August 2009
I have a watch, I'm wearing it now. I've had it for 25 years or so. It still keeps perfect time and looks fine. It's quite a good watch, Swiss in origin and I can't see any reason to replace it. It may well outlast me !
In that time I've had a lot of cars. I've always done a highish mileage and habitually changed the cars every couple of years or even less. Recently though I've been hanging on to them longer. They seem to last better these days. Galvanised bodies, modern oils etc I suppose.
We change our cars for all manner of reasons, maybe we just fancy a change, perhaps we need a different type of vehicle for some new purpose, it could be that we have grown tired of the old one or in reality most often because we just want to and have decided we can afford it.
But....imagine you have your more or less perfect car. It does everthing you want. You like driving it, it's comfortable. It has the right number of seats, the perfect loadspace and so on and so on......
In my case 5 years would still be getting close to the tipping point. Mileage would be such that it would be more than run in so to speak !
However, I gather that the "average" motorist covers about 12,000 miles a year. Given that most cars nowadays can easily cope with a couple of hundred thousand miles without major surgery that would translate into a useful lifespan of 16.7 years.
Leaving boredom etc on one side. How long "could" you keep a car for if it was your daily driver ? Has anyone even come close to the lifespan of my watch ? Read more
Hi,
53 Focus 1.8 Estate. Petrol. 45,000 miles.
I have searched and read all what I found relating to this and although I have found similar problems, some of the posts don't have a conlcusion, even on other forums.
The ABS light sometimes comes on on start up (test) and sometimes not.
It sometimes comes on and stays on or is intermittant while driving and occaisionally the brake light does the same, together or on their own. (I thought the brake warning light was just for the handbrake and fluid level.) It can also be ok for days.
Brake fluid level is ok.
I have checked the instrument cluster for signs of corrosion which there isn't, and sprayed contact cleaner on the plug before reconnection.
The ABS has worked when tried on an icy stretch of road.
This started over a year ago. I was lucky it was ok on the day of the last MOT, it is due again in December and I don't want to trust luck this time.
It seems on reading some of these posts that it is a bit hit and miss with garages not being able to diagnose it, and changing expensive electronic modules without cure. A road I can't really afford to down.
Did anyone find a cure to their problems which they never reported back on, or did they keep forking out till it was fixed without really knowing what it was.
I will have to start looking this weekend, checking wiring/connections/wheel sensors etc.
What else should I be looking at?
Cheers,
Pete Read more
Although on the day I had a go at the first part of your solution things were ok before I started, they have now stayed ok for over a week now, so fingers crossed.
Now that it is working ok, when I first turn the key, and just before the ABS light comes on I hear a click that sounds like it is from the fuse/relay box that I am not sure if I recall when things were not ok. Could be my mind playing tricks.
Thanks for getting me to have another go.
Pete.
Got a Fiat Punto Dynamic 06 earlier this year, driving home at night and the headlights
went out, they came back on again and then went out again for a few seconds.
Took car back to dealer and they changed a couple of light bulbs and said that there were no other problems. Lights went out again just for a few seconds, took car back to dealer but they can find no fault. Anyone else experienced this? Any ideas?
Moved over from Discussion Read more
My dad had a 124 many years ago and the electrics were totally carp. There were a dozen packets of fuses in the glovebox, and he very soon realised why. Horn ring (lovely feature tall cars once used to have!) and main beam were always touch and go. One evening while messing about in the car (Dad held the keys) my brother and I found that on main beam a flash of the headlamps (on the same stalk as the dipswitch) activated all the electric circuits.
I thought Italian electrics reached the all time low with the likes of the Alfa Arna/Nissan Cherry Europa (1980s Japanese styling + Italian electrics = ??) and Lancia Gamma. But there be dragons still....
Hi guys,
First time poster here.
I could really do with some advice. So I've ordered a Ford Fiesta from a large Ford dealership recently and was told last week that my car would be ready for pick up anytime after the first week of September.
I got a call from the dealer telling me that I can pick the car up next but I have to come three days earlier to make the payment (am paying with no finance). So after nearly falling off my chair at being told that I have to go the dealership first to pay up front and not being allowed to take the car home for 3 days....I asked the question why and they told me it was standard practice!!!
My question is has anyone else experienced this??? I mean I have bought two Fords in the past from the same dealership and have always payed with a credit card or debit card the full balance on the day I pick up the car. I think its just ridiculous to expect a customer to pay upfront three days before (in person only allowed) and then having to return to collect the car.
I have my suspicions that since they told me I can collect the car on the 1st of Sept, they're lying to me to make me pay before the end of August so the cash hits their books....
Any ideas???
{As you're making an unfounded allegation, we'd rather you didn't name the dealership - as per our no naming/shaming policy. Thanks}
Read more
the named garage (now oblique) is to my knowledge owned by the manufacturer so i would be calling them asking if its now standard practice to give a limited company all your hard earned savings 3 days before you got your goods
What a nightmare I have had.
I purchased an ex post office combo 1.3 diesel with 30000 miles about 6 weeks ago.
I drove it for 80 miles until it came to a grinding halt.
I had it towed to a garage for investigation. after two weeks (dont ask), it was discovered that the turbo had failed and dumped oil into the cat and blocked the exhaust.
The cat and turbo were replaced. once the engine was running again, I was informed that there was oil coming out of the exhaust manifold and the cylinder head would need to be removed to investigate this.
Whilst this was being carried out I was also told that the timing chain was worn and I need to have that replaced.
It was decided that there was nothing wrong with the head, and in fact the oil had been coming from the intercooler that had not been cleaned properly after the turbo blow.
After paying the £1400 bill I got 20 miles down the road and the oil light came on.
The vehicle was returned to the garage to discover no oil pressure.
The engine has now been stripped down and it has been discovered that the oil pump has failed, taking the big ends with it.
It seems way too much of a coincidence that this would happen only 20 miles after a Turbo failure on a 30000 mile vehicle, I have seen other references on the net to oil pump failure after timing chain replacement. Can anyone shed any light on this.
Can oil pumps fail on this model if there is a problem with a timing chain replacement? Its not that the garage don't want to help, but they also are unsure of the cause of sudden oil pump failure. There are reassembly warnings in the Vauxhall manuals with regard to the oil pump during a timing chain replacement, but the consequences are not explained
Read more
Have just got confirmation from the Royal Mail that the low mileage was genuine. It seems that the hard life these vans undergo in Post Office service shortens their life span considerably.
The horn on my Peugeot 406 2.0 HDi Estate isn't working.
Having de-cyphered the fuse location description of "buzzer" as the horn I have checked that the fuse (engine bay fuse panel, Fuse 5) is good and that there is a good 12V to the input side. Depressing the horn button doesn't drop this voltage, but increases the earth side voltage to approx 0.2V, implying that there is a relay operating within the system allowing a partial voltage to the fuse and implying that the horn push switch is working.
My intent next is to check the connections at the horn (tomorrow morning) and check the relay, but I am not sure which relay is the correct one. The hand book and Haynes manual are of no help.
My questions therefore are:
where the hell is this relay? and
has anyone else experienced this and is there anything else I should check?
Thanks
Mark Read more
Fair enough, I reckon you should mark it though, I once got an advisory because one of my seatbelt releases didn't feature the word "push".
So no playing Dukes of Hazard then :)
TVR? You must be brave... I know, today let's use black wires for everything!
I try, it annoys me when I don't have the answers (which is more often than not). See you in da club!!
On taking a courtesy car back they inspected it - not in my presence and without telling me they were doing it - and found a small scratch above the wheel arch, about the size of a pea. There was some red paint from another vehicle around it which 'proved it was new damage'
They then explained they would have to take the whole panel off to do the job. I had the choice of going through my insurance - for which I had £200 excess and would have lost my no-claims - or just paying up £250. They tried to make it look like they were doing me a favour by saying if it went through insurance it would cost 3 times as much.
I was in a hurry and needed to get to work so paid myself and have a receipt which just says 'damage to courtesy car'.
Ok, I have to hold my hands up and say I didn't properly check it when I received it and of course I have to pay for any damage I caused. However I can't get rid of the feeling that I've been stitched up. I wonder, did they really take the whole panel off ?
Is there anything I could have done to dispute it ?
Probably too late to do anything about it know but would be interested to hear any advice for next time! Read more
Got my complaint letter ready to post, cc the parent company and trading standards.
Not holding my breath but who knows - if trading standards get several letters regarding the same garage/car they might take notice
One of the cars that is on my shortlist as an eventual replacement for my faithful Pug is a Mazda 2.0d (or preferably the 2.2d) Mazda 6 (it's a short list containg a Skoda VRS or the Mazda)
However, as I've perused various forums I've picked up on comments that Mazda's are very expensive to service. Does anybody drive and maintain one. I've spent £132 in the last two years servicing the Peugeot. I don't fancy a hefty increase. Read more
Will phone about Clk Sec and see how I get on, if I get this service out of the road, then it'll be back to my usual mechanic. The car will be over 100K by that stage!
In regards to the above post, most of my driving is motorway miles too and from work, so the engine does get a good run each day. Dont worry I've read all about the rising oil levels, scarey stuff! Are there any tell tale signs when this happens? Just curious to know.
My own car had the stalling thingy which I thought was the diesel pump giving in, but we changed the diesel filter which was found to be an original Denso and in a bad way inside, car hasnt stalled since. I still wonder had the filter ever been changed since new, just due to it being Denso.
Cheers,
N-I
I bought my 07 Focus 3 door last May from a Ford main dealer. It had one previous owner who had put 9000 miles on the clock in the year he had had it. As it has a plastic painted roof spoiler I was no longer able to use the boot mounted cycle carrier I had previously used on the 03 Focus I had replaced. This was because the straps would have put too much tension on the spoiler.
I set about looking at alternative solutions and opted for roof bars and cycle carriers.
Having checked the Ford website and Accessories catalogue I was able to source the correct authentic Ford roof bars and Thule 591 roof carriers from EBay (both used).
Last week I went to fit the roof bars for the first time, removed the blanking plates from the roof of the car only to find there are no screwholes underneath, Just painted metal.
Needless to say, having paid the best part of £200 for the kit I was fuming.
Some may say I should have checked beforehand but why would Ford not include the machining of fitting points in to the manufacturing process for all its Focuses? The roof bar information on all the documentation states it can be used on 3 door cars.
I want to approach the dealer I bought the car from to complain about the situation I'm now in. Is there any point in this (other than to make me feel a bit better!)?
The only solution I'm left with is to invest in a towbar and utilise a towbar mounted carrier. I note in an earlier posting these are seemingly highly rated. Obviously there will be another cost attached to this. Read more
With a little bit of grease on the threads.
I have had my 1.9 NON Turbo Expert Van for 7 months now and am increasingly frustrated at how little power it has. It always carries I would guess, around 150-200kg of tools for my job but even loaded up more or less it seems to make no difference. It is so slow and going up a hill is embarrassing as even what I would deem the slowest of other vehicles are on my tail and I cant go any faster. I guess the best way I can describe the lack of power is similar to my old Astra when the MAF died on it but is there such a thing on these vans that could cause such dire performance? There are no warning lights on and the van starts and runs fine, it just feels like there is simply not anywhere near enough power to propel it anywhere!
Thanks in anticipation of any help !
Regards
Stuart Read more
I have no idea when the filters were last done and have been asked this again today. Certainly not in the 10000 miles that I have had the van. Will try these and report back. Many thanks for the replies so far,
Stuart
Browse
That is very impressive.
I thought that the collective wisdom of the great & the good in the Back Room was that these cars were rubbish and would not last that long? Obviously not true in at least one case.
I wonder if the owner was a professional mechanic (or at least a very good amateur).