December 2008
Just wondered if anybody can help me??
My niece's just phoned me saying that she has no Brake lights only the one in the middle of the boot which is on permanently,
Just wondered if it might be either a fuse or relay,Or a straight short,
Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Tam
{typo in header corrected} Read more
single point injecting system, 8 valve (fire engine), car starts & drives very well, replaced vaccum pipe which had air leak, possibly since then engine idles likes its running a bit rick or weak, injection light came on dash, fault code oxygen sensor fault - replaced, clear fault code.
Replaced coolant sensor & still problem is still there
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if it has a Dizzy check the advanced unit , it may have punctured which allows air to leak at idle & the timing retards by about 10 degrees
Handbrake is seizing on right hand side.
Presumably I need to remove the brake drum to free/ lubricate.
How do I do that?
Or is there another likely cause?
Thank you
Stevie
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The rear hub nut torque setting is 175Nm or 129 lbf ft
www.r2rc.co.uk/home/content/view/27/97/
Seems like these money grubbers want to make sure we all get totally screwed over by main dealers. They have already been lambasted for over priced and poor quality service so the EU in their wisdom want to stop us choosing where we take our car for repair! I assume the disappearing legislation is something to do with block exemption coming to an end
In my opinion the car repairs industry needs to be competitive. M/Fs should not force dealers to buy hugely expensive equipment to service their cars. All technical information should be freely available and all TSBs should be available to all in the industry not just the main dealers. The practice of tying a part to a car so it can't be used on any other should be banned (citroen do this to the chagrain of many citroen dealers). Warranties should be m/f based and not dealer backed as they are just a way of forcing owners to put up with overpriced and poor quality post sales servicing and repairs. Giving consumers choice will put all the rubbish dealers out of business and rightly so.
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Hang on a minue didn't the E.U state that it was cracking down on makers who refuse to honour warranties when a car has been serviced by an independent. Sounds like a scare story to me as to force you to go to a dealer would be illegal as it goes against E.U competition law. I can't see this happening and when (long story) my Skoda dealer wants to charge me £350 to replace dodgy front suspension carrier bushes (need to replace the whole front suspension guv) and my local VAG indy quotes £100, I think I know where I will go....
I recently did a 360 degree tight turn and when I came to the end of it and straighten up the steering the power was completely lost from my powered steering. I pulled into the side of the road and turned off the engine to give me time to think what to do next. When I restarted the engine the power was back to the steering and no more problems with it on 10 miles back to home. I presume it was the tight (full lock) turn that cause it to misbehave but is this normal if you do a tight turn, or have I a problem in the making. This is as I have explained in my post header is electric assisted power steering not hydraulic.
Thanks Read more
I have been very pleased and not entirely surprised by the immense charm of Australia and most of its inhabitants.
Speed limits are the same as ours, but fussier in town owing to kms which mean lots more different speed limits. People mimse along relaxedly on mostly very fine empty roads in NSW anyway. This despite the presence of many old and new V8 engined cars and utes with fruity aftermarket exhausts. The Aussies like their cars.
I have been driving my SiL's deadpan high-mileage Daewoo. a bit foxed around the edges but fingers crossed still OK. In the Blue Mountains the other day the car in front suddenly stopped causing us to brake sharply. A little spiky thing with a snout was the cause, an echydna, the only egg-laying mammal apart from the platypus. Haven't seen one of those, or a live kangaroo although there are dead ones at the roadside like foxes in England.
Happy New Year. What's the weather like (snigger)? Read more
Avant - One thing that will catch you out is the undertaking is legal here, so, if you are not in the left lane, beware of someone running up the inside. The other thing is that "Give way to the right" is absolute. If you are turning left at an intersection, and another driver wants to turn right into the same street, then YOU must give way because he is on your right. Utter confusion, because, if there is another driver behind you who is going straight on, the right-turn driver has to wait for him. Do you sneak around, or wait for ages ?? It is all a mater of judgement, which is just as lacking here as the forum suggests it is in UK.
Auckland is rather competitive [ I live on the outskirts , and found Naples to be quite comfortable by comparison] but otherwise driving is fairly relaxed. Boy-racers in cheap grey-import Japmobiles abound.
Hello all. Great forum this.
My question : The ignition barrel of my 405 is busted. Can I get a new one that will work with the SAME key?
Am trying to avoid having to change all locks and only want to use one key for everything.
Cheers, Neil. Read more
I would of course keep both keys with me!
Hi,
Just wondering does anywhere in the UK (specifically the west midlands) do part time car mechanics courses?
I'd like to learn fully how to fully maintain my car (Leon Cupra), including areas like the brakes and such, but looking around the local colleges, they only appear to have full time courses for kids who have just come out of school.
Any tips or hints as to where to look? I'm getting a little fed up of relying on garages, as well as wanting to get my hands dirty.
Cheers Read more
As some of you know I fix computers so I am not affraid of screwdrivers or multimeters, I have also plumbed in my bathroom with no experience whats so ever, it took me at least 12 hours to do it include fixing all the leaks but 6 months later not a single drip from my plumbing.
What also always put me of DIY car work is the reality is always so much harder, you need the experience or an experienced person to show you then I am ok. My uncle told me once how to remove and test the throttle position sensor and since them I am happy to remove it myself and remove and test other sensors, if I had not seen my uncle do it I would not have even attempted to diagnoe sensor issues.
All I have done on my own car is replace the air filter, replace the front number plate (actually a fair bit of drilling involved) and cleaned out the MAF.
I would at least be able to do my own oil as I don't always trust garages to get this right and diagnose suspension or brake faults. I would still get a garage do brake or suspension work but at least I can go in saying could you replace the lower arm offside front bushes etc instead of my suspension is making a funny noise whats wrong with it.
This is why the theory becomes so important. I will look at those books you have suggested.
I was very proud of my repair on a broken down Ka once, I diagnoses the throttle assembly had come away from the injectiom system due to a loose bolt which was lost, I repaired it using elastic bands until my friend could drive to a garage which was 10 miles away.
Even modern cars its not really a lot different ok it now has sensors and computers but the systems are often fairly simple it is only when you get a car with all those brake sensors and goodness knows what else it starts to get very complicated.
Hi,
I wonder if anyone could help me. I have a fairly loud knocking noise when I am braking. It's coming from the passenger side front wheel and feeds into the steering which wobbles along with the knocking noise. It's now started to affect the steering even when I'm not braking too. Any ideas what it could be, and perhaps more importantly, how much it might cost me!?
Thomas Read more
Take care where you get it in mate if you know what I mean.
Some places will just change everything on the brakes steering and suspension and think it's Christmas again.
You get a bill for more then cars worth !
I have been offerered a BMW 318se 1994 for free from a relation who does not need it anymore. This car has done 88k miles, was regularly serviced, and was used regularly until recently. The problem with it is that it won't start, the engine needs cranking for ages for it to start and then it runs fine. Given that I drive old cars anyway (my current "good" car is a Mondeo circa 1996) and I need to replace our second car (ancient small Fiat), would it be wise for me to take on this 318se and get it repaired? Do BMWs make good older cars or do they become too expensive to mantain and repair? All your thoughts appreciated!
Happy Xmas! Read more
I can work on it to repair simple things, for more difficult tasks I'd take it to one of two trusted garages that I use, never to a BMW dealership.
SQ
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Update.
She has checked the fuse and that is ok,
So I'll get her to get 2 new bulbs and try that,But she told me that she thought they were ok,
Thanks for eveybody help,Just seem strange that both might have gone,
Tam