July 2008
Hello
I am trying to decide on a people carrier for personal use.
Below are my/our requirements and constraints:
1. It must seat 7 adults in acceptable comfort plus luggage. So I'm thinking big here.
2. No diesels.
3. No French cars - all banned.
4. £20K to spend. £25K absolute max. Nothing to trade in.
5. Reliability is king. Absolute top priority.
Can anyone help?
Regards
TMS
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Hello all,
Put a new water pump in my old Vectra today, no problems to speak of.
Put all the belts back on and ran the engine, but there was a high pitched squeel from the timing belt, sounded like the cover was catching on a pulley, so took the auxilliary belts off, and the crankshaft pulley to re-seat all the covers, as it sounded like it was the crankshaft pulley that was catching on the cover, I started the engine to see if the noise had gone. It ran for about 30 seconds then stopped.
I forgot to put the crankshaft pulley back on, before I started it, so I presume I have broken something. I have put it all back together again but now it just turns over but wont start.
Have I doomed it to the scrap heap?
Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks
Phil Read more
Hi topbloke,
The squeel was definitely the cover as i could get rid of the noise by holding it away from the pulley.
None of the belts came off, the engine just came to a stop, I checked the TDC again and it is spot on.
I dont know what I've done, Im thinking now that maybe its just run out of petrol, now that will be embarrasing
This topic has been posted before but no real cure found. I have a 2003 Citroen C3 1.4 HDI. It has had all of the usual problems with snapped springs etc but it is the cold starting which is the most annoying to say the least. You need to spin the starter for some time with clouds of white smoke coming from the exhaust. After about 45 seconds it will catch and then more white smoke. It will then cut out constantly until warm.
Once warm the car is super sweet to drive and has no real issues. I just can't start it in the mornings.
If anyone has a solution I would love to hear it. Read more
You could try changing the glow plugs, or at least test them
Hi,
I have a problem occured from my 1.8 Passat Turbo engine.
The engine over revs very easily if the throttle isn't feathered in.
Same applies if the engine is pushed in a higher gear.
I thought at first the clutch maybe worn out but this has been happening for sometime
now. Someone suggested the throttle unit may need cleaning.
Any suggestions please?
Mike.
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He said to me today that having had a poke around, the structural rust on his 15 year old Astra is getting MOT worthy now and as such, he is considering buying new, but only if it is long-term cost effective.
Essentially, what he wants to do is replace his with a car that will eventually be used by both my mum and him when they go to one car in about 5 years.
What he has asked is what can he get that has decent load capacity, cruise control, automatic and air con, but with as low as possible CO2 and decent mpg?
He doesnt want to spend more than 15k if he can help it but would like a longish warranty.
My first instinct was a Kia Ceed estate although not sure if you can get the auto/cruise on the diesel. Maybe an Astra estate.
He wont however buy anything french nor italian.
Any suggestions appreciated! Read more
>It doesn't apply to previous years, so it's not retrospective.
So the new bands coming into effect in March 2009 do not apply to vehicles registered before March 2009? I think you'd better look again.
>..the pressure was coming on to use the tax system to penalise more thirsty cars,
Typical! The tax system should not be used to "penalise" people for past buying decisions. It should be used to influence future choices.
>The only thing that should surprise anyone is that it took 7 years to implement.
It did not take 7 years to implement. It took 7 years before they needed panic measures to raise more cash.
>Yes, watch out on all those fronts.
I think you'll find that times have changed. While the money taps were flowing freely, public apathy allowed Gollum to believe he was fooling everyone with his underhand tax changes. Now that they are worried about paying the bills they won't put up with political dishonesty.
>You may think that using taxes in this way is a good thing or a bad thing..
I have no problem with using taxes to influence peoples choices. I do have problems with using taxes to punish choices they made in the past.
Kevin...
A friends daughter has an N reg Clio. Water (lots of) comes into the car via the light unit above the centre console area...this unit also incorporates the lever for operating the manual sunroof.
The rubber around the aerial (directly above) has perished so i tried a silicone sealer to no avail. I thought the light/sunroof handle unit was held onto the roof section by 2 Allen screws, but closer inspection (with glasses on!) shows they are not Allen screws.
There is nothing blindingly obvious in the sunroof area to show where the water is coming in.
Any ideas what to try next please.
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These are notorious for leaks through the aerial base that destroy the remote locking unit.
You'll have to remove the aerial complete from underneath [those are probably Torx screws] and reseat it.
There may be drain tubes from the sunroof down into the sills; but blockages there are rare.
hi i am looking for some advice i drive a pug 307 2.0 hdi on a 53 plate
anyways when i was driving the other day i had an "anti pollution fault" warning come up followed by "unblock diesel filter" i have looked through the other posts on here but cannot make sense of it(sorry)
i took it for a long drive today going about 60-70 for about 30 mins but it is still on anyone help me with this problem? and any ideas of cost to fix this?
thank you Read more
A good indy will remove a broken locking wheel nut usually for an hours charge. Tool companies make special tools these days for removing these little blighters.
As screw loose has said your Fap system may need a service.
I Doc
I need to replace the tyres soon, so I started checking out tyre reviews. I'd decided that I fancied trying FK452's on my 17's.
I went to get a quote for tyres today and was quoted for ZE-912's. I asked about FK452's but was told that the ZE-912's had replaced them and that they were the better tyre.
As far as I can tell from online resources both tires are currently sold and both for slightly different applications. The FK's seem to be the more performance orientated tyre.
My car has been lowered and the ride is pretty hard so perhaps I should consider the less agressive ZE?
Currently on Uniroyals and Kumho's. Read more
Not really much else around at that price point - the FK452s look to be the best option.
What should I pay for a 3dr 2005 Fiesta Zetec Climate 1.4 TDCI with 20K miles? My local Ford dealer has one for £5,750 and the salesman told me it would come with a 1 year warranty.
How much discount should I expect?
Many thanks for your advice. Read more
Sounds around book price from a Ford dealer, hence negotiation for a better deal is available but be prepared to walk away if the package isn't right for you. Ensure it has a FSH, no accident history, mark free etc. at the price they are asking. Does it have an MOT or is one pending ? Is it the right color for you ? If you buy ensure you get a service, 12 months tax and MOT into the deal. Remember the new Fiesta comes out soon so current models will drop in price once the new one hits the road.
After a lengthy search in the Go Compare comparator website, I find the best online quote for me is from First Alternative, £236 with £450 excess. My current insurer, Equity Red Star (which has covered me for at least a decade so far and does not appear on the site) offers, £340 with £100 excess . First Alternative has a 5-star rating on the site. Can anyone comment on this company please?
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A word of warning: If you are not careful you will be forever plagued by
nuisance calls from some of the Insurance Companies call centres.
So I now find! In the end, I went back to my existing insurers who knocked £20 off, which I accepted, when "online" was mentioned to them.
Browse
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The S-Max is no van. Came best in category in Auto Express. There is no way a diesel will be bought - I hate the complexity of the things. I came within a fag paper of getting my fingers burned with a common rail diesel. Traded in quickly so someone else could have the fun and expense.