January 2010
please help, nissan almera tino 1.8 with a random misfire when under load, seems to be alittle rought at lidle too, the engine management light is on.
we had it plugged into a computer for said computer to tell us what we allready knew - it has a random misfire - not much help there. Have changed plugs and all 4 coil packs as suggested by the garage with computer. still no joy.
any suggestions?
thanks
alexkd Read more
A snippet from an article I just read about diesels:
"Diesel engines function differently from petrol engines. They do not have complicated electronic fuel ignition systems. This eliminates the potential for failure, and improves reliability, reducing associated repair costs."
Now correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I am hearing diesels are now very much more unreliable than petrols. I've been searching for a while for a suitable 2.0 diesel, but there is so much bad stuff written about them that I just can't bring myself to actually buy one. Have had a couple of dozen petrol engined cars over the years with no problems whatsoever.
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Then again, I like to hear the turbo whistle and the waste gate.
I understand that a revoked license can be re-instated when you re-apply with the DVLA. I also understand that you can continue to drive a car for 12 minths after the revokation date, but is the an upper limit on time to when you will not be able to re-apply for the license to be re-instated?
I say this as I have been stopped tonight as my car showed up no insurance or MOT. The car is insured untill December 2010 and MOT expires in August 2010 so I am at a loss as to why their computers say different. Also, they checked me which was difficult as I had no id or anything to prove who I was, but also my date of birth didn't match up with thier records by a day! More alarmingly they said my license was revoked back in 1999!
I remember a long time ago I lost my paper license and applied for a new one which came through, but some time later I had a producer which I showed my old license apparantly. I had a letter from the DVLA who said I recently produced an old license and I should send back all the licenses issued to me within I think 28days or my license would be revoked. Unable to find any license and in fear of them not believing I had lost the latest license, I wrote a letter to them saying I had since lost the latest license but have in my possession license number ..... and if ok will continue to use this one. I thought if they think I still had a license in my possession, then they will not issue another license untill all issued licenses were returned. This obviously would have been impossible if they were lost.
I fully understand back then they were aware of people who had a couple of licenses and would use each one to avoid excessive points being applied to their licenses. But this is not the case with me, it is a genuine mistake and at the time I genuinely thought the license I had was the latest one issued. This was all back in 1999. I never heard anything back from DVLA so "stupidly" I guessed everything was ok and that was accepted. In hindsight now, I guess I should have written or got in contact again when I didn't receive any confirmation.
The Police say I am able to just re-apply for my license and go from there. But I don't understand why I have been able to drive cars for 11 years effectively without a driving license. I have been stopped for various reasons during that time and more recently I was stopped in a random Operation Tonic check where all my details were checked... and all was ok. This was only 5-6 weeks ago! There has been many situations where it should have come to light the problem with my license but all has checked out ok. When I put this to the Police, they told me that they couldn't have done thier jobs right and not done the correct checks!
I am being reported for driving without a license and as a consequence, no insurance. I was cautioned and am being reported for that and as my friend who was with me and had insurance to drive my car, we managed not having the car siezed. I wasn't given a producer and I wasn't asked to sign anything, but they told me I should bring my insurance certificate with me to court.
I am very upset about the whole thing and didn't know what to do with myself for a few hours.. I just can't believe (if this is true) that I have been able to drive for 11 years without a license. I just hope now DVLA will be able to help me tomorrow and re-instate my license, but I am worried about the length of time between now and 1999 that I may have to do another driving test :( The other disturbing thing is the issues with the my insurance and MOT! Not to mention my date of birth... what's going on?
Please, any advice would be greatly appreciated. Read more
Lynne, I regret to say that whilst the staff at DVLA tend to be friendly and helpful, as an organisation they're like Caesar's wife, above suspicion.
It's very rare for them to be in the wrong, even if they plainly are; get my drift? ;-)
Ive just been for a test drive this weekend in a 06 c-max 2.0 petrol auto,20,000mls. Years ago I had a auto fiesta that was nothing but trouble and was told by garage, gearbox was on its way out (at 25,000) and have stuck to a Renault ever since! But thinking times have changed I went for a drive in the c-max and thought it was great, paid my 500.00 deposit .. until I read loads of reviews that have honestly made me go grey with worry! Most of the reviews seem to be about the tdci? auto and models prior to 2006, (power loss at 70mph and gearboxes going costing 4,000!) but will I regret stumping up the rest of the money later this week? or should I give even this model a wide berth?? Thanks. Read more
Hi, everyone, thankyou for the comments, an update is, the dealers Im purchasing car from, know its made me a nervous wreck! so are giving me a years warranty as well, Also phoned my local garage ( he tells me if he had a choice; the c-max, as he gets more renaults through the door than fords) and also phoned a couple of main ford dealers (very cheeky, but need to pick some brains!) and they told me they have more manual problems than auto. But its the CVT? Im not sure about? and have tried to find out what the transmission is in this model, but no joy, all I can tell you is (this is not very technical, so sorry!) it has the automatic to the left and 2 options for gears on the right (although would never use them as havnt the foggiest what to do?!) so does anyone know (from my wonderful description!) if this sounds like the CVT or the 5 speed? (and apologies for my car ignorance! and thanks for all the help.)
Just being stupid but what is the tax band for an '04 reg BMW 330Ci please? I could not find anything on the net as I do not know the emissions. I presume it must be Band L @ £405 pa. can anyone confirm this please. Thank you. Read more
I looked at the car last weekend, and have just made a very reasonable offer to the owner. I am rapidly reaching the age..correction, have reached the age, where I do not want regrets later in life. The last 6 cyl BMW I owned was my ex MILs 15 years ago, and this one is far better! Hey ho.
I've noticed when someone on here suggests a squirt of WD 40, someone else will soon be along to say it's not a lubricant, it will rot your socks, it's the spawn of the devil, etc.
I reckon WD 40 is a good all-rounder.
It's not the best lubricant, but does stop the garage door squeaking.
It's not the best penetrative oil, but a squirt or two left for a few hours will make a nut easier to remove.
And it's certainly dried out any number of Minis with drowned electrics.
So what is WD 40 good for?
Absolutely nothing, or nearly everything?
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Good for joint pains, working like liniment. I have used it thus but wonder about dermatitis.
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About 25 years ago i bought a 14" Sony and paid extra for the version with a new fangled SCART socket. It is still going well and of course can accept a Freeview box etc.
It had a recall for the on/off switch shortly after it was launched and I have just had the same switch replaced. Not bad service IMO and the picture looks good to me. The only problem with it since the latest repair is that my daughter hears some sort of high pitched sound from it. Her problem not mine as I am oblivious to the sound.
My daughter's 2004 Ka has blown another headlight bulb. I absolutely hate changing headlight bulbs on this car - just getting the cover off the back of the headlight unit is a challenge as the access is so tight. How do others do it? I didn't have any tools with me today, but I began to think it must be quicker and easier to remove the whole thing (starting with the radiator grill, which is unfortunately part of the front bumper) - right? Read more
Your're right BB. I didn't much fancy removing the middle bumper section due to the snap-fit connections between this and the outer sections of the bumper. Break these and you've shot it. Hadn't considered removing the wheel arch liner, but will investigate that next time.
I've replaced several bulbs on this car using the handbook method - remove the rear cover from the headlamp unit, detach power lead, change bulb and reverse the process - but in practice this is a long, frustrating and knuckle-scraping procedure, putting most Chinese puzzles to shame. Pity, because most Fords are easy-peasy.
when did the DVLA start issuing them , ie: what year
many thanks Read more
once a Q always a Q
>>
Not so.
My tractor had at one time been re-registered as a Q, but they dropped that and allocated a proper age-related number after certification by a club official as to the actual age.
As above who builds the best engines for cars that can be most reliable,best performance,better for high mileage?
Petrol, diesel, lpg,?
Which engines do you think are the best and why? Read more
Thanks Corax i've had a browse and some interesting stuff there can't find the section
you mention though.
Got it now, thanks.
Browse
Could be timing chain stretched. This puts cam and crank sensors out of sync and can cause your symptons. What's it's mileage and service record like? Skipped oil changes are allegedly prime factors.
It's well documented here and on other interweb thingmy sites.
To check, you need to remove the cam cover and measure the protruberance of the chain tensioner. More than 10mm and that's your problem!