July 2010
My less than 1 year old 12,000 mile 318d Touring has now had 2 failures (one on each side) of the rear LED indicators.
Is this a known or common fault? Is there likely to be an underlying fault that is causing them to fail? Read more
I have a 2007 X-Type Jaguar Estate. I paired and used a Motorola mobile phone with the Jaguar in-car-phone in 2007 and have been making and receiving calls through the Jaguar in-car-phone ever since.
... Read more
I had the same problem with my X type estate gave up in the end the whole unit was replaced under warranry it lasted 3 months ended up using a Parrot that worked perfectly.I had so many problems with the car I got rid .
Due to my Roomster being off the road due to someone driving into the side of it I have had a '59 reg Meriva Design 1.8 petrol for the past week and a half. Looking at many "multi car" tests its clear that the Journos don't know quite where to place the Roomie, but tend to compare it mainly with the small MPVs which is as near as they are going to get... so I though a summary of the two might be useful to someone! I did just under 400 miles in the Meriva, some motorway, some local work and the rest my usual commute...
To start with the Roomster is about 6" longer than the Meriva but 1" narrower... this is reflected inside where the Roomster makes good use of the extra space. Height wise they are about the same, but the rear seats in the Roomster are 1 1/2" higher than the front, with the Meriva seats all on the same level... Though the driving position is slightly higher in the Meriva it makes no difference on the road.
So, interior first... as I said the extra length makes all the difference, with rear legroom in the Roomster miles better than the Meriva, as is boot space. The seating is fairly similar in comfort, though the middle "seat" in the Meriva is pretty much useless other than an armrest (rather surprising as it's an inch wider over the body), the Roomster has a 3/4 seat so can be used occassionally. The Roomster seems to have more storage in the front, though the Meriva scores with fold down picnic tables in the back. The Meriva's boot space is a lot smaller, though it has a false floor with under floor storage which is good. The Roomster has no false floor and so has a large drop to the boot floor. Both have cubby holes in the boot, though only the Roomster has a 12v plug.
In the Meriva the rear seats fold and then slide forward leaving a flatish floor but they don't come out but they do slide forward and backward. In the Roomster all seats are individually adjustable, all three can be removed individually or folded forward as per most hatch/estate cars.
Driving experience... from the driving position in the Roomster you have a thick A pillar which restricts the view when looking right, the Meriva uses the "small window" type of front, but if anything this makes matters worse as the window is pretty useless making the blind spot even bigger in the Meriva. Other than that they drive fairly similarly, though the Meriva is subject to more buffeting than the Roomster which seems more "planted" on the road.
Engine wise its a petrol vs diesel comparison as my Roomster is the 1.9TDi version... The petrol is faster off the mark and seems very high geared for a petrol in 5th 3000rpm at 70... That has advantages and disadvantages, it makes ecconomy better but I found on steep hills it just wouldn't pull, even at 70 on the big hill on the M42 it struggled to hold speed... Whereas in the Roomster anything over 40 and you just leave it in 5th! The petrol is far quieter than the diesel though! Economy... I got just under 40mpg in the Meriva which I thought was pretty good (the average is 38) and I get 55 in the Roomster.
So, is the Meriva a "clever little family car" as Vauxhall say? Well it has its good points, but in direct comparison with the Roomster it isn't... If you have a 2+2 family and the kids are not toddlers then the Meriva is a useful car with enough space... but add buggies (or in our case a wheelchair) and its sadly lacking in space and its just not versatile enough...
If anything it's the Roomster thats the "clever little family car".... and if you can live with its looks, its the better of the two cars for a family by a long shot... It will be interesting to see if the new Meriva has addressed any of the older ones shortcomings, though Read more
Currently there are "old model" Merivas on sale - del mileage for about £8K - roughly 60% of the list price - cannot be a bad buy at that price for a useful runabout.
Hi forgive me if this is not comprehensive enough its my first post! I recently Bought a 2006 Facelift CDTI 1.9 Life - I love the ride of the car and how quick it is but one thing has become slightly irratating! Sometimes at low speed the car does like a Very slight judder almost like putting your foot of the accelerator then back on again! thats the best i can explain it! I was told to put some Redex Diesel into it which to be honest reduces the amount it does it ( Granted it only does it every now and again) but the fact is it still does it! Could this be an injector problem?? Probably worst at doing it when im going round a roundabout! Other then this the car does 600+ a tank which is great but this problem does annoy me a little if im honest! The trader who i bought the car from said that he had Cleaned what had been a relatively clean EGR valve as i know there prowne to getting blocked! Could this be an injector problem???? Thoughts please!???? Read more
Wow I could have writtne this message myself!
I have a 54 plate, vectra sri 150bhp diesel cdti. Exactly the same problem. Low speed occassional judder, noticed after roundabouts and corners....
Hello All,... Read more
Hello Bassrock,
I am having very likely the same problem. Could you repair it for me, as you have the experience with it already? ...
A friend has just received a PCN notice after parking for 3 hours in a M4 motorway services whilst taking a rest and eating a meal inside the said services. She did not notice any signs but when I visited the services there are signs all over the place stating that you can only stay there for a maximum of 2 hours.
Does she have to pay this fine or will it go away if she ignores all the demands? It does seem a bit unfair when she was actually spending time and money in the services.... Read more
Presumably if one overstayed the 2 hour limit for free parking in a supermarket there would be no financial loss and no loss of revenue for which to sue? This would just leave the apparently unenforeceable "Penalty charge"
Hello,... Read more
Kwik fit do a very cheap gas refill, however if you have leaks or a sensor is not working then they will NOT fix this.
It does seem daft that they can gas the system but they are not allowed to fix it if faulty, or add dye to the system to detect leaks, apparently they are not trained, but maybe in the future....
Hi there,
Strange problem with my Bora. A week or so ago, I was putting my son into his car seat, while both back doors were open. He was playing with my keys, and I think he pressed the central locking open and locked a few times. Anyway, I shut both doors, and carried on, only to notice later that one of the rear doors wasn't unlocking with the central locking, and I can't unlock it by pulling the handle from the inside. Also, I've noticed that the electric window button doesn't work on the same door, but the window opens from the master controls in the front of the car. I presume these issues are related.... Read more
I would be interested to see how you've got on as my read nearside door is locked - and I have been quoted £250 minimum for repair.
How easy/hard is it to replace the rear wheel bearing on a 2007 Megane 1.5 DCi?
I've been told by some that I need to replace brake disc etc and others that it's just the bearing itself that needs changed-anyone done this job before that can help me out?... Read more
The bearing and the disc can be bought seperately but you need a press to remove it and install it .something that does not always go as planned.Pre assembled disc and bearing are the normal way of doing it and they come in pairs as a norm.
Just replaced my X reg 2001 406 power steering rack. What advice that was around made the task seem more onerous than it was! It was straight forward enough (not including removing from a sc***pie the replacement rack, which the local sc*** yard did for 40pds! )
Jack the car as high as you can and support on good axle stands at the jacking points. Centre the steering wheek (1.5 turns) Soak ball joints in WD40 and take of nuts (if they won't undue - shave with angle grinder/hacksaw and flick off, don't damage threads) the nuts need replacing anyway. Remove heat shield, fiddly but access from passenger side. Clamp rubber pressure pipes with brake pipe 'G' cramps. Remove 2 rubber brake pipe securing bolts. Take out 2 large steering rack bolts, catch spacers (after removing the rack I stuck these back with a dab of araldite to save fussing later). Remove 13mm steering rack bolt with long tommy bar with universal joint adaptor). Flick the retainer clip that holds the rack spacer bolt in and push the rack universal joint back out of the way). Disconnect the forked pressure pipe clip bolt at the rack head, use a 10mm 1/4" socket on a ratchet drive & short 40 Torx key. Slide the steering rack staright out on the passenger side under the wheel arch, it's a wiggle and jiggle job. NO NEED TO DROP THE front wishbone. Replacing is a reverse, top up fliud and bleed system by repeated turning of the wheel lock to lock. Read more
Remember some advice given will be given as your a complete novice and not much understanding, when that may not be the case and your compitent to do the job.
If your competent crack on or look at the Haynes manual for tips or specialist tools.
Browse
Had my tourer in today for its oil service,was told the service would include an inspection of the rear lights as per BMW request.Upon picking the car up was told two new lamps were required.Both units appear to be working fine at the moment.Car goes back in next week for the work.