April 2008
My sister's Ka is going to need the usual bottom arm / bush replacement for the forthcoming MOT, and I have volunteered. Going to swap the complete arms out rather than muck about changing bushes.
I've done this job twice on mk4 Fiestas with no major problems - is the procedure on the Ka the same, or are they any differences on the Ka I need to be aware of? At a quick glance it looks the same.
Cheers
DP
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Worth a look anyway - Autoexpress claim an exclusive on the official photos.
A very pretty looking motor - shades of the 5 and 6 series about it even down to a cheeky little Hoffmeister like kink in the rear quarter lights !
Seems a fat lighter design than the current Mondeo.
Due to be launched at the NEC this summer. Read more
Had my sons Fiat Punto 1200,16 valve connected to a diagnostics doofer the other day after a couple of incidences of "kangarooing",and something which the mechanic described as a "purge valve" showed up as being in a fault condition.
Would this be the same as the EVAP canister?Where is it,and what can be done to sort it out?I believe this thing can fill with petrol,and that it shouldnt.
Cheers. Read more
Does any one know where to get the parts for this, I have an 8v 1.2i 2002 punto that seems to have the same issue. The fiat dealership near me is clueless as to what part has gone, they are all coming in at 3 vales that cost around £150 each.
Hi all,
My rear wiper on my 96 Golf Estate is continually on. Is it a case of replacing the relay ?
Cheers
Richard Read more
Same in the MK5 - irritating, especially with a wife who thinks in binary.
Hi all,
I have a strange tapping/knocking noise coming from what i believe is the gear box or clutch,
It only happens when your in gear and driving, it will stop when the clutch is depressed or the car is not in gear, It is goes in a rhythm and gets faster as the car gets faster, Its like the sound of a train or very old diesel engine,
Any ideas what it could be????
Cheers
Daniel Read more
Hi - If you intend to pursue this though the Small Claims County Court I would advise you to obtain a detailed audit trail - did you for example offer [written request] to deliver the car to the dealer, in order for him to rectify the fault, and mitigate the cost of unertaking the work, assuming he had an in-house repairs unit? - was his negative reply in writing? Personally, I would seek [written request] an amount approximately equating to what it would have cost the dealer to undertake the repair.
However, the best chance of a result, as the dealer is located many miles away, is to instigate court proceedings for the full amount [and any incidental costs], at the local court of your choice, which is your perogative, as you are instigating the action, and just hope that he capitulates due to the inconvenience and hastle involved...if however he decides to contest it, I wish you well!
PS. Apologies if it's a case of 'grannies sucking eggs!'
Hi, I've got a Mazda 2 which I think is based on the fusion. I took the rear drums off a few days ago and was surprised to find that there were no oil seals fitted. It looks like one of the bearings is leaking a bit of grease and this may end up on the pads. Is is possible to fit an oil seal?
Many thanks for any advice.
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Most wheel bearings (if not all) are sealed for life units with the seals built in, so if it's leaking grease it means a new bearing is required.
Everyone knows that a car runs better if used regularly. But what is regular use? I have always thought this to be a weekly run of 20+ plus which, after warming up for 3 ? 4miles, takes in a variety of roads to exercise the gears and brakes and includes a few miles at the permitted maximum. Or is this showing my age and being slightly OCD?
The reason I ask is that one of my neighbours has an eight year old Vectra, which he has owned for five years. The weekly mileage is about 9 (!) taking in three short journeys. With their annual holiday the yearly mileage is below 1,000! To \my knowledge the oil has been in the car for over three years and it is still on the original cambelt. Total mileage is around 67,000.
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And from a brief survey ALL these comments agree with you...
Thank goodness for that!
As the owner of a number of high performance cars, including an Aston Martin and an Alfa Romeo GTA, I always regard it as a personal challenge to improve significantly on my insurance renewal premiums when I am notified of them. I have just received my Alfa renewal and it was £423 including breakdown cover. By the time I had shopped around intensively I had brought that down to £283 plus b/d cover for £32.00. This quote was from MORE TH^N
Although my Aston renewal is nor due yet I also asked MORE TH^AN to quote for that. Although all the other quotes I received ( including that from the AMOC's official broker )were for £6-700.00 or more that of MORE TH^N was well below £500.00. Read more
Personally would not go for the cheapest insurance because when you need them you want
and need service.
This argument comes up a lot, and it has an obvious and sound basis. However, I wonder if I've just been lucky. I do tend to go with the cheapest, which means I switch providers quite regularly. In the last few years I've had occasion to call on the services of four different insurance companies (three big names and one Lloyds-underwritten outfit a broker found). In all four cases, the company in question was the cheapest at the time and the level of service was no less than I expected.
In my personal experience, cheapest and good service when you need it can go hand in hand.
I frequently travel into Leicester along the A47, on the west side of the city. I've noticed that there is a small industrial estate with a fenced concrete area which is full of Lexus cars. These are brand new cars and still have the factory protective sheeting on them. Interesting though, that they are all fitted with registration plates - a mixture of '08 and '57 regs. They haven't moved in weeks so can't be cars that are awaiting delivery. I can probably see 40 cars, but there could well be more. I wonder if these are all 'pre-reg' cars to be released to local dealers at a big discount over the coming months? Read more
I suppose the 57's are to make a target and the 08's are to....not sure.
Maybe they're models that aren't selling very well. I thought cars like Lexus were pretty well made to order.
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think that the boot looks a little bit of a cross between a BMW6/Merc CLS/Jag XF