May 2008
My daughter has inherited my wife's 2002 1.2 Clio. We have owned it from nearly new and it only has about 38000 on the clock. Recently the car has refuse to start about one time in ten. This seems quite at random, the engine spins over perfectly on the starter, but does not fire. First I fitted a new battery - although old one seemed OK - Next fitted new plugs (Despite huge tool kit, had to buy special spanner -Those Frenchies!) Next stop was new coil/leads from Renault dealer. All has made no difference. Usually starts instantly, but then a couple of days elapse and my daughter explains that she has spent about 15 minutes trying to start it. I'm afraid that if 'we' book it into the Renault main dealer they won't find anything wrong, or charge for unnecessary work/parts, the same old fault appearing a few days later. Any help would be gratefully received. Regards, Graham Crocker Read more
Hi Gents.
I am here looking for some help with a BIG problem that I have with my Jaguar. Its a long story.
I used to own from new a petrol engine X-type. It was very unreliable and I had problems with the automatic gearbox and the heater unit. The last straw was when the power steering broke. The dealers said that there were quite a lot of problems with that model so they gave me what they called a preferential trade in on a diesel X-type with manual gearbox. It was 2 years old at the time and recorded 30000 miles. That was a year ago.
Three weeks ago, with the car just out of the guarantee, it would not start in the morning. It was put on a trailer and taken to the dealer.
They have changed some parts (injectors?? and other things). Last Friday I called them and they said that everything was working OK (the fuel was OK and the injectors were working) but it still doesn't start. And they don't know why. They said they were going to call the technical department at Jaguar.
I called again this morning and the car is still not fixed and will not start. So far the bill is up to about £1000. Now they are saying they may have to replace the computer?. This is a lot more expense.
Because of where I live, and being on my own with the kids, I am having to hire a car. Its getting really expensive.
Can I claim a hire car from the dealer? Shouldn't they fix the car in a reasonable length of time? They have had it about three weeks.
I feel that as a female customer they are messing me about and not taking the job seriously. I would take the car away from them if I could, but it is a non runner. What are my rights in this situation? Read more
Maybe I've missed the point, but was this a Jaguar specialist dealer? I can't follow what warranty has to do with a loan car. Most dealers will put you in something if they have it available. And they usually do.
Nor do I understand the Jaguar response that it's between you and the dealer as it's out of warranty. Everyone knows there is such a thing as goodwill. Most dealers will try on your behalf if you're an ok customer, and this firm has sold you two cars. If the dealer won't try, go back to Jaguar again yourself. It's worth a try even if they only give you a credit you could use at a Jaguar franchise.
Good luck.
What are peoples views on parking in a residential road outside of someone elses house? I'm not talking terraces without drives, but a road of mostly detached houses with drives for at least 2-3 cars each.
I currently have a white van parked on the pavement outside of my house that belongs to a builder who lives diagonally opposite (the van isn't outside or opposite his house). It's been there for a few days and looks like he's away for the weekend.
A couple of thing bug me about this:-
1. It is blocking the pavement, and as it's outside my house I don't want people thinking it's mine.
2. It's an eyesore from my windows.
3. The van is also in a part of the road that's a turning head near the end of a cul-de-sac. Again I don't want people thinking it me being a PFDand making turning difficult for everyone else.
4. This isn't the first time people have used the frontage of my house to park cars, as we have quiet a large frontage which includes the turning head.
I know that it isn't illegal to park as it's a public highway not private land. Would I be over stepping the mark to ask for the van to be moved? Should a polite request not be well recieved what legal methods have people used in the past that have worked in these circumstances.
TIA Read more
Glad it was resolved so easily - you both still on good terms and he is now aware of your feelings and may well tell you in future what is going on...
Most important, good relations with neighbours, if you don't have that then life can be hell!
Hi folks,
The air conditioning has stopped working on my Mk1 Focus Zetec.
It's coming up for 80k miles and as far as I know, the air con system has never been touched or 'regassed'.
Could it be something as simple as a blown fuse or relay ?
There is one air con relay and two fuses for the engine cooling fans, but strangely the manual states that one of these fuses should be replaced by a Ford dealer for some reason !
The air con button light stills works though - does this indicate that the fuses and relay are OK ? The headlights used to dim slightly when the air con was switched on but this doesn't happen any more - not sure whether that tells me something about the problem.
The Haynes Manual tells you to take it to a Ford dealer or air con specialist - what would people recommend ?
You need to get the system degassed properly before you work on any components and there seem to be quite a few special tools needed, so it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to DIY this one.
I've had a quick search and read that a regas costs around £50 - would this be the first thing to have done, or would you recommend getting someone to find out if there are any leaks in the system first ?
I'd be interested to hear from anyone else who's had their air con pack up and what they had to do to get it fixed and a rough idea of price would be great too.
Cheers. Read more
If its clicking on and off quickly, ie. 2 seconds, then it's nearly empty of gas. The little gauge you have will tell you absolutely nothing.
Call whoever you bought the little bottle of gas from and ask their advice, and while on the phone to them, ask why they don't tell you why there's no need to vacuum the system, where the old gas went, and how come there isn't a high pressure gauge, as you need both to tell you when it's full.
I've got a bucket of old coolant from the car, I've seen the oil tank at our council waste disposal site but I've never seen anything about old anti-freeze. What's the best way to get rid of it, that doesn't involve drains or an empty field? Read more
The reason for the 'life' is the anti-corrosion inhibitors. Old coolant is in no more danger of freezing than new, but an engine with old coolant in could start to suffer from corrosion. Car cooling systems have right old mix of metals, steel, brass, copper, aluminium, and any metals in solder. Perhaps other metals too.
I've often wondered about the 'life' of corrosion inhibitors in anti-freeze, but never been able to find an answer.
Hello,
Wonder if someone can help me here with some advice.
My car has approached the 54,000 mile indicator and last time out, had a P3 service. I noticed in the warrenty schedule, that after 5 years, both the cambelt and the platinum spark plugs should be replaced. My car has always performed very well so my questions are :-
1. Should the cambelt still be replaced?
2. Does this vehicle have a cambelt anyway ? Is it cam-chains instead?
3. If I should go ahead anyway, what is an average cost (parts and labour) for this job I should be expected to pay?
4. Is it essential to proceed with thhe spark plug change?
Any input would be very welcome. I have a young family and wonder if it would be cheaper in the long run, just to look at selling /exchanging the vehicle instead.
Many Thanks in advance.
Read more
Has anyone here actually experienced a cam chain failure?
No. Current car is an old-model Almera with a GA-series engine. It's done 87k on its original chain and the engine still runs very quietly. Previous car (Nissan Sunny) did 115k on its original chain, by which point it was 16 years old, and at the end of its life.
My mum has a 54-reg Almera 1.8, and that runs as good as new (although It's only got 20k on the clock). The key is regular servicing, and using decent semi-synthetic oil (preferably 10w40).
the wfront windows on my laguna make the noise of the motor going up and down all be it a little rough sounding but the windows dont move. What could the problem be??? Read more
Handy Link to assist with the rebuild:
My 80,000 miles mondeo hatchback has developed a fault! (surprise)
I noticed am occasional missfire/hesitation on accelerating, and a noise not unlike a loud fan at about 3000 rpm, not the normal turbo whine (which I know quite well), more a spin drier full of sand)
on cruise, at 65, on the level, nothing untoward, hit a hill and the misfire (very slight) is there with an occasional puff of black smoke, on hard acceleration im getting too much black smoke now. (even for a tdci ford.......)
its the woooshing noise thats just appeared that makes me think its the turbo, at first i thougt "split exhaust" - it only comes in on acceleration and at about 3000 rpm+
didnt need this with dad admitted to hospital 30 miles away.....
any thoughts?
Read more
Hi, i have a 55 plate 2.0l diesel, when you push the accelerator you can hear a sound like the fan on full blast? Every now and again you feel a slight judder but only for a second or two - this is intermittent..... can anyone shed any light on this please???
Hi everyone!
I've ALWAY fancied an Alfa Romeo 156/159... but have been seriously scared off with the stories of Alfa's reliability.
I know a new guy has taken over at Alfa (German chap from BMW) - can anyone tell me whether Alfa's are more reliable now - would YOU buy one?!
I'd love a petrol, but I'm told the diesels seem more reliable plus there is the added bonus of better fuel consumption and torque.
PLEASE can some of you tell me what you think of the 156/159 reliability... shall I take the plunge? Shall I go for a 159 rather than a late 156?
Can anyone give me an indication on how much the cam belts are to change?
...& who knows what the differences are between the Lusso's, Veloce's etc.?
Sorry for so many questions...! Read more
I'm very tempted to get a 147 (150-bhp diesel version). Sat in it yesterday, and it honestly felt every bit as well built as my 2006 A3.
I just really don'tknow wether I have the guts to genuinely buy one- it looks stunning and stands out but not in a "look at me" way. Just subtle style!
Hi there, I have recently bought a 2001 Laguna 1.9 DCi 120. After driving for 20 mins or so, the "check Injection" display warning appears on the dashboard. I took it to the renault main agents, and they said it could have been one of 6 sensors, the car is currently having these sensors cleaned by my local mechanic. I don't have the list of sensors. I was just wondering if anyone knew of common faults or anyone had personally experienced these problems? Any help is appreciated. Cheers
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Have you tried a "neutral" autoelectrics engineer? - We have one locally - reads renault diagX codes (and many others)and fixes cheaper and faster than Renault dealer can read the code (they quoted £60 and earliest 3 days). I had problem with engine speed pulsing - turned out to be a leak on the air intake housing - read code and rebuilt and sealed housing for £50 same day!
I avoid the Renault main dealer ever since they charged £100 for a wiper change at a main service!
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Hello, can you tell me exactley what the guy changed or repaired to cure the problem plz.
Really desperate and need urgent help