October 2008
Hi, I'm on the verge of buying a year old '07 2.0T Design Zafira with 8650 miles. Turns out it's 'one previous owner' was a rental firm (from the log book, 'Provincial Securities Ltd'). This itself isn't too bad as the price is good but the front discs seem quite worn (obvious ridge at edges and very slightly 'wavy'). Also the front nearside tyre is down to 4mm whereas the offside is double that. Does this indicate merciless thrashing or is it reasonable wear in 8650 miles? Thanks! Read more
When driving home yesterday in wet weather, my battery light illuminated, and a 'battery charge fault' came up on my central LCD display. Along with this, a grinding metal noise was coming from under the bonnet. I opened this and the sound appeared to be eminating from the alternator.
After around 2-3 minutes the noise stopped and all the lights/displays went out.
Is this just that water has got in around the belt and pullies, resulting in a slipping belt? Or is it something more serious?
Any comments would be helpful.
Regards Read more
Early on in the life of my partner's 106D I had a similar problem with the Valeo A11 alternator - warning light half on, no charge and mechanical noise.
As I used to design alternators, I investigated promptly and found that Valeo had badly wound the stator such that some of the windings were proud of the slots and were not retained by the slot insulator sticks. The inevitable happened by about 50k miles; the rotor claws fouled the protruding winding causing an earth fault on the stator (which put the light on) and an open circuit on one phase.
I did manage to find an enterprising outfit in the Midlands who supplied a replacement stator - obviously hand wound but perfectly OK mechanically and electrically. At 141k miles it's still there doing its job without any further attention. I wonder why they produced them - stators are normally a non-wearing part...
I had originally thought this fault was a complete one-off - I'd never seen it before. Having subsequently examined a few more Valeo machines, I'm not so sure as the stator winding technique is a bit sloppy and there is a good deal of copper in there for the slot size (good for output but difficult to wind).
Take the belt off and see if the machine spins without noise in each direction (there may be a one way drive pulley). If there is any noise - investigate. These machines are very rebuildable but you have to centre the rotor on reassembly for some reason known only to the French.
659.
hi sons punto had front tyres changed and found the nuts had been put on crosses got nut off but hubs knackered cant put wheels back on can they be rethreaded is so what size are the bolt holding on whells or nuts havnt seen car yet just to note not garage fault last owner put alloys on Read more
On such a safety-critical part; the only safe course of action is to replace the damaged components.
Re-threading might get the fastenings back together; but the loss of clamping strength would be very hazardous.
Hi I have a 2005 A150 with 47000 km on the clock. A warning light linked to the engine management system came on last week. Took the car to teh local dealer who indicated that the system/electrical box that controls the engine management is broken and needs to be replaced and that the coils are also gone.
Cost of engine Management box is 1200 euros plus 200 for coils plus labour.
Just wondering has anyone come accross this problem before. Should a 3 year old car have these issues, is it a design flaw and any advice on how to take it forward
Thanks
John Read more
Sorry John,
That should have read, "The ECU is coded". Often these days its done via a secure link to the factory, so not even the dealer knows what the security codes are.
My dad would never have used a car wash. He used to spend hours polishing each successive Cortina (we went through the series).
He had a pair of dials, one for oil pressure and one for battery voltage (I think), mounted on a piece of wood-effect melamine. He transferred it from car to car, even when he couldn't afford (or wasn't allowed by the Finance Controller) to have the meters connected.
Was reminded of the dials when given a lift yesterday in a Hyundai Coupé.
(Note to self: Alt-130.) Read more
I remember my dad's employer took his Cortina away from him and replaced it with an Allegro. He was so angry he used to drive around with the choke out in a bid to kill the engine off. He'd also bump up and down kerbs and drive it into parking spaces using the starter motor. It worked. After a year of abuse the Allegro was beyond repair and he got a shiny new Ford.
Sitting there, thinking how noisy it is, but how warm and comfortable, it struck me it must be like the womb was.
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I resolved never to use one again after I saw a car which had been badly scratched all the way along one side by part of a radio aerial caught up in one of the brushes.
Just arranged insurance for a week in France. £32.
I paid £46 for a month in the summer with the same insurer. When I queried it, I was told that each trip attracts an "admin fee" of £17, "to cover the cost of printing the documents". Plainly that's nonsense - although I accept there will be some cost, 17 quid is silly.
I shan't be renewing with them again, despite the cover otherwise being fine.
Any BR recommendations for good insurers which don't charge such fees? Read more
I'll confess I wondered about this one. My NFU policy gives me full cover in the EU and quite a few other countries. Unsure of period but I think it's quite long.
Not the cheapest policy I'm sure but several of the firms that claim to be cheap, want more!
Hi I've had this problem for a while now.
Basically I am only getting about 130-150 miles out of 20 quid. Just going to work and back which is 25 mile round trip.
Whenever i start from cold i get a cloud of white/grey smoke and i have to rev to get a stable tick over. If I leave it its really rough until i accelerate. (So I imagine whatever is causing this is causing problem). Its that bad I have to wait for anyone walking by to go past first! Never had any prob with MOT emissions etc.
The engine was changed about 18 months ago (second hand) after a piston went. But i was getting this problem even then,i dont know whether this could have been the cause. We kept the original fuel pump and injectors when we swapped engines.
Cars getting on a bit now, but if i could get better mpg i could save a few quid!
Any ideas?!
No need to repeat the car make/model in the subject header. The choice you made from the pull down menus already does that for you. Read more
Sorry I've got my sums wrong getting about 100 miles to 20 quid. ( If i put 25 in I get approx 150)
Plugs won't make much difference to economy will it, other than improving start?
It's possible to spend a quarter of a million pounds or more on a lorry or a coach, but how many miles can you get out of it?
A bus operator once told me: 'A million miles is nothing for a coach.'
Is that correct? Read more
Because of the strange way I make a living, 2000 miles a week is not uncommon from mid February to mid April and again from mid July to mid October. The rest of the time the cars rarely move other than local domestic duties. Neither scenario seems to bother them much. Only golden rule is that if servicing or other work is due it gets done on time. However, they are not trucks or buses so I'll be off now......
;-)
Edit- That is they rarely move except for a couple of blasts down to the Med in the Summer, but we don't really count those.......
For the last few years I have lived in Dubai, returning only rarely to the UK. Recently I decided to partially retire and also treat myself to a car I had lusted over for some while ? a Lexus GS450h SE-L. I decided to buy ?nearly new? and spent quite a while waiting for the spec I wanted to show up on the Lexus GB website. Eventually an 06 car of suitable spec became available and I negotiated with the dealer (name not given here for reasons which will become obvious later) seeking confirmation of things like had the car had any previous accident damage etc. I was given positive assurances, by email, to all my questions. I agreed to purchase the vehicle and for it to be delivered when I next returned to the UK.
On delivery the car was quite dirty, and inside was literally filthy with many areas of damage to the upholstery etc. I later also found that the delivery mileage quoted on the sales docket was 500 less than showed on the odometer. After 50 miles the gearbox failed, and my local Lexus dealer (superb service ? not the one I bought the car from) fitted a replacement box under warranty. While the car was on the ramp they noted and drew my attention to some irregularities and advised that I have the car inspected by the RAC. I did this and the RAC report identified that the vehicle had been in a significant front end shunt, and had been poorly repaired. Overall the report was very critical recommending, among many quite significant items, that a full steering and geometry check be carried out and suggested that it was potentially unsafe to drive.
I contacted Trading Standards local to the dealer and, would you believe, then found that because I was in Dubai at the time that I opened the emails assuring me that the vehicle was in good condition with no previous accident history that the UK ?Sale of Goods Act? did not apply and that the dealer could not be prosecuted due to lack of evidence ? because the emails to me were inadmissible evidence !
Eventually, and with legal assistance, I recovered the purchase price of the car from the dealer but was left out of pocket to the tune of over £1000 for legal fees and RAC inspection costs etc. In UK law costs incurred by a buyer because of misdescription by a seller are normally recoverable, and I tried to recover these costs from the dealer but was unsuccessful, being advised to sue him if I wanted reimbursement. My lawyer advised against this, again because of the inadmissible emails.
Obviously I wrote to Lexus GB about this, drawing their attention to the illegal practices being used in their name in order to sell rogue cars. I also telephoned their Customer Relations Department and when I explained what had happened the woman I was speaking to said ?What do you expect us to do about it ?? and explained that my purchase was from the dealer and that Lexus GB distanced themselves from the transaction. I subsequently had a written response from Lexus GB which reiterated the dealer opinion that I had been ?treated fairly? ? notwithstanding that I had sourced a car through the Lexus GB website, had purchased a Lexus Approved Used car from an approved Lexus Dealership and was now over £1000 out of pocket. The letter concluded with ?I am conscious that this reply does not engender goodwill ..? Too true !
Footnote: I eventually bought exactly the car I wanted (a nice shiny red 07 Lexus GS450h SE-L) from my very good and trustworthy local dealer and am 100% pleased. I agree with the HJ observation about this car: Highly recommended !
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Hamsafar - thanks for that very useful link to a service of which I was not aware. Sounds/looks a bit easier than SCC.
Browse
If I understand what you're saying, and one tyre is at 4mm and one at 8mm then I'd guess the least worn is a relacement as that's the tread depth of a new one. 4mm on the other sounds about right. My 1.8 vvt Astra is down to 3.5/4mm in 13k, so similar wear on the heavier and more powerful Zafira in 9k is comparable.
JS