car pulls to right - dealer reckons ok - I changed the wheels over, improved.
Oct 06 - returned from 2week holiday - battery dead - AA man, Faulty battery-replaced.
Jun 07 - ditto - battery charged by dealer - reckons battery ok
Sep 07 - brake light on permanent - Wiring Harness replaced under warranty.
Dec 07 - noticed oil patch on drive - dealer replaced steering rack under warranty
Feb 08 - 5 day break - dead batt - dealer reckons fault down to dodgy contact,recharged
Apr 08 - collapsed suspension - 5 day old Bridgestone er300 tyre shredded. Waiting for dealer opening today to see what the total damage/cost will be. AA recovery guy reckons that warranty probably will not cover.
Considered replacing the car in Feb - wished I had done now!
MrB
{year added to subject line, as per 3 separate asked requests} Read more
Agree 100% with sandy.
My Passat estate recently had the N/S rear spring break....
Hello,
I have a 4.7 v8 Jeep Grand Cherokee that as you can imagine is quite thirsty!
I am currently looking into getting a LPG conversion done on it but have a few queries.
(1) I currently only do about 15-20 miles a day during the week and say 60 at the weekend usually. As i understand it the engine needs to get warm before the LPG can be turned on so basically this would not probably make it not worthwhile??
(2) Is there a loss in peformance?
(3) Are there differing types of conversions?
(4) Any other ways of getting better mpg? i.e fuel aditives etc?
Any help/experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Read more
If concerned about the standard of the conversion then fit it youself:
Given that the question was asked in April 2008, hopefully either the OP or someone else already has :-)
I bought my Punto 1.3 SX this morning ( 71,000 mi , £200 ) then went along to get spare keys cut as I normally do when I get a new used car. At the Sainsburys heel bar the woman serving said "thats £25 each for the keys" and explained that the key was chipped. I said I will glue the chiped key under the ignition and have 4 x £5 keys please. She suggested I was a criminal : end of conversation. I already have the car key : get it ?
Anyway I found a kind gentleman who cut 4 x £5 keys and tried them. They open the car but will not start it. I have a need for spare keys as I have only one working ignition key and like anyone else the keys can go missing ...
I googled this issue and something called a "CODE 1" system comes up. See www.keyprogrammers.com/Fiat.html.
I want rid of this thing as the car is worth £200 and I don't think anyone would want it anyway.
What do I have to do to get rid of / bypass this key code system.
Regards
Jim
Read more
Jim where did you see the key for £25, I have a PUNTO bought for my Daughter, one of many, and it has only one Blue key..... I would like a spare, £25 seems OK for some peace of mind.
...
Browse
Yes. And you can tap the new one in, going round and round it, in the same way if you don't have a press. The difficult bit is to get the new ring to engage in the bore. You need to protect the bearing surface while you do that using a wood block or suitable metal drift (the old ring is a bit on the small side). And while you are tapping it in you have to take care not to scratch the bearing surface. But it isn't too difficult and doesn't take for ever.