January 2011
VW Passat 1.9 tdi 1999 10200 miles. Heater matrix problem I think(no heat),the car had a leak on the main cooling rad so a mechanic put some sealant in last year. More info the car has had a new thermostat/water pump and been flushed the heat control knob is working I can feel the valve arm moving I have not checked the heater valve to see if it is sezied.The pipes to the bulk head are both warm/hot I am trying to avoid pulling the dash out or some one else to do it .Any tips or hints please Mick Read more
Hi All,
I am after abit of advice. On 28/12/10 I went to visit a second hand car dealer to look at a Volvo V50, now on the advert it said 1 owner and 47k. When I went to the dealer I looked over the car and took it for a spin, all was fine and correct. I checked the service history and all was fine too.... Read more
Well done!
People on both sides of the car trade (dealers & customers) are all to willling to lie, cheat & mislead in order to get the deal they want....
All other things equal, how much do you knock off Parkers when pricing an ex-Police car?
I've been offered a Lexus IS300 2004 85k that is supposedly ex-CID, private sale by the 2nd owner who claims to have bought at auction then realised he couldn't afford the insurance. From the pics there's no obvious sign of mis-use or holes in bodywork.... Read more
Guys, thanks.
On digging a bit more, it was overdue a service and cambelt change and needed tax and a £200 audio repair. Taking only half the service and tax costs I valued the car at around £2000-£2800 depending on what proportion of Parkers I took, but the owner wanted at least £4000, the value if non-Police, recent service & tax, so we were too far apart....
Everyone loves a bargain and with the increase in fuel prices and likely interest rate hikes I reckon there will be some bargains 4x4s to be had. Lots of people have bought these over the last few years who cannot really afford to run them and I reckon lots of them will flood the market this year (2011).
I'm giving serious though to getting one in the next few months, but to be honest I have little knowledge of whats out there so looking for some ideas.... Read more
I can say the Spec-B is a fab car to drive. Having has 15 alfas, BMW, Audi, Pug 106 rallye, Alfa 33 Q4, barchetta, fords, renaults, citroens, misc fiats and many others, it's really one of the best (never tried porche etc) over 1,000,000 milesdriven (reached last year after 20 years driving). Done 26,000 in a year in mine on LPG. But make sure you get the manual. The auto is 0-60 in 8.5 secs and the manual 6.5 secs.
I have an LPG 55 plate for the missus and I drive a Suzuki LPG and the running costs are not bad for a fun, fast, tight estate. Mind the tyres though - 215/45/18 are only on the spec b and ferrari and the (best handling) Pilot Exalto PE2 will set you back £270+ per corner and you'll need all 4 doing (AWD). Falken Ze912 at £98 per corner are a v. good alternative. ...
Hi, I am looking into buying a Golf GTI, however I am a bit nervous of buying a car without knowing its full history. I have looked online and found that certain companies offer a service to do a check, however some of these companies are quite expensive and as there is a few different GTIs I want to check I do not want to pay each time. So my question is; is there a free way to check the car history? If not what is the best site/company to use to check a cars history? Thanks for any help. Read more
To be certain you need to read the numbers direct from the vehicle not just the registration plate,,see the log book, talk to the last owner,and then do a HPI check.and probably other things that somebody will come along shortly and tell you.
i have a 06 focus 1.6 turbo diesel,could you tell me how much roughly a clutch replacement would be on this model Read more
If you go for the DMF you will get not much change out of a 800ukp most people put a solid flywheel and normal clutch when replacing them a little bit cheaper.But why not ask a few garages for a price and then you will know for certain.
My 54 plate Mondeo needs a new clutch. I have been advised that the duel mass fly wheel can be replaced by a solid type. Can any body give me an idea if this is a good move, and approximately how much would it cost together with a new clutch? Read more
i would think 270000,miles from a cluch if replacing original is very good milage.
On replacing the coil pack , which blew yesterday, I noticed a small (about 1/4" ID) rubber pipe under the front right corner of the airbox (by the coilpack). It connects to a little valve (looks similar to an FPR), and disappears vertically downwards down the front of the engine. The bottom end is dangling in fresh air. Just to the left of it is a small spigot sticking out of the engine, which looks as if the pipe should be plugged onto it. I was unable to see properly or get a hand down there as it's a very narrow gap, so before I waste time trying to get enough things moved out of the way to reinstall it, I thought I'd ask if anyone knew what it was and if it should indeed be connected to the spigot.
Thanks... Read more
Hello all I have a strange story to tell, got the usual issues with the ICV lumpy running and erratic idleing. Cleaned it ran ok for few days then engine managment light came on and back to lumpy, so decided to replace icv with a new one. On starting the engine with the new icv in place the idle speed was constant at 4000 rpm. Put the old one back in and the idle was 800 rpm. So got a replacement new icv put it in and again idle constant at 4000rpm, so put the old one back in now 800rpm but lumpy with loss of revs when under load. Anybody got any ideas.
ps The diognostics are 10-5 = idle control valve. Read more
Thanks for that, it makes sence, when I say it looses power its more that it is starved of fuel then it gets a surge, also stalls at junctions. So yep you are probabley right it needs to go to a garage.
Thanks Bill
Hi all, best wishes for the season
I'm looking for advice after an accident yesterday. My neighbour was travelling to work and came up behind a minibus stationary on the same side of the road. The bus had it's hazard lights on. My friend checked the road ahead, indicated and overtook the bus. At that point the bus pulled out and t-boned my neighbours car badly, the car is a write off. My neighbour has third party, fire and theft insurance only. No witnesses and the bus driver was a complete, obnoxious so and so and of course won't accept liability. I overheard the bus driver telling the police he was moving and my neighbour tried to overtake him.
After the accident and before the police arrived, the bus driver insisted on moving the damaged car and the bus despite being told not to. We have taken photos and recovered the car so the damage can be seen.
I have no idea what is the likely outcome of this. My neighbour is insistent this was not his fault but if the bus driver sticks to his story then I don't know how he can prove he wasn't at fault. I'm also concerned his insurance company won't pay out for the damage to his car even if nobody is found at fault due to the level of cover he has.
Can anyone please offer advice? Thanks in advance
Read more
Hi all and many thanks for the advice.
There was nobody else in either vehicle, no independent witnesses either. The bus has minor scrapes on the front driver side bumper and my friends car, a rover MG is totally wrecked down the passenger side. The bus also pushed his car into the Kerberos which has snapped the suspension at the back. The value of the rover is approximate £800 on a good day so doubt the car would be repaired. I didn't see the accident but attended shortly after and took photos of the damage to both vehicles.
Lucy, thanks for the advice on inference. The damage does show thatbthe rover must have been well past the bus based on the damage. My neighbour is a young lad with a baby on the way, minimum wage so this would leave him in a difficult situation financially if he cant get any sort of payout. In the case of 50:50, does that mean he would get somewhere in the region of £400 from the other party? At most the bus needs a small respray on the bumper but the rover needs a whale new door, suspensions, window, respray etc.
Thanks again
Browse
You may have an air lock in the heater pipes.
Where the heater pipes go through the bulkhead one pipe has a white band around it by the compression pipe clip. This pipe has an air vent....