December 2008
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
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
My Ford Focus is a 1.8 petrol.
According to the owner's guide I should be getting 27mpg for urban driving.
Does anyone know how the car was driven to give this value i.e. would it include high revving through the low gears and periods of idling, and would it include driving up hills.
The thing is since I had an oil change I have been getting 2-4mpg less on urban driving.
Do you think revving the engine whilst it is idling uses more petrol than holding onto low gears while driving and is the 27mpg only a guide ?
What about cold weather - does this really reduce fuel economy on modern cars ?
Thanks again Read more
>>The thing is since I had an oil change
Please, please, get over this oil change paranoia.
{And read some of the replies to your other questions which are the same as this latest one, which will give you the answer - DD}
Anyone tried putting the larger diesel nozzle in petrol car? It won't fit.
Apart from that, they're horribly oily (petrol evaporates, diesel doesn't) so that should warn you. Eugh!
'' Thousands of foreign drivers have escaped punishment in the last year despite being caught speeding, North Wales Police have revealed.
In a reply to a Freedom of Information request, the force said 3,536 offences were recorded by cameras in the last 12 months - up 2,146 on the previous year.
They were not punished because police cannot send a notice of intended prosecution within the required time.
North Wales Police said new laws would come into force on 1 April, 2009.
Most speeding drivers caught by the force face a £60 fixed penalty and three points on their licence.
However police said that if a driver is registered outside the UK, the camera offence is currently "rejected".''
Now go to France and try speeding or choose another european country and fail to carry your fluorescent jacket, spare set of bulbs,warning triangle and see if you get ' let off ".
Gives me a clue as to why so many foreign registered cars with their weird and wonderful number plates are increasing in my town and why their users don't seem to be in a hurry to change their details.
Read more
Normal get up for work time is 1.30am to 3am so anything after 4am is a lie in GB:)
But I think I'm lucky because all the nice people are early birds and I get to see the dawn break almost every morning!
Pat
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/7796018.stm
This driver was locked up for eight years for 'causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink'.
He pulled across a junction into the path of another car - a momentary lapse - hence it's careless not dangerous driving.
It's a new charge, the court was told, introduced earlier this year.
Read more
Also although 8 years dosn't sound like a lot time must go so slow in
prison that 8 years would feel like a life time.
Believe it. I did 12 hours, and that was bad enough! That sound of the cell door closing is much written about, and I can assure you it is NOT pleasant!
My girlfriend's R reg VW Polo 1.9 D is experiencing some clutch/gearbox problems.
Occassionally whilst driving the clutch seems to engage itself as if you're in neutral. The rev's drop to idle speed and the car looses power. If you push the clutch pedal down a few times it seems to correct itselt and you can start accelerating again. This happened a few times yesterday whilst doing 70mph on the motorway.
This also happened a few months ago and she couldn't get it into gear at all. Once the AA were called it all seemed to work fine. Very bizzarre. Took it to the garage for inspection and they couldn't find any fault at all.
This morning there appears to be some weird scraping noises coming from the engine bay. The car is currently at the garage waiting to be looked at but I just wondered if anyone had any ideas as to what may cause the problem.
Could it be the clutch cable slipping? Could the problem be more of a gearbox issue?
The clutch was replaced about a year ago so I can't believe it is shot already.
Any help much appreciated. I have to call the garage back today so just wanted to be armed with anything they may have overlooked.
Thanks Read more
Has this model got the automatic self adjusting clutch cable? These clutch killers are worth replacing with the earlier manually adjusted cable - just a thought!
From new my Fiesta has suffered several problems,over revving by around 500 rpm when changing gear, an intermittent rough idle ( when warm ) and excessive smoke, mainly noticeable at night in headlights of following cars, even on light throttle. EGR valve was replaced by Ford, which temporarily helped the smoke problem, but they have been unable to cure the other problems even after 5 visits.
{huge empty space created by an over-enthusiastic pressing of the return key now removed} Read more
Tell them to change the engine if they aren't able to find the cause. The boys in the factory can then go over it and find the problem and hopefully prevent it becoming an epidemic.
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Could be someone's tried to fit a Fiesta driveshaft in an Escort???