November 2009
Had trouble starting my car this morning, I had not driven it for well over a week because I have been ill, my dad drove it once last week.
I started it this morning and it wouldn't start, it just sounded very weak. I then noticed a bit later it didn't sound any weaker so concluded the battery probably was ok. The indicators on it were also green.
I then put the throttle right down and left it to turn over for about 6-8 seconds (yes I know this does the starter motor no good) and it finally kicked into life. The car then ran perfectly and has started first time every since instantly.
No loss of oil, coolant, no warning lights, everything is normal. What could have caused this? I am worried inc ase it happens again. It has been very wet here so could it just be the battery terminals which got damp? Read more
i put a new water pump in my rover 1.6 coupe. put my timming belt back on started it up and nothing
i can only move my cam half a turn then it locks up, have i sezed it up?
SLT - and moved to Tech. Read more
Take the plugs out and using a proper timing tool.
Hi
I've just bought a second hand car which unfortunately only came with one basic key (no remote) just the old fashioned blade!!!
My question is...
If I buy a remote fob from ebay and use the re-programming advise that can be found on the internet and programme the fob to my car will it work to lock/unlock my car?
Now I know that i'll need to retain the the original for the ignition.
Am i way off the mark with this?
Ta
L Read more
According to the info I have, replacement keys need to be programmed using diagnostic equipment. The syncronisation process can only be used for existing keys that have been previously programmed to the vehicle.
My golf refuses to start after changing fuel pump,there is fuel in float chamber but it,s not reaching the engine.All the jets etc seem clear and car seemed ok before fuel pump broke.Any help greatly appreciated. Read more
Was it running before you changed the fuel pump, or has changing the pump not improved a problem? Some fuel in the float chamber may not be enough to fire it up. Is there a sliver of rubber pipe stuck in the float valve? Does it have a "swirl pot" in the fuel line, like pierburg equipped vauxhalls? These need a restrictor in the return line from the swirl pot, as it tends to starve the engine, as the fuel returns rather than going in the carb.
Just watched an excellent "challenge" on C5's Gadget Show. Show presenter racing against Johnny Herbert on Silverstone - the difference being that Herbert is on the actual track and the presenter using a computer simulator (priced for the "home" market) well worth a watch on C5's website - I won't let on the winner. Read more
Sorry to mislead you but no new enzo in garage. New ford focus estate.
41 yrs old & first time I've ever bought a brand new car as normally spend less than £500.
Like to say thanks to those who replied to my question a few months back about new car choice. Thanks.
I live in Italy so have a Ford fitted LPG system 2ltr petrol.
Hyundai i30 only lost as they don't do a factory fit lpg system so Italy gov. incentives are not as generous. ( Ford equivalent road tax exempt for car life )
Also as long term purchase cost and availability of parts long term was a factor, and it seems that a lot of car racers use the ford 2 ltr duratech for tuning so must be strong and easy to work on.
How come I went to buy basic spec version and end up with titanium model ?
Wife has a 4*4 skoda octavia as company vehicle here with many toys on board and the Focus is a second car for my use ( used to use motorcyle always but we have a baby now) . How did she manage that without me being aware ( the focus and not the baby ).
All the manuals are in Italian, can someone confirm that a brand new ford Focus does not need a service until 20,000 KMs ( 12,000 miles ). nothing about a oil change at 600 miles, or is that just a motorcyle thing.
also the big black plastic engine cover that covers everything interesting, no visible screws to remove so how does it come off ?
Thanks Read more
I think a lot of us will be interested to hear of your mileage/running costs
on LPG.
Seconded.
I went to the trade show in Surrey, and they were demonstrating this great tool called a CRecorder. Basically, it collects real time engine data which you can view on your pc. A brilliant tool for fault finding.
The webpage where you may view this product is: www.crecorder.com/website/userLogin.do?method=prod...1
What do backroomers think about this great tool? Has anyone seen something similar to this?
Read more
The CReader has be available for while and we have a couple. They are good for logging intermitted fault. Its from Launch (Chinese made) who do a very good high end scanner.
You can also get the CReader with the CViewer for about £80, that reads live data. Good investment for a keen DIYer. It will talk to most cars.
Quite often it's suggested on motoring forums that the driving test is too easy and this is one reason for poor driving standards.
However, to anyone who thinks the driving test is too easy, I turn the question round.
Would you, hand on heart, be confident of passing the test if you had to re-take it, and your licence depended on passing? Read more
"In many occupations you are not trained and left for the next 40 years plus without continous training so why should driving be any different."
As with most things in life I improve with age, experience and practice. I get better and better with every mile I drive. I am a far better driver now than I was as an idiot 17-year-old. I don't need someone sitting next to me telling me "hands at ten to two" and other irrelevant rubbish when I'm trying to negotiate a 4-lane roundabout in Warsaw that has trams, buses, cars and pedestrians wizzing around it.
If you'd spent two decades sleeping your way around London would you want your O-level biology teacher showing how you should be putting a condom on?
Nonsense.
(I'm not saying I never make mistakes - I have two children)
Is it me or does there appear to be an ever-increasing number of cars on the road with only one working headlight? There also appear to be a number who have their front foglights on (to supplement the one working?)
Is this down to the difficulty of replacing bulbs on current cars or just sheer laziness? Read more
When one headlight bulb goes I always replace both - while I am in there.
Anyone else do that
statistically wouldnt it be better to stagger headlight replacements thus reducing the chance of a double blow?
Hi guys,
I have just started a car donation website and I wanted to know what you (as petrolheads) think of it. The site can be found at www.giveacar.co.uk.It has been set up to help people donate their cars to charity, just as they might donate their clothes or furniture. The sole aim of the service is to raise as much money as possible for registered charities. The venture is entirely voluntary and not-for-profit. My motivation for setting the service up stems from a belief that charities in this country are overlooking a fantastic opportunity to generate income. In the USA the practise of car donation is very common and every year, hundreds of thousands of vehicles are given away. In the UK however, car donation is pretty much non-existent, despite the existence of many underused and/or unwanted cars. Giveacar was set up to change this, and divert the value of these cars to good causes.
The service we offer is very simple. We pick up any car, roadworthy or not, and either sell or scrap it, donating all the proceeds of the sale to the charity of the former owner?s choice. There is no charge for this service as we account for all costs. The only costs that are taken out of the donation are the auction house charges, which we cannot avoid. All other costs (such as petrol, vehicle insurance etc.) are carried by Giveacar and by our volunteers.
At the moment we are working with five ?core? charities, one of which is Leukaemia Research. All the charities support and believe in the concept, granting us permission to accept donations on their behalf. Those donating a car can chose to support any of these charities, or, if they have a specific cause in mind, can donate to any other registered charity.
I?ll keep the explanation short because I don?t want to lose your attention. If you want a fuller explanation have a look at the site at www.giveacar.co.uk. I have a few questions for those of you that have read this far:
1) Do you think people will use the service?
2) Do any of you know someone who might be interested in covering the story ? a motoring journalist, PR agent etc? I have no background in PR and would appreciate some help publicizing the site.
3) What do you think of the concept?
As you can imagine from the questions I am asking, this site has been launched very recently. I am still yet to send out a press release. I just wanted to get a public opinion of the site before I really drive it forward. Anyway, have a look at the site at www.giveacar.co.uk
Cheers
Tom
I made the links live as this seems to me to be worthwhile and non commercial. HJ Read more
A lot of you seem t be questioning my intentions. To answer this question I'll take a quote from the website:
'When discussing this website with friends and charities, the number one question I was asked was: ?Is there a commercial aspect to this venture?? The simple answer is no, and in fact I will not be able to avoid losing money. I rationalise the money I spend on Giveacar by thinking of it as a high-yield charitable investment. For example, if I spend £1000 developing the website and picking up the cars, then I might hope to generate £10000 for charity. When the service develops further, I would hope to attract corporate sponsorship to ensure the finances remain sustainable.'
Yes I understand that I will lose time and money starting this thing up, but I believe it has the potential to generate a large amount of revenue for charities, and that fact alone motivates me. The fact that someone on this thread has offered to donate a car shows that I might be right. If the concept does work, I will open up a new untapped source of revenue for charities that does not interfere with any of their other fundraising efforts.
Regarding the points about registering as a charity, I have spoken to the charities commission, and they said that a venture such as this cannot be registered as a charity. For this reason I have asked the permission of registered charities to ensure my website is credible.
Browse
There is no point, as it now has just 3 months MOT its going to worth £600 max, it has four good tyres, four new springs, new shock absorbers etc no other second hand car will have all that and anything I buy < £1k I will just end up replacing all the rubber and other bits anyway.
I am going to at least keep it till March, get a 12 month MOT sticker on it then decide to upgrade or not :).
At the moment though it is a lot easier for me to spend a bit on repairs every now and then rather than be stuck with a great big car loan.