January 2011
Hi all,
I currently own a diesel Citroen Xsara (X reg) which has been very expensive come MOT time, especially when I had to have the belt changed (~£600 - mostly in time as apparently its a very hard to get to and change), so needless to say I'm looking for something new as its approaching the 10,000 mile mark.
I'm looking for:
Cheap to run
Cheap to insure
Cheap to repair/mot
Decent size boot (as I have two kids - 3yrs & 6months)
Reliable (as I have to travel 30miles a day to work + sometimes have to travel 450+ miles a week)
Less than £2000 second hand (could go higher if my car is actually worth anything on a trade in)
I don't care about performance as I'm not a mad driver
I suspect I'm looking for the impossible but if anyone would know it would be you guys/gals :)
Thanks for any help.
Read more
Amongst many ongoing ECU/Limp mode problems my most concerning is this:
The brakes are often a bit jammed when starting a journey with a little jolt sensed as you move off. As well as this the brake pedal is hard and much less effective for a few minutes and then returns to normal operation. For the first time yesterday this happened in the middle of a journey and caused a little 'moment' as you can imagine.... Read more
If it is similar to VW diesels, they use the vacuum to control EGR valve & turbo, so that would explain why loss of brake assistance coincides with limp mode.
You will need to check the vacuum pump & the associated vacuum pipes.
Hi all
I've had a V reg 306 for a few months now, and today noticed a problem with the gearbox, especially reverse. Once it's in reverse, it takes quite a push to get it back out. First and second can also offer a little bit of resistance but not much. From third upwards it's pretty smooth, but not quite as smooth as it has been before.... Read more
Great thanks
I'll try taking it for a full service first, get gearbox oil replaced and see if that helps. If not, it looks like another trip to the garage as I'd probably make it worse fixing it myself!
Driving very very slowly over sheet ice I instinctively touched the brake pedal when descending a small hill. Of course the wheels locked and I slid sideways on. Would the same thing have happened with anti lock brakes? The speed was around six to seven miles an hour. Is the technology that good? Read more
Yes, basically. If you lose grip, ABS effectively disengage the brakes until it can sense no further locking of the wheels. But only so long as you a still travelling forwards in a straight line. Once you have gone sideways, it is too late even for much cleverer systems such as stability control. When you are on the cusp of going sideways, stability control may well help lot, but again it really depends on the level of grip available.
When deceding a snowy or icy hill the general advice is to use engine braking and not the brakes especially as a light rear end will very quickly lose grip as you have found out....
My three year old dolo with 25000 miles on the clock requires a new gearbox.It is three weeks out of warranty and Fiat have offered only 200pounds towards a cost quoted at Oldham Fiat of 1900 pounds.Oil levels were correct and the car not been abused in any way. Read more
This to me is a manufacturing problem
what fuse is for the rear door and rear wiper on 2003 307 hdi Read more
Can anyone help me with a question about insurance write-offs?
A few weeks ago I skidded and crashed my cherished 1993 TVR Chimaera into a wall at about 20mph. The damage to the front end split the firbe glass nose, headlights & wings. Fortunately no damage to the chassis or engine.... Read more
It's your car and you can decide what happens to it.
Agree an acceptable value with the insurer less the excess and what they could obtain for the salvage and get them to send you payment.
Then get it repaired yourself using a supplier like AndyP suggests and a reasonably priced specialist repairer.
Hi Guys,
My kangoo 1.9 d 2001 started overheating and low oil pressure light came on took to garage they said head gasket gone but may need new wngine due to oil pressure light on cost = fortune. Friend of friend took van stripped engine down said engine fine except head gasket, got head skimmed and rebuilt engine but still overheating so says i need new engine. He did say there was a small crack in head but that won't cause problems... Read more
Thanks for reply
Pretty sure it's overheating temp warning light on no water leak but pressurised hoses cold fan not cutting in heater in cab not working...
Hi All
I was wandering if anyone could offer any advice on my 306 turbo diesel. basically a couple of weeks ago i was letting it warm up on tickover when it started to misfire and produce lots of black/blue smoke - i stopped it and re started it and all was fine. I put it doen to the cold weather. then after this a couple of times whilst driving it it would suddenly start to misss badly, smoke with unburnt fuel and lose power - stopping the engine and restarting would cure this. I then replaced the fuel filter a week ago and we have done about 100 miles since with no problem so i was hoping this might be the cause however whilst my wife was doing the school run today it happened again and she managed to limp it home. now its really difficult to start and you need to floor the throttle - if it starts it will run absolutley fine for about 3 seconds then start to chugg, refuse to rev and produce the smoke again with the engine stopping after a few seconds. there is lots of grey soot on the floor by the tailpie so i think its getting the fuel ok.... Read more
thanks for the advice
there is a clear pipe between the fuel filter and injection pump and i cant see any bubbles so i will check the induction system...
hi,i had a fault showing on my car which was showing coolant level too low,so i put in some more coolant to fill up the tank,& the temp engine indicator seems to go up to aroung a touch of 80 degrees ,where has before it was lower , will this be ok or will i suffer with problems later?,many thanks Read more
hi peter,if the engine normally runs bettween 80 & 90 then no problem but it does say in my hand book it should be between the two first notches on the gauge,which i think is about 70 degrees,if you think its fine then dont worry mate,i had to put in maybe around 250ml.thanks again
Browse
My vote would be for a Ford Mondeo which are often even cheaper than the Focus for the same age. There are so many around that they are very good value. They are also not bad to drive, relatively well made and parts are plentiful.
Steven Quas , Hamburg