February 2009
I have tried numerous directory sites and the Hotel's own website to find the telephone number for the Riva Hotel, Borovets, Bulgaria....but without success.
Is there anyone out there who is better at this sort of thing than me?
TIA Read more
What's the worst bike you have ever come across? By this I mean standard bikes rather than one that has been customised (either by design or accident) or just plain old neglected.
Cheekily, (fotunately), I haven't had the pleasure of riding the one that I'd like to nominate, the Norton Commander.
Imgine the scene; early 1990's, Regents Street, London, in the run up to Christmas. It's 4.30 in the afternoon, it's wet and it's just turning dark. Visor up, making my way through the traffic I come up behind a member of the London Ambulance Service on the Norton. I have the utmost respect for the riders of the emergency services so I thought I'd follow him through the traffic and see if I could pick up any tips (NB he was not on a shout so normal riding only).
It quickly became apparent that he was struggling somewhat to cope with the heavy traffic, there was clearly a large lag in the Norton's throttle response so that when the traffic moved forward large gaps would open in front of the bike, (inevitably filled by someone in a car changing lanes) at which point the Norton's rotary was finally making power and would hurtle forward into the now rapidly shrinking gap.
The rider was having to having to anticipate when the gaps would appear, open the throttle in advance, and then balance the whole lot on the brakes when it all started to go pear shaped. Chatting to the rider at the lights he was praying that the service would ditch the Nortons before they ran out of riders...
I'd be interested to hear other people's nominations.
f2 Read more
the Dax.. nuff said (if you can call it a motorbike).
Hi, ive owned a 407SW for about 9 months, its an 04 and done 88,000 miles, ive had a few problems with it since buying it, clutch, ball joint, starting motor, all in all tho to drive is a great car, good looking, and smooth, however my problem..
lately when ive been driving im getting a noise coming from either the engine compartment or the wheel arch which is a vrum vrum vrum noise, almost as if something is rubbing as the wheels go round, but it only does it when im using the accelartor, and gets faster as the car goes faster, but if i take my foot of the pedal the noise fades away, which would indicate to me that its not actually something catching on the wheels, otherwise it would be doing it all the time.. the noise has started to get louder, it doesnt however do this all the time, most times but not all the time.. does this sound like a flywheel problem to anyone, id take it to the garage but they want a million quid just to look at it.. your ideas and input would be appreciated.
many thanks
The Rev Read more
i have a peugeot 407 having the same issue however when i put foot on brake the noise goes away and car settles down refs to 700rpm when i remove from brake peddle revs return to 14oorpm and verl lound noise when driving although driving not effected noise is worrying any ideas please
Just received a quote from Peugeot dealership to fix the rear wiper on 05 206SW. They aparently have to replace the complete rear window due to the fault being in the wiring in or going through the window!
I would think an unreasonable amount to have to pay on a car not yet 5 years old? Presume I have to write to Peugeot UK to stake a claim for cost sharing? Read more
The problem with going down the SOGA route is that it's wearysome. You meet resistance at every step. So most people give up.
I've had various things repaired over the years out of guarantee, but it's never very easy (the springs on the Clio was the easiest by far). Getting a Sony VCR repaired at 3yrs old was very hard work. Had Dell here recently replacing the screen on a 3yr old laptop - that was medium difficulty. Never needed to get to stage of writing threatening letters, much less suing people.
You have to be pragmatic about these things. I'm not happy that I got screwed by a dealer over work to my daughters SEAT. It was £200. I complained. They said tough. Am I ultimately prepared to pursue them to court for £200? No. I just crossed VAG off the car choice list.
I just bought a plasma TV and hummed and harred about the extended g'tee - £100 for 5 yrs - and in the end I took it. If it goes faulty without the warranty then I might have to take it back to shop, prove the fault was intrinsic etc etc and all the while the family giving me grief as the telly doesn't work. With a warranty I call someone and they fix it. I'm paying for the convenience, that's all.
hello, my window started oif with a small chip now it has two lines coming from it. does any one no where the best place to go to get it solved is and how much approximatly it may cost coz i dont want to get cheated.
thanks
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Yes, I can feel it with the tip of my finger. It sounds bizarre to fix something so tiny but I bow to better experience.
I don't think the first sheet of glass itself is 'broken through' more than it has scratched the surface of the first sheet of glass.
Got a few niggly problems with my 112k mile C5 - it's an 05 plate 2.0 HDi - the facelifted version of the MkI C5 with the 136bhp engine.
Firstly, from a cold start, the brakes sometimes have no pressure for a minute or so. The STOP light on the dashboard doesn't come on when this happens, so I have no warning and have started having to test the pedal for firmness every time before pulling away to check. Are the brakes run from the same pump as the suspension hydraulics on this particular Citroen? Any ideas?
Secondly, and these may be related - the idle is occasionally slightly lumpy, nothing huge, just a minor erratic vibration I can feel through the controls. And at lower speeds, the car has a tendency to stutter very slightly under acceleration, most noticeable in 1st and 2nd as you emerge from junctions or pull away from lights.
The car has a full Citroen service history, and I had the FAP and its fluid renewed about 10k miles ago in August last year - the stutter was present before and after this was done. Oh, and sometimes, when accelerating hard in the dark with cars following behind, I swear I can see smoke! Is this normal for a diesel fitted with a particulate filter?
No diagnostic warnings appear on the dashboard at any point for any of the above problems.
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Hi, thought I would add my tuppence worth. Just found this thread after googling defect in brake vacuum pump C5. Just got a recall notice through for my C5 re this. Annoyed that it has taken so long for this to come through to me when the problem has obviously been ongoing for a number of years. My C5 tourer 2.0 (2008) started to give me problems a year ago - got the fright of my life when the brake pedal appeared to fail (hard as a rock) just metres from my front door - overshot a giveway but due to my travelling so slow wasn't a major problem but a car had to swerve around me. Immediately took it to citroen garage and they kept it for two days - as far as they were concerned nothing wrong with the brakes - claimed I must have hit a bit of black ice - basically did not believe my description. It has continued since, most mornings, especially if a cold morning but once I've deliberately pumped the brakes several times it sorts itself out. Didn't go back to garage as I felt they wouldn't believe me!!!!
Will be glad to get this sorted at last via the recall but very annoyed the garage didn't pick this up last year when I complained!
The nearside dipped headlight bulb blew on the Focus yesterday.
That's supposed to be the 'impossible' one because the battery is mounted behind it.
Other forums talk of removing the lamp unit, which involves dropping the wheel arch liner because one of the fixing screws is hidden under it.
I removed the battery cover which gives a bit more room and did the job in about 20 minutes.
Hardest part was putting the plastic cover back on the rear of the lamp.
Offside bulb blew a few months ago, so I've changed both sides now and neither was as hard as I thought.
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ifithelps, ours is a 52 1.6 petrol Mk1 facelift Focus. I've written on here several times about the joys of changing a headlight bulb. So far, we've had, IIRC, 5 bulb failures on the car and they've always been one or other of the dipped headlamps.
The frustration is that the handbook supplied with the car is absolutely correct ..... BUT it assumes that you have small hands and that you can swap bulbs by feel alone. My hands are quite large but, as a musician, I'd like to think that I have reasonably nimble fingers. Alas, whenever I've done the job, it's taken me at least 45 minutes.
After hearing all sorts of tales about removing the headlight unit etc, I once took it to the local Ford main dealer. "Ooh, sir, we'll have to book it in and the minimum charge is £35". Subsequently, I drove a few miles out to the dealer who sold us the car and one of the lads did it in 2 minutes. He confessed that he had used a mirror the first few times, as I had, but "after a few dozen, you develop the knack" :-)
As changing a bulb can be so fiddley for many of us and so easy for them, I have wondered if 'complimentary bulb changing' could be used as part of the deal in buying a car.
Hello, all.
I'm considering a small-ish diesel automatic and note Mitsubishi appears to have deleted that model from the Colt range. Does anyone have experience of it, please, preferably high-mileage?
Another forumeer had commented in passing on the Colt's auto-box's 'woeful reliability' (I think were the words) and it alarmed me: hitherto, I've always run bangers and if I buy a recent-ish car I don't want it to be an expensive mistake.
And could anyone say how the (AMT?) auto-box's driving-characteristics compare with, or contrast to, a conventional i.e. torque-converter, automatic's?
Thank you,
AF. Read more
All diesel engines were dropped when the Colt received a face-lift 2008/2009.
I am a driving instructor and have a COLT Diesel AMT for my tuition vehicle, 38,000 miles in the first year.
The gear change is not as smooth as a torque converter auto.
Reliability - it has had the gear change actuator replaced at 17,900 miles.
Economy - 48 to 50 mpg due to lots of slow driving teaching manoeuvres. Will do 65 @ 65 on dual-carriageways.
Sometimes gets erratic tick-over due to slow driving. Giving it a blast at 4,000 rpm in 2nd for a mile or two will sort that out.
Don't bother driving it it semi-auto mode much.
Similar technology is available from FORD Durashift and VW DSG transmissions, but those manufacturers use TWO clutches for their systems and give a smoother gear change.
Hi, Can anyone tell me what levels of fuel consumption they are getting from a 2.2 d4d avensis?
I have just bought one brand new old stock and I have had it for 3 weeks now and I am lucky to get 33 mpg out of it. I am old school at 44 and I have been driving it with caution (running in) I have been told this is not nessesary,but old habits die hard.
I was expecting around 44 mpg at least.
I also think it has quite a bit of road noise and when it is cold the cam chain rattles between 1000 and 3000 rpm, is this common. Also a strange klunk when i set off with the wheels slightly turned???
Please tell me these faults are not common as I have had a 2ltr turbo diesel carina from new and it is now 11 years old and I am wondering if I have done the right thing buying this car.
PS I have got it booked in on Monday at the dealers.
also the windscreen has what the wife describes as what look like stretch marks on it when it steams up and they will not come off no matter what you use to clean it???
Any help please?? Read more
We have one as a company car. Had it about 6 months and its done about 20k. When new the mpg was mid/high 30's. It now constantly sits at 40mpg - driving is mainly A roads and motorways mon-fri and local during the weekend.
It can also be a bit rattly when cold, this is normally a little better when the oil has been topped up to max.
One of the rear brake discs of my car has a long-standing 6 mm wide band of heavy corrosion at the outer diameter of the braking surface. The car has never failed an MOT but I'd like to get rid of the corrosion if possible. I envisage removing it with a small grinding wheel in a hand-held drill. Will it be a waste of time if I don't fit new pads at the same time? There's obviously a step in the existing pad and I reckon that if I remove the corrosion the corresponding part of the pad will no longer touch the disc and the corrosion will just return. Read more
I've found this thread interesting, I missed it as I was away in Spain.
My Fiat Panda Cross has been driven less than 3,000 miles from new, over the past 4-5 months.
However, it has had 2 long periods of inactivity, one at the end of last year whilst awaiting parts for an accident repair, then 11 days in Feb at Liverpool airport. Due to the hard Winter that we have just had, the brake discs were left, coated in road salt.
The discs are all discoloured and lightly ridged but the rears have bands of corrosion as described on this thread.
Compare this with the Panda 4x4 Climbing that I just sold. With 33,000 miles on the clock. You could brush your hair in the reflection from all of the discs.
I'm not stressed about this, discs these days are relatively cheap and I know how to replace them. However, it demonstrates how road conditions and use of a car can have a huge influence on the lifespan of brake discs.
Another point, the Panda Cross, with its Diesel engine, encourages a gentler driving style with less enthusiastic braking which is making the corrosion bands harder to remove.
Ah well, the brakes work fine and MOT time is more than 2.5 years away.
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Re the UFO "sighting" in IHAQ 275. We had a number of people on the North West coastline recently reporting one evening what they believed was a UFO out to sea.
Turned out to be a helicopter hovering over Blackpool airport waiting for its turn to land...