April 2008
Front brakes grinding and stick on though do gradually ease off. Brake pedal is sitting lower and lower.
Any ideas/advice gratefully received.
Cheers.
Graham. Read more
people do some odd things don't they
couple of days ago i went for a consultants visit at a private hospital and being Mr Punctual got there hideously early, so sat there in the car park with the DT as my companion
i'd managed to park right outside the building i wanted, directly next to 2 disabled bays. Most people went in/out of this building, but there were other buildings on the same complex. There were a couple of free spaces 4 cars away and the further you went from the main building, the more sporadic spaces there were, until eventually the car park was virtually empty
eventually a rather battered Omega estate pulled up with two 60 something occupants, they parked in one of the disabled bays...no problem so far as they had a badge displayed..but then got out and walked off elsewhere towards where all the empty parking spaces were
this meant that not only had they parked further away than they needed to, they'd taken a disabled bay right o/s the building that someone else might have needed. I can only presume the mentality was i've got a permit so i'm going to utilise it
how strange Read more
What is the rule for disabled spaces, then? My understanding is that you have to have a blue badge to use them - so "temporary" injuries like a broken leg wouldn't count??
Surely it would have been easy enough to drop them at the entrance door - go off and find a space and then drive back to the door to pick them up?
Or am I being too logical?? ;)
I am looking for a trusted garage to service my Focus ST to keep the warranty valid.
I have been reliably informed to avoid some of the larger chains that I will not mention.
Are there any good Ford dealers or any specialist that will use Ford parts?
Cheers. Read more
Thanks for the reply. I might give the so called prestige establishments a look.
I am delighted with the ST and the mpg is not too bad for a 2.5, 5 pot turbo.
Yes sub 20mpg on stop start runs through town, but I am averaging around 24-26mpg and I am not a slow driver. With more motorway runs 30mpg is not unrealistic.
Up to now I've insured my 1995 Celica GT cnvertible (Grey Import) with Adrian Flux on an agreed value policy (no "no-claims" basis), with a limited mileage as with most classic cars - I was advised this was the best way to insure it in case of a write-off situation to ensure I got the correct value of the car paid out and it wasnt just vaued as "a 13 yr old celica not worth much...."
theyve been taken over by Footman James, and looking at the renewal documents they have sent, it has "no claims" listed on it, but no mention of it being an "agreed value" poicy, suggesting they are offering a differnt type of policy instead.
Havent been ale to get thru yet to clarify it with them.
The renewal policy is also a good bit more expensive than in previous years.
Does anyone know of any other insurers I can try who will insure grey imports possibly on an agreed value basis.
Thx ! Read more
Any pointers from an owners club?
Footman James, certainly did classic policies with agreed value in the past. Although had to get someone in owners club to agree to the agreed value.
Hello everyone.
My car I bought when 17, I go a bit excited about touching it up. Basically, I think I overtouched the car. It isn't too bad, but I was wondering: is there a way to get rid of this without having to sand it down and respray?
Thanks in advance
Greg Read more
Vehicles to be seized. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/7354127.stm Read more
I agree with the police cracking down on inconsiderate parking. On some days, friends of ours can't drive their car out because of school run vehicles parked across the end of their drive. In any case, it would do the kids good to walk to school. You didn't get the childhood obesity in my day like you get now.
Friend of mine has just learned she had a fracture in her backbone after hitting debris in the road (lots of wood panels). She could have easily been paralysed as the accident happened on a Dual carriageway.
I am curious to know what the penalty is for losing a load or part load on the road especially if it results in a serious accident.
I've heard of drivers using mobiles getting prison sentences if they are involved in a serious accident, do drivers who do not secure their load and cause a fatality get a similar sentence?
Read more
M5 south of Bristol yesterday evening. Mway busy with all 3 lanes occupied when I suddenly spotted a metal ladder lying across most of the carriage way and, more specifically, fully across the middle lane that I was in. Somehow or other we all managed to avoid it without hitting each other - mainly because there were no tailgaters on the road at that time.
Someone had copped it though, as the ladder was bent and several jagged bits of metal had been scattered. Can only assume it was some kind of lorry that had hit it as there were no dead cars on the hard shoulder.
Could have been a very different story if this had happened this morning with very low visibility due to spray.
I think I will have to replace the throttle cable as there are complaints of sticking. I've always found that it was surprisingly stiff so would suspect that the time has come to replace. Are there any tips on disengaging the pedal end or is it reasonably straight forward and visible? Read more
Does anone know of a multi-vehicle car breakdown insurance policy? Usual stuff needed, roadside assistance, homestart etc Need to cover 4 cars and 3 drivers, one to include European cover, would prefer one policy and one payment rather than 4 separate ones. Read more
Autoaid covers policyholder and wedded spouse for any vehicle. At their prices, if you need four covering for any vehicle, then multiple policies could be cheaper than the biggies.
I suspect a single policy for four people and any vehicle might be difficult to find.
Anyone got any experience of the diesel version of the 323? I'm looking at buying a 2002/2003 car (one of the last ones).
Overall is the engine reliable? Is it chain or belt cam and what is the interval for changing? Anything else to look out for on these cars?
Thanks,
b_p Read more
I've a 2002 323TD GXI with 83k trouble-free miles to report. Still on original exhaust and I've only had to replace 1 sidelight, a numberplate light and, yesterday, a headlight bulb. Only one change of front brake pads to date and rear disks and pads were changed at 81k (just wear and tear). Sails through MOT every year.
Ride is hard though with 'sports' suspension and seats aren't very comfortable. Handles really well with no noticeable body roll. Everything still works as new and switchgear is solid. GXI comes with remote alarm but no CD. Comes Plenty of room for 3 passengers in the back at the expense of boot space. Grey trim and upholstery hard to keep clean.
I'm disappointed that rust is breaking out on both rear wheelarches (inside and out) and also behind the rear number plate; I've heard that other 323 owners have had similar problems. Belt is changed at 54k and dealer charged me £600 for this, including a major service. The dipstick has got to be one of the worst pieces of design - almost impossible to reinsert the dipstick at night.
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Thorough brake overhaul NOW!!!
Sticking on sounds like a caliper issue, if this in turn causes the pads to drag they will inevitably wear prematurely leading to noise and disc damage.
Like mjm says to check the reservoir, but bear in mind the float mechanism can stick.