October 2009
How do I change offside front sidelight bulb Read more
Well I did not forget about you guys, it was just I was having so much fun in the 996. Bought the 2003 plate C2 996 (2004 model) & I have almost done 5000 miles since I bought it in July. I could not look at any 2 seaters as I have a young son (who has already said that when he's bigger he's having the car!), so need to have 3 of us in it at weekends.
Running costs are around what I expected £50-£60 to fill up on fuel for 400 miles. On board computer can show up to 37 - 39 miles per gallon (ok doing a steady 60 on the m'way). Has not cost me anything else except I had the suspension geo'd at a racing specialist & it runs like a different car - absolutely fantastic all day everyday. I appreciate what you said about the Intermediate shaft failures & rear main seal failures etc, but they were on the early 996 on the 3.4l engines. They got over this on the newer 3.6l (which mine is) & very few were on the Mercedes Tiptronic g'box (again mine is).
When I looked at it in more detail the full running costs are not that bad - £400 fully comp insured (unlimited mileage). I have also joined the Porsche forums and groups. I can honestly say that I have not regretted buying this car for one second. I drive the long way everywhere, as it is an absolute joy & lets face it where else am I ever going to get such a beast for so little money.
Thanks again for your help - stu
Already saving my monies so that I can upgrade in a couple of years Read more
Most Carerras are driven on the Mway at 60 because by the time you can afford a car like that, you are a more 'mature' driver IMO.
Get it on track but get some tuition if you are new to it, by someone that knows Carerras as you need to know how to interpret what it's telling you about grip in corners
Has anyone used the Nationwide Auto centres to have there vehicle serviced? I have looked at there website and looked over what they do for a 'major service' and for the price of £260 (with AA discount) they will do the following -
Oil and Filter change
Plugs
Fuel filter
air filter
Replace brake fluid and bleed system
Drain cooling and replace coolant
Plus all the checks. My car is a 98 Mercedes c240 sport. Do you think thats a good price? Would a indy do a major service for that or a cheaper price? (i haven't bothered ringing MB as i am sure the price will be very expensive)
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Are you sure that was a MB specialist and not a main dealer? I would expect a specialist to be a good £200 lower than those prices.
my 02 mondeo tdci 130 (75k) has fault code p2337, the glow plug light flashes, its running on 3 cylinders it seems, noisy on idle and underpowered, though generally it drives well. A diesel speciaist found the above code, and did a leakage test, which came back ok (even). Injectors 2 and 4 have the code scrubbed off, and cyl 2 has the fault code. Should i buy 1,2 or 4 injectors, as it seems certain no.2 is faulty, but no.4 cant be coded if it has been scrubbed off (was like that when i bought it a month ago)Any advice? cheers Read more
Depends on the price, they vary widely. Some diesel specialists have reconditioning equipment for those injectors now which should make them much cheaper, also have a look on ebay and phone around.
Replaced the failing battery on my wife's Punto after four years. Reminded me that when I scrapped my Fiat Mirafiori at nine to ten years old it still had the original Marinelli (I think it was called that) battery on it.
What's your longest lasting one? Read more
...the more you use a car battery then theoretically the longer it should last...
This could explain why batteries seem to last longer these days - there are so many electrically operated systems and gadgets on modern cars.
When I worked at a 'proper garage' in the 1970s we seemed to change an awful lot of batteries.
Sealed for life ones seemed to be a step forward, as did the widespread adoption of alternators.
I think a modern battery is still a mixture of lead and acid, but I wonder if the materials/the way they are used has improved somehow over the years.
I don't recollect seeing any mention of this on the forum.
If it's been done, then i apologise
www.metacafe.com/watch/2934869/new_single_seat_vw/
Ted Read more
Interesting. I wonder who will spend £27,000 on a £6,000 car during a recession?
Hi,
I am attempting to remove a rear seat from my 2 week old 59-plate Berlingo Multispace VTR. I was a wee bit annoyed to discover that on this model the seats did not clip out as the salesman assured me they would, but ho-hum.
My problem is this: the single seat is held in with 4 bolts, the double seat with 6. Of these, 3 are TORX ("star") bolts which undo easily with a T30 "L" shaped TORX key about 6 inches long. The other bolts - there seems to be no reason for the mix - are some other sort I cannot quite fathom. I *think* they need a 5mm hex key - that kind of fits in (and no other size does, e.g. 5.5mm is too big), but when I press a piece of blu-tack into the bolt head and examine it, the pattern is not quite right - it seems to have very slightly protruding vertical "ridges" along the edges of each side, and a pronounced "dome" shape (or "bowl" really, as the blu-tack is the inverse of the bolt head). It does have 6 sides and the edge-to-edge distance is 5 mm, but I am just not totally sure this really is a hex bolt. However, no other known bolt type ("polydrive", "spline drive", etc., etc) matches either.
Moreover, I cannot budge these suspect hex bolts. I have a long-handled "L" shaped hex key as sturdy as the TORX one which undid the three TORX bolts, but the hex key just grinds round and slips out. I am not sure if this is because they are not meant for a hex key or if it is just that these hex bolts were tightened much more.
Can anyone help? Is this a true hex bolt or something else, and if so, what? How can I budge 'em? Do I need to fork out for a proper torque ratchet and socket + 5mm hex bit? I am concerned that there will not be enough space to fit one of those into the 3" gap between the top of the bolt and the bottom of the seat cover.
I want to be able to remove and replace the seat (occasionally), so I am only interested in being able to undo and redo the bolts, not anything more permanent (angle grinder, plastic explosive, etc.)
Why does it all have to be so hard? Why couldn't they use TORX bolts throughout?
Cheers!
{Header given a less vague title} Read more
In the absence of anyone who actually knows: I can't see any variation in the parts diagrams, they *should* be the same seats... I can see 4 what look like torx head bolts and 4 what looks to be self-tapping torx heads which are marked "SCREW RLX 4.2x13" whatever that means.
I reckon you need to find that salesman again, give him a slap upside the head and get him to sort you out.
If he found driving stressful and over reacted, what on earth is he going to find life in a kitchen like?
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8326305.stm
p.s. may i request this doesn't become an anti-lorry driver thread. IMO most are pretty good and as ever the few ruin it for the many.
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What on earth are people doing pretending to drive on the road when they can't even keep out of the way of some lumbering juggernaut?
I'm not always wrong when no one agrees with me. But I think I must be on this occasion. Hadn't taken in one or two important details.
'Read in haste, repent at leisure.'
Damn!
can some one advise me on how i can clean the MAF meter on my car Read more
Thanks for your reply, will heed your advice, it seems it would be safer to replce the MAF, it's to do with a acceleration problem
Just passed it`s MOT and recorded 0.06 on the fast pass. The limit`s 3.00, I believe for a turbo diesel.
I didn`t even bother giving it a good blow out, prior to the test either. But that said, always take it up to 4,000 revs once, on every hot engine trip.
Sad that later incarnations are fitted with a DPF, but I suppose they are even better on the emissions test. Are they? Read more
I free revving test isn't reflective of actual emissions.
A low reading can simply be down to conservative fuelling during transients....
Browse
I second that! Although taking the battery out made things allot easier!