January 2012
Just noticed the new MOT test regs which have come into force, and are seriously going to kill the seconhand car market with regard to residual values. Lots of Electronic and electrical bits have been added and the cost of fixing some of these is going to kill off some older hi spec cars.
OUCH! Read more
I am bracing myself for the hate mail as I write this.
I read this forum regularly and there is a theme running through the majority of technical and discussion postings here - they involve European cars. There I said it.... Read more
Primera driver, German cars, straight,never heard one described as that, Well engineered,solid build quality,involving to drive.heard all of those. Still not heard the answer ,why don't Asian cars sell in greater numbers than more expensive premium cars from Germany. Perhaps the reason is the world is full of fools except me and thee.? And then the p11 primera ,that's so much better than a focus.? It's genetically a bluebird,the equivalent of a sleeping tablet in motoring terms. Primera, much loved by private hire drivers ,second hand it was cheap,had lots of room,it didn't matter it drove like a barge ,had a crude noisy engine and transmission.it kept going. Primera,ideal for a man who given a free choice would prefer a timex to a rolex. Tony g
You are continually falling into the trap of comparing workaday Japanese cars to premium German ones.
There is nothing particularly well engineered about the likes of the Golf, Polo or Passat. Nothing particularly involving about them either....
Why do they call a key fob a PLIP? Read more
Renault may have been at the forefront of remote central locking, but they left a really annoying feature in the system. If, after unlocking the car, the car is not started within 30 seconds, the immobiliser is reapplied. Unfortunately, the engine will still crank on the starter causing confusion to anyone not familiar with the system. You have to take the key out of the ignition, 'plip' it locked, then unlock it again! Only the French!
Not only the French - my Subaru did that and my Hyundai locks itself again if youb don't open any doors in the 30 seconds!
So the story goes... We had a turbo failure on Our 2001 Zafira 2.0 tdi. The engine proceeded to suck oil in through the turbo then back into the intake, using it as fuel. After one of the scariest moments of my life with the the engine just reving out of control and not turning off, i finally stalled it, probably just before full self destruct.
After this we began the repair process. Grabbed a new turbo and and fitted it, started it, and it started to go off again free revving. But this time it turned of with the key. So now we started to dig deeper and took out the cam. Under the cam we found that about half of the intake/exhaust rockers had been just smashed to bits. So we proceeded to hunt down replacement rockers. After locating and fitting them and putting it all back together again, the engine will turn over but will not start.
So we started checking the fuel system, checking all the line and connections. Everything seemed fine but when we cranked it no fuel would come out of one of the hard lines we had off the injector. So we thought maybe there was air in the lines. Finally just to ensure fuel was going we disconnected the out line on the fuel filter and fed fuel in with a long hose and funnel. We then cranked the engine and the pump started to suck fuels rom our gravity fed line just fine, and fuel came out of the loose injected line alright. So we tightened everything up and tried to crank her up. But it was still a no go.
We have reached the end of the little we know, any assistance in understanding what else to check or what it might be would be greatly appreciated. Read more
If the rockers are broken its a fair bet that the cam belt has broken, or at least slipped and put the timing out.
Have a 1998 Mondeo 1.8 which is misfiring when cold and under load. As it warms up it gets a bit better, but isn't right.
I have replaced plugs, which has helped (one was cracked). Swapping the HT leads made no difference. So my next suspect is the coil pack. Before I head down to the scrappy for a replacement, is there anything else I should be investigating? At the moment removing lead on 1 or 2 once running makes no difference. It will stall if I remove 3 or 4.... Read more
Thank you both. To the scrappy for a new coil pack!
I have removed the scuttle and it seems the ribbon has snapped off at the connector. It looks like the ribbon comes from the windscreen then in to a black plastic square (i guess a connector) which then connects to the main terminal via a wire. The ribbon is broken right by this black plastic square, is there any way to replace or repair this? I would guess its only snapped off a few of mm from the end of the ribbon. Read more
This happened on my CMax when a garage carelessly reinstalled the scuttle panel whilst replacing the front spings. It's an easy repair if you have a soldering iron (needs to be a fairly powerful one though). Remove the connector (it's not really a connector, rather just the point where the ribbon changes to a wire) completely. Strip back the insulation on the ribbon and attach a short length of wire connecting to the rest of the lead. The real connector is further along. Wrap the solder joint with insulation tape.
I have just read of the new emission laws due in before 2012 Olympics.
I was wondering if there is a known economical way of improving the many older diesel cars in London? If there is some garage could make a small fortune. Just add an E.G.R. system?... Read more
Am i right to be under the impression that this emission zone which comes in on the 3rd is only applicable to commercial vehicles?
If so theres a lovely 4.7 Grand Cherokee for sale just down the road and i'd be tempted to drive up and down the LEZ all day just to annoy them.
I have what I believe to be the start of a head gasket problem as it is seeping into the rad, very slightly. I have seen advertised a product called K-seal but does what it claims really work? Read more
Radweld Plus, that's a proper product.
Stood the test of time, and has the testing to prove it. K-Seal has nothing.
Might sound stupid but I have checked my owners manual several times and cannot see
which fuse is for my rear view lights. No mention whatso ever.... Read more
I would really appreciate any advice, had a head gasket done and car still playing up, over heated 5 weeks after having it done with car making horrendous knocking sounds and smoke coming from drivers side front binnet, took it back, mechanic said the fan had gone, replaced that, didnt resolve it, then said it was water pump, didnt resolve it, then said radiator had blockage, didnt resolve it, had diagnostics run and the temp sensor is faulty. Whilst looking through reciept, I decided to check the head gasket part number and it seems that the head gasket purchased was for upto a 2003 punto. Mines a 54 plate, and the difference in shape is obviously noticeable, also it is a different material, the supplier has specified it is important to select right head gasket, but mechanics saying its not important as long as the holes are in the same place, I am really concerned about this and would like somebody to advise me about the importance of the right head gasket part. Thank you in advance. Read more
Sorry to hear of your woes-pretty incompetent mechanic.
I'm still not convinced of the value of skimming the head as a matter of course. I've done three head gaskets (different cars), never skimmed and they stayed sealed....
Browse
I thought airbags had to be replaced after so many years. What is the point of testing if a light comes and goes out if in any case the airbag wouldn't work as it should..?