July 2009
I'm thinking about replacing the above myself to save garage costs. I'd be happier working with the aid of a Workshop/Service manual but can't find one to cover this year of car.
Has anyone carried out this work and on a scale of 1 to 10 how difficult is it? Also, does the 'Mazda MX-5/Miata 1.8: Enthusiast's Workshop Manual (up to 1998)' cover this work on this model/year? Is it the same?
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I need to buy some front discs for my car and the price differences are enormous. Now I can understand that the pads would/could have different compounds and be made from different materials, offer different braking characteristics and resistance to fade, hence differnet prices for the pads but surely steel discs are steel discs?
I?m not looking to upgrade to drilled or grooved discs, just regular ventilated front discs.
Would I be better off buying the cheapest discs I can and a better specification front pad or am I trying to make a false economy?
Thanks
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You could have a look at GSF car parts, you would probably be able to get OE parts without paying the premium for a SAAB box, although sometimes dealer parts prices can be surprisingly competitive.
For example my current Merc, original fitment discs were made by ATE, if I get ATE discs from Euro they are approx half the dealer price, only difference is the box.
As for pads, any trusted brand should be fine, I've got Ferodo Premier at the moment, got no complaints on performance, just a huge amount of dust to clean off the wheels.
There are some pads out there that claim to give less dust, might have a look at them next time around.
I am posting this today as yesterday I was just too angry for words.
The fools that run Milton Keynes Council assisted as always by the clowns in blue who clearly have no crimes to solve set up a Census and basically closed down the A5 northbound between the Stony Stratford roundabout and the first exit during RUSH HOUR yesterday.
Those familiar with that area know that if you are entering MK from that direction that roundabout is unavoidable and always a traffic choke point on a normal day.
The chaos was unbelievable. All roads were jammed 10 miles back and it took 3 hours to complete what should have been a 30 minute journey.
If this was France they would have beaten hell out of these clowns and burned the police vehicles. As it was we British sheep queued and took it whilst muttering under our breath.
There is now nothing for it but to fire all the civil servants and police and just start again. Throw out all exiting councillors and start again with new parties and all Chief Constables to be elected for 2 year terms.
Idiots. Read more
I've encountered her husband a good few times during lunchtime runs. That's about as close as I wish to get to any politician, but yes, she often features in the local rag and isn't afraid to put her head above the parawotsit!
In fact her 'hot potato' this week is an outcry against the ever-increasing proliferation of illegal (unregistered?) clamping companies preying on the unsuspecting citizens/shoppers of Bletchley.
Am having an intermittent problem with my BMW 325 tds.
Every so often the injector light on the dash will show....when this happens the car will lose power and pull back or stutter.
Changing down to a lower gear and increasing the revs always cures the problem and the light goes out.
Also if I dip the clutch the light goes out in a similar way and car drives normally.
Problem only happens maybe once or twice a week......Have changed the fuel filter to no avail....are we looking at a lifter pump on its last legs or an inector problem???????????
Any advice appreciated. Read more
If You need better description www.Nigel.reeeves3@gmail.com and I can arrange to talk you through what sounds a lot harder than it is
After months of deliberation and negotiation my dad has taken delivery of his new Jazz ? a 1.4 SE ? as his retirement present. His almost 30 year love affair with the Fiesta is over ? my sister is buying his 1.4TDCi, just run in at 90,000 miles and my mum?s is sold. It was a 51 reg, but with only 24,000 miles and he could have sold it a dozen times.
I had a drive in the Jazz last night and it is a well sorted car. Equipment levels are up there with far more expensive cars, the only major items it doesn?t have are leather seats and satnav, other than that the list is very long and includes auto lights and wipers, heated seats, electric folding mirrors, cruise control etc etc etc
The interior is roomy and airy, the glass roof will make driving in usual UK weather more pleasant. On the occasional hot day it has an electrically powered cover, this coupled with the clever back seats means my dad could probably use the car as a greenhouse extension!
Car went very well, suspension is a little bouncy for my liking, but it rides rough surfaces well and doesn?t crash through potholes. Like all Japanese cars I?ve driven the clutch is light and the gearbox very slick, steering is also light but with enough feedback to know what is going on. The gear change indicator is annoying as it takes no account that you are driving up a 1 in 8 and changing to 3rd isn?t a good idea! Fortunately it?s quite discreet so it can be ignored easily.
The handbrake is a little deceiving as it provides a lot of resistance all the way through its travel , so when you think you?ve pulled it far enough you probably haven?t and it rolled back on a hill as I waited for a green light. I was used to it by the end of the short run.
The trick boot area with split level floor and part folding floor means no spare wheel and the gearknob wasn?t secured properly.
The other downside for me is the clutter of switches on and around the radio as all the aircon controls are in also in the same area. Makes things handy, but it is confusing when first trying to identify what all the buttons are and what they actually do. For a car which is generally chosen by the older generation it could appear very daunting. I?m sure over time you get used to it all.
Despite these minor issues there are many more pluses than minuses and I?m sure he?ll be happy with it for at least the next 5 years.
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Slightly off topic, but I seem to recall some Triumph 2000s had extended valves because it was difficult to get the air line on a standard length valve due to the design of the wheel.
Trouble was the extension meant the valve was clear of the surrounding wheel and tyre, so it was prone to be ripped off when the car was driven close to a kerb.
Instant deflation.
I have often thought that it is just marketing ploy to sell cars as having the colour "silver" and not "grey".
When I look at a silver ring for example it looks nothing like the colour of a silver car. I have looked at different types of silverware and cars but I just can't see any silver car colours that match any silverware.
But I suppose advertising boring old grey cars doesn't have the same cache as silver. Perhaps I am colour blind. Read more
Try buying a used mkIV Golf in a metallic colour that isn't Reflex Silver. What did the salesmen do, stick guns to people's heads? It's a nice colour, but even so.
Evening all,my citroen despatch van has developed an engine surging problem.Whilst driving in the mid speed range & accelerating the van seems to hold back as if its hunting for fuel & you can hear a loud crack from the engine as if the fuel timing is to far advanced followed by a brief cloud of smoke,it then clears itself & the van runs perfectly at higher speeds.Im led to believe the ecu & other various sensors controls the advance/retard fuel timing on the injection pump regarding this engine.Could it be a dodgy multiplug connection somewhere or has the pump solenoid shot its bolt?.One other thing,curiousity got the better of me so i disconnected the egr valve solenoid plug for a short stint along the dual carriageway & maybe its my imagination but the van ran better with no trace of the surging,pulled over connected egr back up and surging returned.The van has done 96k & all filters were changed at 90k. Read more
The scene:
There is a stretch of dual lane single carriage way around here, where the left lane is marked "no-car lane" this lane ends about one car length from a set of lights.
The left lane is labelled with a left arrow and the right lane is marked straight ahead. After the lights the left lane returns to a "no car lane".
The Question:
How much do these arrows really mean as I now been in countless buses and taxis that just stay in the left hand lane all the way down? What of the consequences of doing this on a m'bike if done with care, rather than changing lanes just before each set of lights?
Thanks in advance
Boris
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Thanks jbfi and Borris
Educating myself on the procedure (TOrder) and what signs to be lawful.
dvd
Watch out - they are fining you now for using these when you buy your parking ticket. I managed to get away with it today, but I have suspicion I was otherwise heading for a fine of some sort. Probably a civil job so possibly more about scare tactics than securing a prosecution.
No doubt the holier than thou lot will be along in a minute to condemn me and all my friends and family to eternal damnation, but I thought I'd run that particular gauntlet to let others be aware of what may befall them if they are as much of a menace to society as I was this morning.
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At one time the access to the services at Scratchwood M1 was controlled by a keypad barrier. They even changed the code on a regular basis, however unofficial networking resulted in propagation of the new code very quickly by 'pyramid' telephone calls. This was before the days of email and SMS, just imagine how easy it is now!
p
Never mind - I accidentally hi-jacked it anyway.
It would have been nice to know a bit more about your early career all the same...
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Sorry it was me I moved it into the Ebay thread ! Housekeeping !
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If there's an Allen screw adjuster on these brakes then my comment about using the cube to wind back the pistons may not apply.
Follow Rover25's advice.