November 2008
Hi,
I had my camcorder rigged up in my car and I found myself in this sticky situation with a lorry when coming off the M57:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggANNvHttBA&fmt=18 {link made non clickable, also the language used right at the end *may* offfend some people}
Who is to blame here?
I know that generally if you run into the back of another vehicle then you are to blame, but is that still the case if someone pulls out into a non-existent space in front of you?
Thanks for any replies
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Is there any history of this?
A member of my family acquired a Grande Punto 1.4 Auto back in June, it has since covered 4K miles of ordinary road driving.
Yesterday on the way home from work, the ABS warning light came on. On getting the car home, the driver braked, a lound thud then came from somewhere in the rear of the car, and lost all braking capability, including operation of the parking brake.
The car is currently propped against the rockery (driveway is sloped, this semi-auto box has no Park option), waiting for the dealer to collect it.
I had warned against the reliability of Fiats, it seems they are no better than they have been in the past .
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Friend's high mileage 95-96 Mondeo Diesel now will not switch off, unless stalled in 5th gear.
Suggested Cause : Solenoid buried in fuel pump gone...
Part cost is less than £30, but labour quoted around £600 at indep. garage...
Does anyone know how big a job (hours) this is? Is it cheaper/quicker to get a whole fule pump assembly from the scrapyard or recon outlet and replace the whole thing?
thanks in advance...
S. Read more
Lucas/Roto pumps are notorious for hating junk fuel. Maybe some near-neat system cleaner sucked-in and left overnight might help?
while driving for a while a spanner shows In dash,then there's no response from the throttle,happens in all gears when foot off throttle,I then push the throttle a few times,then seems ok again for a while
Anyone had this prob
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ok thanks,will post when I get the codes
I had a back operation last year and still suffer from lower back pain and pains in the backs of the thighs when sitting. I currently drive a C-Max automatic which is OK-ish but am keen to buy something with very comfortable, ideally electric, seats. I am not too concerned with consumption as I drive relatively low miles, nor really with size. It needs to be reliable and well-built though in addition to being comfortable. Please help! Thanks in pain. Read more
At a garage i used to work at in Wigan (circa 1996), we took a BMW 750il in as a part ex. I don't know how many motors was in the front seats but it certainly had electric adjustment to extend the length of the base. When i removed the front seats to properly clean them and the carpet, i couldn't believe how heavy they were!. It also had electric reclining for the rear seats and mirrors which dipped when reverse was selected (so you could see the kerb)!.
I want to rotate the tyres on my Galaxy and have the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System fitted.
Is this system smart enough to realise I have switched the tyres around or does it require a re-program at the Dealers?
Thanks. Read more
OKAY rotated the tyres (front to rear etc..) and the system has recognised the change.
I was expecting a Dealer visit for that one and the usual "Well the computer says.....blah blah".
Thanks.
The perenial dilemma, I want to buy a car for my daughter but which one? I have about £2000 - £2500 to spend and it has to be economical, have reasonable room and be able to cope with motorways as she is at university in Warwick and we live 250 miles away in Cornwall.
I was looking at the usuals, including the Corsa until I read some awful threads in here, but am not sure what to go for especially in terms of reliability and safety. There is the Clio, Saxo and Fiat in the French/Latin end of the market. Then there is is Polo - often overpriced for what they are in my book. There is the Japanese bunch too but is the Micra strong/safe enough for motorway work - a fussing Dad here. Her sister has a 1999 Fiesta Zetec which has been a good little car for the past two years but we have just had to spend over £700 on a recon gearbox - we also had the clutch done at the same time - which has shaken my confidence in that marque.
Anyhow, opinions would be appreciated. Bear in mind that we are in west Cornwall and even a trip to Exeter to look at cars involves a 200 mile round trip - Bristol around over 180 miles each way.
Cheers. Read more
What about a Volvo 440? Reliable and safe, reasonable insurance costs. Or an S40 if funds allow?
The season of "Bah Humbug" is upon us again! (they've just turned the xmas lights on up town!) so, after dropping "subtle" hints, what car-related pressies do you:
a) hope to receive this year?
b)realise you WILL receive
or...
c) wonder what went wrong as you open "another" pair of Socks?
Me? - I suppose i'll get a card with a picture of a car on it - to remind me what chrimbo morning valeting used to be about whilst the Turkey cooked!
may I be the first to offer seasons greetings to all - "Humbug!"
Billy
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I'd like a scirocco, someone to pay me out of the last 18 months of the Golf's lease and a house with a driveway to wash the car on, instead of a flat with a car park.
If I can't have that, I'd like this: www.firebox.com/product/2103/The-A-Team-RC-Van
Any top gear fans out there would like Hammond's new book. I was given it for my birthday and it's very funny.
I'm speechless
tinyurl.com/6lxg9v
Video uses flashplayer. Read more
I enjoyed Nick's link to the chase round Cadwell Park, i'm no racer but did the Subaru seem too quick to oversteer compared to the chase car which didn't move once i think.
Having said that he was going for it pretty well, i'm not sure i'd want to risk my own road car in the same way.
The Ken Block videos were enjoyable, i particularly liked the way he set the vehicle into drifts well before the end of the building, no doubt practiced and rehearsed to perfection but superb execution of the art, good fun in the snow with the crazy snowboarders too.
I couldn't do it, well i'd have a go but expect much bent metal.
Can see why those Subaru's are so popular, you'd have a job to get a more competent, reliable, easily and cheaply maintained all rounder for the same money.
It made me have another look on the trader to see whats for sale..;)
Hi.
Ive recently bought a Ford Fiesta Flame 1.4 53 Reg from a local garage. The car was a finance repossession from the previous owner. The car only came with 2 normal keys so i went into my local ford dealer to see if they could find out if my car did have remote central locking. They checked using my reg and it does have remore locking so the previous owner must have lost the fob.
Anyway the dealer gave me a quote for new fob, key cut & reprogramming which came to over £100 which i cant afford. Ive had a look on the net and ebay and you can get hold of replacement fobs for a bit cheaper and do the reprogramming yourself. Im just trying to decide what the best option would be and if it would work.
Can i just buy a new/used fob of ebay and reprogram this to my car or is it more complicated. I noticed that different fobs have different part numbers.
Would it be best to just buy the fob from ford (so the part number is correct) and then program it myself to save cash.
Has anybody got any experience of this?
Help much appreciated.
Ian Read more
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"Always expect the unexpected "
That is part of defensive driving. Always assume all drivers will do what you do not want them to do.