November 2008
We bought a 2nd hand Prius in May 08 (07 model). Consistently got 52mpg. Last month or so 48mpg. Same drivers, same drives. Is this purely down to temp (i.e. heater on more), time of year ( i.e. lights on more)? Read more
Me and the misses just popped into the dealer, just being nosey. Anyhow, had a look at an i10, she likes it. Anyway, salesman was very helpful, said he would get some quick figures for finance and to me, they sounded a bit too good to be true.
They have a demo 1.2 Comfort auto, in silver on a 58 plate with 1000 miles on it.
The figures were: £169 pm for 36 months with £182 final payment and £2000 for my misses Picanto. Now, I couldnt for the life of me work out how he did it for that money but I asked him twice and he said they were correct.
We are test driving it on Monday and he is going to go through the workings with me but Im a bit baffled. Read more
We tried the Getz, liked it but compared to the Sirion/Myvi, it feels very old hat inside and in the end, it couldnt compete as it was equal on some fronts, but behind on everything else.
The dealer was offering finance at 5.1% which seemed ok, not sure what the standard is at the moment.
The Myvi is, with the curent deal they have on, about £2500 cheaper than the Sirion normally, but we have a pre-reg one on offer to us for £8500 so that brings it within £1k of it.
I am seeing the Perodua dealer tomorrow so I will post up where I get with that one as the salesman promised he would beat any deal offered to me finance wise, confident of it too he was.
I did speak to the Perodua salesman about the Perodua website which he agreed was a joke but he has the up to date info - there is a better one which my misses found, more up to date.
The ride on teh i10 was much worse than the Picanto - in teh i10 you feel every ripple in the road whereas the Picanto you felt the sharper bumps but it is fairly smooth most of the time, but not in the same league as the Sirion. I did wonder if the Myvi, with its steel wheels and perhaps taller tyres will ride even better than the Sirion given the detrimental effect alloys and low profile tyres usually have on ride quality.
Another worthy note on the i10 is that it sufferes terribly with tyre roar, maybe different tyres will be better.
My father has just purchased a 2002 voyager that is heavily adapted to take an electric wheelchair. It originally had electric seats but has had one taken out and the other is mounted on a chasis that enables it to be locked into either the passanger or the drivers side, this then means an electric wheelchair can be used in either space.
My problem is that the "normal" seat which was electric has no where to plug the electrical loom into, so nothing can be moved. This means that my mother can not get close enough to the pedals to be able to drive.!!!
Is it possible to just give the loom on the seat a 12v feed to enable it to move? If so any ideas which wires this needs to go to?
Many thanks in advance. Read more
Just an update. Thanks for your help MerlinTec, all now sorted ;o)
The drivers side doors (front and rear) will not open using the keyless method. The nearside doors and the boot work OK. I have tried the other fob and all is still the same. Anyone know where the aerials are hidden so I can check them out? Are they on a fuse? Any help appreciated.
Kieran Read more
They have probably kicked themselves off the can bus, you will need Renault to see if they are communicating.
Have you any examples of stereotypical motorists? How can you identify them by the cars they drive and the way they drive them?
Obvious examples are the teenage menace in an obscenely modified Saxo, and the testosterone-fuelled sales rep charging down the outside lane at X00mph in a boggo basic Vectra or such like.
I find it harder to identify certain groups these days, how often do you see a volvo estate full of antique furniture for example? I have noticed that mini-MPVs are predominantly driven by people that HATE cars. The roads are practically full of mimsers in Citroen Picassos. Read more
Personal number plates, invariably fitted to the poverty spec model. Known in my part of the world as "Prat Plates" so the stereotype is that all people with said plates are prats, with more money than sense.
Diesel is now almost 20% more expensive than petrol. (89.9/l v. 105.9/l)
Anyone have some wisdom on whether the gap will close, or widen, in the coming months / years? Read more
The price gap between diesel and petrol should drop significantly once the new refining plant comes online in about 12 to 18 months time.
Hi,
Can some one help me, i have read the owners manual for changing the battery in my door remote control, for the life of me i can not open it appart to change the battery, i have put the screw driver in the position on the fob as shown in the manual but can not prise or move any thing on the remote, what am i doing wrong
Please advise
Ronsam (new member) Read more
Hi Dynamic Dave,
Sorry, realised after i sent the previous message, i am glad i have found this website, it will be very usefull in tech issues with my vectra.
Regards
Ronsam
Well, it had to happen eventually - the 214 has failed its MOT and dont think its worth repairing.
We have had it for 7 years, done 80,000 reliable miles and its just ticked over 140,000 as well, however time and miles are taking its toll.
It has failed on:
1) Emissions 6 times higher than it should on all readings - ticking noise/misfire on cylinder 2 on tickover and popping exhaust - looks like it might be a burnt exhaust valve?
2) two front shock absorbers
3) two front tyres
4) track rod end
5) corroded brake pipes - most were done last year so cant be much - I think its where it goes to the calipers.
Any ideas of cost for that little lot (tyres aside)?
I think the emissions are the key to getting the rest done. If its a valve, can it be done with the head in situ?? Read more
As said; any misfire will flood the oxygen sensor with oxygen and make the ECU think it's running lean - which it will then try and correct.....
A compression test is next.
I have just purchased this jack from Argos. When lifted without a load it takes 3 strokes to reach maximum height, yet when lifting the car (nowhere near 3 tonnes) it takes quite a lot of effort pumping the handle. Have checked the oil level and followed the bleeding procedure. Is this normal for a quick lift jack? Just wondering as the box says 3 full strokes to maximum lift height.
Thanks in advance Read more
Quick lift on a "trade" jack normally means 1 stroke for the saddle to reach the underside of the car. Then pump as normal to lift it. ie, not spending time lifting the jackthrough thin air!
hth
Hiya all
I was carrying 3 other passengers, last week, and when reaching about 75mph on the motorway my steering wheel started to vibrate.
Looking on the web, a common cause was wheel imbalance. So I booked it into a national chain that deals with tyres and exhausts but before i took it in I decided to take it on a spin to check. There seemed to be no vibration on this spin at 75mph.
Could the vibrations have been caused because of the load from the passengers?
Anyway I took it in and they done their (free) check and said I was 20g out on one tyre and 10g out on the other tyre. So I had these done at a cost of £12 (which is about average I think).
Not had a chance to take it out on a fast road yet but would such small weight differences cause such vibration?
Thanks for any help with this Read more
Well, I drove the car to work today and the steering feels a lot more fidgety at low speeds after the balancing and there is a small vibration after 30mph which was not there before.
Could the wheels now be "overbalanced"? I much prefered the way it was before, so could I remove the additional weights that the garage fitted, or should I take it back for them to retry or am I just being paranoid!
Thanks
Browse
Thanks Bagpuss for your post - I think I must have mis-understood you and read a little too much into your reply and assumed a certain tone that was never there (my fault).
I have to agree with you above though and you make the point well.
I think allot of academics have tried to cash in on a very successful company and I have also seen so many examples of how companies have taken certain practices and tried to implement them without understanding how to do it properly.
In fact I have talked to Toyota's competitors who have visited their factories and even they say that Toyota don't mind showing anybody round because they know not many will really understand how they do things.
Everyone talks about the Toyota Production System and I have visited many companies that will show me a book or intranet system with their equivalents, but as you know when you ask Toyota to show them their Production System, they will tell you that none of it is written down - it is just how they do things, which supports your view of academics cashing in.