August 2008
We've finally persuaded my 80 year old father to give up driving.
He has a 3yr old Mazda 2 Capella that has done about 5000 miles. Nobody seems interested in looking at it or if they do they make silly offers of around £2500.
I think one problem is that the car is in Carlisle where the pool of potential buyers is limited. I also feel that nobody knows what a Mazda 2 is and if they knew it was basically a Fiesta with much more space they might be more interested.
I know that Sunderland is reputedly not a good place for getting the best price for a used car but I wonder if I should try to sell the car here as the catchment area is larger and we may get more enquiries.
Auto Express have just done an article on used Mazda 2s and were very enthusiastic about them. Read more
Spent three days of bliss in Robin Hoods Bay in beautiful cottage opposite that pub, what was it called? at the bottomof the hill anyway, on the corner. With a little tree outside and a shop that sells crab sarnies next door.
Paid for three days parking at the top of the hill. Permit ran out at 9.00 am on last day.
Puffed and panted up hill on said day, got there at 9.10 am. Ticket.
Oh how clever, Mr Warden, to catch me! Congrats!
However, I will find somewhere else to spend 3 or more days next time I have a break.
Will be repeating this to whoever it is in or near RHB who takes an interest, if anyone.
And yes I know I should have taken precautions. But should wardens hang around waiting for the clock to strike, because they know everyone who stays in RHB pays for a few days parking, and they all run out at 9.
I am tempted to use a rude word. Read more
I got my £50 refunded and I never even appealed - I wrote to the tourism authority, not the parking. I was basically just saying thanks for nothing fool, I won't be back. They forwarded it on their own initiative.
Have a go and you might get it back... you never know.
Who are these people who say if you go a minute over your time you deserve everyhting you get? Only, I'm having a party, and I want to invite them all so i know it'll get really wild!!!!
Subaru's new diesel is a horizontally opposed flat four. Aint it? It only has one crankshaft don't it?
The pistons don't punch each other do they so how are they boxing?
I am missing something aren't I? Read more
>>will find it in Norton's book
That must be a newer edition, because it's not in my old, battered, copy. Yes, the book is a good read - it presents the maths behind subjects which come up reasonably frequently on here, nameley engine balance, and wheel balance.
I suspect that for a flat twin, you'll get most of the benefit offered by Dr Lanchester's invention by using a boxer configuration, and the extra mass and space required by two contra-rotating cranks wouldn't be considered worthwhile.
following on from the car wash thread
How often and how do you do the inside of the car?
I keep a plastic bag in mine for rubbish but the rest is left 'as is' apart from the inside of the windscreen. I have been known to hoover the car once every three or four years though. It's a machine to do a job: get me from A to B reliably. When I part ex it it's the dealer's problem. Was once moaned at that it took most of a day to valet it. Tough. I've been buying cars from the same place for over 20 years so the know what to expect. Read more
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Brand new (a week ago) pads and disks on rear, now when applying brakes get a, well, for want of a better description, plane taking off/whoooshhh sound... do pads need to be bedded in (we do on scoots) the geezer said the calliper might have been shot before he changed the pads/discs.. but said it was fine 'cos he managed to rewind it.. any ideas chap and chappetts?
signature chopped Read more
Yeh m8, they were noisy, right to the bone on the pads, scored the discs so had to have a new set of both.... Not a Ford dealer, canny pay for a coffee at our local dealership - but major independant parts provider in county fitted them, quality pads and discs (got them cheap as he is selling up the parts department but keeping the garage) also, on reflection right to the bone on the off side pads but lots of meat on the near side, guy reckoned the calliper was sticking but he freed it when he fitted the pads/discs... I'll wap them with brake cleaner tomorrow and see what happens... They are stopping me bob on, just a weird noise when they do...as I said a sort of low whooshing - not a scrape or rattle... weird....
signature snipped - you have mail
Just wondered if the fan should be on from the moment you switch the engine on, or has the sender unit gone. My daughter just bought the car from a woman who said it was on because it had an induction kit fitted.
I've had a look and the only thing I can see is the fact that the air filter box is missing and they have fitted a cone shaped air filter on the end of the pipe instead.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks.
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Thanks guys. I did take the plug off of the switch to look if it had been bypassed but it's not. I usually do that my self if I want to test a fan. Will change the switch and see what happens.
Cheers, have a good weekend.
Allright troops.... Divvy question time
I've had a hell of a time with my Diesel Mondeo - clutches failed (£850), brakes binding (£104), air con stopped working (split pipe) (Quoted £310+ VAT), PAS handling like a bag o pink fluffy dice- £££££££££££££ - anyway (funny all of these happen after I take them in to a garage for a different thing to be fixed) I got my motor back a week ago from a local garage - needed pads... "sorry mate, needs disc's as well" went from £39 initially to £104... Driving to work, shed loads of black smoke and 'missing' at the top end.... Had a squint under bonnett and, burger me, the 2" pipe has split, problem is, I don't know what to ask for...
If I try and describe where it is could someone help me out....
I have a 2ltr 2004 6 gear Mondeo Estate - looking from front of car the pipe is behind the radiator, attached to the bottom of a flat saucer shaped disc with a pipe in the top (a vaccume pipe?) underneath the fuel rail on the left hand side of the engine, more or less level with the glow plugs.... is this the EGR? Do I need to run off the coolant to clean it out (the EGR and is it hard to do)? 5 weeks ago some divvy at Nationwide Autocentre sent it for a diagnostic at some diesel specialist who remapped the sensors and the ecu... Never been right since and cost me £196 - wouldn't have minded but NAC never asked me if it should be sent, they were meant to provide a £49.99 diagnostic for my extended warranty claim....
Anyway, could this be the cause of my woes? from recent experience I am going to have a go meself (Gaffa tape and platic ties ready to go) as a chimp with a chisel and a lump hammer could have done better that those bunch of Forrest Gumps I've took my motor to recently (BITTER, pink fluffy dice RIGHT I AM)
I have no doubt I'll be back here asking how to fix it when I break it but, well, what is the internet for (well, other than poker, porn and music)
Cheers in advance
Gaz the Scooterist
{I see you haven't bothered reading the policy on no swearing!}
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yes it is the egr valve, you do not have to drain the coolant to remove it and yes it will be clog up. this is a common problem along with the split pipe
{someone else hasn't bothered reading the site swearing policy either!}
What are the merits of having a car with less previous owners ?
It seems, in the eyes of most, that more previous owners devalues a car somehow. Is it a monetary devaluation or just a feelgood factor ?
My own view is that it wouldn't matter at all on an older car or a car that still has warranty on it, as long as the car is ok and a test drive is conducted. But it may be a deciding factor when choosing between prospective purchases that don't fall into either of those two categories.
What do other BRs think ?
Keith.
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...or that is was an unreliable shed and successive owners couldn't wait to get shot !
renault kangoo 1999 1.9 diesel every now an then it seems to run on 3 cylinders aquick rev seems to clear it ive stripped down injectors and cleaned them changed all the filters it is still the same its done 71000 miles any ideas what is wrong Read more
I have just found a solution to a problem i had with my renault kangoo i was getting excessive smoking at low revs as though it was down on one cylinder my local diesal speciallist new what it was straight away did diagnostic check found that it was the advanced solenoid valve on the pump fitted one at a cost of 264.97 it seems to have done the trick he said it was a commom problem with kangoo,s hpoe this help someone with same problem
{moves to the question previously answered as related to it}
Hi all, long time lurker, first time poster looking for some advice.
My girlfriend's car was hit in the rear when she stopped at a red light and the guy behind... didn't!
While the car was parked up on our driveway awaiting the garage (arranged by insurance co) to pick it up, it was broken into and the radio stolen.
Obviously, this has nothing to do with the accident, but we were hoping the car would be written off so we wouldn't need to worry about replacing the window and radio. However, we have heard today that they intend to repair the damage.
Is it possible to request a 2nd opinion on the ground that we fear there could be structural damage to the car? Is this even worthwhile, or would they consider the break-in damage when valuing the car should it be written off? Any advice would be appreciated Read more
Yep Ian, but kids have to be fed somehow, seems to be the prevailing motto over here right now.
And our brilliant economy (or so i was told on here very recently) is in virtual meltdown so dont expect it to get better short term!
Browse
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I would agree with the comments that people won't know what a Mazda 2 Capella is - it means nothing even to me!
You said silly offers around £2500 - how much are you hoping for? Have you tried the local Mazda dealer - you never know (until you ask) the price might be reasonable, bearing in mind the lack of hassle selling that way.
My Dad got a good price for his car when he gave up driving but it was done by word of mouth and a neighbour's daugher bought it. When we needed to sell MIL's Corsa auto, the demand everybody says there is for good small autos seemed to evaporate and we just couldn't move it, and neither could a dealer who was a friend of the family. FIL ended up p/xing both their cars and buying one new one.