December 2009
My dad had an accident last night (slipped on a pavement) and as a result is in hospital waiting for an operation. He broke his arm and shoulder (just like last time, just three years ago :( ).
Now I can't see him being able to drive for a few months like last time. Last time we SORNed his Escort and stuck it in my grandmas damp garage as a result it rusted to bits on the chasis and because it had not been driven for months just seazed up. We sold it for £146 with no MOT.
So this time we are thinking of selling his Fieata while it still has 8.5 months MOT. The problem is I don't want to sell it to a trader because we would get nothing for it, I would rather buy it myself for £200 or so and do it up. However I've seen a lot of similar cars (my dads is a top spec Ghia) for sale for around £800, if I stuck it in the private adds for £650 for quick sale would we just get lots of hassle?
We have sold lots of cars for spares on the private adds before, but this is the first time we are thniking of selling a working road legal car and I expect buyers might have more expectations. Maybe a good ebay add is the best way to go.
Finally does it always take months before being able to drive after a broken arm? If its just going to be a few weeks to recovery then we may as well leave the car ont he road. Read more
Any BR with imported Nissan Serena / Elgrande mini vans / Maxima
Nissan is recalling more than 345,000 vehicles in Japan and abroad due to faulty brakes and fuel gauges.Comp any spokesman Mitsuru Yonekawa said the recall affected a total of 345,306 vehicles.
Nearly 92% of the recalled vehicles were sold in Japan, with the rest mainly in Asia.
But added the corrosion could cause malfunction for parking brakes.
The recalled vehicles were the Elgrand minivan, the Serena minivan and the Cefiro sedan.
The Cefiro is marketed overseas as the Maxima Read more
Hi ive had a diagnostic machine on this vehicle & it flashes up code 59 but there is no code 59 listed on the diagnostic machine. There is a code 58 then a code 60. The owner of the vehicle has mentioned it starts hesitating & try's to cut out as though it is in limp home mode but i have driven the vehicle for about 10 miles with no problems. Has anyone experienced this before.
Cheers Andy Read more
I have a horsebox built on an Iveco 6.5 ton chassis (2002). Of course, there's no manual with it!
On the dashboard is a round push button with a symbol that looks like an H. On closer inspection it seems to represent ths front and rear axles and driveshaft, with the wheels shown at the top and bottom of the uprights. In fact the front wheels are shown slightly turned.
What is it for?
Thanks a lot.
John Read more
... just remember it is your friend when stuck on a muddy field:)...
Agreed.
From my experience of mudplugging on agricultural tractors, I'd rather have a diff lock than four wheel drive.
I was driving towards this crossing last night, when a number of pedestrians from both sides started to cross (the crossing man was on red). I was in the right hand lane going north and the pedestrians had basically reached my lane on both sides, with one actually crossing in front of me.
preview.tinyurl.com/yefedho
Obviously I had to stop and had a few seconds of trying to judge whether the pedestrians were going to try to walk in front of me, much to the annoyance of people behind me. There was beeping of horns, but I couldn't very well go through until I was sure that they weren't going to walk in front.
After ascertaining that they had stopped walking (they didn't move back and so were stopped in the left north hand lane and right south hand lane), I drove on and noticed that the crossing man then turned green after I passed.
What I don't get is, how is the crossing man light timed compared to the traffic lights? I imagine that when the north-south lights are green the man is red, but does he turn green when they turn red, and what about traffic coming from the east and turning north?
There is no light to directly "protect" the crossing, so I don't really understand what the protocol is. There is a button on the lights, but does it actually do anything? Perhaps it prevents the east side lights turning green, so that you can't turn north?
Any guidance would be appreciated.
Read more
But it is important not to stop completely when it's your right of way unless
you absolutely have to.
Yes, I am sure that is good advice, I could perhaps have kept moving forward slowly, will bear that in mind. Was difficult because a car in front had slowed for the same pedestrians, so I was almost stopped behind that car anyway (apart from that car the road was pretty much clear - was about 11:30pm, so there was no question that I could not clear the box junction - except for the pedestrians who decided to start crossing).
Anyway, I have just posted another situation where I was perhaps *too* assertive. Let's see how that one turns out! :)
All good for my learning. Thanks.
Need help please! I have a Peugeot 406 coupe 1999 2 litre and the diagnostic light
comes on intermittently, the speedo and rev counter then go mad up and down and eventually go to zero, also the radio goes off and indicators do not work. Any ideas would be gratefully received. Read more
hi i have the same problem. Did you find a solution
I went to use my spare fob & the batteries were flat.Does this mean the fob will have lost it's memory & will require resetting? Read more
Try the info from the following website:
www.nissanprimera.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10...2
Just done 20,000 miles in a bit under 2 years in my 2.0 TDCi Zetec estate, so I thought I'd report on my ownership impressions so far.
The good:
Huge amount of room for driver, all passengers and luggage. Interior a nice place to be and materials seem robust. Very comfy seats, fully adjustable driving position, plenty of space around pedals.
Excellent ride, both taut and compliant, and excellent road noise suppression on standard 215 / 55 16" tyres. Handling very good, very little body roll and quite neutral steering although you can still tell it's a big, heavy car at speed.
Engine is more punchy than the figures suggest and really does go well. Revs smoothly and is fairly quiet even when revved hard.
After a week or so of driving it really doesn't feel as big as some road tests would have you believe.
It's averaged a genuine, measured 42.5mpg (43.3 on the computer, which I have never reset), 70% driving in urban 30 / 40 limits and journeys under 10 miles, 30% motorway / A road trips. Considering the size & weight of car I think this is pretty good.
No DPF problems, regenerations are now unobtrusive. I reported before about the "oil service" light issue: www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=65055&...e
The indifferent:
Slapdash assembly-line work under the bonnet, with intercooler hoses and clips, and vac pipes not fitted securely. Correcting this cost me a few skinned knuckles but has paid dividends in better throttle response & driveability.
Annoying buzz in driver's door corrected by tightening trim screws which were a bit loose.
Some interior plastics could be better quality.
It's needed nothing apart from washer fluid, a service at 12,500 miles and the oil drop I mentioned above.
All in all, I've found it to be an excellent family barge / long distance workhorse, and a pretty good A-road charger to boot. Read more
I always find these ownership reports interesting, so the least that I can do is say "Thank You" for taking the trouble to write one.
Mondeos are seriously good cars these days. I'll have to add it to my list of "Cars to be considered".
My '05 Jeep Cherokee diesel with 40,000 mile owned by me since new was recently recalled by my dealer as they thought the torque converter needed replacing under a warranty recall. After much scratching of heads on inspecting the vehicle they decided it needed a new one. The first attempt to fit one failed and they blamed duff parts sent by Jeep UK .(if it still exists) More parts were ordered and the work completed. After using the vehicle for less than 200 miles the transmission temp warning light came on and the vehicle remained locked in second. I had the vehicle towed to my dealer, and the service personnel verbally agreed it was probably something to do with the recall work.
They contacted Jeep UK who were most unsympathetic and who consider it quite normal for a 40,000 mile gearbox (never done any towing) to fail. With this information the service dept changed their tune, saying the oil in the gearbox was burnt, there was metal debris in the gearbox and the 'touch pads' were totally worn. They also claimed that the vehicle had done over 700 miles after the work which was nonsense, and seems to me like they're rowing for the shore. My options from them were £3,500 for a new gearbox or me find a second hand one (they're about £800 and £600 for the fitting.
What I'd like to know and can't seem to find and answer to is:
If the torque converter replacement was done incorrectly could it within a couple of hundred miles have wrecked my gearbox? As I understand it the converter is a clutch mechanism on an automatic diesel vehicle. If the vehicle was incorrectly calibrated (chipped?) after the work could this have been a factor.
Apologies for not having great technical knowledge about this, but I think I've had poor service here and the wool's being pulled over my eyes.
Any thoughts or advive much appreciated.
NJ. Read more
Hi
Did they flash the ECM and TCM? There should be a label under the bonnet if they did. The recall should of been the an F37 a search may show up full info on this. The recall can be just the torque converter or also the oil pump. But in both cases the software updates must be done to stop damage to the gearbox. If they have done there job correctly and the torque converter or the oil pump was the course of failure then Jeep are correct and don't think you have any comeback.
Have no idea what a 46 is.
Appparantly it has been decided to shut the 2.5 mile stretch of road "Seven Hills Road", a major link form Walton on Thames and Hersham to the A3 and thus M25, in both directions for "UPTO 7 MONTHS" whilst gas works are carried out.
Traffic lights have been ruled out and with few DIVERSION routes it will be chaotic for 7 months.
They intend to start this early Jan !! that makes sense- start at 9 finish at 4 when it gets dark ! why not do it in May start at 7 finish at 8, or work throughout the night, or have 200 people working on it and do it in 3-4 months !! Read more
re the cut from 7 months to 12 weeks -is this one of those Compromises from the gas company- >>
see the full story at esherwalton.com/news.html - extracts below:
Scotia Gas Networks statement - latest - November 27th 2009
Why has the closure now been reduced to 12 weeks rather than the original stated duration?
Planning for this project has been taking place for many months and has happened in consultation with Surrey County Council. Following feedback from local residents and road users, we went back and looked at our planned work in the context of our wider work programme to see if there was a way to minimise overall disruption at Seven Hills Road. This further review of the project in conjunction with the local authority resulted in us being able to draft in extra resources and plan a different way of working so that the closure itself will now last for 12 weeks.
Will extended hours be worked?
Yes - we will be working seven days a week and extended hours where safe and possible to do so. We will make every effort to complete the project and reopen Seven Hills Road as soon as we can within the 12 week timescale.
Why can't work take place 24 hours a day?
Seven Hills Road and the surrounding area contain a number of homes and other properties, including a hotel. Our work will involve activities that cannot reasonably be expected to be carried at night due to their impact on local residents at this time.
Will the water or electricity companies be along next week, or sometime soon and dig up the road again?
No - we have been liaising with Surrey County Council, whose responsibility it is to ensure coordination of utility works. We have been told that neither water nor electricity companies have any impending or future works they need to carry out in Seven Hills Road.
Browse
Sorry to hear about your dad Rattle, if its his left arm, he will be back behind the wheel a lot quicker than if its his right one.
Re: auto gearbox, I can (and have ) driven with one arm before now + of course I only use one of my three legs.
Good Luck to him comrade.