November 2008
Just a enquiry, after a cold night on Monday about 3 degrees went to start the car did all the usual waited for glow plug light to extinguish etc dash lit up as normal, but on trying to start it turning the key to position III nothing happened radio, heater still on dash as normal, it did not even try to turn over. I assumed to battery was shot (Jan 2005) but have had no indication that it was on its way out, tried jump leads still no response, by more luck than design I kept the key in the position III for approx three seconds and hey presto it fired straight up no turning over just fired straight up.
So I tried a new quality battery no issues all week, it was cold last night 1 degree so gave it a try this afternoon and the same thing happened position III for starting nothing turned back to position I then back to III held there for 2/3 seconds fired straight up, after letting it run for no more than a minute or so turned it off and tried again, this time started in the usual manner.
Have read the user manual but there is just the normal info on starting / cold starting though it does state " when in extremely cold conditions several attempts may be needed to crank the engine" Read more
Can anyone help ? I am looking for dual controls that I can have installed
in a VW Golf. Does anyone know of a buisness in essex that can supply this ?
Either new or second hand controls
I thank you all Read more
Hi I just started to have trouble starting my 106 1.5 diesel yesterday.it allways started ok before.
what happens is the car turns over fine but will not try to fire if you put the key in and out of the ignition and turn it off and on it will eventually start.
the problem as far as I can tell is from the immobilizer or the fuel cut-off solenoid is sticking.
Does anyone know how I can test these to see if they are the problem.
the immobilizer is the type with the chip in the key.
thank you Read more
does anyone have any idea what the problem could be
Hi,
My 04 model year ford focus is now in France. I would like to know if it is possible to adjust the headlamps so that they do not point towards the left and therefore dazzle other drivers> The vehicle must go for a French MOT (Controle Techique). I have been told by the garage that I must have the lights changed or adjusted. Using stickers or insulate tape will not be accepted. Can anyone advise whether this can be done easily and by myself. I have had a look at the lights and they have some adjustable controls, I have not yet attempted to change these. They normally are for adjusted the vertical orientation as opposed to horizontal.
Thanks in advance
Manjit Read more
Why do lorry drivers, when making a delivery & parking on the wrong side of the road, leave their headlights on? Maybe in daylight, but in the dark? I get it every morning on my way to work, between 6&7am. Read more
But it's far more likely to be that at 6am they have just forgotten to turn them off.
My dips cut out when I switch the ignition off, leaving only sidelights and hazards on whenever I get out of the cab (W-reg MAN 7.5t).
I always take the keys with me, no matter how brief the stop, as my boss trusts me to look after his £000's-worth of truck and its load.
Does anybody out there know of a 'fix' to allow the BMW cd player to play a selection of songs cd compiled from my pc please?
The unit only seems to play official pre-recorded albums. Read more
True, but not the case here. Direct copies of proper CDs dont work (Not everyone likes to have their good cds floating around in the car). He told me he had taken it up with Saab and been told it was a feature of the car.
Just managed to change a headlight bulb but in doing so disconnected the battery. Now the electric windows go up and down in an odd way and the radio won't work.
I can't find a reference for a reset code in the manual, any advice gratefully received! Read more
Switch on the ignition, make sure the window is completely closed, then hold the switch in the up position for 15 seconds. Repeat for each window. It should then work properly.
No idea on the radio. Ours just prompts for a code after the battery disconnection.
five years for allowing someone else to drive your car when you've had too much to drink..and you fail to prevent them driving over the limit and driving recklessly
that'll focus a few people's minds with regards the perils of drink/driving
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/7741418.s...m
Read more
"A few".
Telegraph: "She was also he said an estimated one-and-a-half times the drink drive limit"
I was using "a few" as in "quite a few" (should have been more specific, sorry!), so yes, I do feel he would have known that she was not capable of driving the car safely... and judging by the sentances it seems I'm not alone.
My Renault Clio 1.5DCi Dymanigue went on fire on Thursday night in my driveway. The Fire Service came to put the fire out and told me they thought it was probably caused by an electrcal fault. I had work done by the local dealer two weeks ago costing £800. The car needed a new timing belt and the dealer were doing a special offer so I booked it in with them. It also needed new rear wheel bearings and I got them to do that work at the same time and also got them to do a silver service while they were at it. I thought it would be less hassle killing three birds with one stone (as opposed to two), though as it was the dealer I knew it would bit on the pricey side. A couple of days before leaving the car in it started leaking oil so I asked the dealer to have a look at that also. This turned out to be the heat exchanger (though they told me it was the radiator at first) and they would have to get one from France. When it arrived the next day it turned out the one they had ordered was for the later model and didn't fit my car so they had to order another one. This took three days to arrive! I didn't therefore get my car back until the Friday (I'd left it in on the Monday!). They didn't even offer me a free courtesy car during all this time. I think it is too much of a coincidence that two weeks later the car goes up in flames don't you? Spookily I got a text from the dealer the morning after the car went on fire saying my car may have been involved in a safety recall campaign. I phoned them (I had already phoned them earlier about the fire which they of course they said had nothing to do with the work they did) and they said the recall was to do with the bonnet catch, however, the dealer had texted me about that several months earlier and I had already left the car in with them to get a new one fitted. I e-mailed the photos of the fire to the dealer and they contacted me and said they would forward them to Renault UK.
Has anyone had a similar experience?
I had to take a couple of days off work to clean up the mess! The tarmac is in a bad state and will need resurfaced at least.
Read more
Friend of mine, a consultant trickcyclist, had a brand new Alfa Spider a couple of years ago. Bowling up the M61, he smelled something, looked down and saw an orange spot growing on the floor by the pedals. Pulled over, grabbed briefcase and off down the hard shoulder a safe distance whilst the car went up in flames. It was the day after it's first service at supplying main agent ! Car gutted. He was gutted and the agent denied any fault. Never got anywhere with them.
Ted
I have just disposed of my 10-year old 2 litre Renault Mégane RXE automatic (and for the francophobes, it has covered over 90,000 miles and, apart from the usual service consumables it has needed one wheel bearing and one ignition coil in that time. Last month it went the length of the Alps to Provence and back on half a litre of oil and still had the original exhaust system and rear brake linings).
I have replaced it with a Renault Grand Scénic petrol 2.0 litre auto and am puzzled by the new service intervals. Now the book specifies a glycol based anti-freeze. The Mégane used glycol, and the coolant changed every 20,000 miles or 2 years. The Scénic however requires coolant changes at 70,000 miles or seven years. -- yet is still apparently on a glycol-based fluid.
Can anyone explain, please? Read more
Browse
Or duff contacts in the starter solenoid;my VW did this for years but always started eventually-one day I got round to stripping the starter motor and found the contacts and bridging strip in the starter solenoid were well pitted-a polish of the contacts cured all my problems.