October 2008
Why is the most expensive car in the world named after the bore size of an air-gun? Read more
Hi all,I'm new to this site,having read for a long time but never participated.
I,ve been looking for a smallish auto for a while and have recently bought a low mileage,one owner,fsh,1.6 Corolla auto,05 plate.Although its a nice car i must admit to having a few reservations already?!
Firstly I have seen reports from HJ and elsewhere re potential heavy oil consumption with these engines,have asked several Toyota dealers with varied responses!A few questions pls for anybody who has one of these,
Is this bore liner problem common,does it relate to age or engine number sequence?
Seems to be more tyre noise than i would like,or am i being over fussy?
Any general impressions from owners would be nice?...thanks. Read more
Oil consumption seems to be an issue on the 1.8 Avensis petrol also - not sure if the same one is used in the Corolla but I believe it is in the Corolla Verso. I thought Japanese petrol engines were supposed to be 'perfect'?
That's enough - carry on arguing in the other insurance seizure thread by all means but don't mission creep it into other threads. It can get very boring !
I am considering buying a high mileage (110k+) 1.9 TDI A4 MY 2004 on an 04 plate with a view to covering up to 30k miles per year for 2 years.
Does anyone have any experience of running these cars up towards 200k miles and what to look out for at purchase beyond a history of correct servicing. Quite a few cars i'm looking at appear to have been on variable servicing. Would this significantly affect the life of turbo's for example.
Any views info gratefully received. Read more
Thanks all for your views and advice. Billy
Parked my car in a gym car park yesterday. Always put it well out of the way. Nothing for tens of yards either side when I left it and when I came back.
But some kindly soul with a red car had put some sizeable scrapes on the rear bumper in the meantime. Looks like they must have swung into mine when getting into or out of the next bay.
Metal isn't bent but I guess I'm looking at £250 to put it through a BMW paint shop.
No note, of course.
Would it be worth anything to ask for access to the car park CCTV system? Read more
This is not a scrape on the bodywork (which might cause rust), or on the windscreen (which might weaken it or reduce visibility).
It's a scrape on a bumper, which is supposed to be a sacrificial layer attached to the front and back of the car with the precise purpose of absorbing bumps on a robust material. Why on earth have we tolerated manufacturers making our lives more complicated by applying paint to the most vulnerable part of a vehicle? It serves no practical purpose other than to generate income for those who respray or touch up this regularly-scraped paint.
Twenty years ago, most cars had unpainted plastic bumpers which could cope with scratches and scrapes without any need for repainting. Turning them onto fashion items has just made an unnecessary further thing to worry about.
I need a car car and have been looking at Corsas/Fiestas/Polos/Ibizas.
All between 1997-2000.
Today I saw a promising 97P Ibiza with 12 months MOT for £650 and FSH. It turns out the cambelt has not been changed, a hose was cracked, the exhaust blew and the radiator header was mostly empty.
I walked away but for future reference is the exhaust a big job on these as stated in HJ car by car?
What could cause the water to be so slow? It didn't appear to have any leaks or HG trouble but I didn't spend much time looking as I had already decided it was a shed. Read more
I diagnosed a misfire on my '00 1.25 Fiesta last week. Changing the spark plug and swappning HT leads did not move the misfire from No. 2 cylinder, so I decided to change the coil pack.
I was keen to do this quickly to prevent unburnt fuel from damaging the cat. A genuine Ford coil pack from the main dealer was about £60 but I bought one from a factor for £30.
It solved the problem and it works fine but I'm interested in whether anyone has an opinion on the performance or longevity of such factor parts compared to Ford ones? From the outside it looks identical apart from the label but it's all selaed in epoxy, so there's no way to tell if it's built to the same standard inside.
There was a third option, that of buying a Ford labelled coil pack from ebay. These were also about £30 but if not buying from a main dealer, you have no way of knowing whether it's just a 'factor' part with a Ford label on. I would have thought that Ford would want to tie up the supply of genuine parts to thier franchised dealers to protect prices, so if genuine, where do these come from?
Any comments anyone? Read more
My Turkish "Tag Heuer" watch has been keeping excellent time for about ten years now.
Hi- 93 ford fiesta starter motor suddenly stopped working and only now get the clunk of the solenoid but no engagement to turn the engine over - checked for tight wiring connections and a good charged battery but still happening so suspect the starter motor - but might be something else. Have not taken it out yet but wanted to know if there were any servicable parts or is it best to replace rather than try and repair. Car starts fine on a bump start.
Many thanks Read more
Thanks for the replies - interestingly after a couple of days making sure I park facing downwards on a hill the starter motor started working but I cannot rely on it so with your advice I will forget a repair and will fit a new starter motor as soon as I can.
Thanks
For those who work on the side of enforcing the law on our roads, how would you change it?
What would you add, what would you take away?
It was suggested to me by the powers that be that I re-post this on account of the tangent the last one went off on. Read more
I know prison space is non existent but further ban is just farcical when they
ignore the first one... Please don't get me started!!
Having spent 21 years in the Royal Navy, I dont know why prisons are overcrowded.
Give a sailor a 12 x 12 feet area and he will install 12 beds and lockers to keep all the kit in.
Where is the problem with that, it may even stop some scrotes wanting to go back in.
Whilst on my travels in Cornwall last week I came across a fantastic little second hand market in Padstow.
There sitting all alone in the car section was a 10th edition Part no: AKD 4092 (10) British Leyland Motor Corporation Limited (1970) publication for the Vanden Plas Princess 1100 1100 mk.II and 1300 complete with addendum for the Lucas Pacemaker battery (type A9) and an additional addendum AKD 4092/2 for the ignition/starter switch and steering lock (when fitted).
This is a hard back (red coloured) bound book and consists of 74 printed pages and is in a very good condition.
Oh! If only modern day cars were as simple to run, maintain and own as then but with the convenience of the technology we have within them today on them!
Then again greasing and oiling was someting of 'chore' when you owned one of these vehicles as I read it but home servicing was a complete doddle!
Within the schematics of the wiring diagram there is a mere 118 components and 9 coloured wires to trace through - how easy is that to trace a fault compared to a modern day car?!
Read more
I dont normally visit autojumbles but your post Tron immediately made me think of the Race Retro show, which is held annually at Stoneleigh. Apart from all the cool old cars they have a big room full of stalls selling all sorts of old motoring publications, both OE and aftermarket books and magazines
Although probably not as cheap as a non-specialist outlet?
perhaps a great shame not to unite it with an enthusiastic
owner of the said car.
I wouldnt worry about that, there is always the ubiquitous Ebay for an owner to search.
;o)
Browse
But they say themselves the '77' in it's name comes from putting two lucky sevens together and has no technical relevance. And they will build only 77 of them.