May 2009
Mums car has just passed 40k now which works out at just over 10k per year from new.
Mpg on the V6 manual comes in at around the 26 mpg mark in mixed driving, rising to 34 on long runs.
We have had some issues though which sort of fly in the face of the usual Hyundai reputation, heres the list:
1. Alarm system had constant troubles so they ripped it out and replaced with a new upgraded one.
2. ABS pump replaced after a freak incident where the ESP light lit up going up hill on a dry road, while accelarating up the hill in top gear followed by the ABS activating grinding the car to a halt. Turned off and on again all was well but work done as precaution.
3. ESP light has recently come on a few times while stationary so its going to be looked at.
4. One of the rear speakers was intermittantly loosing sound - its booked in and they have already told us they will be replacing the whole system and have already taken down the spec so they can order a new one even without it having gone in yet.
5. The climate control system appears to have gone kaput. The fan controls give no control over the lowest three settings, the OFF button doesnt turn it off at all and most annoyingly, unless the fan is on level 4 or higher, the fan surges up and down speeds.
It must be said though that Hyundai seem to have no issue with warranty issues and there is never a hint of having to argue your case.
The car itself mum loves but myself I dont much like the stiff gearbox or heavyish steering, plus the arkwardness of getting in and out of it! Read more
My girlfriend's car (it is really!!) has a significant amount of emulsion present in the oil reservoir. What does this mean? It also keeps losing water and over heating, although there is no evidence under the car even when running, i'm assuming there is a leak in the cooling system but I'm more concerned about the oil reservoir at the moment. I've no idea when it last had an oil change and service, she's in denial and wont let me talk about it! She's hoping it'll last another 2 months (without spending money on it), is there any chance? Would an oil change prolongue it's life at all? Any advice would be appreciated. Read more
Although head gasket is is a good probability in this case, looking from the optimistic perspective, the overheat and loss of water could be the water pump leaking and the mayonaise (emulsion) on the cap could be short journeys.
IIRC the water pump is driven by the cam belt on these and if it leaks slightly the water will evaporate as it runs down the warm engine before it gets to the ground so no water will be seen on the ground under the car.
A possible temporary solution, which may keep it going for a couple of weeks, is to remove the thermostat so the engine stays cool and keep topping it up with water.
Well I have finally bite the bullet and traded in the trusty Kia Sorento for a Kia Ceed SW (Estate) 1.6 diesel. Bit of a come down size wise but the trade in was not too bad compared to the price offered back end of last year and which according to the Glasses guide prices at the time was plummeting by the month.
I wonder if 4x4 prices have stabilized after the panic reaction over fuel and VED duty? Or as more folk are caravanning as opposed to jetting off to sunnier climes and do they now need something half decent too tow with? The Sorento is only in the £210 duty band. (ONLY he says! :-[ )
Anyway I have gone for white as opposed to bland blue/greys and derivatives. There was just something different that gave the car some presence. Shouldn't show minor surface scratches either!! And no its nothing to do with too many years sat behind a red stripe.
Backroomers thoughts on white?
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Well the Kensington Tractor has gone and I'm the proud owner of that white Kia Ceed HW. More than happy with the white - it suits the car.
However after the Sorento I came over all claustrophobic driving home. My 'man maths' had justified the change by maintaining that the interior volume was only slightly less than the Sorento which was all wheels, diffs and chassis. Reality is that the Ceed is just another medium sized estate car with no presence . But its comfy and drives well.
Money is on for a real bad 4X4 winter this year :-[ Will keep you posted on the Ceed.
do ford kas come with cooling fans? and if so where abouts is the cooling fan for the ka located?? had a quick look and i dont know much about cars any way so not too sure?? my engine overheated the other day and someone mentioned to me to check if that was working, how can i go about this?? do i just have to leave it running and wait and see if it works?? Read more
none taken!!! ye i no, my grandads had a look but dosent really know much about cars but the fuse definately hasnt gone. im going to take it to a garage i know & get them to have a look. i hope its nothing serious.......
Hi
Just had my Corolla d-4d serviced.
When I start it first thing in the morning its fine , if I drive it for a mile or so and then try to restart it it will not start unless left for about an hour or so
any ideas ....
I have never had an issue like this in the 3 years I have owned this car Read more
Hello
We bought a BMW 318is at christmas. At the time it had 17" wheels but the ride was harsh and bumpy. The suspension has also been lowered unfortunately....
We took it in for an MOT and it failed the lock to lock test and we ended up having to buy some cheap 15" wheels and tires to get it through the MOT. I went to see a BMW specialist yesterday to sell on the 17" alloys and he commented that the current wheels are wrong for the car.
Thats the background, i have a couple of questions really as neither of us know much about cars...
1. What wheels would you recommend? The guy at the specialist tried to sell us another set of 17" alloys. Would these be correct and would it not fail the same test come next MOT? he assured me they would be ok. He also has a set of 15" alloys, or 16".
2. The speedo seems to be out with the current 15" wheels. How easy or costly is this to fix? it seems to be out compared to the satnav speed, with the 17" wheels the speeds matched
3. How expensive would it be to get the suspension put back to normal, ie not lowered. the speed bumps around here are horrendous adn regularily scrap the bottom of the car... The current suspension seems to be less than a year old if that matters
thanks in advance, any help would be hugely appreciated
bvb Read more
wheels and tyres come in different widths. As Bell Boy says, it sounds yours has been chaved up with silly wide wheels and 'slammed'
Sometimes the correct wheels will foul the arches or suspension due to the lowering (it alters the angles that the wheel is at) but in your case it sounds like the wrong wheels.
The problem arises due to the wheels/tyres being too wide and/or the offset being incorrect (for simplicity you can think that the offset defines how far the wheel protrudes into the wheel arch beyond the car hub)
Changing the wheel size from 15 to 17 should not make the speedo incorrect as long as the correct tyres are fitted. All that should happen is that lower profile tyres are used with larger wheels. However if this isnt done then the reading of the speedo will be wrong. The circumference of the wheel should stay the same so that the distance covered by a single revolution of the wheel is the same regardless of what wheel/tyre combo is used.
In your position I wwould try and get some original fitment wheels and tyres. It is possible that the speedo (or more accuratly the computer that controls it) has been altered, but I would also be worried that you still may have incorrect wheels/tyres fitted.
I'm not a bmw expert, but if you can quote the full tyre sizes ie 205/45-17 from the side of the tyre - front and rear may be different and tell us what your handbook recommends then we can probably tell you what you really need.
Hello, I have a replacement ecu for my fto and after spending an hour finding out where it fits I noticed its at the side of the dashboard on the passenger side, may be a silly question but would I need to take out the entire dash to replace the ecu or is there an easier way to do this?
Help Read more
Hi. Just in case this fact matters to the main problem, the car misted up last winter so much I kept a squeegy in the car to clear the windows! Main problem is: White smoke and misfire on starting. After taking revs up to red area it clears. Car ran well enough but sat for 2 weeks when MOT ran out. They threw it out of the MOT place when it started smoking.
Had injectors out and tested.All OK
Replaced fuel filter.Its OK
No oil in water on oil cap.
Any ideas please!. Read more
White smoke can also be unburnt fuel, especially if accompanied by uneven running, I would suspect low compression on one or more cylinders, could be valve clearances.
Hi, the heater on my fiesta is stuck on hot.
The problem arose when the heater was stuck on cold. I read some posts on honestjohn and they suggestes changing the Heater control valve.
I did this back in November. I think it worked ok, but then after a while it got stuck on hot air coming out.
The bloke in the shop suggested I should buy another one and try that.
However before splashing out another 30 quid I want to test that is the problem.
How can I test the HCV to see if it is working?
I understand it is driven by a variable phase pulse cycle. I dont have a scope, but I have got a multimeter and a variable power supply unit.
Any ideas?
Cheers#
Jason. Read more
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I was following a black V6 Hyundai coupe up the A24 the other week. Stuck in the outside lane for miles at a mere whisker over the (unnecessarily low) limit, either unaware of or indifferent to the scruffy Escort waiting patiently in its mirrors at a courteous and safe distance. Driver was a bit busy at the steering wheel too, or was one of these involuntary twitchers.