August 2009

Bluemerlin

I have a 2001 Mondeo 1.8

I had my clutch replaced less than 3000 miles ago, today driving to work I lost gear selection no movement left or right.

The clutch was replaced at a Ford Dealer, as such I got it recovered back there.
I was told it would be covered under their repair warranty if it was found to be because of the clutch change.


Surely if they had changed the clutch they would have needed to remove the gear selection equipment and may have damaged it on re-fitting?

Just seems like a big coincedence. I'm certain they will just deny it and try to get some extra cash off me.

Read more

ijws15

Heard about this on the news this morning and sure enough it is one of the 6 Veyron's listed on Autotrader - at £899k.

Then I thought - prices of the six vary by £300k - and they are all similar age so would I really want one? After all colour can't have that big an effect - you will get a very good re-spray for £300k.

Also listed on Autotrader today are

Ferrari Daytona 365 Spyder GTB at £240k (red of course) and possibly free road tax!
Mercedes E63AMG Estate at £72k (silver of course)
Lamborgini Mucielago LP640 at £140k (yellow of course)

Leaving some change for a brand new MX5 for inconspicuous fun, a new diesel Golf for winter and nearly £400k in the bank for insurance, upkeep and fuel.

Would you buy the Bugatti???????? Read more

alfatrike

change Ferrari cambelts every two years whether the car
is used or not. What do they do crumble to dust?


sounds like you have not discovered the joys of owning an italian vehicle.

wires made of coloured pasta, electrical connections made of cheese and plastic chrome that still rusts. ahh hours of fun.
FotheringtonThomas

Perhaps a "copy-cat" event, referring to the recent "Tory politician's wife in botched suicide attempt " case?


From "The Daily Telegraph":

Having made the ?compulsive? decision to commit suicide, he climbed into his Peugeot car and set out for the M60 in Greater Manchester.

Over the course of several minutes he caused a series of crashes and forced dozens of oncoming drivers to take evasive action.

....

Ul Haque was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to dangerous driving. Judge Jonathan Geake also banned him from driving for 12 months."

He caused several crashes, but no serious injuries.

I don't think that the punishment fits the crime - do you? Read more

OldSock

Hopefully they'll let him keep his belt and shoelaces so he can do us all a favour.... :-)

Chris79

Just been reading some of the posts on here about letting the Turbo in a diesel engine cool down before turning the engine off. I have a turbo petrol engine, so I guess it is the same for me to. but how long should one run the engine before they turn it off?.

Made make/vehicle non-specific and subject line expanded.

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a900ss

Can I also stress the importance of good oil and regular oil changes for a turbo car.

oilrag

Hi Guys,

I`m stripping off the top manifold/cambox cover on the old 1.9D at the weekend and at the same time want to try blanking the EGR to see if it`s causing a slight hesitancy at low speed.

The question is about the actual thickness of material to use to make an EGR blanking plate, rather than any other issues around doing this.

Where would you blank it? the easiest option by far would be to insert a plate straight after the EGR valve - on the intake side.

But what to make it from and how thick? I know I could snip out the shape from an old Gunk can for a test - but what If I want to leave it in.

How thick? (I don`t have a micrometer so in terms I can understand)

Many thanks, I`m doing it this Saturday if the weathers OK. Read more

oilrag

Thanks, bellboy and jc2.

Hector Brocklebank

Arrange these ten British cars in order of greatness, with no.1 being the supreme champion. You do not have to give a reason for your decision, although it would be nice if you did.

My list:

10. Austin Allegro
- A stylish and sophisticated small car for its time, marred by poor build quality, industrial strife and bad publicity.

9. Austin Montego
- The Maestro's attractive cousin, a solid design that was more than a mach for the crude Sierra. Would have been a world beater with a Rover badge..........

8. Jaguar XJS
- A true stunner that matured with age, an imperious cruiser with the refinement of a Bentley.

7. Rover 600
- Based on the supremely competent Accord but with elegant design and that British feel-good factor.

6. Range Rover
- A relevant concept when new, corrupted by the lifestyle SUV fad and luxury car pretentions.

5. BMC Mini
- Very innovative and of the moment, but grossly over-rated and should never have lasted so long. Cult status to blame.

4. BMC 1100/1300
- Everything that was good about the Mini, but in a bigger and more relevant package. A true FWD car for the masses.

3. Rover P6
- Light-years ahead of the competition and anything Rover built before it. Brought the executive car into the modern age and trounced Volvo for safety.

2. Rover 200 series (89-)
- The best Honda collaboration, brought together the strenghths of both companies and showed the opposition where to go....

1. BMC 1800/2200
- Nicknamed the 'landcrab', this was a truly under-rated piece of engineering excellence from a time before marketing men designed cars. So much space, comfort and stability in a car no bigger than a Focus. Issigonis' and the British car industry's crowning achievement.


There we are then, a few gems have been left out such as the Maxi and XJ6 but there simply wasn't room amongst that lot! Read more

quizman

>>>British Leyland would now own SEAT, Skoda, Audi and VW


If BL had got their incompetent hands on VW/Audi the whole lot would have gone bankrupt many years ago. I wonder what I would have been driving now?

I'm recovering from swine flu, Rattle you've made me laugh. Thanks.

sunbeamer

118d Sport. Just purchased from auction, so no comeback, and out of warranty. Alarm seems to go off for no apparent reason, so far about every 3 or 4 hours. Anyone experienced similar problems? Looks to be a standard car, although appears to have tracker fitted, from info in wallet. Read more

zbX7

Could well be the bonnet switch located on near side bulkhead. Has been an issue for many, especially in warmer weather for some reason. About £8 to buy and easy to change.

Prox

Hi everyone, I could really do with some advice and a reality check as I'm torn between two options for buying a new car.

I'm after a cheap but decent new/nearly super-mini for around-town driving and occasional longer motorway trips; anticipating a yearly mileage of around 7k. I'm coming from a '99 Mazda MX-5 which while very fun to drive is becoming increasingly impractical, expensive and has depreciated faster than I've been paying it off. I'm hoping to strike a balance between value, practicality and just enough 'oomph'. I've got about 8k to spend plus the MX-5 which is scrappable or worth about the same as part-ex.

I'm looking primarily at either a new 2010 Hyundai i20 1.2 5dr Comfort or an ex-demo March '09 Toyota Yaris 1.33 5dr TR. The i20(+paint) works out at £7750 inc. scrappage and the Yaris offer is £8000 inc. part-ex.

The direct link to the actual Yaris I'm looking at is:
www.toyota.net.r66.co.uk/carview.aspx?id=600673982

I've driven both and the difference to me was negligible, the Yaris having a higher seating position but a little more oomph in the engine.

The Pros and Cons seem to even out too: Yaris has no ipod connection but does have Aux which is good enough, has a nicer interior but a few less minor features. Difference in MPG seems negligible as do insurance groups, eco ratings and average service costs. The i20 has 5 years warranty, 2.5 left on the Yaris. i20 has a 12 week wait (not that that should matter). A Toyota has more kudos but will probably end up at the same depreciation in the end.

Any corrections or general advice would be really appreciated!
Best regards Read more

retgwte

yes those scare stories were spread around and written about years ago, my current premium is very competitive versus yaris/auris et al

so the insurance companies clearly voting with their quotations

remember the car safety industry is not totally unbiased or always sensible, one of the classics being the need to have a seat belt warning buzzer to get a high star rating - personally i know when the belts are on I dont need an annoying buzzer, but hey for the greater good i put up with it, but this mandate clearly does not make the cars any safer for folk like me who routinely put the belts on and get passengers to do likewise

etc


enfield freddy

looking at the post below , regarding the A series and other engines ,

What is/was the longest production run for an engine , using the same engine block?

the a series was of course modified , to make the FWD , and the later marina was an "a" plus (ital was)

maybe the anglia engine , that ended in the fiesta?

maybe the VW beetle?

myself , I can only comment on motorcycle history

Royal enfield DOB 1949 , finally outlawed 2008, due to emissions Read more

alfatrike

talking marine engines, what about the perkins 4 pot? they were in everything from tractors to diggers and didn't they put it in the sherpa?

paulc924

Help needed please. A friend took his car to a garage for a serious repair. A swirl flap had been injested and damaged a piston. After a long time and a bit of a falling out with the garage the car was withdrawn with its engine already in bits. I was asked to help. I have put the engine back together which involved the purchase of some parts which had gone missing. We are at the final stages now and we have a white nylon shaped pipe of about 1" o.d. and about 2.5 ft left over. It has had a jubilee clip on one end. I can't understand what this is for. Any help please. Thanks in anticipation. Read more

paulc924

Sussed it out today. It is the return from the high pressure pump back to the tank. Just have to work out all the plugs and sockets now. Regards.