September 2010
Considering buying new Golf 2.0 tdi 140. I had intended taking delivery in January/February however dealer says price will be more as the 2.5% increase will take effect in the New Year and also a manufacturer price increase always on the cards in January. Do the backroomers think the prices will increase significantly in the New Year for this model? According to the salesman their dealership has not noticed the recession! My thinking was that after the spending review in Oct and more job losses on the way, the manufactures would try and absorb any price increase but maybe I`m wrong Read more
As per my last post. Having called the workshop a number of time over the past 3 weeks to get news of my car, I was told that the cylinder head had cracked and that the head had been sent away for repair.
It was back in the workshop just over a week ago. I called this afternoon to see if it was ready only to be told that there seems to be 2 other problems also and that it may be ready at the end of next week!... Read more
yaya :) had a call this afternoon, no payment on my part, as it should be :)
For the last 10 days the ECU warning light on my i-Car has been appearing randomly (5 occasions). When it does the car's response to the throttle becomes erratic. If I stop and restart the car it is OK again (like my PC!) till the next time. My local dealer has ordered the necessary part, the name of which espcapes me. I should be using the car for a short holiday next week and the part is unlikely to be fitted by then. Can I rely on the "switch off and restart" policy to get me through the holiday, or is it possible it could expire altogether? Read more
can't you call the dealer who is getting the part and ask them?
Only one of their mechanics has been on the i-car course and he's on holiday himself this week....
I have two cars a Mazda RX8 (although used to be my only car)and an Alfa 156 1.8 for everyday use and over the last 10 years I have owned a number of cars, both personally and as company cars, Astra, Mondeo, Audi A4, Jaguar X type....
I have noticed that it is rare for anyone to race the Mazda but find myself constantly being raced in the Alfa, dangerously so.... Read more
The proportion of Micras let out at junctions relative to BMWs must be massive.
Don't worry. People like me try to even things up. I always keep the Micras where they are in case they mimse in front of me...;-)
Car well out of warranty, main dealer quoted £ 80 for an oil and filter change( basic service), I am distrustful of these chains of tyre centres that now do servicing( not mentioning any names but have been ripped off in the past), so decided to take my car to a local family garage who quoted £ 35 inc VAT. Turned up at 8.50, car was ready at 9.20 and none of this, " by the way, sir, I believe your brake discs and pads are on their last legs", as happened last year when I left my car to be serviced at a chain that did " cheap" servicing. Read more
I generally take my car to the supplying dealer, who charges the earth but seems to do the job.
As far as 'support your small garage' - Which? runs a members recommendation service for garages. I noticed that almost all of my local garages are on the recommended list, even one that had a very bad reputation in the past. When I took my car in to have the offside front wheel bearings replaced it began groaning again shortly afterwards. I did the job again myself, finding three different types of grease in the hub and that the bearing had been forced in. The damage to the hub was such that I had to replace it. Things must really have changed.
Wife has an 02 plate Xsara HDi, and when travelling at slow speed, and in a straight line, there is a clicking sound, similar to a cv joint that you can hear when you turn.
Also the car vibrates under braking, and I know that these are prone to warped discs. The rear pads have been changed, as have the front discs, (The front pads were like brand new.) and everything is tightened.... Read more
Earlier this year I bought a car that had a few months Tax on it and about 7 months MOT. I took a while inspecting it and did all the usual checks, I had a quick look underneath but didnt take too long, partly because it was freezing and lying on the floor wasnt very pleasant, but mainly because it had an MOT certificate with no advisories. It was painted with some sort of rust proofing and looked pretty solid.... Read more
It seems to be much less common than it used to be. VOSA seem to run quality checks and controls constantly and they also send out mystery shoppers.
Computerisation has meant that pretty much everything is transparent so it is not just the testing station that is known, the person conducting the test is identifiable too.
I cannot comment on your particular experience or whether the problem could have developed in the time period since the test. Others are better qualified to comment on that.
I do know that if major defects show up in a vehicle involved in an accident then loss adjusters and then accident investigators and (if there is a serious accident or fatal) vosa and the police will be micro-examining the cars. I assume that most testing stations (and their employees) would avoid taking the risk.
is there any way of removing the speed restrictor from my transit mini bus. wont go past 60mph Read more
On the techinal side,the limiter can be removed ,but only with suitable equipment via the 16 pin diagnostic socket.hth
Help!
My son has a 1997 Fiesta 1.25 Zetec. Broadly the problem is as follows;
- At idle it revs in a cyclical manner up to about 300 revs and then down to almost nothing before ‘catching’ again and reving up to 300 revs and back again etc.
- When driving in traffic in 1 st gear this ‘uneven idle’ manifests itself in a very uneven speed, like ‘kangaroo petrol’.
- When changing gear, especially from 1 st to 2 nd , it takes a few seconds to ‘catch’ before the power comes in.
- When driving along, if you ease off the accelerator to decelerate very slightly, the car seems to loose power and there is again that ‘delay’ when you press down on the accelerator before it catches again and jerks forward.
- At idle, if you press the accelerator very slowly, nothing seems to happen at first as the accelerator moves down and then it ‘catches’ again and revs.
- The unevenness of idle seems to pretty much disappear when you rev to about 2,000 revs.
- This problem started (or got very considerably worse) after we disconnected the battery to work on the elctric windows and then reconnected the battery. May be a red herring, but may be relevant?
We have changed the temperature sensor , the plus and HT leads, and finally the Mass Airflow sensor. It is fine sometimes, but then the problem reappears. ... Read more
Disconnect the batteryand leave for an hour
re-connect the battery and let teh engine idle (don't touch the throttle)...
Anyone know why the reg would burn out on my vw polo Read more
I know not what you are talking about. Pete D
Car sales are notoriously slow post Christmas, haggle hard and expect a huge discount easity wiping out the 2.5% increase, none forthcoming? Walk away, there are plenty of dealers out there who want your hard-earned. Get some internet prices to use as a bargaining tool.