December 2009
Hi,
Our ford fiesta zetec climate is always steamed up, to the point that the inside of the glass is soaking wet! - the only way to clear it is to have the heated screen AND A/C on, this takes about 15 minutes.
Now, I have this weekend to look in to it so I'd like as many suggestions as possible :)
Things I am checking;
- Coolant level (may have dropped due to possible leaking heater matrix)
- Blocked vents (leaves etc)
- Pollon filter (known issue but passenger footwell is dry)
If anyone can add to this list it would really help, additionally if anyone can give me some links to guides on how to fix that would be great!
Also, there seems to be lots of water that sits in the door plate, is this normal??
Thanks. Read more
Back in the 60s even the most luxurious cars [Jaguar, Rolls/Bentley] had no need of V8s. The only non-niche car that did was a Rover [bought in from Buick].
If there was no need then, why are they 2 a penny now? I suppose the iconic Hollywood car-chase growl has a certain boyish appeal but the extra iron carted around plus the double exhaust system which wipes off at least 10bhp keeping an inherently rough engine smooth makes neither practical nor economic sense.
Nowadays they are clearly a triumph of marketing over common sense - or am I missing something?
Read more
On the Discovery channel those car programs in the Usa on turbo channel all seem to use v8 mopar engines big juicy 5.8 ltr noisey monsters & bigger.
Thank goodness they don't fit a 1.3 16v fuel injected catalitic converter modern design rubbish engine that we have to use!
The future won't be v8 petrol in the uk but there is nowt wrong with them sweet music.
Hi HJ,
I hope someone can help, my 306 rear heated windscreen stopped working, so i checked the relay to see if it was that, when i prised it out, there was a spark, saw there was scorch marks to the prongs, put it back in and since then my indicators and hazards dont work, when i lock the car the indicators still flash though.
I have checked all the fuses under the dash and one had burnt out i changed it and the heated rear window works but still no luck with the indicators, i tried my brothers relay, from a 306 thats 3 years older and that still didnt work, there is burn marks to the socket where the relay plugs in, so thought maybe the problem could lie there.
If someone can help i would be most appreciative
Many Thanks Read more
I am in the market for a big estate car in the £18-20k range, and am facing that classic dilema: Do I go for a nearly new mass-market car (Mondeo) or do I go for a 3-year old or so prestige car (E-class).
I want a diesel auto and like my toys. A nearly-new Mondeo Titanium estate would fit the bill and my test of one bore out the positive road tests that one reads. At £15k below list with only a few thousand miles, it makes financial sense. But at the end of the day there is no escaping the fact that it is 'only' a fwd 4-cylinder car.
Alternatively I could get another 6-cylinder E-class estate (had one before). It will be older with more miles, less economical, more expensive to maintain, etc. But will be quicker, smoother, have rwd and maybe more satisfying than a Mondeo.
Tried an A6 Avant but didn't like it. Don't fancy a BMW. Mondeo seems to be the best of the mass-market fwd cars.
Head says Mondeo, heart says Merc. What would an educated BRer chose? Read more
After a few more tests, I had a go in a 2-year old E280CDI Estate with a few toys (Comand, leather, phone wiring) and 37k on the clock for half the price of a new one. It went very nicely, had room for the kids and fitted 'like a glove'. Deal done!
BBC reporting that Westminster and some other councils are saying that as 26 Dec is on a Saturday so it is NOT a bank holiday so parking wardens have a free run. Read more
Can someone tell how 29-31 Dec is treated for parking point of view?
All buses and trains follow Saturday/Sunday timetable during this time.
I have just had the call - "Dad I can't get reverse gear". Apparently No2 daughter can select all forward gears and the car moves forward but reverse can not be selected, described as "It just goes into 6th". Any help appreciated. Read more
Good point, I spoke to daughter this afternoon and she says the gearchange feels "lighter".
I suspect it has been set up or adjusted.
It'll be very interesting to see this, and I wonder if manufacturers will make efforts to avoid failures?
I've complained before about my daughter's SEAT Ibiza miserably failing MOT at 4yrs/34K miles and I told SEAT UK that they should be embarrased. It seemed they couldn't care less but perhaps the data being published will change things.
Maybe franchised dealers will do pre-MOTs again to minimise the failure rate - garages are supposed to MOT the car as presented to them. Read more
good post WT i had a car fail the test this week and as i pay a trade fee my cars usually pass first time as i check them prior to taking them
we had a good laugh that i had missed a broken spring but more importantly im the only trader that checks his cars prior to them ,this i found shocking as they deal with both small traders and main agent dealers ,i really cant see the point in taking a car unchecked but i just put it down to the fact that they will only do the minimum work needed whether as a trade retail sale or even for a customer that dropped it off at the main agent
its now only the proper one man band places that seem to grease brake pipes etc at every service and give cars a full pre mot check prior to driving them to the mot station
a very slack approach in my book but unfortunately even ive started taking this approach because if i grease the pipes up the customer sometimes thinks im trying to hide something and so ive stopped bothering this year to save my customers bigger bills in years to come with my own preventative maintenance and im saving money on grease and paint and underseal if needed.
sad but true
Do you wash your car or get someone else to?
Up here in leeds there just seems to be a car wash everywhere on old petrol station forecourts.
The queue is massive at £5.00 for a car standard wash spray some detergent on the wheels,bumper,lights, then moves onto the guy with pressure washer & sponge, then to drying off.
Personally i prefer to wash mine due to me been a tight git & i don't care wash it with cold water let it soak while filling up bucket with soap/wax mix then wash with sponge rinse off again with hose pipe.
In the summer i wash it every 10 days in winter about every 6-8 weeks.
I know some can't wash there own but are we been lazy or am i just tight as a camels bits in a sandstorm? Read more
never trust the shopping channels they use tricks to show cleaning products and equipment in a good light.
for example tile grout cleaners are used on fresh new grout thats been coated with clear nail polish and the dirt is then applied to that, a damp cloth will do the same as the product they are demonstrating under those circumstances, they probably do the same with any other cleaning gear
I have a H reg 1990 ford escort 1.3cc.
The car appeared to be faulty amd was kind of misfiring when trying to accelerate and at a contant speed.
Also from stand still it struggkled when accelerating.
The car broke down yeasterday and everytime it was started and I tried to accelerate it dies.
It seems as if it is misfiring. I have changed the spark plugs and it still not resolved the ptroblem.
Any other ideas what may be wrong guys ?
kind regards
Delysher 37
{Shouting in header silenced} Read more
It will be electronic ignition but might require new leads you say plugs are new is there a gap no electrode bent?
Might be damp in cap try new cap and rotar arm.
If still misfiring then do a compression check but try basics first...........
Browse
It could be you do lots of short trips & you are creating condensation. If you have access to a mains dehumydifier then leave it in the car over a whole weekend, this may remove a lot of the moisture. i would also change the pollen fiter or take your one out dry it. Turn the air con off & leave off. Whilst the air con is running it does dry the air but leaves a lot of moisture on the evaporater causing condesation on the windows when you park.
Rule of thumb with air con, when its running if the low side pipe ( the larger one ) is running with condensation ( Cold & wet) the gas charge is about right. Low gas will just make the compressor continually cycle but won't cuase condensation other than if the Ac is not working it won't remove it iether!