October 2008
Just bought a 106 zest which came with one key for both doors and the ignition.Should this model have central locking ?? Read more
Does anyone know dealers who sell disabled access cars (not ramped). I was thinking of a small car fitted with the Carony system where the front seat comes out onto to a wheelchair base.
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Are you still looking for a vehicle like this? I have a Toyota Corolla (2006) 3 dr hatchback 1.6 VVTi in mint condition and very low mileage (less than 4,000), which has a motorised corony front passenger seat, which converts into a wheelchair. It has only been used for short trips hence the low mileage and is sadly no longer required.
Having a problem with ABS noisy as the vehicle is stopping and running on for a second or two after it stops. The garage says expensive repair and told my wife to sell the car but is it really that bad? We are unlikely to be able to sell the car easily with this problem. Does anyone have any ideas? Does it mean a new ABS unit is needed or could it be something more simple?
Thanks Mark Read more
Thats possible as it does seem to be the drivers side front the noise is coming from, unless the ABS unit is down there in the engine compartment. Would I take it to a garage specialising in ABS problems and is it likely to cost arms and legs? The wife is nagging for a new(er) car and I just want to guage whether to trade in or get the problem sorted.
Thanks Yorkie bar and elekie&a/c doctor for your interest so far.
Mark
Hi all,
Anyone changed their shock absorbers just as routine maintenance? My 2003 fiesta has done 90K on all original suspension parts but i feel the handling is not what it was especially in the wet and although its recently passed an mot the shocks must be past their best by now. Ford dealer says £475 to replace all 4. Anyone done this and did it make a difference to the cars handling or rather a 475 quid difference!?
Thoughts and opinions please....
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It will make an amazing difference.
whether its worht the money to you; only you can judge.
But people compare different tyres and insist better makes grip/stop better than others where in reality restoring suspension components back to perfection can make even poor tyres seem much better.
Mot test is just a bounce test (they all bounce and stop and equal) and check for no leaks. or split mounting bushes. performance isnt monitored at all.
Any lads coming to me to ask for advice to how make car quicker always (and i mean always) go away with the response of sort your brakes and your handling first then look at engine performance.
hth
I saw an unmarked police motorbike this afternoon on the A46 Evesham by-pass. It was patrolling a stretch affected by road works and due to the delays I saw him pull in two drivers, one of whom had podged the queue so I was glad to see him get a tug!
The reason I posted this is that I've never seen an unmarked police bike before. This one was a big blue BMW and if it wasn't for the flashing blue lights activated when pulling in the offfending drivers you'd never guess it was a ploce vehicle/rider. Read more
saw a big 08 reg transit in a funny kind of silver, with blue lights flashing - but the blue lights seemed to be hidden within the normal light clusters. Going north past Preston on M6 at a rate of knots. You never know who's sharing the motorway with you now do you? Thank goodness I no longer see the need to speed. I am 103.
Had cambelt and kit replaced in late Feb 08, car did 4000 miles and then the belt failed last week. Garage claim that the rubber damper in the camshaft pulley failed and this allowed the belt to slide off the pulleys and rub away against the covers before finally failling. I'm struggling to see how this happened as the original belt was worn but not damaged so how come it all happened after the new belt, pulleys etc were fitted?
I think the garage should pay the £1300 they want to repair the damage. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
WH Read more
Take a very careful look at the tensioner wheel bearings. This kind of failure is often caused by a momentary bearing seizure - if it really was replaced, the makers probably forgot to put the grease in.
659.
Mine are:-
1) People that take 100's of pictures but forget the inside of it, I always like to see the interior as this gives a very good indication of how well it has been cared for.
2) People that blank out the number plate - what are you trying to hide?
3) People who put SOLD AS SEEN - Again it just implies they are selling a car which they know has faults.
4) People that say no time wasters - how do I know, you could be wasting me time I won't know until I see the car.
5) People asking full price for a car with a short MOT, if you know the car is good stick 12 months MOT on it.
6) People that reply to any faults you point out "they won't be anything wrong with it, it has just passed the MOT".
7) People that describe the car has exellent condition, you get there to find holes in the parcel shelf, rust on the sills etc. Read more
My biggest hate is....
The air con doesn't work but just needs a regas.
No it doesn't it needs hundreds spent on it.
Why do silver cars keep clean longer ?
Why do people drive right up tp your back bumper when you want to reverse park despite having clearly signaled your intention to do so ?
How do alloy wheels help you to get to work more efficiently ?
Why does overtaking someone usually cause them to speed up ?
Why does anyone who gets in your passenger seat feel it is OK to mess with the air vents and seat position ? I mean, you wouldn't start moving furniture during a visit to someone's house or fiddling with their central heating would you ?
How difficult is it to leave a gap for side roads when queuing in traffic ?
Why do punctures mainly happen when it is dark or raining or the boot is full or you've got your best clothes on ? ( Or all of these )
So many questions.......
;-) Read more
Ditto! Happened this morning. Kept schtum, which was not easy:)
think I got a problem with my carb looking for help,symptoms are try start it car just keeps turning over put foot on throttle(even slightly) and sounds like engine locks up wait and sometimes it starts or if you retard timing it will splutter till you reset dizzy,any help would be appreciated,
cheers Paul Read more
There are 2 aspects to the timing, the cam timing, and the ignition timing.
To check the cam timing, your looking for the marks between the crankshaft pulley and block, and the camshaft pulley and timing belt cover being in alignment.
For the ignition timing, you need the engine at operating temperature, ticking over. Look near the bottom hose, and you'll find an electrical connector with two wires on one side, and a loop of wire on the other side of the connector. Temporarily unplug the connector, and remove the loop - this puts the ignition controller into setting mode. With a stroboscope set to 0 degrees, set the distributor timing so the marks on the crankshaft pulley align.
When you've done, plug the loop back into the connector.
Just pointing the rotor arm towards number 1 is nowhere near good enough.
I'd really appreciate some advice on an ongoing problem I've been having with my car, as the mechanics I usually take it to can't seem to work it out.
About a year after I got the car it started to lose power at speeds of about 70. The garage said there was probably a coil that needed replacing but it wasn't urgent or dangerous. As they were far away and the problem was intermittent I let it be, as reapplying my foot on the accelerator seemed to do the trick.
The problem came back a year or two later - again at high speeds and also when there was a lot of weight in the car. Since then it has deteriorated, setting in at lower and lower speeds. Recently it has started to kick in around five minutes after I've started the journey. Reapplying my foot on the accelerator is not working now, and when the engine is idling the car shudders slightly. The other day it turned itself off entirely when I was cruising very slowly looking for parking.
When I took it to the mechanics they said the coil was fine but that they had cleared out a tube which was blocked. This hasn't made any difference though. They don't seem to have any suggestions as to what else it might be. The engine light has been coming on most of the times when the problem occurs but the diagnostic is not returning any information.
If anyone has any suggestions as to what it might be they'd be much appreciated.
moved over from Discussion and engine/year details inserted
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hi i was wondering if anyone could help me ive been having a simular problem with my AX as the one mentioned above, when i drop down into second for turning at junctions or roundabouts, there is a large loss of power and the car begins to judder and it loses revs my handbrake light comes on and at the end of the journey the car smells of burning, can anyone help ??
Browse
According to Parkers:-
www.parkers.co.uk/cars/equipment/Detail.aspx?deriv...2 (non clickable link, rival website and all that)
Central locking wasn't a standard option until May 2000. Prior to that it was a £299 / £300 additional extra.