October 2008
I was looking up the fuel efficiency for older diesel cars for city driving and on a site selling old LTI fairway taxis I came up with a figure of 25 - 30mpg in town for a 2.7 litre diesel. Now I don't know if this means stop and start traffic driving or driving at 30 MPH, but this is roughly the same as I get from my old Golf, which is a 1.3 litre petrol. I know that diesels are more efficient, but a 2.7 litre diesel doing as well as a 1.3 litre petrol in town does surprise me.
Can I assume that this kind of MPG for a 2.7 litre has something to do with the lighter weight of taxis relative to other cars or is this just an average MPG to be expected even from a big diesel engine in town. Would something like an Audi, or BMW diesel with the same engine size be doing much less than 25 - 30mpg in town? Read more
Have seen selected new Fiesta with 15% discount which is a good starting point in today's troubled finanical climate. How much discount should we expect on the new Jazz? 15% or more dealers please!!! Unfortunately, in my experience and especially in Scotland dealers won't haggle!!! Anyone had similiar experiences? Read more
I think there's a lot in what you say Geoff, although I'm sure most dealers would prefer to do a deal without a part exchange.
My fiesta has developed a lighting fault. Wth no lights on, the brake lights operate correctly (with pedal). if i switch on the side, dipped or main lights then the brake lights switch on permanently and will not alter in brightness when the brake pedal is depressed.
I have checked all the relevant fuses but they all seem intact.
Does anyone know what might cause this?
Thanks in advance!
Toby Read more
A single contact bulb in a double-contact hole is the usual cause of that problem.
Note also that double-contact bulbs [380 type] have offset bayonet pins and only fit one way.
can anyone help please.
range rover won't start. fires when turning the key for a few seconds then starter just turns but no firing anymore.
fuel pump ok plenty of pressure.
good spark at plugs.
distributor cap and rotor arm clean.
plugs in good condition.
tried easy start but fires intermittently for a few seconds and thats it.
battery good.
a friend suggested a noid light to test injectors .is this a good idea and where do i get one from .the e bay stuff all seeems to be for fords etc.
any help greatly appreciated
Nick
Read more
Ignition OK; for anything else, it depends on what type of LPG set-up is fitted.
Single-point? Multi-point? Emulators?
Its time to say goodbye to the octy vrs 53 plate after 4 enjoyable, reliable years and move onto pastures new. I was thinking about a nearly new golf mk v gti. Bearing in mind a new one is due in spring would there be a best time to buy? now? or wait until the new one is released whenever that is?
all opinions appreciated Read more
thanks for the replies. I will most likely get one within the next few weeks then
Gearbox in son's 1.6 bora [25k miles ] rather notchy in 1st + 2nd, hot or cold. has anyone got any ideas. Would you recommend a g/box additive like wynns, suggested by mechanic friend. Other than this problem the car drives perfectly.
Hugh.
{amendment to subject header to expand on question being asked} Read more
At the minute I have two settings on my air blowers, very hot and singe your eyebrows. I'm assuming some sort of thermostat has gone. For the time being I can live with it, it's coming up to the winter months afterall. So would it be ok to leave it say until the next service interval or will I end up burning something out in the long run ? Cheers Read more
Hi
I was thinking of buying a 2001 1.6 306 estate. Price £1800. Does anyone know what these cars are like for reliability and fuel consumption. Its for my wife to use as were expecting our first child. Any advice would be really appreicated Read more
Thanks a million guys, I know the fella selling the car and its had one owner from new (2001), with only 37000 on the clock.
hey,
was wondering whether anybody knew the correct readings for the maf sensor on a 1.8 petrol zetec-e engine at idle and at wot (in lbs/min). need to check whether mine is functioning correctly as im having acceleration problems even though ive changed the whole ignition system and fuel delivery is fine and theres no vacuum leaks..
the car is an '03 with 42000 miles on the clock..
did a few tests on it, basically with the maf connected, the exhaust tone is sputtery at idle and when u blip the throttle WOT, it pings.. engine doesnt sound smooth either, coupled with the poor acceleration... (i couldnt even overtake a car..) but when i disconnected the maf, the exhaust tone became smooth, and when i blip the throttle wot, it doesnt ping anymore.. does that indicate that the maf is faulty?? would be really helpful if somebody could give me some values so i can compare them with the readings im getting..
just to give more info.. at idle, my stft and ltft are both around -2.3... but when the engine is under load and i do WOT, my stft shoots up to +19 for a bit and then corrects itself.. i heard this is characteristic of a dirty/naff maf.. but i just want to make sure before i fork out the money to change it..
thanks for all your help guys!
matt Read more
I've never seen any car's data in lbs/min - kg/Hr maybe. MAFs rarely fail on these and your LTFT [additive or multiplicative?] is fine. [STFT is instant, so will change under acceleration.]
Check that your breather hose hasn't split - that's the usual.
I've recently bought a 2006 Ford Focus 1.8 Ghia with on board touch screen sat nav.
Great car and good sat nav apart from one small annoying problem.
I can't seem to find a way to stop a CD playing without turning the unit off. This is no good if I'm using the satnav as it would turn this off as well. At the moment I'm just turning the volume down if I don't want music on.
Can anyone help? Read more
I would suspect that all sat nav systems that are built into the stereo would need the stereo switched on. On my factory fit CD70 sat nav system in my Vectra I can mute the radio or CD but the sat nav will still be audible.
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As it happens I seen one of the cabbies on youtube complaining about the TX4 not being too efficient with diesel, but that could be probs with just his car.
Thanks for the example on the 1.9. I suppose that size engine would be the safer bet. Normal 2.5 litre and above cars seem to be a few hundred kilos heavier than a London cab, so it would probably be a stretch to think I could get decent MPG from a big car for the type of driving I do, but if I thought there was a chance of buying a big diesel and paying roughly the same in fuel as I am now I would take a chance.