October 2008
HI ALL....
following on from a diffo post....about my hi fuel consumption....
my heater only blows cold air i read that the clio's suffer from the heater matrix clogging/scaling up so i tried this....
take off the hoses from the the matrix where it goes though the bulkhead...i put some clear tubing onto the in/outlets of the matrix....blew though some air to remove some more water and elevated the hoses and filled with heavy duty descaler from the supermarket...the type you have to leave to work.....i left it for 5 hrs and a lot of cr#p came out when i flushed it ....put it all back together again ....while this hasnt cured it 100% i now have warmer air and the stuff i used recomends leaving it for 8hrs....but i couldnt....this may seem like a bit of mucking about but its that or taking the dashboard out to fit a new matrix....so i'm gonna do it another couple of times to see if it helps...
i'll post the results as and when .....AL........ Read more
For a long time now I thought I would always keep my cars maintained to nothing but OEM standards and have them serviced at the dealers.
I have just been quoted circa £260 to have the rear discs and pads replaced on a 1.4 Corolla and think this is a bit steep. I do not yet have a good indie I trust although the potential is there with a local guy, he always seems busy but when I approached the place for a price I did not like the attitude of one of his mechanics who spoke me to me like I should not be disturbing them. I can get over this though if I am convinced he will do a good job.
I walked past a brand new Avensis the other day and looked at its wheels and noticed Bosch brake pads fitted from new.
I do have a Bosch Service Centre conveniently up the road from work and wondered if anyone has any experience of using them.
I would be grateful for any feedback or views of Bosch Service Centres.
Thanks. Read more
Could somebody tell me if I am correct in believing that if no camera signs are displayed and you are then caught on a mobile camera speeding, in my case 42 in a 30 limit, the photographic evidence cannot be used as it is in contravention of sections 7 and 55 of the data protection act, whereby a sign must be displayed if members of the public are likely to be photographed or recorded on video.
Thanks for you input.
Roger Read more
Urban Myth
And wishful thinking
Both keys were acting up (requiring several presses/being very close to the car) when locking/unlocking remotely. So I replaced the battery in both myself.
The key I usually use (and had it's battery replaced during at least 1 service) is fine.
But the 'spare' was probably on it's original battery and possibly got completely flat. This still dosn't work even with a fresh battery.
I've tried swapping the new batteries over - it's definately the key that's dud, not either new battery.
Local dealer wants £102+VAT/hour to diagnose and then possibly recode. Local Independant says you can only replace @£170.
Am I going to end up buying a replacement anyway? Could it be recodeable?
Cheers,
Matt. Read more
Looks like you are going to need a new key .They are not recodeable as they come pre-coded from the factory to vin #.A new key will start the car but will need to be synchronised to the cdl system by a sequence of holding and pushing the lock/unlok buttons.(info in the handbook).Btw ,some M/B dealers need to see the vehicle with proof of ID and reg document before they will order a new key.hth
How do you know when buying a car that is not ordinary that you are getting a good deal?
My father who has MS needs to change his car. He currently has a motability car but due to worsening condition he can hand that back early.
So he is looking at buying a used adapted car. Because he needs a fully adapted car able to take an electric wheelchair he is very limited in choice and availability.
We think we have found one, a 2002 Grand Voyager 3.3l with less then 5k on the clock. Asking price is around the £18k mark!! New the car would have been £28k before the adaptations. A new one today fully adapted would be £54k ish (lowered floors etc).
As there are so few of these types around how can we be sure that the price is about right? £18k for a 6 year old car is a lot of money!!!
Any thoughts welcomed.
Read more
The latest Transits have the option of FWD and have a low floor.The larger models are still RWD.And before someone says I'm talking Transit Connect,I'm not-the full-size Transit comes in FWD or RWD.
2002 TDCI 130, 130k miles.
Whilst driving at the weekend a slight wooshing noise whilst under boost indicated an air leak upstream of the turbo, I found a slight split in the "S" shaped rubber hose that leads from the intercooler to the EGR outlet tube that itself leads up to the inlet manifold.
I fitted a new hose today, quite straightforward, and at the same time replaced the water/PAS pump aux belt while in that area of the engine. So as to be able to release the belt tensioner I undid the upper rubber air intake pipe from the inlet manifold and noticed a fair bit of sludge in the manifold.
I guess this sludge is EGR related though how much is normal?
Any value in removing the manifold and giving it a good clean?
Thanks. Read more
Its allegedly common, though if the car is running well with the new S shaped hose (I changed mine at about 152k miles due to a split) then I'd leave it be.
Does the speedo get checked as part of the MOT.
In other words if my speedo is not registering/moving I will still get through MOT ?? Read more
It had a new MoT that day.>>
But how would an MOT tester know that it was reading "...about 50 per cent too high...""?
hi, im thinking of buyng a glanza V and coz ive only had my licence since april, im getting ridiculous insurance quotes. its doing my head in, the fact im 30 almost duznt count for jack! and even tho its only a 1.3 turbo, its the whole 'its imported' scenario thats killin me, any ideas where i may get a half decent quote under 5k lol. many thanx, shaun Read more
Who have you tried for quotes, high street names or specialists?
Do a search for "import car insurance". Have you tried Adrian Flux or Greenlight?
Well, I've had my welcome to the diesel world! Just bought an old diesel Peugot 309 and driving along a few days ago the 'water in fuel filter' light went on. Have done a little research and it seems this is a common diesel problem. I have several questions but please let me know if they're not appropriate for posting on this site -
Could this indicate something more serious than poor quality diesel fuel (last filled up with Sainsbury's diesel, I think)? As far as I can see from an internet search, changing or draining the fuel filter solves the problem - is this something a total novice can do or should I take it to a garage? (I think I've found a website that shows me how to do it)
I've left it parked since the light came on - is it OK to drive it for a few more miles (how many?) or fix the problem before moving?
Thanks anyone. Read more
Very few cars have a warning light;most filters have a drain on the bottom.
Yes, yes, I know it's one of those tedious questions, but I don't quite get this definition TBH.
Are we just talking about those makers that sell more than a certain amount, or is there more to it than that?
For example, I hear people mentioning firms like Seat and Skoda as being mainstream, yet Hyundai and Kia apparently aren't, despite selling in similar numbers. By the same token, some people don't seem to consider Honda or Toyota as being mainstream either, despite selling more cars than Nissan that is. Confused!
So are Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia, Daewoo, Proton, Skoda, Seat, Chrysler etc etc mainstream or not? Read more
They would all, or nearly all, quite like to be mainstream, but only the really big ones are. But it probably isn't as great being mainstream as one might think. The market means that volume has to be maximised and competition from rivals keeps margins restricted. The whole thing is sales-led and dependent on market forecasts. An economic downturn or an important new model purchasers don't go for can mean enormous losses because a certain volume is needed to break even, given development costs and the capital cost of automated production lines. This is less of a problem for low and very low-volume producers which don't have thousands of robots to feed. Of course the ordinary workers and employees are even more insecure than they were a few years ago.
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Rear disc pads are a bit trickier than fronts and need a special tool to wind back the piston.
Not a good job for a first timer to learn on.