April 2009
Afternoon all. I've just bought a car for my partner for her to learn to drive in, although she won't be learning now as we've just discovered she's pregnant. Anyway, when I start the car there is a puff of blue smoke which I know is the valve stem seals/valve guides, but there is no more smoke until after about 5-10 min's when the engine is warm, it gets worse as it warms up basicly. Does this sound like shot rings to you? I've done a compression test and the readings are fairly consistent across the cylinders with number 4 being the highest, but upon removing the plug on number 4 cylinder smoke was coming out, obviously from the burnt oil but not sure if it's because of the seals or rings. I can't really drive the car to test it properly as there is no tax on the car and I'm not insured on it either. Thanks in advance. Read more
Is it possible to check genuine Ford spares prices online? I would like to buy genuine spares all the time but don't like to argue If I think the price is very high. 9 times out of ten I'll use a top quailty part from elsewhere just because I know in advance what it's going to cost. Want to check plug leads at the moment. Read more
made me think there must be a substantial mark up. Thanks.
I used to work for Ford Motor Co and we got 62.5% off service parts, and 50% off most other things (this was years ago and the the pricing/discount may have changed now).
It was a bit of a nightmare though, as dealers would often say things were out of stock if we identified ourselves as Ford employees before asking for parts and if we hid that fact then some would refuse to sell to us even after they'd fetched the part.
In the last week I have spotted people stood near traffic lights in London holding a device (about twice the size of a mobile) pointing it at traffic lights I imagine to make them change.
On both occassions the person has been casually dressed and standing about 10-15m from the lights. Neither was a particularly major set of lights, quite minor in fact.
I have been on my way somewhere on both occasions so not had the chance to stop, but the device looked like something designed for the job, ie quite chunky/ruggedised with a line of buttons down it, maye 5 or 6.
Never seen it before and twice in 2 days has registered in my brain, hence question.
Maybe time to buy gold bullion if there's a big job going down.....
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......... Mr Snail? I thought
you were pure as the driven?
:-D
Yes it's true, next door neighbour's bill for 2 new Michelins on 18 inch alloys, new shape Mondeo estate diesel. Makes a bit of a mockery of running costs for "Mondeo man"!! Mental note to check the hidden costs before buying next car! Read more
Have recently used e tyres, decent price and very good service too.
I am sceptical about the Government's long-awaiting scrappage scheme, but Volvo have sent me an email which caught my eye...
In addition to the UK2000 available through the scrappage scheme, Volvo are making a further £2,000 deposit contribution on a new C30, making the headline price just £11,700!
It also seems that other manufacturers are eager to come to the party with additional offers over and above the basic UK2000 scrappage scheme, or applying the 10-year age criteria less strictly. I'm getting tempted! Read more
Nice car, but one of the most over-priced vehicles on the market.
Let down by a tiny boot and a luggage cover which makes a Tesco carrier bag look durable.
I'm having an intermittent problem with starting the car - a '03 TDCI 130 6 speed estate.
Sometimes when you try and start the car, it's as if the ignition key doesn't work i.e. turn the key, nothing happens, the starter doesn't fire, no noise, nothing. The ODO display and trip computer etc. dim momentarily but that's it. If you have tried to start an auto in "Drive", you will know exactly what I mean.
If you switch off and try again, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. Nothing wrong with the battery from my reckoning because when it does fire, it starts first time.
It's been like this for sevral weeks now only failing once or twice before starting - so I just thought that the ECU was not "ready" or something .......
However last night I had to try for almost 10 minutes before it would start - the engine was warm btw, not that that seems to make any difference to this problem.
This morning it's fine, started first time......
I hope this is not a sign of impending wallet bashing.....
Thanks in advance. Read more
I have a mondeo ST24 2.5 and on 2 occasions I turned the key and nothing totally dead.
Next to the battery is a black cable with a single wire in it which is an earth and noticed it was hanging by a thread .I replaced the bullet connector on it and perfect ever since.I think but not quite sure but it could be in circuit with the imobilizer.Hope this solves it.
tinyurl.com/cu9qv7
The picture on this link shows an Opel badge on the front of a Google earth camera car with a UK registration.
Is it possible to buy a RHD Opel Astra?
An acquaintance had an Opel Corsa, but only because he got his rellies in OZ to send him the badges. I suspect the V5 said Vauxhall. Read more
Do Vauxhalls still have loud and annoying springs on the clutch pedal or did they
finally fix that?
We used to call it the Cavalier Creak after my mk2 SRi did it, and several friends mk2's as well. Then I discovered it affected the Astra and the Nova!
I actually quite liked it. Character, or something. :-)
Cheers
DP
My dear late brother has been gone some 10 years now.
He was a Navy chap, First Electrical Officer or some such (yes i'm ashamed i should know), he continued in the Merchant fleet, and then had various supervisory but very hands on roles in civvie street....yes you guessed it, he got the brains and the looks..;)
I recall many conversations, but one question he always wanted to know was the reason for some car gearboxes to whine so much in reverse.
I'm sure he knew the reason and was just seeing if i could make a guess at the answer, i was reminded of this unanswered question when i reversed a particularly noisy one up a street yesterday.
So come on chaps why are some cars' gearboxes so very noisy in reverse?
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doesnt sound like a tarmac squeal though does it :-)
I was sent a mailer for a device (can't recall the name - leaflet went in bin) which fitted behind the grille and which was in some limited way a parking sensor but was clearly intended to fox a speed trap - every image in the flyer was about speed guns.
Nowehere did it say they were legal and it had some mealy mouthed reference to calling them to dicuss legal status so I assume they aren't but I am idly curious to know if they are or not.
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ive got a legal device that "fools" all speed , radar , traps....its called my right foot!!!!!! ( no offence to any one who answers to the name heather by the way )
Changed the discs and pads and now when i am going very slow-lets say 5 MPH- and i take my foot off the accelerator there is a really loud clunk coming from the passenger side front. It does not do this when i am braking or going at higher speeds.
I have checked and the caliper and wire clip is all on correct. I even put the old disc and pads back on and it was still doing it.
Help Me!!!!!!
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The car went to the mechanic today and it is the near side rear engine mount that has gone!!
I think it is just coincidence that i changed the discs and pads and this happened.
Thanks for the help.
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The engine has covered 98k, no turbo on this one, just a little 1.4. I did think that the head gasket may be leaking internaly, but wouldn't that cause a lot of crankcase pressure and chuck oil out of the dipstick tube e.t.c.? I'm glad the compression readings look good, the smoke must be caused by shot valve stem seals then, it smokes for a second at first start and then gets worse as it warms up.