April 2008
"Dear Sir
I see from the recent discussions within the Government that those who suffer as a result of tax changes in the budget are to be compensated (withdrawal of 10p tax rate).
The rises in fuel duty and car tax, which have been far above inflation, have cause my wife and I great hardship. We both work and both have to run cars to get to work, by working we contribute income tax and national insurance to the government. I fear that the elevated level of fuel prices and car tax will mean it is no longer financially viable for us to run cars. The location of our places of work mean that public transport is not a viable option (I cannot get to work on public transport unless I leave the night before which is clearly ridiculous and there is no public transport to my wife's place of work). I believe that we will soon have no option but to stop working and begin to claim benefits.
Are those who are suffering as a result of the rises in fuel and vehicle taxes going to be compensated in the same way as those who suffer as a result of the withdrawal of the 10p tax rate or is this compensation simply a measure to retain votes in certain other labour constituencies?
I would like you to take action to ensure that this imbalance is redressed and would like you to know that at the next election my vote will go to the party who offer the policies which are tailored to minimise the costs I incur getting to and from work."
Of course we all know the answer! And unfortunately I do have a labour MP.
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Have recently been blighted with the following problem. When operating central locking via the remote the car locks first lock then immediately unlock - this happens every time I try via the remote. If I try to use lock by using the key in the drivers door then the same thing happens - doors lock then immediately unlock.
The only way I can lock the car is by inserting the key in the passenger side door - this then locks all doors.
I can then unlock all the doors with the remote (except the passenger side door which needs to be unlocked by the driver from the inside.
Have tried WD40 in all the locks but still problemmatic. Could it be the driver side door latch or the passenger side door latch - or does the problem lie elsewhere.
Any tips or diagnostics greatly appreciated. Read more
I'm having a similar problem, although I can only lock my car manually with the key on the driver's side. This points towards a faulty driver's door motor, so in your case it might point towards a faulty passenger door motor. I've not had chance to get a new motor yet, so I can't confirm the fix.
See my thread here : www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=4&t=61...6
This is a good way of testing all the door sensors and the remote (credit to the original poster) :
Central Locking Test Function:
1. Open any door, keys out of ignition
2. Press the switch in the door frame part of the lock (the one that controls the interior light etc.) 6 times within 4 seconds
The result is a car that (until left alone for a minute) will flash both indicator lights each time any door or the boot is opened and it should also flash if you press any key on the remote.
If this doesnt happen with all doors, it could be a faulty switch or loom.
If it doesnt happen with the remote, it could be a faulty remote.
This function also reboots the central locking module, so it could cure the problem too.
My father's planning on spending 16k or so on a hybrid. Which one would you recommend? Will it feel extremely different to his 3 series?
Cheers guys Read more
If this was for driving in town - in London - then no question - 90% of Civic hybrids get sold there.
The list price for the Civic hybrid is around £18000, for that you can get a 1 series 118d with delivery miles - which is as economical and a much better all round car, or at a push a s/h 320/520d, or a golf bluemotion, or a mini cooper D (106g/km CO2), etc, etc.
The Civic CVT is a very, very dull car to drive - with little or no involvement (it gets to 30mph very nicely) - and it's not at all good to drive on country roads (those big batteries). For some reason Honda put the package together in the Japanese civic instead of the Swindon car - mistake.
If you're 65+ then it's the dogs'.
;-)
Had this car 2 years now and aside from general wear and tear issues and surviving collapsing cambelt tensioners, not spent much time under the bonnet and can't complain... however...! Yesterday on the way home from work after about 4 or 5 miles and (possibly coincidentally) having just overtaken another vehicle, I felt the car briefly hesitate. It was quite a sharp little jerk, one of those heart sink moments. This happened three times at speeds between 40-60mph in 5th, over a period of a couple of minutes, with a stop at roadworks traffic lights in between, and at the time I was driving on an incline. The rest of the journey (15 miles or so) was fine, and again it didn't happen this morning. Then on the way home today, same journey, but about 15 miles in this time, again on an incline, it happened again. This time the feeling of hesitation was less sharp but slightly more prolonged, perhaps lasting as much as a second and much more lumpy, as if the engine wanted to pack in. Sorry to draw that out but I'm trying to be as clear as possible in order that somebody may have some idea about the first ports of call on this one!
Car was fully serviced about 3k miles ago, has done 110k and the only other issue I can think of is slightly lumpy idling when starting from cold, which my mechanic suggests may be coolant temperature sensor related. Thanks in advance for any ideas! Read more
OK, thanks for the tip. I did have a peep into the window left by the removed leads when I saw the orange residue, and it all looked remarkable shiny and clean, but I will take the top off and have and get the plugs out when I get the chance. Now that I know it's just the two left hand leads affected I may consider investing in originals. The new ones are rather annoyingly a little bit longer than the originals and so don't sit together as neatly as they should.
Thanks again!
I have a 1990 205 1.9 gti which idles at 2000rpm and eventually idles normally after 20 minutes.
It also momentarily looses power when i acclerate after i go round a bend in the road but picks up power after a couple or seconds.
The temp warning light comes on when the gauge gets to about half way.
It also kangaroos at random when i`m driving along.
Please help.
{Volume turned down - ie, changed the text so you're no longer SHOUTING at us} Read more
Many Thanks.
I`ll check those out.
Hi. I have an audi a2 1.4 tdi which has a 'misfire' above 2500 revs. It sort of cuts in and out under hard accelaration. Also, the glow plug light flashes and the fuel guage doesn't work and I wondered if there was any conection. Would love to hear from some bright spark out there who could shed some light on this. Cheers Read more
The wife's Saab 93 convertible is a year old at the end of May and, therefore, needs its first annual inspection. In Saab terminology this is an "intermediate service" i.e. nothing more than a check and an oil change.
The first dealer I rang quoted a not insubstantial £256 for this which I think is very steep so I'm thinking I'll take it to a Saab independent specialist, of which there are 2 or 3 within reasonable distance of home here in Leeds.
My query is this, though. I know about the block exemption thingy and we're now allowed to do this and the manufacturer will still cover any warranty work that needs doing but I'm still a bit sceptical. Is there anything particular I should be doing to cover myself against any future problems with Saab saying they won't cover warranty work because I haven't had it serviced with them? Does anyone have any first hand experience of this, either with Saab or another make?
Your help would be very much appreciated. Read more
........ its first annual inspection. In Saab terminology this is an "intermediate service" i.e.
nothing more than a check and an oil change.
Didn't the car come with a booklet describing what each service entailed?
Does anyone know where to buy 25 litre cans of cooking oil at the cheapest price ? Read more
Dunno about the whole world, but in Brazil where I have been living for the last 10 years, the environmental issue isn't so much deforestation (it is happening, but not for fuel), it's water.
Brazil has an enormous ethanol industry, most of which comes from sugar cane. The production itself is very efficient - it is self fueling, and is a byproduct of sugar production that would otherwise go to waste. The 'cost' of production is miniscule compared to production of other types of ethanol (such as corn), and biodiesels.
But sugar cane needs a lot of water, and large areas of Brazil don't have enough. Irrigation schemes are put in place to solve that, and the environmental impact of those are negative. Depending on who you listen to of course, I tend to take the extreme doom-mongerers views with a pinch of salt, but nobody says it's good.
I know there are some bikers on here so although not for cars this may be of interest to them, especially if they are planning a trip to the Nurburgring.
I had a conversation with a colleague today regarding tyres and motorbikes in Germany.
If you have non-standard tyres on your bike - by non-standard I mean having maybe brand n tyres on when the bike manufacturer recommends only brands x, y and z - you have to have a stamped and signed waiver from the tyre manufacturer even if you are riding a bike registered in another country.
These are easily available on the 'net but I wonder how many UK riders could get caught out by this ?
This also prevents people changing tyre sizes. For example, a few years ago some CBR600 riders (PC31 model) were swaping the standard 160 rear for a 180. This technically makes the bike illegal in Germany as Honda only recommend a 160 rear tyre for this model. Read more
<< It's like an American asking why he can't bring his AK-47 through Heathrow, or "pleading the 5th amendment" >>
...or possibly expecting to drive on the Right - as that woman did, then claiming diplomatic immunity. That should never have been tolerated IMHO.
My old cavvy needs a weld - the n/s sill, right at the back by the wheel arch.
It may need new dampers.
This for an MOT. I could fit the dampers, at least at the back - I've never done front ones for this model.
Anu guesstimates as to cost? Read more
ISTRC the nut holding the damper cartridge to the strut is extremely shallow and extremely tight. This was the bit I struggled with when I did this job once.
Nice idea not to have to bin the entire strut though - Vauxhall's engineering always used to impress me (clutch changes being another impressive design).
Cheers
DP
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Much as I'm enjoying this, and wish I could take off my mod hat and contribute... back onto motoring please!
Thanks