June 2008
My Peugeot Diesel 1769 non Turbo doesn't really want to start in cold weather, in warm weather it's fine. Injectors replaced in December, Glow Plugs & Battery fine. I've had a look at the valve clearances and all 4 inlets have no gap, the exhausts are correct, how is this so? I can understand a wider gap through wear but no gap, well. Would this cause my problem? Or is there something else?
slt Read more
Having searched the web, and then here ...
I'm taking my Mazda 3 MPS to France on Friday. Looking at the (Xenon) headlamps, it's not obvious how to stick bits of plastic to the headlight lenses to avoid dazzling other drivers.
The manual is no help. I cannot see any levers or other obvious forms of adjustment that would allow me to do this. Supplying dealer (salesman) doesn't know but will check with his technical people and with Mazda HQ on Monday.
Does anyone here have any thoughts? Has obviously been an issue for some in the past, with other vehicles.
Cheers!
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I have a Mazda 3 sport which also has Xenon Headlamps (which I am making the assumption are the same as yours).
Back when I last went to France in March I had exactly the same issue.
In the end I bought some beam deflectors from Halfords which on the pack claimed to fit an almost impossible number of cars.
Putting my cynicism aside (based on the fact that I was by this point slightly desperate and they were only £6.99) and believe it or not they did seem to work amazingly well (I did a fair amount of night driving without any problems).
Although they were in Halfords Packaging they seem to be made/imported by this company:
www.travel-spot.co.uk/products/eurolites.htm
I suggest you use the link above to have a look at the shape before buying as Halfords seem to sell a few different ones in much the same packaging.
You only need the round part of the deflector (the other part can be removed)
From memory (i.e you better check the instructions!) the process to fit them was:
There is a tiny marker in the centre of the headlamp unit lens (a small circle with a sort of cross through it). Just use this to line it up so the centre of the left hand side of the circular deflector just touches the mark and thats it.
I have to say that some of the instructions for other cars looked much more difficult so I wouldn't recommend them without reservation to everyone else.
Hope this helps.
Its actually a vauxhall agila but its all the same innit!!
Just bought an agila, fitted my new sony head unit but there's a spare connector on the stereo loom, im assuming this is for the display on the dash that shows the stereo display, what i need to know is DOES THIS CONNECTOR AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE CLOCK/TEMP GAUGE?? as the clock is displayed but doesn't change, im guessing i may need to short some wires in the connector but im not sure which ones. im not interested in the stereo being displayed on the dash , just want the clock to work.
thanks Read more
The oil light on the dashboard no longer lights up, not that big a deal as I allways though that if you waited for it to light up the engine was as good as dead anyway.
I thought that it is either a duff bulb or a bad conection to the sensor, trouble being that I can't find the sensor and can't figure out were it is from the haynes manual either anyone know?
Never thought I'd need help with something this simple, but with the amount of electronics on modern cars I'm finding it hard to find things now. Read more
AFAIR it's down the back of the engine; about half way along.
I have a 1.6 petrol Focus with rear drum brakes, and in changing the brake shoes am having difficulty in removing the ABS wire. I have taken the bolt out from under the wire , but it seems reluctant to come out. What am I doing wrong?
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Are you taking the drum off by the big front (32mm?) nut or undoing the 4 bolts behind holding the assembly on?
Hi all
Let me set the picture.
Around 10 days ago somebody drove into the back of my car at a T junction. Low speed accident but enough to cause around £1400 to fix. Bumper was damaged but still on the car. The cars booked in to be repaired in a weeks time.
Yesterday, my wife was at a filling station getting petrol. Got in the car and had to drive around the the car in front to get past, as she drove past the passenger opened his door and caught our damaged bumper ripping it off completely. Some small scratches on the rear quarter panel and a cracked rear light cluster. I am prepared to settle without informing insurance companies as the rear bumper is being replaced from my previous claim, but I will need a replacement light cluster and I could use T cut to remove the surface scratches on the rear quarter panel. Am I doing the right thing? The guy who owns the car says he does not want to inform his insurance but the passenger is being a bit difficult as he says that their was stationary so it should be 50/50 blame.
Any advice greatly accepted
Cheers
GazKaz Read more
"The only thing is that he'll probably get a ruddy second hand one, and I want a new one."
For a quiet life, I'd accept a second hand one provided it was in good condition. Your car is a least six years old, so the one he broke wasn't in it's first flush of youth.
I sympathise with you, I'd want a new one too as the accident wasn't your fault - but for a quiet life...............
The service schedule and Haynes both say that the coolant should survive the life of the vehicle. Exactly how long is this, and is this calculated by saying the corrosion inhibitors will last for 5 years and then it'll start rusting away until it fails at 10 years i.e. end of life?
Red coolant from GM bought from the parts counter is 5 years, what's so special about the original fitment stuff? Read more
vauxhall red/orange antifreeze has service life of 5 years
Had a trawl through Forddirect and Autotrader websites for a newish Focus/C-Max.
They are anything up to 17k with most around 15k.
I'm sure similar age cars were going for nearer £12k a year ago.
Seems to me prices have gone up, not down. Read more
It's quite amusing to watch people falling over themselves to spend 5 figure sums on
achingly crap 4 cylinder diesel yawnboxes whilst meanwhile the values of proper cars with proper
engines is in freefall.
Hmmm...
A four cylinder diesel yawnbox is something that most of us with kids and/or big annual mileages have to go through. You buy one with your head, not your heart, and you certainly don't fall over yourself to buy one. It's a tool. Nothing more, nothing less.
The (beautiful) AMG you mention might be available for the same money, but it wouldn't take long for it to fall behind when you have to run the thing. high teens mpg at £1.25 / litre would make a good start. The first out of warranty fault, and a major service would add a couple of grand to the discrepancy, and then we could go from there.
And the Zafira, for the simple job of carting the kids about and doing the shopping, would actually be more suitable. You're never going to enjoy yourself in a family car with the family on board, so why put up with the costs of a performance car when doing so? A to B, plenty of space, cheap to run, and safe. That's what it's about.
As soon as my circumstances change, I'm buying an E39 M5. Just because we have to go through these things, doesn't mean we've given up! Good things come to those who wait.
Cheers
DP
What tools do you have tucked away that you would never part with despite being no longer needed? and what do you still use when a trip to Halfords would really re-equip you with modern kit?
I`m still using a `Hilka` half inch drive socket set (in a battered gold coloured tin) bought in the late 60`s.
I should buy new I suppose to benefit from the `feel` of modern tools, but for nostalgia cannot bring myself to do it.
(This post was inspired by buying 16 inch water pump pliers yesterday and reflecting that I had managed without since 1964.)
For inspiration
tinyurl.com/5s5qry
Regards to all ;) Read more
659FBE
The good old Wanner.
My Wanner got used a lot on the Dyane, the 2CV and Ami and latterly on the couple of DSs I had. Nowadays the caravan hitch gets a squirt at the beginning and end of the season and the excellent Mountfield hedge-cutter I bought last year has a grease nipple on the gearbox so I get to use the gun every few weeks or so in the summer. Bought for me by my stepfather who was a great one for buying tools that lasted.
I've also got a Sykes-Pickavant brake adjusting tool for those horrible square rear brake adjusters to be found on British Leyland cars of years ago. Despite some heavy use (worked best with judicious use of a welding torch), it's unmarked and will probably never be used by me again. Bin it? Not likely, it's a work of art. Prise it from my cold dead hands etc.
Hello all
My first post here, but one probably you've seen many times before.
I'm after a new car and I have a shortlist of a Ford/Vauxhall/Skoda/Mazda/Renault - you get the picture!.
I've trawled the local garages, and I'm now fed up to my remaining back teeth and just want to get a vehicle sorted.
Looking at an '07 1.6 petrol C-Max with 11000 on the clock for £8995 and a '54 Nissan Almera Tino with just 16000 genuine miles for £5400.
Does anybody have any thoughts as to which may be the better buy?
One thing of course that the C-Max does have to it's advantage, is at least 12 months of Ford warranty.
I did look at a £11000 Golf Plus but the dealer only offered to knock the price down by £300 for cash
Regards
Covenant
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I agree it is difficult to find the right car. If sales people were any good they would help customers do this but most are useless.
Anyway the Tino i found the seat/ driving position very uncomfortable.
Why are you looking at small people carriers? What do you NEED the car to do, how much mileage do you do, do want a status symbol, how long will you keep it, what is important, vital, nice to have. How close to home do you want the dealer to be?
All this and more needs to be thought about before you step out the door. Remember every time you change a car someone makes a profit out of you so mistakes are very expensive.
A Ford Focus would satisfy 90% of driving NEEDS if people were really honest about matters but just look at the choice we have and very few cars are BAD. The industry does a fantastic job of turning out great product at a reasonable price. In fact when some of the big boys finally crash the consumer may end up much worse off! These could be the good times!!
Browse
Fixed after 4 years and a lot of winter moaning. Haven't been around for a while, thanks to all who contributed. Answer was all four inlet valve tappet clearances had closed up, 2 wouldn't fit a 1 1/2 thou feeler so could have been at zero. Result, valves open early and close late, lack of proper compression. Exhaust tappets were spot on. Now starts first time every time.