April 2009
Hi
Can anyone advise me on what could be wrong?
I have an 02 reg petrol Fiesta. Lovely little car and no problems with it until recently.
It started very occasionally when i changed gear, the revs would jump up to about 3 or 4000 and i'd get no acceleration whatever. Then the revs then drop back down to normal & then it starts to pick up acceleration.
It's gradually got worse to it now doing it every time i change the gears.
Any idea on what it could be, is there anything i can have a look at at home before booking it into the garage and paying out lots of money?
Thanks
Zoe Read more
The family of a biker killed on his first day of retirement by a 93-year-old motorist called for stricter rules governing older drivers.
Pensioner Alfred Ross admitted causing death by careless driving and is thought to be the oldest person in the country to be convicted of the offence.
He shuffled into New Forest Magistrates Court in Lyndhurst, Hants, with a walking stick where he was fined £3,750 and banned from driving for five years.
Ross pulled out in his Rover 216 in front of Jeffrey Bennett's Honda VFR 750 on the A337 Lymington Road in Brockenhurst on October 8, 2008.
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"the previous [ Labour ] government bought the grey vote by cancelling the test requirement"
So it is not just UK politicians who are cynical when it comes to pleasing the electorate!
In the UK it would require a consensus among politicians of all parties to tackle this issue as no one would be willing to stand alone on this one. However, as mentioned previously, health screening especially in terms of an eyesight check, would simply be enforcing laws which already exist and to which we have all agreed.
It is hard to see how an effective campaign against health screening could be waged as it would effectively have to say we demand the right to continue flouting the law.
Hi Guys,
The above car has just failed MOT "Rear Fluid Suspension has no suspension movement"
The MOT technician suggested the spheres needed replacing. Are you in agreement with this or could it be something else?
Looking at my Haynes manual it appears to be a simple job but I am a little confused as it refers tothe hydraulic pressure regulator bleed screw but gives no clue as to where it is, any ideas.
I am aware the system is under extremely high pressure and want to avoid any accidents.
All help gratefully received. Read more
A 93 will only have 2 rear spheres. A 93 1.6 is a rare (and presumably slow!) beast!
Warning: DO NOT get under it and start messing with the spheres unless it is properly supported so that if you lose the suspension pressure if can't squash you. It can and does happen.
Advice above is right - you will need a decent wrench to get them off.
I'm looking to buy a new, or nearly new Ford Mondeo Automatic in the near future and was wondering if any backroomers have experienced driving the 2.3 petrol and the 2.0 diesel automatics and could advise which was the best drive.
I only do around 6k miles per annum, so I understand the cost differentials would probably favour a petrol. I worked out it would take me 5 or 6 years to recoup the extra £1000 on the purchase price of the diesel (by which time I would probably have sold the car and moved on to the next) and I have read good reports of how smooth the auto box is and well matched to the torque of the diesel, but is the petrol as good to drive as the diesel ?
BTW, I have not driven an automatic for a few years, are the latest boxes electronically programmed to suit the engine characteristics etc. ?
Also there seems to be a plethora of diesels but not so many petrols for sale, so it may be down to availabilty in the end.
opinions....?
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If you want economy and a diesel automatic I can highly reccomend any vehicle with the VAG 110TDi engine. My Fathers A4 avant with that combination regularly returned 48mpg
When the other half goes back to work in September, I may need a second runabout.
I'm thinking 5 door hatch Focus 1.6 LX or a higher spec Fiesta might do the trick.
I don't want anything French.
Is there anything else which could match the Fords on value for money, spare parts, servicing costs, insurance, VED?
Also, I'm likely to buy from a dealer for peace of mind and want a car with a full dealer service history. If it has a FSH, can I assume any recall issues have been addressed at the point it was serviced? Read more
i just laugh at cheapest is best
If all else is equal (or roughly so), it is. :-)
Bell boy, what magic insight into spotting a bent motor do you possess that us mere mortals don't? I'm not a trader, but I've bought and sold cars for 20 years for myself, friends and rellies, and worked on hundreds more. I'm not a professional, but I do consider myself able to spot a pup. I would trust lots of "ordinary people" I know to buy a car for me too. Once you know what to look for, and what to check, it's not rocket science.
Cheers
DP
hi i have the above car with 130k on the clock but over the past 10k miles or so the turbo has lost some kick to the point where theres virtually no boost at all now. Is this something that would be repairable or is the turbo integral to the engine also fuel economy has come down drastically would the two issues be connected or should i be looking for a new car as always deeply grateful for any help or advice provided. Ps has been regularly serviced over past 3 years so has been looked after at least by me anyway! Read more
If it's belching out black smoke then best solution is to replace with a newer car and be done with it, there are plenty of good models to choose from out there.
My 2006 Legacy has a permanently illuminated dash display. It doesn't come on with the headlights. Whilst there obviously is a small headlight icon in a distant corner of the display, it is tiny and dim.
This strikes me as a distinctly dangerous setup. Any other vehicle I have ever owned or driven, you know it is time to turn the headlights on when you can no longer see the display.
I have taken the decision to run with headlights perpetually on (they are automatically turned off when the ignition is turned off).
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What happens if you need both headlights and sunglasses - a combination of low sun and showery rain, say? In my Volvo, no problem; in our Toyota Verso - whose instruments are perma-lit instruments and dim with the headlights on - you can't see 'em. And there's no manual dimmer control either.
I think the problem arises when the instruments depend on illumination to be seen at all. The Volvo's don't, but the Verso's do.
[Other cars named after Latin verbs are available - probably.]
What is it likely to cost at a garage to replace one front wheel bearing and how long it take?
{subject header amended to give a brief desciption of question being asked} Read more
Lol.
Cheap enough it's a old escort any garage will do this in 3hrs max.
You can even do this yourself with a good strong vice etc.
I have noticed over the last 3 or 4 months that tyre prices have steadily crept up, especially as I need 2 new ones for my A4 Avant.
The tyres I have been looking at online have gone from about £98 each to nearly £120 in this time period. This is quite an increase, but why ? Oil prices are supposedly still low, is it the weak pound that is the problem ? Read more
Rubber trees, HJ? When were tyres last made from natural rubber? ... >>
Andrew-T,
see tinyurl.com/cfh54c
www.tyresite.com/tyrearticle.asp?page=11
"The modern tyre is a mixture of steel belts, advanced fabrics and top secret rubber compounds, which are made of around 40% natural rubber and 60% synthetic rubber. "
Hi guys
Does anyone know of any quick tricks to free of seized brakes on a 1995 fiesta. I left the car on my drive with the hand brake on back in August last year and the brakes have seized on solid.
I have tried driving the car back and forward a few times but no luck, it just drags the wheel.
Cheers Read more
Does anyone know of any quick tricks to free of seized brakes on a 1995
fiesta. I left the car on my drive with the hand brake on back in
August last year and the brakes have seized on solid.
I have tried driving the car back and forward a few times but no luck
it just drags the wheel.
Mirrors thread I had.
I had a similiar problem with seized rear brake which wouldn't free even after hitting with big rubber mallet, then tried hammer with block of wood, then tried towing car !!
Had to use a hammer, it's the SHOCK that breaks the rust, which is seizing it up.
See this thread:
Seized brakes - Tricks to get car moving
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=72259&...e
Browse
I had a similar problem approximately 18 months ago, mainly in low gears. Quite suddenly, after a few weeks of manageable problems the car would continually stall. I called for a home start with a recovery company and he diagnosed the problem as an ignition coil. He had one in his van and it cost £70 ish, fixed within 20 minutes!