February 2009
Hi
I am having a nightmare with a 52reg(03) Corsa 1.0
During the winter of 2007, the speedo started to fluctuate up and down very badly. We got this checked by a local auto electrician (Spending £100) and he said he thought the speedo itself was defective and quoted £500 to get it sorted.
However, we subsequently checked the battery which was in a poor state and replaced it. The car then did 6000 miles through all weathers without any trouble.
Then in November 2008 it started again. So we checked the battery. Again it was looking a bit sick for some reason so we replaced it. The car then did 600 miles before the fault returned once more.
So I fitted a Vauxhall battery, thinking that the cheaper type of battery wasn't as good, but this made no difference.
Then we started to look at the voltage regulator (Which is part of the alternator?). We had the voltage output tested. When you first start the car, output was fine, but upon switching on any consumers such as lights, heated rear window etc, it went into total discharge, which we thought would logically mean a bad alternator.
So we replaced the alternator.
The car then ran for 180 miles through all weathers, freezing cold temperatures etc.
Then the fault returned AGAIN!!!!!
Checked the battery and it is showing approx 40% charge and 30% health.
Why? Why isn't the new alternator charging the battery????
The fault with the speedo always occurs when the battery is showing this kind of read-out.
This fault is driving me mad as its the wifes car and she is giving me grief.
Anyone who knows anything about the electrics on this car please help as I am seriously thinking of selling the flaming thing.
Is there a voltage regulator elsewhere on these cars that could explain why a new alternator is discharging a new battery???????? I have asked the local Vaux dealer and ascertained that there is no regulator at the back of the instruments as found on earlier models.
Note I have checked the speedo block connector and that is fine.
The fault is worse the colder the weather for some reason. I'm convinced that the problem lies with the electrics somewhere. Anyone know the location of the earth points?
I the last few days I noticed the the engine idle also suffers a slight fluctation in tandem with the speedo (Which is weird yeah???). Could this be an ECU issue????
The car can also sit stationary with the speedo reading 50mph! And its clocking miles at the same time!! Anyone got any matches???? Read more
I was driving around the Caterham area today and the sat-nav took me up a hill so steep I felt like I the car was going to fall off the side of the earth. This got me wondering what the steepest section of road was in the UK.
Does anybody know? Read more
>>..............
Stoer many times (managing to get airborne on one occasion!) but I found it child's
play compared with the Wrynose and Hardknott Pass.
What can it be like crossing the Hardnott and Wrynose passes today, with the volume of holiday traffic about. Are there any restrictions as to who and what can enter the roads that ultimately lead to these two killers.
It was bad enough forty years ago, if one come across vehicles coming in the opposite direction.
I have driven across several times in an Austin A40 (Pinin Farina model), a Morris Minor and various Austin Healey Sprites.
I've heard this term used to describe a procedure whereby the engine is cleared of all accumulated gunk by running it at high revs for a sustained period.
Is doing such a thing really beneficial and under what circumstances should it done?
How exactly should such a procedure be performed and for how long?
Or is it just a waste of fuel and a strain on the cambelt and what about all the gunge that ends up in the sump!
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Wife's car does around 2000 miles a year and seems a bit slow to pick up especially at low revs, so when the lovely weather allows will take it out for a good tune up.
Most cars are now fitted with ESP. Most cars I have seen have an off switch. When is it best to switch off the ESP? Read more
T/C ESP or even ABS is handy in wet conditions but in snow it is
utter rubbish IMO.
More than opinion... fact I think!
It was a battle just to get a newish Merc off of our FLAT driveway. There wasn't even that much snow. It just wouldn't move. The ESP light just kept coming on constantly. We found the button and turned ESP off, but it was still a struggle... so much so that I lent her my car to get to work that day (with no ESP or anything) because we figured if her car couldn't even get off the driveway without a struggle it would be hopeless on the roads. Didn't I hear somewhere that when you turn ESP off on a Merc, it is not really completely off?
My gf has covered 60k totally reliable miles in her '07 Passat Tdi and we had a brief look at the new Skoda Superb. She refuses to drive an estate, and a hatch would be very useful in her next vehicle...company or otherwise.
The electronic parking brake is a must, she is addicted to it now!!
What other vehicles have this?
Removed make and model as not relevant for question, Rob. Read more
Vauxhalls and Renaults with 'stick brakes' would not roll away if their drivers did what they are supposed to do when parking on a gradient, i.e. leave them in the appropriate gear and turn the front wheels to the kerb; standard recommendation for years as a 'failsafe' practice.
Some of you may have read my sob story on the auction forum. I have bought a van-load of problems I suspect and need to start getting to the bottom of them.
The vehicle is a 2004 Vito 109 2.1 diesel.
When collecting the van from the car park the technician guy there had to jump start the van from two large terminals in the fuse-board compartment as there was a known fault with the ignition key. The engine sounds good and there are no obvious ugly noises or rattles etc.
Immediately on the road and the warning lights came on. Engine, ABS, one that looks like a wheel with an arrow pointing in each direction, and another one that looks like a circle in brackets. The van drives reasonably well at low speeds but loses all power above 2800rpm meaning it would only do about 65mph flat out. This dismays me if this is the norm. I have owned an old 1999 Vito for six years and it goes like the clappers on motorways and gets great mpg too. As the new one had a six speed gearbox I was expecting even better performance.
I tried jump-starting the vehicle at home from the same two terminals but no joy. It wont turn over. Ther is just a big click and then all the lights go out. I have however discovered a new noise. there is a whirring noise coming from inside (or very near) the fuse compartment. Have I tripped the immobiliser from my jump-starting?
This obviously needs to go to a pro. I have a small reputable local garage that has always done whatever I can not do. He has a diagnostics computer in his shed I don't know whether it would be suitable. I can't even move the stupid thing now so that will be a factor in whatever happens next.
I am entitled to ONE free trip at the expense of the AA. After that I'm on my own. Where do I start? Do I need a Mercedes specialist or should my reputable local man do. Do people offer a Diagnostics Machine on Wheels service so that I can assess my needs before using up my free AA trip. I need this to be remedied pretty quickly and would love to have any advice. Cost is an important factor here, my resources will run out if this gets much over a grand.
I know I'm sounding like a real amature here but I'm honestly not that bad. I haven't got the operating handbook to identify the lights and I've been putting off buying a vehicle new enough to have to rely on an engine management system because I don't know where to start with fault finding. I have alwayys maintained my old van myself and it has ended it's life with 253,000 miles so the new one with just 98,000 should be okay for a few years work. If there is anything that I can try myself then please let me know. Read more
If you have any further problems im local to Bromley and have the official mercedes xentry das computer, we specialise in all types of mercedes repairs and diagnostics and cover all London and surrounding areas.
My details can be found in HJ's Useful websites directory, in the Specialists category. Listed next to "Diesel Injection Specialists"
{Slight edit made}
Please can any one tell me how i can programme a remote keyfob for my fiesta ? I have just bought the car and it only came with one key which has a blue chip in ? I have just bought a brand new ford remote key which has just been cut but have no handbook to tell me how to programme this key ? Please can anyone help me ? Can i do this myself or do i have to book it in at a Ford dealer ? Many Thanks. Read more
Many thanks Dave for your reply. I was sold a faulty keyfob by Ford ! No wonder myself or anyone could get it working ! Thanks anyway.
I'm bidding on a car on Ebay about 50 miles away which is currently on SORN. If I win it I will need to tax it to drive home but how?
If I change my insurance to it I won't have a new certificate for a week or two and presumably the current owner has changed his insurance to a new vehicle so won't be able to help?
Is there a way round this?
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Assuming you can insure it and get the cover note in time, pick it up during PO opening hours and get the tax over the counter.
Hello there
Does anyone know a cost effective way to hire a car in the UK with cover to drive in Europe?
Any quotes I've looked at are very expensive if you compare them with the same dates and just driving in the UK?
Thanks, Chris. Read more
Did it with Avis before - My better half had someone drive in her rear end just as we were going to France - other party admitted full liability (not much choice as it was witnesed by plod). Ins co told us to hire and they would cover the cost - think it was about £1200 for 14 days (espace) and about half the bill was insurance
Picked up this car yesterday and although I had mentioned the clutch issue to the dealer before the deal was done he said there was nothing he could do bar replacing the clutch but that it wasnt bad enough to replace. He said it could last another 30k miles. The clock currently reads 73k miles. Anyway on my way home I noticed the clutch getting worse and worse and by the time i got home the pedal was not always returning from the floor. Needed to put my foot under it sometimes to lift it back up but once lifted it would stay in its initial resting position. What caused me to raise the issue with the dealer in the first instance was when driving along on the test drive and coming back down through the gears there was a shudder in the clutch pedal. After doing nearly 200 miles yesterday I have ended up with the problem described above with the pedal not coming back to resting position and also the issue of the shudder when coming down through the gears. Clutch is nearly at the floor before it engages. Are these known to give clutch trouble? What should be replaced? It was too late to ring him last night when i got back but I'll be making that phone call tomorrow. Read more
I am very sorry to hear that, it does make me angry when people get charged way over the top like that. As I said I thought it was going to cost a fortune,but because I knew what the problem was and the fact the garage does have a good reputation helped alot. Also it wasn't a dreaded main dealer!
Browse
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On the right track there I think-I had the exact same problem with an E34 BMW 520 for months-traced to a loose earth bolt where the battery negative lead is connected to the body underneath the front of the rear seat.