May 2009

johnny

...from a master of 360 degree photography.


billward.eu/morris/morris.html Read more

nick

''brake master cylinder''

Not as bad as made out really. I've changed a couple, just put the bolts back in the other way and it's pretty easy. Odd place to put it in the first place though.

lucklesspedestrian

For anyone who followed the recent misfuelled diesel Focus or even the 'which Avensis' sagas:

We finally bought a very nice, totally unmarked 42K FSH 05 Focus 1.6 LX (115bhp petrol with a/c) privately this evening.

Everything was right, owner had car for last 4 years, bought locally from new, nice couple, nice house, new company Focus on the drive, every instinct screaming 'it's legit!' Ummed and ahh'ed for no longer than 15 seconds before settling on a price and shaking on it. All in all a very pleasant end to the saga.

also got it for significantly less than equivilant motors on dealer forecourts...which is nice!

Thanks again chaps for all the advice throught.
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Happy Blue!

I am a chartered surveyor doing mainly commercial property valuations. You would not believe the number of people I meet who try it on. You can tell almost from the first phone call, whether the deal is legit or there is something dodgy. Its the tone of voice and style of speaking "...Yeah mate what can i do for you..." I'm not your mate! Its the story behind the deal and the number of people you have to speak to, to get the keys etc.

If it feels right and looks right then it usually is right. But with the slightest doubt, the first thing I do is look for my downvaluing tables and treat the property with the caution it deserves.

Tron

England:

tiny.cc/leGbQ

Scotland:

tiny.cc/Oh3SM

Wales:

tiny.cc/qPUNF
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Old Navy

In the past I have found on their displays non motorway roads lined with red
or orange warning of delays which was most useful in selecting alternative routes.

My satnav does that, and plans the alternative.
Bentleyboy

Hey Guys, the other day I unlocked the car with the remote key, started and drove off, a few mins down the road the alarm went off, did not affect anything (just my ears) so I stopped the car, got out locked it, then unlocked it, fine alarm went off, drove down the road, off it went again, this time i drove it miles with the beeping alarm, got home ponced about with the key remote, even had the key in the door lock, I do manage to turn it off, but not sure how, any way, the blinkin thing keeps going off, even when its unlocked, Ive now disconnected the sounder, any Ideas? Read more

Dude - {P}


Reading the motoring press, they indicated back in January that the new model Mazda 3 was due this Spring, but have seen no fresh updates lately.

As I am interested in purchasing this new model, can anyone advise the date of this new launch?? Read more

loskie

Was getting my MX5 serviced yesterday at Border Cars Mazda in Dumfries. 1 new Mazda 3 in the showroom and 1 demo on the forecourt. If it's in Dumfries it'll be in most places.
Dumfries is NOT the centre of all things automotive retail.

ollie1989

hi people, im new to this site, and have a slight problem.

Two months ago i bought a ford fiesta 03 plate, with 30,000 on the clock, after a few weeks i noticed a sound coming from the engine that sounded like there was a horse around my car, at first it was really quiet and not really noticable, but then it got progressivly louder.

Recently i was returning home from a day out when i went down a hill and put my foot down to pull up the other side and all my power just dissapeared, then my engine light came on. so i pulled up gave it 5 or 10 minutes then started up again and as i did this the engine was misfiring. so i rang a recovery firm and i was taken to my ford garage. I then explained my problem to garage left it with them for an hour, they then rang me back and explained my coil pack had gone, my oxygen sensor had gone and also my spark plugs and leads also needed replacing. i had the work done and the sound had gone when i picked it up, but the next day it was back?!? it seems to be louder when the engine is warm,

does any one have any ideas as im begining to think its something serious? Read more

piston power

O dear it's curtains for that engine.

No oil worn big end bearings and can lead to a seized engine.

Did you tell the recovery guy there was no oil & the garage?

There is no excuse for not checking the oil regular.

pda

I believe it is now possible to enter the country at Folkestone ( via Eurotunnel) and drive all the way to Berwick upon Tweed without going round a roundabout.

The route is M20, M25, M11, A14 and of course the A1.

The last roundabout has finally been removed at Colsterworth just south of Grantham.

Please correct me if I'm wrong!

Pat
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Lud

Heh heh ifithelps... That's why I try not to take any notice of them at all, apart from giving priority to stuff coming from the right.

A lot of them are so badly placed that the logical route when turning right may be to go the wrong side of them. And when it is, I do.

I look forward to being pulled for this by an incautious jobsworth young plod. Boy will he get an earful.

portugal

My mondeo 2 litre TDCi 130bh i have been very happy with. I have had it for 3 years now no trouble at all i have driven out to Portugal twice in it . But the abs light has come on and will not go out checked fuses alright please help

{post amended to remove SHOUTING!} Read more

Javalin

Go to garage. Get codes read. Welcome.

MurdoK

Hey dudes an fellow turbo lovers..

Recently my TDi estate has been blowing blue-ish smoke on start up which clears after 5mins or so and runs pretty sweet.....

Every gear pulls as expected. No noices, no lag, my oil levels are all good etc etc with no other signs/clues to my..............

**problem**

last night i was cruising along the M9 at 65-70mph and went to overtake a lorry. I pull up behind it and drop to 4th, pressed the accelerator to pass, didn't boot it, but as soon as it goes from 4th to fifth i get major power lose and a HUGE cloud of white-ish smoke comes out the back which obviously made me pink fluffy dice it thinking my turbo blew or sumfin sumfin but i throw it back up to 5th and it starts pulling again as normal!!

I was gonna pull over but when i fifth geared it and realised it was running fine and my turbo/engine wasn't pink fluffy dice i cruised off the motorway a mile or two up the road keeping the revs low.... I stopped, let the car cool down etc etc and headed for home.

**STRANGE THING** every gear still pulls as expected/normal without obviously taking it beyond 3500 / 4000 revs...

.*********

Any fellow good fellas got some advice / had similar experiences!??

Dok

{Looks like someone DIDN'T bother reading the no swearing policy before posting}
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BenG

As far as I know, blue smoke indicates oil burning, so if this is emitted when cold it suggests either that your oil is overdue for a change, there is bore wear in the engine, or possibly valve guide wear allowing oil to drain past the valves while the engine is off.

Finally, it could indicate leaking turbo oil seals, although then you might expect to get more blue smoke when the engine is warm and on boost.

White smoke indicates unburned diesel, but this would usually be seen if your glow plugs weren't working properly on cold start, not when the engine is warm.

If the smoke is actually black (try getting someone to follow you when you rev the car), then this indicates excess fuel and could mean that you have a boost leak (check intercooler pipes for leaks and other joints/jubliee clips in pipework between turbo and intercooler and from i/c to inlet manifold) or the turbo is failing to generate enough boost, leading to an overly-rich mixture.

Funny that it's only occurring at higher revs. That's all I know I'm afraid.

GeordieGuy

Hi There!
I run an old diesel 405 - in fact, I'm now on my fourth. I like the uncomplicated layout and ease of maintenance of these old oil-burners. However, my only niggle is that the steering is very heavy - even with PS. I was wondering whether there might be some after-market device, replacement unit etc which might alleviate the problem. Or, indeed, whether the PS is a bit of a duffer on these anyway - I can't recall others having such a problem.
I'm happy to throw money at the problem above and beyond the value of the vehicle itself. I really don't want to replace it with something newer, however practical this might be.
Anyway, if you've got this far and you think you have an observation on this then I'd appreciate your reply!!

{header amended to reflect the question being asked} Read more

vmturbo

There is bound to be a relief valve somewhere on the pump which determines the maximum hydraulic pressure hence the amount of power assistance.

Knowing how many strikes the car factories in France used to have; French cars will often be a pick-and-mix of components from different suppliers. Speedometers for example might be Jaeger or Veglia....