February 2010
Does the XC90 work mainly in FWD mode and then move into 4WD when the car senses that the front wheels are moving at a different speed to the rear ones? Or is it permanent 4WD like Subaru and LandRover? Read more
For the benefit of any BR members I am happy to be contacted by E mail (see profile) to answer specific questions. I have been going there for almost 30 years and have just returned from a week there.
Flights are about £150 return but a basic self-catering package can be had for around £200 a week including the fare. The locals are suffering fom a shortage of tourists and have taken the strange step of raising prices to try and maintain their income!
Car hire is excellent value; I had a 1.2 5 door Fiesta for Euros 108 for the week all included; petrol is 77 cents a litre and with a taxi from and to the airport @ 80 euros, a car for a week for 108 made good sense. Evrything seems expensive by UK standards but drink is cheaper and good value meals out can be found quite easily.
Weather was cooler than usual, mostly due to lots of thin cloud cover. 10 Minutes rain in a week so no complaints. About 20C by day and 15C by night. Glad to help anyone thinking of a holiday there.
Read more
>>> Everything just very expensive overall! <<<
= ?.
read nearside passenger door c/l motor packed up (door can't be opened from outside until internal door opener released); indie mechanic (reliable) ordered replacement motor 4 months ago - still waiting on "back order" via his usual supplier.
Any advice, pse - perhaps a realistic way of reviving old motor?
thanks
EH Read more
thanks Dox
MK3 2.0TDCi
Out of the blue yesterday whilst out for the afternoon I experienced clutch slip. At only 30,000miles I couldn't believe what I was seeing as the rev counter danced up and down whilst under load and no corresponding increase in road speed.
The main dealer has seen the car for a road test and confirms the clutch is slipping and requires further investigation.
Does this sound like an issue with the DMF??
I'm not aware of any other DMF related symptoms such as starting problems or hearing any clunks whilst changing gear etc..
I'm also confident it's not me burning the clutch out prematurely. My previous cars have all done 75,000miles plus each under my two feet and none have experienced clutch issues.
Read more
Diagnosis came back as worn clutch due to normal wear and tear.
No other fault can be found that could have led to wear at such a low mileage.
So I'm finding it a little hard to swallow but must pay for repair myself.
The joys of motoring !!
Who would build these for the "kids" and keep for themselves?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM2SWNCes5g Read more
If you could make one street legal, great little summer commuter car...pick it up and take it into the office for the day.
Ted
I have a golf, Y plate which was bought for £2K
My new insurance company (A) - which I guess I cant mention, has sent me a letter stating that when taking out insurance, I must declare any past accidents.
I have not had any accidents for 7 years.
they state I had an accident in 2008 and given the insurance company (B), the claim ref number and how much it was for.
I rang the insurance company (B) and they couldn't find any insurance under my name (which is correct, as I have never had insurance with them) they asked for the reg number, I gave it them, they said yes it was stolen recovered and the, at fault claim, was £3.5K. I said the guy before me owned the car at that time and the car was only bought for £5K in 2005. so why wasn't it wrote off? she then said oops, maybe under data protection act I have given you more info than I should have.
I rang ins co (A) and explained, they guy went off leaving me on hold for 10 minutes! came back and said, yes we made a mistake, we should never have contacted you, its fine forget the letter even came through, please shred the letter and forget about it. your premiums stay the same and we are very sorry.
so 3 things
1. cheesed with the guy I bought car from, didn't explain it was stolen / recovered
2. ins co (A) should never have written to me.
3. I should have HPI'd the car (would this bring up stolen/recov) ?
Read more
yes Uk both companys and well known!
I told ins co (A) when I bought the car too. must have slipped under radar :-)
In the latest issue of Bike magazine, there's a dyno test of ordinary 95 octane pump fuel versus Shell V-Power and BP Ultimate 102 (just £2.46 per litre!)
They used two modern, high-performance bikes, a Suzuki GSXR1000 and the new BMW S1000RR.
The results? Neither high-octane brew gave any more power or torque than ordinary 95 octane ... not even half a percent more.
They also printed the dyno curves and they are as near identical as makes no difference for each bike ... certainly well within experimental variances.
Especially interesting as the BM has a knock sensor and can adjust its ignition timing on the fly according to fuel quality.
So on these engines (which are mapped for 95 octane fuel at the factory), there's no power gain from premium fuel.
Read more
My Volvo owners handbook says there is, but if it does give any advantage in real terms, it is far too small for my backside-dyno to detect. :-)
Hello,
The electric tailgate release touchpad has an intermittent problem where it fails to activate. I have to open the door with my key, which works OK.
Does anyone have any experience of replacing them?
I assume it has be done from the inside?
How do you remove the trim?
Any tips are welcome.
Also, if all four doors are shut and I have just the tailgate open, the alarm sets itself after about 30 secs. Is this a fault or a weird setting that can be changed?
Thanks for your help. Read more
Hello again.
No, I changed the bulb, but the light still doesn't work.
I suspect all these symptons may be related.
The prospect of removing the lock mechanism makes me nervous!
the astra has a low pitched noise from the nearside front which disappears only on left hand bends and is otherwise constant. When jacked up the wheel spins without roughness or play though obviously no load in this situation. On tight turns in both directions no driveshaft clicking can be heard. I guess a faulty gearbox bearing (where the driveshaft enters) would not stop making a noise on a left hand bend and my feeling is towards the wheel bearing but has anyone experienced this problem? any suggestions as to how I might pin down the source would be gratefully received Read more
i changed a front wheelbearing for the same fault recently check the pads backplate all the usuall i could not believe that it was the bearing sounds like you have the same fault,regards TB
just bought a car and need tax but dont have the full log book yet is there any way i can tax the car with just the green slip
{moved out of IHAQ as it is car related} Read more
If you read the back of the slip you will see that that is precisely what it is for.
Browse
Quote from Autocar:-
"Fully 95 per cent of engine power goes to the front wheels, but when slip is detected up to 65 per cent can be sent to the rears."