December 2008
My car's radiator has got a really small leak at the bottom of it. Mechanic can't look at it until coming Friday. I was suggested to temporarily pour in radiator leak stopper liquid but I'm not entirely sure if its a good idea. I don't want it to block anything that's needed to run the cooling system properly. Right now I'm just driving car to and from work and its 10 miles journey one way. I fill up the radiator before setting off and it easily gets me to my destination so I don't know if its well worth the risk? Read more
Firstly, my car isn't in the list, so I can't put it in the thread title! It's a 1978 2.0 Triumph Dolomite Sprint. Rover was the closest I can get!
My car was rear-ended in early October 2008. Not my fault, someone forgot to stop and hit me when I was stationary in traffic.
Being a classic car, and probably one of the best examples of it's type in the UK, the insurance company asked me to get two quotes to repair the damage as I requested that the car was sent to a classic specialist.
Fast-forward a little bit...
I called the insurance company on Thursday asking for a progress report - they told me that my car had been classed a Cat-C write-off and they had sent me a cheque for £1,700! I contested this value as the car is worth around £4,500, but was shocked to hear that since they have already deemed my car a write-off, they now cannot 'undo' this status! It seems my car will be written of no matter what it's value.
My arguement is that if they had adhered to the correct valuation from the very beginning then my car would NOT have been written off. Because they offered me a low (and insulting!) valuation, my car never stood a chance of being repaired.
From the very beginning I have sent documentation to prove this value the along with copies of classified adverts of similar cars for sale. The insurance company lost these THREE times since October, and on calling them today appears they have lost them again.
The vehicle inspector they sent to look at my car spent about 2 minutes looking at it before driving off - he didn't even open the boot to check the damage inside.
Also, earlier in the year my car was involved in another accident to the side - this was agreed and repaired by another insurnance company. The bill for repair was £1000 more than the one that declares my car a write off.
I am completely stuck in what to do now. Can anyone please advise?
Thanks in advance! Read more
Thats a shame... was a lovely looking car, Howard!
"Ford Spain has announced that from Monday (today) it is offering a 25% discount on 6,000 of the estimated 25,000 cars it has in stock.
All models will be available at the discount until January 24, with the exception of the new designs of the Ka, Fiesta and Kuga."
Finally discounts that have been available made official - perhaps they'll try it in UK
Read more
Then why was may dads Fiesta Ghia produced in March 1996 according to the VIN but registered in December 1997, a good year after Ford stoped making the 1.3 Endura models as nobody wanted to spend nearly £12,000 on a Fiesta with a push rod engine back in 96.
Also why does one of my neighbours have a Fiesta MK5.5 (1994-1995 model) on a 1999 V plate? It would suggest its been sitting in a field for at least four years.
I've seen quite a few J reigstered Escort MK4s too despite producted was stopped in 1990 and J plates were registered between Aug 1991 and July 1992.
If you had a particular model of car and then the manufacturer brings out a new model, wouldn't you think it might occur to the dealer that you might just possibly be interested in popping into the dealer to have a look at the new model? You never know, one just might be tempted to do a deal? Possibly a phone call to ask me if I'm interested? Or a mailshot?
No, Nothing. Zilch. Rien. And then they complain trade is down. Read more
I think salespeople are reluctant to contact customers as it puts the boot on the other foot, so to speak - they have to *sell* you a car rather than have you come in and *buy* a car.
Selling is something that the majority of car salesmen are useless at - they can take orders, but that's about it.
Have experienced ignition light staying on at various times thought alternator failure , fitted new alt still the same decided to check wiring from alt, found fractured wire behind dipstick tube replaced length of wire cured fault.So check loom before changing ALTERNATOR. Read more
I am intending to buy a new car in New Year and have seen some attractive deals from Brokers on new cars however, I wondered if the same or even a better deal can be had by going direct to a Dealership. Does anyone have any relevant experience and advice - are there any pitfalls with using a Broker ? Read more
Main disadvantage is they are not keen on part ex, plus you dont get to chose the dealer your car comes from.
I used Drive the deal and was very pleased - car came from the other end of the country on a transporter - all very smooth, and dealer was very helpful.
You can use the broker quote to beat the dealer down, but if we all did that then there wouldnt be any brokers to play of in the future!
Hi everyone , the other day when i got home and turned off the engine everything seemed fine apart from the usual steering problem im having, anyway the next day when i went to drive it , it wouldnt move the driveshaft had some how came out , on the drivers side, it has now been put back in , but im unsure if it will come out again, im experiencing under steer and over steer and the car will pull to one side and sometimes to the opposite side any ideas what could be the cause of this and the fact that the driveshaft came out thanks..its an escort 1.8 td 1998 hatch Read more
Could be someone's tried to fit a Fiesta driveshaft in an Escort???
Having just returned a 1.4 diesel 207 after 7 days hire I thought I might post my first impressions.
I have purposely not read the CbC review so it does not influence my comments.
My first impression on driving was how terrible the steering was, - the power assistance gave a very rubbery feel when in the straight ahead position, most disconcerting on leaving the airport and straight on to an Autoroute. Subsequent driving on a twisty D road I found somewhat hard work having to make constant steering corrections . This was much more effort when compared with my pair of 10 year old Fiestas, both still on original dampers at 65k and 105k. I checked tyre pressures, all ok. Sufficient for me to say at the time that I would never have one after 2 hrs driving. Performance was not wonderful either, the turbo was not in evidence until 2000rpm and that gave a really useful power band of 2000rpm -4000rpm. The diesel becoming distressingly noisy after 4k. 5th gear could not be used at much less than 75kph, it certainly did not have 5th gear flexibilty.
However as the week wore on and my driving style became a little more aggressive, I found that the handling seemed to improve, with the chassis feeling stiff and the steering giving good feedback when pushed a little harder into corners.
Driving at night the lights were impressively good (cf my 2 yr old Picasso with uprated bulbs), probably benefitting from the separate dipped and main beam reflectors/bulbs.
The cabin and boot were usefully large for a smallish car, and certainly I found the driving position comfortable and secure. The low roofline made getting in and out a little difficult with ageing vertebrae, altho it is possible that the drivers seat was height adjustable, I just never got to RTFM. The A posts restrict forward 45 deg vision, not as bad as a Picasso, but noticeable for a car. The music system was good, and it appeared to have some sort of slot, possibly for MP3 files on a memory card? Why didnt I RTFM!
I subsequently spoke with sombody who had test driven the top end 120bhp petrol version and who thought it was wonderful for steering and handling, so maybe my judgement is wrong.
The downside however appeared to be the fuel consumption- I cannot be accurate as it was ready fuelled when I picked it up, but I was not 'overgenerous' when I returned it full. It would look like about 44mpg over 400 miles, generally driven with a light right foot. Not as good as my long term average on the 1.6HDi Picasso.
Verdict. I would not buy the baby diesel version, but would be prepared to give a more powerful version a try on an extended test drive if I was in the market for that type of car.
p Read more
Our old Scenic II had electric PAS and the weighting was actually quite good, particularly at high speed. However, in common with the posts above, it had no feel whatsoever. There was a horrid rubbery, "springy" quality to it, with no relay of information about the road surface or grip conditions. Every electric system I've tried is the same, and I read somewhere that BMW reverted to a conventional hydraulic setup on their Z4M, because they couldn't get the feel right with the electric system fitted to the standard models.
The Golf's conventional system feels kart-like in comparison. The Volvo too is conventional, but this is overlight and totally devoid of feel, although at least lacks the rubbery feel. I do believe conventional PAS, done well, doesn't detract from feel. Drive a 90's Pug in XSi or GTi trim, or a Ford Puma. Both object lessons in how PAS should be done.
I don't understand the science either, Rattle.
I posted recently regarding SWMBO's 306 HDi estate's broken spring, which occurred as she started to manouvre the car out of the drive. There was a crunch and the broken end of the spring penetrated the inside of the tyre.
The thing is, she is now paranoid about the situation. We've had both front springs replaced as per the advice from Screwloose (many thanks and may your fault codes cease to multiply), but the lady now says, "And what if it had happened while I was doing 70 on the motorway? What if it happens AGAIN while I am doing 70?"
Is she right to be worried? Read more
In 10 years I have seen 4 springs go on different makes of car (Ford, VW, MG, Pug) and they all went into the tyre at speed. I think Fiesta had a recall for this in the late 90s.
Hi my partners 106 is smoking blue and white smoke, losing power and juddering when ticking over and sometimes through the gears.
Im wondering if it could be losing pressure through the head gasket? what is the test for this and how much would it cost?
Would a garage do a pressure test for this?
There is no white crud on the oil filler or dispstick and I dont think its loosing coolant. What other things could it be?
cheers Read more
i Guess its a diesel & it sounds like it could be an injector or low on compression on one cylinder causing the uneven running & smoke. May be worth trying some Commer diesel injector magic first ( Halfords ) Get the car nice & hot & remove & fill the fuel filter with a bottle of cleaner & put another bottle in the tank. Start the car back up & let it idle for 1 min then switch off & leave overnite. may be a little reluctant to start in the morning so be prepared. & then drive untill the fuel tank has been used up before refilling with diesel. If it persists get the injectors tested & check valve clearances.
i doc
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Bar's Leak professional was the one to use-basically just the Blocking agent without the water pump lubricant.Some truck manufacturers used to put it in new vehicles.