May 2008
Trying to buy four 195. 60. 15V tyres and am considered if it was worth joining Costco and splash out on Michelins instead of Goodyears.
Rang for a quote today and they will not give a quote to non members. So chicken and egg. Not worth joining until I see the price, but have to join to see the price. Seems crazy.
Any solution possible? Read more
I am looking to buy an IS200 or Sportcross auto. Can anyone give me an idea of their realworld fuel consumption - ie lots of driving around in London with occasional dual carriageway/m'way use? Read more
I agree with all of the above. I too owned one, build quality and reliability first class. Fuel consumtion was poor and it did need seven bells of you know thrashing out of it before it moved. 6th gear stupidly low. Revved at something like 3500RPM at 70 which wouldn't have helped.
I drop an auto version as a loan car and found it much better - odd considering it was only a 4 speed.
Hi All,
Oh dear - I was just about to buy a new 2.0D Mazda 6!!!!!!!!!!
After reading Vols 1 and 2 threads (same problem as TDCi etc.) I am reconsidering the option.
The above threads seem to ask questions about the similarity with Fords TDCi units which never quite get a definitive answer. Are they the same design or not? I always thought they were different but there are people on the Forum who will know, I assume.
I also note that the New 6 diesel engine is designated M-TDi. I seem to remember a different set of letters when I looked at the previous Mazda 6 a couple of years or so ago. Is it a new engine, or have they just rearranged the letters to look that way? Is it likely that the earlier problems have been sorted?
I am looking for longevity with this purchase and it does concern me that people like "Screwloose" (who obviously has a lot of experience in this matter) advise "avoiding the Mazda diesel like the plague!!!!"
I had never heard of any widespread problems with the engine before or my current Ford TDCi
Any suggestions for a trouble free diesel.
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"Any suggestions for a trouble free diesel."
They can be reliable, its just when the bad ones go bad, you'll wish you had a petrol! Its an inherant (sic) risk of modern diesels, unfortunately, and one you will need to decide whether its worth it.
I often hear that one should not load the car is such a way that rear view (through rear window) is blocked.
If the goods are securely fastened, what is the problem if rear window is blocked?
Vans and lorries don't have rear view.
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Dates back to the days when wing/door mirrors were an optional extra rather than a standard fitting....
But still good advice if you can do it - less blind spots!
Hi,
My Focus TDCi loses power under load...
- up hills
- along flat straights
- on twisty roads
- any time when power / boost is being generated.
No warning lights or fault codes.
AIR FLOW SENSOR?
THROTTLE POTENTIOMETER?
EGR VALVE?
Would be forever grateful for any advice.
Cheers,
Martin Read more
No mechanic needed...just removed the connection from the ECU to the common-rail, sprayed some contact cleaner (stuck the performance chip from my Clio dCi - yes they DO fit) and the problem just disappeared!! I ran it for a whole week with the engine never missing a beat. I shall soon remove the chip and retest to see what cured it - although I strongly doubt it was the chip that fixed it!
Thinking of getting one of these on employers scheme and perhaps hanging on after 3 years.
I have read HJ's guide,but wondered if anyone had any ideas about reliability of the engine, and why they got rid of the 85 bhp model. About a 1.6 diesel/100bhp would be more ideal
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The series 2 model just launched has a 5 year warranty - so make sure they don't fob you off with the 'old' model! :-)
Hi all,
I have just changed to a MK 5 Tdi and there is no AM reception whatsoever on the radio which is very frustrating when wanting to listen to the footie.
As there is no visible ariel on the car - except a little thing stuck on the rear screen which looks like a mobile phone ariel - I really don't know where to start.
Any suggestions? Read more
You can run diagnosis on the aerial using the dealer system, or VAG-COM.
The aerial is built into the rear screen, but they were so rubbish, that later/current MkVs have gone back to roof aerials!
Hi there,
I was wondering if anyone can help with my problem please? The motor went on our central locking system for the boot AGES ago, but it's now affecting both doors on the drivers side. The back door won't unlock AT ALL and the drivers door often has to be opened with the key. Yesterday I couldn't even do that because it kept locking again when I tried to open the door.
What I want to know is how to change the motor (if indeed this is the problem) and how much I'm likely to have to pay for one? I've seen some on eBay for around £20, but I'm not sure if it's the one I need. The car was made in November 1996 so I'm guessing it's a B model.
Thanks in advance. Read more
My Cavalier boot lock central locking stopped working when the cable than runs through the rubber flexible tubing near the hatch hinges frayed through & I guess your doors (having an intermittent fault) are going the same way.
I've just been browsing on the MyTyres website for tyres for my daughter's Corsa. I see that a number of tyres in a given size from the same maker are available as normal or "Mercedes approved", marked as MO.
Do any Mercedes owners or tyre fitters bother with this? Read more
Some Mercedes owners get very exercised by this and think if they don't fit MO tyres then their insurance will be invalidated.
Personally, I think it's a load of rubbish. My Merc never had MO tyres from new, and I emailed Michelin about the difference and just got a load a waffle back. I reckon it's nothing more than a marketing endorsment.
The only make where I believe it's critical is Porsche. They use Pirelli tyres marked with N and a number and it's regarded as essential to use the correct tyre.
Hi - We are buying an 2004 04 Ford Fusion from our neighbour who can no longer drive due to disability.
The car only has 4400 miles on the clock and I'm hoping this does not mean it will be prone to problems caused by under useage (anything I should check).
Someone mentioned that the valve stem seals can get ripped if the engine has stood idle for a long time - to look for white smoke on start-up.
I did this today and no smoke on start-up, but a bit if white mist as it ticked over (could this just be condensation - if might just need a good drive??).
I also wondered if the cambelt or pulleys might suffer from under use?
Does anyone know the service intervals on a 1.6i Duratec petrol?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks. Read more
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I'm not sure of the exact model and I'm away from home at the moment so can't look. I only got two of them a month or so ago, but replaced the other 2 some time ago (a year ish) and I'm pretty sure they're all the same.
These are on our Jazz and replaced factory fitted Yokohama Apec's. No noticeable difference in noise, I *think* the car rides a bit better (but the Jazz is very bouncy anyway).
Grip is more interesting. The Energy tyres are treadwear rated at 400 - the Aspec's are something like 200. All other things being equal (which I accept they're not) the Energy tyres should grip less. I had quite a "discussion" with Costco about this when I bought the first pair as they insisted on putting the new Energy tyres on the back and moving the half worn Aspsc's to the front. In my opinion the less grippy Energy tyres should have gone on the front but it became a take it or leave it situation. So I swapped them when I got home.
Now the car has Energy tyres all round, in normal use on the Jazz there's no noticeable difference in grip, but we live in a rural area and on slimy back roads I think the Energy tyres are noticeably less keen to grip on turn-in than the Aspec's were.
I reckon a "press-on" type of driver would definitely notice a difference. This is a known issue with "eco" tyres - in fact the Technical boss of Continental has commented that the tyres shouldn't be mixed and drivers switching from non-eco to eco tyres could be caught out.