June 2008

Unusual Autos

Please help my usually Reliable BMW 530d e39 2003 has developed diesel smoke on acceleration (much more than normal) also wierdlt found what looks like diesel spaying up the n/s of the engine bay (but i cant see where from),tonight the eng warning light has come on .
The mpg has dropped and i do have loss of power .
It still drives but im not because of it smoking !
Bmw want an arm and leg to even open the bonnet anyone help !
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Screwloose

UA

A code-read is the way to go; doesn't have to be at the dealer.

A split in the intercooler, or in one of the boost ducts would fit the symptoms - if that is engine oil?

sony

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7477849.stm

Ouch!!!! Read more

Falkirk Bairn

BBC Reports

Up to 30,000 brand new Volkswagen cars have been damaged by a storm of hail stones reported to be the size of ping-pong balls.

The cars were parked outside the Volkswagen plant at Emden on Germany's North Sea coast.

A spokesman for the carmaker said that each of the 30,000 vehicles would have to be examined for damage so they could be repaired before being sold.

The spokesman stressed that Volkswagen is insured against hailstorm damage.

There has been speculation that the damage could cost as much as 100m euros ($157m; £79m), but Volkswagen stressed that there could not yet be any cost figures because they had not yet examined all the cars.

The storm happened on Sunday, 22 June.


Buying a new VW in the near future requires extra vigilance - perhaps

moved from a srandalone posting into here




khizman

Sooo,,,

My brother bought a Mazda 6 from a used car dealer that works from home, I bought it on 27/3/08.

In the past month or so, the air conditioning has stopped working, I call the trader up as it states "used car warranty" on the invoice (but it seems to say £0.00 for the cost of it)

He tells me to go to get it regassed, I look up in the yellow pages for a specialist and take it to him for work, he detects a leak, he writes a report detailing the fault.

The trader just says "not my problem, sold as seen, and there is no warranty" IMO this is ridiculous, I bought it as a private individual, surely it's his fault, there is nothing on the paperwork saying sold as seen, fair enough it's 3 months later but I would expect an A/C to last at least 8 years (that's how old my car is) Read more

pd

BTW, is it a diesel or petrol? If it is a diesel then you should look at:

www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=57098

mondeomanwestmids

Hi All
I have got a 2002 Mondeo Zetec. 103000 miles. FSH. Parts of my air intake manifold were sucked into my engine. I've had it repaired which included a new piston, new valves in the one chamber, head skimmed, head gasket plus bolts and 4 new spark plugs. This was not a cheap repair and since having the car back it has an annoying pinking when accelerating, also when coming to a stop the rev counter is fluctuating, sometimes when turning the car cuts out. I've had an engine management diagnostic and no fault codes were shown. Also a smoke test on the new manifold showed no leak. Has anyone experienced this problem or can anyone offer any suggestions as i'm at a loss and don't know what to try next. Anyone with this engine of about the same age might want to change the air intake manifold.

Moved over from Discussion - can you confirm engine details ?? Read more

mondeomanwestmids

Thanks for the reply.

Would this not have shown on the diagnostic check?

Which 2 sensors would you suggest have been transposed?

From what the garage told me had the engine just digested the flap it wouldn't have been a problem but it took the holding bar as well. This is apparently the reason for the piston also needing replacement and was lucky it hadn't damaged the bore.

borasport20

is the hazard perception and theory part of the Bike test any different from the car test ?

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Robin Reliant

Generally no, but on the theory there will also be questions which are specific to motorcycle riding.

boxsterboy

I have to say that in the photos this new Alfa looks an absolute peach. Maybe a little bug-eyed at the front but side and rear views are stunning - exactly like a scaled down 8C. Based on the Grande Punto/Corsa platform and will be good value for money. Looking forward to HJs road test.

Should sell by the bucket load to those not wanting a MINI.

If it weren't for the dealers ... Read more

PR {P}

That will be for the MiTo GTA which Mr De Meo (Alfa boss) confirmed at the launch event in Milan the other night. It will be a 1.8 Turbo with 220BHP.

dan_seed

I am looking at changing the Anti roll bar drop linke but am struggling to loosen the nuts to remove the drop links. Does anyonle have ane tips without having to use any specialist tooling.

Seems annoying that i will have to take this to a garage for such a simple job. Read more

henry k

The following from the BBC ( and on London TV ) seems a very unusual situation.
"A suspicion of dangerous driving" when reversing .

Driver of crashed coach arrested
The coach was involved in a collision with a car. The driver of a coach that crashed into a three-storey block of flats in north London has been arrested, police said.
The private coach was going uphill in Muswell Hill when it developed mechanical problems and sought help from a police car.
Traffic on the road was halted as the vehicle reversed, but the driver lost control and hit a car behind it before ploughing into the block.

The driver is being held on suspicion of dangerous driving.

The driver of the car was not injured but one woman in the flat suffered minor injuries.
The driver was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service.
Residents of the block were evacuated and the building is being checked to judge its safety.

A small photo at :-
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7476095...m


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skorpio

hur, hur. Very good

moonshine {P}


Just for fun, everyone is invited to take a guess as to what the price of oil will be on 1st December 2008 (the price of brent crude as reported on the BBC website). Giving your reasoning behind your guess is optional.

The prize for the winner will be fame within the backroom and the respect of all other Backroomers. It should be fun to look back at this in 6 months time!

Here's my entry-

$185

My reasoning is that demand will continue to grow, but at a slower pace due to some ecomonies being hit by recession. Read more

The Melting Snowman

The words 'American foreign policy' send a shiver down my spine. I suppose a stopped watch is right twice a day though.

langdale120

I have a renault clio on a '02 plate, and until recently it was running perfect. Just lately, while out drivng, it loses all acceleration but the engine keeps turning. If I leave it for a little while, it is fine and of I drive. When this happens the overheating light appears on the dashboard. I have told that I may need a new accelerator pedal to solve this problem.
Having just checked the oil level, I find that it is not showing any oil at all. I am wondering if, that I have put oil in it will run ok.
Any thoughts on the above.


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DP

This has to be a wind up.