May 2008
When driving short distance car fine. But when driving on open road and reach about 60ish car seems to loose power for a second or untill you put you foot down a bit more. You do get a strong smell of petrol as well. once it starts doing that and you stop at traffic lights the ideling is a bit ragged. Can anyone Help Read more
For about two years now I've been towing a large caravan (2-axle 1241 kg) with my 99 Audi A4 2.5TDi, with no real problems. Changed to a lovely 98 E-Class estate auto with a 3000TD engine, very well kept.
Now I've been given some advice that Mercedes Auto trans. cars need to have an oil cooler for the gearbox fitted and an upgraded fan, maybe even a new radiator, in order to tow large caravans. I really thought such a heavy and torque-enriched car would do OK.
WhatTowCar.com matches my model (well, nearest model I could find with all the right specs. input) as 5 stars with my caravan, and lists no problems for me.
Does anyone agree I need to do these expensive upgrades? Read more
In reply to my own message, in case anyone wishes to know for themselves in future:
Basically, the agreed opinion from everyone else I asked is that it's not necessary. Older versions of the auto gearboxes may need to be checked, but from about 96 or 97 onwards, even with the aircon radiator fitted, all had oil cooler coils fitted into the main radiator, and this should cope with most situations. Only if I was to tow my large caravan over the Alps on a hot summer's day would I need to be concerned, and even then, just turning on the heating could be enough to keep things cool.
I like the new layout to the discussion Forum. How long has that been in place, or have I been daydreaming?
I understand the number of 'views' and number of 'replies' - I think. But how can you have more replies to a post than there have been views? Read more
I glanced at the seatbelt thread and thought initially there had been 300 odd replies.
I did the same with a few things tonight, before I even noticed there was an extra column!
Must admit though I used to think this was a better site for not having a "thread popularity" column.
Anyone know what caused the huge jam on Saturday around 10.30 am? Luckily I was going the other way. Read more
cleaning my car i dislodged the lead wheel weight off the near side rear wheel which was on the inside of the alloy wheel ive driven it since and can feel no affects at all is it worth getting the wheels ballenced again ( cheeky i know but the F on my badge has come off during the car clean can i stick it back on with a hot glue gun or should i buy a new focus badge with the sticky stuff on the back
regards tony Read more
ok i stuck it back on with the glue gun thanks ill report back when it dissapeares lol
regards thanks for the help
Gunsons - sweet nostalgia!
Colourtune and Carbalancer - where would I have been without them.
Used them pretty much on a weekly basis back in 1980, trying to keep my Hillman Hunter GLS on the right side of 20mpg. With it's 1725cc 4 cylinder Holbay tuned engine, and a pair of Weber 40DCOE sidedraughts (effectively one carb per cylinder), it was a bit of a handful to keep in tune (not to mention a bit of a handful to keep on the road too - the guy who bought it from me rolled it into a field!) Read more
Still got my Colourtune but haven't used it for years. My kit includes a plastic tube with a hinged bit of mirrored plastic to see down awkward plug recesses. From the days when one was allowed to alter mixture settings.
Can anyone tell me if there is any tie up between the leasing companies: newcar4me, finance4cars and broker4cars? The websites look similar as do the prices, terms and conditions etc. Has anyone had any experience of dealing with any of these? Read more
I've no experience of the first company but have supplied cars to Gary at broker4cars when i worked for Toyota. He's a good guy and you shouldn't have any problems with him
I need to hire a car for two adults, a 10 and 7 year old (plus 10 days worth of luggage from/to the airport) in Italy this summer.
The Fiat Grande Punto is a bit cheaper than a Ford Focus to hire! Are they approximately the same size?
Both are showing in the same class as five door c/w aircon. I was wondering if the Ford is a bit more expensive because "us Brits" are more likely to hire this instead of the Fiat?
I don't want to make a p*ll*ck of myself when I arrive to find the Grande Punto only as big as a Fiesta!
I can find some sizes/specs. from the Fiat website, but the Ford website is absolutely hopeless, so I can't make a comparison here. I don't really want to wander around Sainsbury's car park looking for one of each to compare either. Read more
You'll go for the Focus and end up with a FIAT Bravo ;-) The FIAT model that should be around the size of a Focus. Remember you get a particular class of car usually and cannot be sure you'll get a Focus - e.g. you might get an Astra.
A while ago, my son bought an old 1992 high mileage Ford Escort with the old fashioned keys as a runabout. He says his car was recently driven without his permission as it had been found some distance from where he?d left it. But, because there was no obvious damage to the door lock or ignition, he hasn?t reported it. He?s been told that youths with old Ford keys can gain entry to and drive away various old Fords with high mileage and worn locks. Even a flat screwdriver will work with some! Is this true or just an old wives? tale?
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Maybe not far off the mark Dave. Company I used to work for had a fleet of 20 Cortinas delivered one day. The rumour that there were only a few locks was put to the test and everyone's key fitted at least three other cars.
Mk 1 Cavaliers were even easier. Just lift the drivers door handle and let it spring back. The locking button just popped up.
My old MG Midget could be started with the edge of a coin. Saved carrying keys I suppose.
I have now done just over 800 miles in my 325D auto. The OBC has consistently been indicating 37.1mpg. At the weekend I was able for the first time to complete a brim to brim test started two weeks earlier - 34.3 mpg actual.
8% miscalculation by the "on board computer." Some computer. Read more
That's accurate by VAG standards. I used my father-in-law's Golf mk4 TDI 130 for a week on the commute. I got 52 mpg brim to brim, which was excellent, but the computer was miles out, claiming 59 mpg.
To redress some of the reputation of French electronics, the computer in our Scenic is never been out by more than 2%
Cheers
DP
As a test,try venting the fuel tank by opening the filler cap slightly.If this improves the situation then you could be looking at a blocked evap canister.(situated in o/s/f wing).Not an unknown fault on this model.hth