September 2009
Hi-
In the recent hot weather I began to think my partners air conditioning was not working too well- it seemed to only occasionally blow cold air. I had it re-gassed (£40 at local garage), and it seems a lot colder, but still seems to occasionally blow a bit warmer, then back to icy cold. I wondered is this normal, or is there some sort of thermostat that kicks in the stop the icy cold for a while...if you know what I mean.
One other thing is the boot release button on the dash board no longer works (still works on remote). Can anyone advise on either issue??
Thanks in advance.
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While attempting to find the house of a friend of my middle daughter in an area north-west of where I live this evening, after a 7-year-olds' shoe mix-up on the fringes of my middle daughter's wedding in Sussex yesterday - of course we are to have nippers during the honeymoon -, I parked for a few minutes behind a car that had a letter and three-digit number followed by the letters LUD.
My condition after leaving the dance floor at 5 a.m. with my wife, only five years younger than I am, made me think idly that if I knew the car's owner I might offer him a tenner plus any out-of-pocket expenses for it as a sort of private joke.
I was that tempted. Does my insane vanity know no bounds? Read more
I was that tempted.
Don't! Vanity plates are naff unless jokey. The best one I've seen is 5 XC on a top of the range Aston Martin. It certainly was.
My nomination - the Skoda Octavia. Available with the 1.4 TSi engine for the price of a specced-up supermini (11-12k), this must be the best value car out there when one considers the price of the equivalent - albiet less spacious - Golf. Read more
and 0% finance available albeit with a 50% deposit
It's a minefield out there for a novice - rallies, sprints, hillclimbs, circuit racing and so on. Where should a beginner look and what kind of car would make a sensible choice for the inexperienced? Read more
>>Hillclimbing is one of the cheapest.
Not surprised really. What is the point of though? I mean, finding somewhere with a steep hill & driving up it, competing 'in class' against other Morgan 3-wheelers & souped-up Saxos, it's just weird. Now, Hilldescending might just make more sense - a proper test of driving skill & car balance. I'm surprised, in similar vein, there aren't uphill ski slalom races & running events carrying rucksacks full of bricks.
I need to buy some new discs and pads for my 55 plate Legacy 2.0R.
Are there any independant outlets for these parts, (like Swedish, German, French who I used to use for my VW)? Read more
I need a good (cost not important) additive for unleaded petrol to stop it "going-off" when I don't use my bike for any period of time.
The worst problem is when it evaporates in the float bowls of the carbs. (after a particularly long lay-off) and leaves a horrible green sticky gunge everywhere, especially in the very small jets of a four carburettor bike.
Allsuggesstions welcomed, bus as stated before, performance of the product is the only factor I'm interested in.
P.S. It is a nightmare to have to drain the carbs after every use of the bike.
P.P.S. I tried to post this in "Technical Matters", but it wont let me as I didn't want to make it manufacturer specific Read more
I think Yamaha dealers still sell a suitable product (they did aprox 10 yrs ago).
I think its used a lot in the outboard motor boat engine market so that's
another source.
Or a lawnmower place. They tend to spend winter out of use and can get gummed up without the additive.
Could anyone please try and give me some advice on what to look for on an 806 t.d. The problem is that the engine will only fire up if i spray easystart or hairspray directly through the air box, weather the engine is hot or cold. once running, it does run fine though. now and again, the large red stop light on the dashboard flashes. Also, the engine management light is illimunated. I have also noticed that the glow plug lamp illimunates when the cars ignition is switched on to the accesory position. I always thought that this should only come on once the ignition has been fully turned on. Any help or guiedance woud be very much appreciated. Read more
Check the valve clearances.
The inlets gradually close up on high mileage engines.
This reduces the compression which in turn reduces the compressed air temperature required to ignite the diesel.
Easy start reduces the temperature reqired for ignition.
hi, i have a y reg vectra and i would like help on a part, the rubber bits on the b pillar that seal the doors. when i am driving i can hear the wind whistling through the doors, after inspection i saw these seals were cracked, any idea of the name and possible price, should i go to vauxhall or fit a new one myself (i am a capable diy person) thanks for your help Read more
got them, they had to order them in £30.28 for the pain inc vat, took 3 days for them to get so not bad really, thanks for all your help, Nathan
My Volkswagen has been losing about a litre of water every few days,i have pressure tested it,and just cannot see where its going to,i have replaced the expansion tank too, anyone any advice or has similar problems ? Thanks. Read more
In my youth the cars used to smell faintly of curry inside if the heater matrix was leaking, something to do with the water antifreeze mix when heated.
If we had a leak we couldn't find and the head gasket was OK, a pot of pepper tipped into the rad with the engine running from a cold start (run it for 5 mins after) usually worked OK for a while if it was the rad core or heater matrix (as long as the leak wasn't too large..
Pepper with curry eh lol!
Hi, a colleague has a Focus C-Max diesel auto which is stuck in limp-home mode. Gearbox began to malfunction, so took it back to the dealer with all warnings lights on, the dealer was able to get the lights off, but gearbox is now permantly stuck in limp-home mode.
He has tried various garages/sources and has been told he needs new/rebuilt gearbox. Apparently this is a known fault by Ford, but they will not supply a part to fix it, but want 4,500 pounds for a new box, or 4,000 if you return the faulty one.
Has anyone got any other solutions apart from sourcing one from a scrappie, which might have the same fault. At the moment, the car is probably worth 1,000-1,500 as it stands, so he would be losing thousands but might have to let it go for that.
Many thanks for any suggestions.
{amended to correct model selected from Focus to C-Max} Read more
Thanks for the very helpful replies - colleague is now considering his options!
MCH
1.9????? Or do you mean 1.8!
I had a 2000 Escort which did the same. I just put it down too the fact that differences in the outside air temp can affect it. Eg I used aircon when it was 20 degrees and also when it was 35 - so surely the 15 degree difference would affect the temp at the blowers.
I found that it was much cooler when on the motorway than driving around town because twice as many revs = twice as much energy being transferred to the aircon via the Auxillary Drive Belt.
Unfortunately this is a luxury I no longer have in my ex Network Rail base model Focus!