January 2010
What are the advantages of having a starter button instead of turning the key, and what is the procedure for starting if you have a button. Read more
I am starting a new job in a few months where I will get a car allowance rather than a car. So for the first time in nearly 9 years I will actually have to go out and buy, insure, service, tax and worry about my own car. Feels quite nice!
My budget is £6000 and I am looking for a bit of poke and a reasonable amount of reliability/reasonable running costs. I will be doing around 35k miles a year so am looking for a lower mileage car - not for residual value purposes, just because there is the potential for less to go wrong (and I do mean potential, I'm not making any assumptions).
Research leads me to the Ford family and I have come down to 2 choices (both 2005/2006 models):
Ford Mondeo 2.0i any trim
Ford Fiesta 2.0i ST
I would value thoughts and feedback on running the ST.
My daily commute is 45 miles each way and is a mix of fast A road, M1 from Jn 9 - 1 and heavy West London traffic. I enjoy driving and don't like to hang around if I can help it. I have 2 kids (5 & 2) but no pushchair or oversized car seats to put in it. My wife has an Almera if we need something more practical.
Current car is a Honda Civic 2.2 CTDi EX
Will I love it or hate it?! Read more
I assumed you also had a Focus II My bad.
Not at all, the Focus is a Focus II, an ST2 2.5t.
Ok here i go, I am a new driver and i know some stuff about cars but not everything, it all started with my car losing power at first , my first guess it was the battery, i checked it out at a garage and the guy said the battery is fine it might be my Alternator. After waiting around for some minutes i got bored and i thought that it might have something to do with my fuel tank, so i filled it up wid some Fuel Injection Fluid, Car was working fine after that.
So i also decided to check the engine anyways and i took it to a garage and he sprayed some spray thingy on my throttle boddy i think it was on my engine and it was like a circle thing that flaped up and down there was some grease on there so he cleaned it and sprayed it, car was working even better but on the rev meter my Throttle used to just spring up and down losly like there was no control. the rev meter just used to flip up wen it hit 20 or 30, i ignored that and started driving the garage guy sed it will be fine give it some time.
COuple of weeks after that the car was struggling to start in Cold tempretures and some Hot tempretures. it used to jerk and missfire like it was struggling to start? ignored that started driving couple of days after that Car Engine Oil light comes up. fill it up wid engine oil, Engline oil still comes up ? and i realised it only comes up wen my car is reving at a certain point. anyways ignored all of that now that car died just before new years day 2009, car would not start left it alone for couple of minutes car started now wen i put my throttle down there is no reaction to the engine there is not power or throttle or acceleration its lifeless? called the RAC he sed everything is fine the Throttle Cord is fine he thinks it might be something to do with timing? The AA came as well they said that there might be something wrong with the timing. In the Engine ECU i think that its just not sparking the Engine oil or fuel. what do i do?
I looked at this post and i am thinking should i change my Spark Plugs and check out my Air Filter ?
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=38204
Please Help me as i do not want to sell this car Read more
bump
My Diesel Picasso has been really reliable over the last 5 years.
I started the engine earlier this week and started to defrost the windows - the temp was reported as -11.
After 10 mins I was ready to set off but there was a strange smell inside the car. On lifting the bonnet I saw small flames coming from what I think is the Brake Servo or that area.
I switched the engine off and extinguished the flames with a jug of water. A threw another just of water in the same area a few minutes later and the water just evaporated.
I suspect that the Servo was faulty or had been effected by the cold and when I started the engine it overheated and ignited some oil or brake fluid which was on the unit.
I have since switched on the ignition and the display comes on and does not report any errors.
I am nervous about starting the engine or moving the car in case it is the Servo and it ignites again or the brakes fail.
Has anyone encountered anything like this previously.
Thanks in advance.
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How much did it cost to get this repaired? The same thing has just happened to me, although it didn't catch fire, just smoking. Just what I need at this time of year!!!
Thanks...
I've just spent the past half-hour watching RWD BMWs and Jags struggling to get up a snowy slope.
Small FWD cars had no problem.
Why do people buy cars that are more suitable for touring car championships than for everyday use? Read more
Audis are either FWD or 4WD.
Hi folks,
We recently got a RAV4 XT3.
We were told it was 4x4 only when the car sensed it needed all 4 wheels.
Having driven it on icy roads a few days back the ABS came on and the car skidded a couple of times, on what were roads that weren't very icy.
We weren't that bothered by the 4x4 issue anyway, hence we didn't investigate it at the time, but can any confirm confirm whether (1) this model does have 4x4 ability and (2) when it is enabled?
TIA Read more
As far as i'm aware the 4x4 system on the older models is only activated by pushing the big round cone shaped button to the left of the steering wheel.
Then, the 4x4 system is only active up to 18mph.
Which imo is fine, as normally you only need 4x4 at slow speeds, like climbing a hill (snowy hill), stuck in mud etc...
They do this (temp 4x4) partly to give better fuel consumption and co2 emissions compared to using a full time 4x4.
Hi
Can anyone please assist. The water pump on this van seems really inaccesable and I can't find a step by step online. Can anyone assist please?
Kind Regards
David Read more
OK, for anyone finding this page on the internet, it's a dog of a job. You have to unbolt one side of the engine and jack it up to take the pully off the pump to get it out. Their is no room! At least it does not involve the timing belt as its run on the accessory belt.
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Panasonic every time! Several friends have bought cheaper makes, and not been happy.
I wonder if anybody can shed light on this problem.I am the owner of a Grande Punto 1.3 multijet diesel car.I am perfectly satisfied with every aspect of it apart from one thing.When the engine is cold and I take my foot off the accelerator pedal it slows down at first and then picks up momentum so that I am forced to brake.Then it returns to normal for awhile until the next time I have to sloe down.It doesn`t do it every time but often enough to be a problem.When it warms up there isn`t a problem.I took it back to Fiat today and the mechanic tried to tell me that diesel cars can do this sometimes.Well,I have a diesel van and it is o.k.So my question is-If you take your foot off the accelerator pedal should a car not slow down? the answer to me is obviously -YES!!!!The only thing I can think of doing if he [as I expect]tells me it`s o.k. is to ask for a test drive of another car with the same engine to see if it does the same thing.I would appreciate any input on this topic. Read more
Grey Punto,
What are the engine revs when it speeds up and what gear are you in?
Hi there,
Just have some questions about insurance when exporting my own car to Europe .
I am about to move to Luxembourg (>12months) and want to drive my car there. Surely it is regarded as export according to DVLA. I need to get my car registered there but it is very very time consuming. I can drive my car as a foreign one and keep my plate for 6 months and it would be sufficient for me to get a new plate. All I need is the advice about insurance for the period from leaving the UK to getting a new registration there.
Since I will not live in the UK (no valid UK address), is my insurance still valid? What if I ask Royal Mail to forward all letters to my new address then I won't miss any letter from insurance company?
Or can I buy a very short cover for my travel then find a new local insurance (not sure if there is anyone abroad for a UK plate)? Completely no idea about that and would appreciate your help!
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No I arranged my cover in the UK and use a UK address, perhaps you could register the car at a friends house while you are abroad. As long as you tell them this is what you are doing there should be no problem.
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My 335d has a button, and as indicated already it only starts the car when it's ready. In this cold weather I've noticed on a couple of occasions it waits for a second while the glowplugs warm up before it starts. While it may be a bit of a gimmick, it doesn't bother me either way. There are more important things to worry about (like driving on ice with 280bhp going to the rear wheels!!).