August 2009
Is it a given that noisy tyres last longer than quiet ones? At nearly 72,000 miles, our Focus is just finishing off its third set of tyres on the front as we search for ?something a bit quieter?.
Pirelli P6000s ? original tyres, noisy as hell but lasted for 31k miles.
Firestone Firehawks ? marginally less noisy, lasting for 22.5k miles.
Continental ContiPremiumContact2s ? significantly quieter, but only doing about 18k miles.
For the mileages that we do, this difference equates to about an extra year?s use on the front and a couple of years on the back.
I can?t say that we noticed any difference in grip/handling etc between tyre types but that?s probably because we don?t drive on the limit, and we tend to anticipate dodgy situations.
Can there be such a thing as a ?less noisy but long-lasting tyre??
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After the great Sedona story, settled on a new Octavia 1.9 PD 105hp, have looked at the HJ running in advice. I am looking to run this a long time 10yrs +, hence I chose the PD over the CR diesels. It will go onto variable service intervals which might mean up to 2 years before first oil change. Bit worried this is too long even with the fancy factory fill 507.0 spec oil.
HJ recommends running on factory fill oil for first year. To be honest I'm a bit old fashioned and like regular 6 month oil changes. Am I behind the times now and is that uneccessary?
Would I be better changing oil at one year with the special 507.0 spec oil, and every year? or six months after? Any other hints for looking after the PD engines? Body work should be fine as galvanised, anything else to keep eye on longterm apart from usual wear and tear items, (tyres, brakes etc)
Got a bit of a tear in me eye for the old motor going to scrappage, 14 yr old petrol Galaxy 120k original clutch, engine never been cracked open, but needs to much to pass next MOT, needs about a grand spent on it, plus Skoda gave me 3.5k on scrappage, too good to refuse really. Read more
"And greasing the underneath may give a warm glow but a waste of time..."
A couple of hours with a brush and a few pots of grease - every four or five years.
Bet you spend more time than that breathing on and buffing up the badge on the Toyota , MF.
(Written with warmth and humour ;-) ;-)
The car takes some time to start whether engine hot or cold. Has anybody had this problem on a 306 HDI and had it fixed successfully?
Have just purchased an ariel transponder hoping this may be the answer. Any fitting instructions / advice would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance. Read more
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My passat 1.9 TDI sport 6 speed currently seems to grind when you put it in to 3rd gear. It does not have any to much trouble getting it in to 3rd just a horrible crunch/grind. It doesn't seem to matter if the car is hot or cold and does not do it when stationary. Any one had this problem before??? Could it be the 3rd gear synchro???
Any help would be great.
Thanks Read more
Yes, sounds like failure of the synchro ring, unusual nowadays but can happen.
hi.
i drove to the local shops in my car everything was fine, got back in the car started it, dipped the clutch and felt a vibration through the pedal which wasnt there before, then when i put it in gear there was a vibration coming through the gear lever aswell. just wondering if the flywheel could be ready to collaspe. the clutch still feels ok though. any ideas?
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it is yes.
This has the 1.6TDCi engine and pulls evenly at half or full throttle, but on light throttle every few seconds it regularly dips in power ( a bit like when the air conditioning cuts in on some cars). No warning lights showing and no faults recorded on recent diagnostic check. Any similar experiences or suggestions? Read more
i have the same problem with mine, same age and engine, it has been in to ford and was told something about 2 stage injectors, sounds a load of rubbish to me, i also keep blowing injector seals. Any help would be greatfull
Hi
My parters Fod KA failed its MOT today. One of the things was play in the off-side steering. At the last MOT it had a new tie rod fitted on the near side for the same reason. I have sourced the Tie Rod for £14.25 plus VAT.
I went to fit it this afternoon. I removed the gaitor to find that the existing rod was rusty around the ball joint which explains the play. But how on earth do I remove it from the end of the Steering Rack? On the new rod there is nut at the end but on the current one its just round!
There is nothing in the Haynes. I read on another Forum that someone poured boiling water over it and then attacked it with a plumbers wrench. Would a blow torch be better? I have heard other people being quoted 1 hours labour to do this so there must be an easy way without the need to remove the rack.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Read more
When I did one on the Corsa I used a proper mole wrench and a hammer.
Did the trick.
I've just been getting quotes for SWMBO's insurance renewal and I'm a named driver on the policy.
I've been unfortunate to be involved in two "no fault" accidents since 2007 and all costs/excesses/uninsured losses have been recovered for both these prangs. Now I'm sure this has been discussed here before, but although my "no claims bonus" has not been affected by these incidents, my wife's premiums are less expensive if I do not declare these accidents, (and so my own insurance will be likewise, but probably even more expensive).
Is it possible in any way, shape or form to recover these "extra" premiums that our friendly insurance companies choose to hand-out to us mortals, who are unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time (at least until the mandatory "last five years" history has been served)?
If it is possible to recover these costs, how do you go about knowing what they are going to be, (without a glass ball), and how do you get them back? Read more
I suggest you ask to speak to the underwriting department at the insurance company involved and ask the reasons for the premium loading .
The problem is quite often on the proposal form the wording have you ever had a motor insurance declined or special terms imposed if you have you will need to declare it
Different Insurance companies have different underwriting conditions a company will dictate the premium according to its opinion of the presumed risk
After 18 months of ownership, I decided today to have a go at removing the annoying aftermarket immobiliser device that was fitted to my car when I bought it in used Feb 08.
I had imagined that the immobiliser was fitted by the original fleet operator of the car when the value was first used and that this would have been a valuable feature when it was worth 20K.
The has always forced me to use a touch-key to disable the immobiliser every time I want to start the car which is a real PITA considering that the OEM security system includes an immobiliser which is more than good enough for a five year old car.
I had presumed that the device was somehow plumbed into the ignition and starter lines between running from the steering column and it would simply need cutting out an restoring the connections to make the car able to be started with the key alone...... well I was wrong !
When I removed the facia trim this afternoon, I was surprised to see a big black box with multiple connections with the markings "EagleEye" and "Mini Vehicle Unit" and a large black relay. At least two of these connections appear to be co-ax and one has a loom with a tied-up PC RS232 type serial cable and there is an Ethernet network socket too !!. There is also a sticker with GPRS and a slot marked "SIM CARD".
I have posted some pics here for anyone who may recognise it.
i140.photobucket.com/albums/r40/clockerharvey/trac...g
I am wondering if this is an anti-theft tracker unit or a fleet management tracking product and is there some Big Brother who has been able to track me for the last 18 months !!
.... Spooky !
Any advice about this would be interesting.
I have decided to leave it in place for now, whilst I try and find out more info. Read more
Just a thought, but if you regularly use a TomTom type GPS unit, you now have an effective aftermarket GPS antenna fitted to the car. Most GPS units have a separate antenna connection, and you might notice a huge improvement in acquisition time and tracking accuracy.
Reroute the cable and stick the correct plug on the end, and Bob's your uncle.
please could anyone tell me how to top up the transmission fluid on the automatic gearbox, and is it something i can do in my drive at home.
thankyou Read more
You start the engine and when everything is up to operating temp and the car on level ground (not jacked up on one side or anything like that, you put it into the fill hole on the side (driver's side IRRC) until it runs out, and then run the shifter through the positions and top up again. The correct fluid is Texaco 7045E which is the lifetime fill. You should be able to topup with Dexron IIIG.
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I think in short the answer is yes.
I've never liked Dunlops (the fleet managers favourite) as they always seem hard and noisy but last forever.
We have a 53 plate Focus which is now on Goodyear NCT5's all round, which I am pleased with and seem to be lasting okay compared to the original Conti Eco Contacts that were fitted - I would recommend these for the Focus.