November 2008
My Kangoo 1.9 has lost ALL of its oil on start up this morning....`striaght onto floor. was in mechs for same problem as result of mechanic working on car. It comes from front of engine [not top] and has slump thick stuff in it is it to do with oil/pump/filter cap?
Nixter
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All this discussion about old cars has made me nostalgic for these. Have had several Citroens - in my view the 'quirkier' the better (apart from the XM). But the DS - should I? Could I? Buy one and afford to run it that is. Read more
Hi My son has just had an accident in his 55 reg ford focus caused by the rear axle snapping and he ended up in a ditch Can anyone tell me if there are any known faults with rear axles on ford focus cars I am not sure of the model all I do know is it is on a 55 plate and he's only had it a couple of months. One of the problems we have is the insurance company are only covering the damage NOT the cause He does have a mechanical warranty on it so not sure if he is covered by that yet as it only happened last Friday evening. This is why I am trying to find out if it is a manufactures problem as the car is not that old and you don't expect the rear axle to snap He wasn't doing any great speed and the AA man said he is lucky he landed in soft mud or else the car would have flipped So quite scary really Look forward to any replies
{55 changed to 2005 as 55 is the reg plate, not the 'year of manufacture' - which is what the fill in box requested} Read more
Unlikely to have been caused by the "accident"-OP did say "slow speed-soft ground".I still think
damage was caused earlier in the car's life.
The op stated it landed in soft ground.. that's not to say that it did'nt hit a 6 inch kerb on the way over.
The op only states what the son has told him, which could be quite different to the accident circumstances, if you know what i mean..( accept my apologies if this is not the case).
I just find it hard to believe that you are driving along and there is such a catastrophic rear suspension failure that would cause an accident.. In my opinion the accident would be the cause of the suspension breakage.
As i posted earlier, if the op (or his son) is adamant that the suspension failed first and caused the accident, then my first port of call would be FORD and demand that THEY send someone to inspect the broken suspension. If your wife/daughter owned a similar car would you be happy for them to drive about with a part that may fail and cause an accident, possibly a lot more serious than the op's son's.
Well, I think this Daewoo could be coming to the point where it is getting unviable to fix. It has had a few non-terminal faults for a while now (which I simply have not had time to fix) but I think the latest one has the potential to tip it over the edge.
1) Momentary drop in revs when the gas pedal is pushed while the car is cold. I believe this to be the coolant temperature sensor.
2) Air idle control valve is u/s -- car revs too high, and cleaning it off isn't really working any more. Cost for a replacement is around £140 due to being a Daewoo rather than a Vauxhall -- tsk. I *might* be able to get one from Australia for £60.
3) Oil leak from the cam cover -- cheap fix but it all mounts up. Not too serious, losing maybe a third of a litre of oil every 1000 miles.
4) This is the new one -- a loud bang from the underside of the car every gear-change. Would guess at either an exhaust noise or an engine/gearbox mount. If it's the latter, the car will have to go to a garage -- I simply don't have the time or the skill to sort it out.
The car still requires a cambelt at some point, cost £250 inc tensioner/water pump, but I suspect that the above represents at least £200 worth of repairs, and possibly more, so the car is now borderline seeing as it is worth maybe £400 at most, in top condition.
Generally the car is fine though -- four new or nearly-new tyres, good engine/box/electrics/bodywork, no rust.
Time for the bin? Read more
Noise is the driver's side wishbone -- not the end of the world, will get it into the local garage tomorrow AM -- and while I was in town I picked up some carb cleaner and went over the IACV once again -- car is now revving spot-on once again (I had been cleaning the valve with water up to now, but this cleaner expunged a whole load of new gunk that I was unaware of).
So, seems like the car isn't so near the scrapper after all -- it lives to fight another day.
This is a bit of an odd one, but I am unable to fully open the drivers door. It opens sufficiently to be able to get in and out of but nonetheless it won't fully open - any suggestions as to what's wrong,
John Read more
I would suspect the check strap has siezed up or broken. If you can get the door open far enough to undo the two torx bolts securing the strap to the frame you should then be able to fully open the door and remove the strap from the door and replace it.
just wondering if anyone knows how easy it is to change a diesel tank is it a job for a garage or is it easy enough for a diy er. Read more
Three spanner job according to Haynes.
Hearing all these stories about how dealers are falling over themselves to sell new cars, I turned up at my local Nissan dealer willing to buy a new 2.0 dCi Qashqai Tekna 4WD in Cayman Blue. Did a test drive, all OK. Sat down, negotiated a decent p/x for my existing car, got them to drop the the price by £1600 on the full list price. They checked stock and had one available for delivery in the next two weeks. I agreed, signed and paid a deposit.
An hour later I get a call from the dealer confirming that it was a 2WD I wanted, not really I said, as the order clearly states 4WD and that was what the price was based on. Turns out the car located was 2WD and they didn't notice. So I say I'm happy to wait longer for the colour I asked for.
Dealer goes away and then another hour later calls back saying they can't get a Cayman Blue 4WD and only have two other 4WD models available, neither colour was one I (and more importantly my wife) liked. Again I say I'd wait, but dealer says not possible because the finance deal I got (0%) may not be available then.
I was given 5 more minutes to discuss this with my wife, and we agreed we would take neither. Dealer didn't ring back and is now closed for the day.
When they do ring back, order will be canceled and they'd better refund me PDQ. I must say I wasn't impressed with level of service.
This was a large dealer with a national network of dealerships. I think I may be talking to the other Nissan dealer in my area, a small independent, surely things can't go as badly? Read more
Finally got a result. After another "discussion" with the sales guy, where he again tried to justify the costs, I told him to cancel the whole thing.
A few hours later I got a call back from a senior manager at the dealer and the tone was completely different. He apologised for the treatment I'd received, agreed that the charges were mostly stupid and would ensure that I recieved a fair deal if I agreed to continue with the sale. Subsequently the price of the car was dropped to point where I'm happy with the deal and I'm now awaiting a call to say I can pick it up.
.......for continuing the discussion relating to CAR Magazine's top ten cars form the seventies.
Previous thread was here :-
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=69...7
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I used to read that in the sixth form - what a bad boy I was.
A few days ago I came to use the heater fan in the car and it failed to work. All of the other controls work, such as the A/C and heated rear screen. I have checked all the fuses inside the car and the fuse box in the engine compartment. I have even had part of the dash board apart and removed the heater control unit to check for loose wires etc on the back, but nothing.
Has any body come across problems with there heater not working? and if so how did you get over it, or how much did it cost to put right, with winter coming I need to get it fixed asap. Read more
Thanks , I will have a look for it. What sort of price to get it fixed at a garage, any idea??
Daughter's Ibiza broke down for the 3rd time in 2yrs yesterday due to coil pack failure. It's always the same position (no1) and, of course, it always occurs at the most inconvenient times.
Surprisingly, this time SEAT Assist (actually the AA) replaced the coil pack at the roadside and didn't charge for it, even though the car is 4yrs old - on previous occasions they've put a spare in and then made her drive to a SEAT dealership to have it changed under warranty.
Is coil pack failure still an issue with VAG? I know it was huge years ago, but surely they should have it sorted by now?
slt Read more
Browse
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A Citroen Car Club "expert" told you not to buy a DS?? Hard to believe. So on that criteria the DS would die out and he'd be an "expert" in motoring history instead. He needs retiring with his pipe and slippers and a car blanket. Live a little. You could be dead tomorrow!! There are loads of DS's that have a solid chassis. Ask for advice from Centreville in Newcastle Upon Tyne or DS World in London. Yes some suffer from rust. What's new? They were built from 1955 so rust will be an issue but get an expert and find a good 'un and have some fun.
I've owned a '72 DSuper for 6 years. It's beautiful, solid, reliable, rust proofed, dependable and the most comfortable and enjoyable car I've ever owned or driven. Yes I've had to replace a few things on it over the years, but that's to be expected considering it's nearly 40 years old but I'd jump in it tomorrow and have no fears about getting to the south of France and back.
Check out the website ds restoration on how to find a good one. In 2005, the DS celebrated its 50 birthday in Paris. There were thousands of DS's in town over that week end. All rot boxes about to collapse?? Of course not. There is so much garbage written about the DS, often by people, who it turns out have never owned one.
I wouldn't swap mine for anything. It always brings a smile to my face and to countless other drivers too. And no it's not the fastest car, but the engine is bomb proof, taken from the Avant, and anyway a DS doesn't have to rush to impress!
If you want to experience a DS before bying check out citroen-ds-hire.co.uk
Find a good one and you won't regret it.