November 2008
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Hi,
I just bought a 2000 Volkswagen Passat 1.9 S TDI 90. The only problem, I think, is that the seatbelt/airbag light on the dash stays on. Now from the manual I know this light should flash for a few seconds when the key is inserted but it stays on all the time. Now the guy i bought it from says there is no chance the airbag was ever deployed although the airbag 'panel' on the passenger side is not just flush with the dash as I assume it should be. It could also just be a fault in the system but is this likely.
The car has only had one owner so far. It was a trade-in to a garage from which he bought it.
Could it just be a matter of a dealer, or someone with the right software, resetting the system or something. Obviously from this message I dont know too much about cars.
{make / model removed from subject line as the drop down menu choice includes this information in the subject line, so there is no need to repeat it} Read more
Final update:
so got the car back last night and the airbag light is doing exactly as it should. Apart from telling you it was something in the passenger footwell that was the problem I dont have the exact solution because the fella who was sorting the problem wasnt there when I picked up the car.
Turns out its not the sump - on inspection on a ramp, it became clear its the main seal between engine and gearbox, so a gearbox out job to replace.
.*******
Any ideas what would cause this as aside from a manufacturing issue, I cant see why it would happen.
It is now loosing a 1/3 of its oil every 5 miles, more so as it warms up, which will make the 8 mile drive to the garage on monday, er, interesting and rather smokey!
Is there any safety aspect to the oil going onto the hot exhaust?
Im going to pressure wash the underside of the car sunday to get rid of whats already there and reduce the smoke as much as possible but Im worried it will get catastrophic before I arrive so should I worry or just not look at the smoke as I driving along?
It doesnt block vision behind me, its sort of like a blue haze. Read more
Funny you should mention that 'whistling' noise - ours has it too, not at low revs or high, but around the 2-3000 rpm mark which, as an auto, ours spends most of its time, but only when the car is under load. We didnt think much of it and it got alot less noticable after it was serviced prior to delivery, so its been tolerated.
The reason my misses likes the Sirion is several reasons: She is just over 5ft tall and has exceptional trouble finding a car designed for those so short - european cars are useless for this, whereas the far easterns seem to cater more those of diminutive stature.
She tried a Focus auto which she liked but it left her knees just an inch from the underside of the dashboard and in order to see over the steering wheel, she had to have the seat set high, which in turn left her just 3 inches from the windscreen - rather dangerous.
In the Sirion, she had a full three inches between her lower leg and dashboard, plus the steeringwheel is positioned in such a way that she can get comfortable and feel in control without being noticably close to it ( a problem she has in the vast majority of cars Picanto included ).
She was also over 1ft away from the windscreen in the Sirion.
It also has a much bigger and nicer shaped boot than the Picanto, excellent warranty, decent economy even as an auto and in general is very thoughtfully designed. A brand new Sirion auto is just £8995 plus any further haggling so its great value AND its a proper autobox. Even better, the 1.5 auto Sirion is barely any more to run than the 1.3 so you can get quite a perky auto still with supermini running costs.
I already have a discuusion going on whether a deal I have been offered on a pre reg zafira is any good.
I have a question about manufacturers 3 year warranty (actually 28mths) in this car's case. What does it cover?
The reason I ask is the dealer offered an additional 3 year warranty for £399 saying that the warranty that came with new cars was 'step down' ie. in the 1st year it covers so much, in the 2nd yr what's covered is less and, in the 3rd yr even less is covered. However you still have to stick to manufacturers service guidelines so that the warrnty is not null & void.
Are 3 yr warranties therefore a con?
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>> Are 3 yr warranties therefore a con?
Depends what you mean by a 'con'.
When you're buying you're usually told (verbally) that the warranty gives you 'peace of mind' since everything is covered. When something does actually go wrong its either specifically excluded, 'wear and tear' or driver abuse.
I think a lot of these are not 'warranties' in the accepted sense, but insurance policies which cover the failure of some specific items on the car. The key is to approach with scepticism and read the policy document thoroughly!
I'm off to see Harry Hill's TV Burp being recorded tomorrow. Does anyone know if you can park near the studios at Teddington? (Broom Road).
Also, they state that they deliberately overbook by a significant amount. Studio doors open 18:30, free drinks from 17:30. Anyone ever been and can suggest what time I should plan to arrive? (Really not *that* bothered if I can't get in, but may as well go with the right intent).
I first saw HH doing stand up at the Fringe just before he came onto TV and he was brilliant. Never quite been the same since he got on the small screen... Read more
Drove up there and back, 45 minutes each way (train time would have been around 1h 25 station to station). The road immediately outside the studio has double yellows, further along there is parking but it was full. So the next turning on the left has single yellows, with parking banned between 11:00 and 12:00 (or 12:00 and 13:00) - about 5 mins walk.
Arrived there around 16:45, queue already fairly long. We were numbers 51 & 52 (they give you numbered tickets - I didn't count!!). We were shuffled into a marquee where we hung around a while, and got give a Carlsberg. Eventually into the studio around 18:30 and the recording started at about 19:15. There was a compere kind of guy who was fairly funny, then they recorded the show - start to end was about 50 minutes non-stop, then a bit of a break then they re-did some links etc. Guess we were in there best part of two hours - it was great fun (and very interesting).
Would recommend it for a free night out...got the tickets through www.tvrecordings.com. Only warning- get there early as they do over commit, some people who had tickets were turned away, and that was after quite a bit of hanging around.
Thanks to all for advice.
Hi I am looking to buy a cheap engine diagnostics code reader but am unsure of the type to buy. Is a W reg (2000) a standard OBD/OBDII or CAN ? I have read that the socket is under the dash in the passenger foot well is this correct? eBay sell PC based interfaces for as little as £24, are they any good? I only want to clear any fault codes present now and then check for any new ones appearing in the future.
Thanks in advance Andy Read more
I'm not that bothered about the air bag as I 'hope' never to need it. But I was worried about doing some damage to the engine if I am running with a engine fault that's hidden.
Can anyone advise about the method for replacing the pollen filter in a 1.6 Note? Read more
I have a 2007 Niissan Note. The pollen filter is accessed on the passenger side underneath, and to the right of the glovebox. It is visible, with your head in the footwell. It is grey, in my case. There is no need to dis-assemble anything.
Press down on the top of the filter, and pull out. when replacing, slide in partially, and press down the top outside corner to get it to click in. The filter should have an "UP" arrow on the outside edge.
Hey I have a P reg Rover 214. A couple of weeks ago, whilst stuck in traffic my temp gauge reached maximum. I switched the engine off to give it time to cool down but then it took a while to start again. When I got home and let the car cool down I opened the bonnet and realised that the coolant was empty. I filled this up and the car was then running fine...... until a couple of days ago. The same thing happened to me again and when i looked under the bonnet the coolant was empty again. I filled it up but then the morning after I had trouble starting the car. Yesterday, my car completely conked out on me. I'm ashamed to say this but i think that this was due to lack of petrol. After putting some petrol in it, however it wouldn't start and we had to push it back home.
We then changed the starter motor on it and charged the battery. This seemed to do the trick. This morning however, my temp gauge has taken to jumping up and down between half way and the top. It doesn't seem to do this so much when I am going down hill or when I take my foot off the gas. It does it in every gear at about 1500 revs except third gear which it seems to like!!
I dont think that this could be an accurate reading of the temp of my engine as I am sure that it would crack if the temp changed so much at such speed.
Does anybody have any advice as to what could be causing this and how i could fix it? Read more
Hi Mexxy,
I'm afraid I have to agree with the people suggesting the head gasket.
I had a Rover 214 si (K- series engine). Almost as soon as I got it, the temperature needle went into the red and the coolant pressure went up that much that it started to seep from the coolant reservoir cap.
I returned it to the garage and they changed the head gasket. It then went back a couple of weeks later as they had not skimmed the head properly and therefore needed a new gasket again!!
12 months later I was suddenly noticing the car was loosing power and hesitating then going again. This got progressively worse until the temp gauge started rising again and the car would just stop working until it had cooled down. This happened whenever I was in traffic and there was no cool air hitting the radiator.
I have to say that despite this happening many times it did no damage to the engine block.
People I have spoken to since have mentioned that the rover K-series is a renown gasket boiler and once they have gone expect to change them every few years.
HOWEVER- better news-
I have since heard that Land Rover have developed a range of gaskets that are much more resilient to over-heating- I'm not sure if they do one to fit all the Rovers Cars- the conversation I had was regarding Lotus Elise (Rover 1.8 VVT K-series engine).
Hope this helps?
I have been enjoying a few weeks in the sun.
I got a free upgrade from a Passat / Accord / Volvo to an Audi A4 TFSI 1.8 CVT.
This Multitronic / Tiptronic version had flappy paddles and EIGHT speeds to play with.
I found the gearbox aspect to be very clever.
Driving in auto, just a touch of either paddle and it switched out of auto and displayed 12345678 with its choice of gear highlighted. The normal floor quadrant could still be used for sequential gear changes.
It had the usual "sport mode" that with a heavy boot red lined.
Another clever feature was that in auto, on deown slopes, having used the brakes it retained that gear and thus better engine braking.
Other observations on the A4.
Use of the heater A/C controls activated a Sat Nav sized screen so very easy to see.
IIRC 20 speed fan for the interior displayed like a clock face on the screen.
Similar display for temp
Chin spoiler already scraped and very easy to repeat (even exiting the hire car site).
Electronic dip stick - no normal dipstick. Brake fluid resevoir shrouded.
( this tends to support my views that the engine bay acces is becoming a no no for for all but the experts)
At night the cabin was lit like a Christmas tree. Absolutely everything that moved had a little red indicator.
RTFM and extras like adaptive cruise control and blind spot warnings are available.
Overall good fun for a 98 Mondeo driver. Read more
"And the increased efficiency and affordability of an auto"
A traditional torque converter type auto is less efficient than a manual. Agree a dual clutch arrangement like the VAG DSG is efficient. If it were not for the inefficiency for the torque converter boxes a lot more would have them already. On a more powerful engine the losses are probably a smaller %age and so easier to justify - you try selling a manual 2+ litre Mercedes with a manual box and foot operated parking break ;-)
At the end of August of this year I purchased a Mini Cooper S from my local dealership (I will call it delearship 1), I'm now sick to the teeth of the car due to various problems.
Here is an email I sent to "dealership 1"
The problems started the first day I bought the car. I took it to a friend?s business based in Worcestershire that specialise in MINIs. He?s an ex head tech at dealership 2 (another local dealership), straight away he noticed that the car was well overdue its first service. Not because of mileage, but because of age (2 years old). This isn?t great news on the first day of ownership of a ?cherished MINI?.
When I booked the car in for this I also asked your Service team (dealership 1) to check the steering rack as it was ?creaking / clunking? when moving the car at low speeds, e.g. parking. I was told that there was nothing wrong with the steering and that it was fine.
Knowing there was something definitely wrong with the steering I took the car to Dealership 2, who over this visit and around 3 or 4 other visits replaced the steering column, steering spindle, cd player, heater, clutch, flywheel, drivers door window regulator, drivers armrest pad and a few other parts. All in 5 weeks of owning the car.
I now have several other problems emerging that I am coming to see your service manager about tomorrow afternoon.
Its annoying as when I agreed the finance with your salesman he told me how this car would only cost me a bit extra on payments per month than my previous BMW did. This is now not the case as each time I visits either dealership 1 or 2 I?m losing time from work as well as having to travel. Taking the first month as an example, I made at least 4 separate visits to dealership 2 service, so that is 16 Journeys between my home /work and the dealership.
I can appreciate the car is not brand new, I look after the car very well, never drive it hard, let it warm up and cool down before use (yes over the top) but I?m a great believer in peace of mind. I could live with a few niggles but at the moment every time I drive the car I hate it and seriously regret buying it.
Tomorrow I?m coming to see Jeremy regarding a rattle from the gearbox at low revs, loose boot, miss aligned front bumper, brake ?grinding? and a rattle I get when starting the car.
Could you tell me what my rights are regarding rejecting the car please?
Any advice would be much appreciated!
Thanks
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This may sound flippant but it sounds not unlike BL minis from years ago. I say that as someone that's owned several.
All the best with it.
Steve.
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>>I've never had a problem.
Sounds like you?ve got several to me.
Clk Sec