March 2011
Could anyone tell me how to change the battery in the flip key/ignition key.
... Read more
My wife filled her washer bottle up and noticed water pouring out the bottom of the car.
She looked in and could still see fluid in the reservoir. No water would go through the jets though... Read more
If there's fluid in the bottle, and fluid on the floor with none getting to the jets and the pumps working, it sounds like the pipe to the jets has got a kink in it stopping the flow, or the jets need cleaning/unblocking with a sharp ponted object like a needle.
I have had this car since it was 2 years old, and the brakes have cost me more than everything else put together. Now I am really desperate to know what to do. I don’t know much about cars but need help knowing where to go from here.
I hardly use the car from April to August every year, which may be part of the problem. I only do 3000 miles per year total, on quiet roads so not much braking.
The front nearside brake is jamming yet again. I had it serviced and freed off a week ago (they cleaned up and greased the piston sliders). It always happens at the beginning of a journey, and always can be freed by hard braking, but the wheel gets very hot. It then cools off and is fine for the rest of the day.
It has just passed it’s MOT, and has new exhaust, tyres and battery (had to to keep my job – I only use it to get to work). Given I will only get scrap value if I sell it now, I am trying to get it through the summer, with the hope of doing one more winter before giving in. It is a great little car in every other respect and has only minimal corrosion. I don’t feel I can try sell it without telling someone the problem.
Does anyone have any ideas of what else could be wrong, or how I can stop it jamming ? The fact that it only happens at the beginning of journeys would seem to rule out anything else like the brake pipes ?
I cannot afford to keep spending money on it, but don’t seem to have any options.
If anyone has any advice I would be really grateful. Or even any advice on how to stop it happening with my next car. Read more
Meant also to tell you to check that the brake light switch is not hoding the pedal slighty down, altough that normally would cause the brakes to bind with use, rather than at the start of a journey but worth a look anyway
Just reading about a "police operation" involving dvla and vosa, which saw over 400 vehicles stopped in a couple of weeks here in west wales and 48 no insurance, 70 no licence, 10 driving under the influence of alcohol and some with no mot, that's more than 25% of cars stopped, Just wondering how many were crushed after 14 days when fines/ved not paid or insurance documents or MOT not produced. That's a lot of cars!
As one of those poor people who need a car and pay my insurance/ved/mot etc and keep my car roadworthy, i don't feel sorry for those losing there cars, and apparently there were some 3-4 year old cars in the mix, not exactly old bangers! Read more
Some are stopped for ANPR,but others are spotted for no seat belt,mobile phone,eating and generally unsafe vehicles/driving.
my sat nav will warn me if i overspeed, but my nokia phone with sat-nav functioning allows me to set the amount over the limit and then warns me whatever road i am driving on, brilliant! so helps keeping those points off my licence. Read more
Watching local news in motel chain (no parking charges-low rate thru central reserv in March) I saw Oxfordshire Safetycams to be activated again ON FRIDAY.
Public domain info but it missed me until today. Too much at stake to rely on technology but can see the case as a backup. My experience is that warning signs are no bluff.
Fiat 500 2010 with 25,000 miles on the clock. Should the high mileage be a concern? Read more
Mileage in itself not the problem - but, driving school. hmm..
Would you really want a car that's been 'driven' (for want of a better word..) by people who can't (by definition) drive & will have been stopped/started/gear crunched/kangarood/ pootled around/ kerbed etc for 25,000 miles? Answers on a postcard pls....
My daughter's 2003 1.6l petrol sedan has visible runout of the multi-vee serpentine aux drive belt pulley on the crankshaft.
Is this pulley a fabricated item? Is this a known issue?... Read more
Change the pulley it is a damper pulley with a rubber insert and it is failing. Do this soon or there is a liability that if will fail, through the Aux belt which then smashes through the plastic timing cover and jams the cam belt with fatal results. Regards Peter
My apologies to all !!!! esp. to Peter....
Hi
5 weeks ago the Glow Plug warning came on when driving. I stopped the car, switched the engine off, waited a few seconds, re-started the engine - no more warning light. All has been OK....... until yesterday.... Read more
glow plug light coming on is also used as the ecu fault light on these..so need the codes read and then go from there as could be anything really.
Hi all.
Few problems have lead me to this site..
I have a 2003 Saxo Desire 1.5D, and over the past few days I have been unable to start it.
First of all there was life in the Battery (only 3mths old) - Now Flat - even doing a jumpstart does'nt get the car to start. (theres about 5litres of Diesel in it)
Got a Jump start 5-1 thingy, connected that up - Turned key - Battery, Engine Auto Diagnosis light flash, and it starts to click rapidly - Also the fuel needle doesnt budge (I know theres fuel in it).
Disconectted the Jumpstart kit, thought I'll jus check fuel level - turned key to M (ignition) and the folowing flash/ remain stable on the dash:
Electronic Immobiliser Ignition Key - Flashes
Battery Charge - Flashes
Engine Oil Pressure - Flashes
Air Bag Warning - Stable
Diesel Preheater - Flashes
Handbreak warning - Flashes
Engine Auto Diagnosis - Flashes
Thursday night i got the AA out on homestart:... Read more
did that still no joy, i took it for a good drive yesterday (with all the cutting out!) on way back stuck another 10litres in - its still smoking like a trooper and still all of the above.
Battery also is dead this afternoon - can I plug a 5-1 jumpstart kit into the mains and charge a battery that way?
A month ago my son was hit by an uninsured driver and his 6 month old Aveo was destroyed by the collision and an ensuing fire.
Admiral, his insurers, do not operate a 'replacement as new if the vehicle is written off in the first 12 months after first registration... Read more
Thanks for relating the help that the MD of and Chevvy gave to your lad Taxedout...and for highlighting one of many reasons why cheap insurance is cheap.
They needn't have helped out so well done them....
Browse
drove home and looked at the keu fob on the 2004 car, oppps got it wrong.
it doesn't have a screw, when you turn the fob upside down so the buttons are underneath the rear plastic cover is in 2 halfs the half near the key ring need to be push towards the keyring, then the batteries can come out........