February 2009
Hi guys,
here go's........all dash lights and clocks stop working.......next a.m. all come back on........but the symbol for the air bag now stays on when engine running..........although the written warning comes on and go's off as normal!!
This happend about a month ago everything else appears OK and to be working running fine...........and not had any other problems with her.
All help and suggestions much appriciated
gsron Read more
Any comments on Channel 4 advert, usually shown in evenings, where a Merc is following a Range Rover, cuts across the camera car, brakes hard on leaving the motorway and leaves great long streaks of rubber on the motorway as a result?
I would have thought that if MBs have anti lock brakes, such a situation would not occur?
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Cambelt failed. Other parts bust will be? Engine likely to be econmomically repairable? Read more
at 86k the tensioner pulley broke up and let the belt go slack...
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My 98 Mondeo had a belt change at 80K according to inherited service history.
After nasty noises at 120K I had the belt done again plus full kit.
The pulley was in a bad state so I surmise only the belt was changed at 80K
The pulley bearing seemed ok but the plastic skin on it appeared to have melted in places and was very badly split across its width. Shortly after I was handed the evidence the plastic skin parted company with the pulley.
My engine a a very close escape.
I?ve been driving for nearly 34 years now and have never had a car for as long as the last 4 years that I?ve been driving a January 2002 Volvo S80 2.4 (140) SE manual, but I?d now like to decide what to replace it with.
I do about 300 miles per week, 95% within a 20 mile radius of home. It can be increasingly difficult to quickly find a parking space big enough for the Volvo at some of the places I visit regularly, but I do need to carry four large adults at times. For the last 2 years we have been living in the country, so I need to take into consideration that most of the year the car will be covered in mud from the tracks and will regularly get driven up verges and rubbed against hedges squeezing past other traffic in the lanes. Most of the year our staffy/corgi cross is also covered in mud and would be better in the boot than on a rug and strapped to the back seat. Reliability is now more important than ever as there are no buses/ taxis/car hire close by.
I use my car to visit a wide range of business clients with my work as an Accountant/Consultant. Budget is £15K max, I?d be happier at £10K and I don?t want anything more than 3 years old.
Suggestions please??
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Paul, the last sentence was meant to be tongue in cheek in response to WdB.
My day to day car has been a big saloon and is currently an Impreza. But in many ways I prefer driving the wife's CRV - especially when I have 4 people/dog to cart around. I find the height useful around town and down the country lanes (genuine advantage seeing over some hedgerows etc). It's very easy to park due to light controls and most importantly I don't have to make an age related grunting noise when I get in or out of it.
It's 2 wheel drive 99.9% of the time and I think worthy of a look/test drive, that's all - as would be an X-Trail, A-class or smaller Volvo.
First of all I am hearing this second hand so can't vouch personally for all the details but would like any advice / pointers that can be offered.
The son of a female colleague had a bump when reversing his car out the car park at uni yesterday. Not a mark on his Polo but there was a scratch to the front bumper of car he hit. Bumper was also slightly loose but this was an M Reg car so not sure if that was already like that.
The son , maybe naively, swapped details with the other guy. When he got home, he spoke to his dad (retired policeman) and his dad suggested contacting the guy to see if they could just pay to get any damage fixed rather than involving insurance company. However they were reluctant to do this.
Today the son's insurance company have been on the phone saying they have been notified of a claim of damage and whiplash to 2 people.
Now son is adamant there was only one person there and obviously damage would suggest such a low speed impact.
What is their best course of action here? Demand immediate inspections of both cars? That won't prove anything re there being 2 people? Could they go to local police station and lodge a complaint of attempted fraud?
As I say, getting this all second hand, no reason to disbelieve any of it, and I am almost as angry as his mother that folk can try this con. I will be even angrier if they get away with it! Read more
Contact the Police if you are suspicious that someone is trying to defraud you or your insurer (as well as your insurer obviously).
As you say, the information you have is second hand so the 'facts' need to be determined.
i may have to purchase a turbo for the passat 1.9tdi does anybody know of any where in the midlands where i may get new/used one there is no panic because im not using it that much at the moment Read more
In the recent thread on cruise controls, we got a variety of views on how we (generally) like them and (generally) find them surprisingly useful, even on crowded British ? or English - roads.
But how about the recent innovation of the ?adaptive? cruise control, intended to maintain an automatic safe separation from the vehicle in front? Too recent, perhaps, to be generally familiar; I?ve not tried one yet, but there must be some here who have. Hasn?t stopped me thinking about them, though, and I wonder if anyone here shares my misgivings, or has practical experience that shows I have nothing to worry about.
- Given what we know about satnavs, and the way some users seem to abandon their own critical faculties and do whatever the machine says, how happy would you be knowing that the driver behind was relying on ACC?
- And how confident would you be in handing over a safety-critical element of control of your vehicle to such a device, in a situation where ? by definition ? it?s too busy simply to maintain a steady speed?
- Finally, if these devices become more prevalent, how will they affect traffic flow? The ACC can position its vehicle safely relative to the one in front, but what about those on either side? There?s little enough regard now for the principle of using lanes 2 and 3 for overtaking, not cruising, and I can?t see ACC making it any better.
What happens when someone lane changes into your "gap" an emergency stop?
In the Mercedes S-Class the car will brake and sound a warning buzzer. I tried it and it is a brilliant system. You can adjust the distance between yourself and the car in front and the car will magically maintain this distance. I wish I'd ordered it on my company car as normal cruise control feels prehistoric by comparison. Apparently it also works in stop/ start traffic but I've never tried this.
A colleague has the ACC in his E-Class and really likes it. He found it doesn't work too well on 2 way roads as periodically the car will think an approaching vehicle has pulled in front and will slow down. I don't see this as a weakness as I don't actually see the point of using it on 2 way roads.
Hi guys,
I'm just after your opinions on where I stand with a fault on the car I've just purchased.
Bought my Mk3 2002 Mondeo 1.8 Zetec from a trader (independant garage) on autotrader a week Saturday. The car had a few faults (front strut tops, needed a new mot/tax) when initially viewing it so I agreed to buy it on the condition it was all fixed.
I picked the car up last Saturday and noticed, when home, a slight creak from the NSR suspension (which wasn't present when first picking the car up). Over the last week this has developed into a louder creak which I suspect is the rear subframe bushes.
My question - is this part of the traders responsibility or my own to get fixed.
Thanks in advance Read more
On first reading its def the responsibility of the seller.
However, is it a noise thats apparant or just something you hear and others may not?
Talk to the seller, ask him to at least look, detail the problem and then act accordingly.
Credit crunch means i've got to do the service myself. Anyone out there willing to give me instructions for locating and changing fuel and pollen filters on my TDI SE 130, with any expert tips which might help. I've changed the air filter and cleaned the crap out of the box and now feel I can take on the world!!!!
Thanks to those who informed me of how to clean the MAF. Seems to have made a lot of difference to my lack of power problem. Read more
TDIClub is where you need to go - they have a selection of how to videos including fuel filter replacement (no. 2 on the list)
www.cincitdi.com/richc/
Hello
Im looking at buying a Vectra 2001 1.8 LS which has 85000 on the clock. Also has had its cam belt changed at 40000. Now i know the service manual states that they can be changed every 80000/8years but i've also read that they need to be changed every 40000. So which is correct? Would i need to change the belt if i bought this car? if so what would the average cost be?
Any advice welcome. Thanks Read more
Vauxhall changed the recommendation to 40,000, so it needs changing again. Also at that mileage it would be wise to change the water pump as well.
Don't know about price, but I'd guess about £250 from indy. Not a particularly difficult job if you are a DIYer.
Browse
It's special effects (augmented reality), the car was not really there.
There was a thread a long time ago when it was first shown.