January 2013
I have a late Mk2 Focus Hatchback (registeredJanuary 2008 last of pre-facelift).
I have had this car since new, never a problem until recently BUT over last 2/3 months when there is an outside temperature change, either the front or rear screens (or both) have masses of mist and condensation on the inside and I have to keep a kitchen roll in the car to mop it all up.... Read more
Hi There... Read more
As for tyres, they're 205/55 R16 91V Radial Tubeless Continentals. New on back and front. Which didn't correct the problem (I tried!)
Can anyone help or advise me on my next best decision after a so called family friend borrowed my sprinter motorhome and filled the tank up with red diesel without asking me for permission.
I have trawled the internet and can see that a hefty fine (£500 FIRST OFFENCE) , vehicle impounded , cost to store and recover vehicle plus a calculation that all the mileage expended in that vehicle since I was the legal owner will have the fuel duty charged against...approx 35kmiles in the last 5 years.... Read more
Run it down to almost empty, a couple of tankfuls of white in it and the red fuel will be pretty much undetectable. Don't worry about it!
I am thinking of buying a car which is 2008 to 2010 registered diesel. But I’m looking for an economical, reliable and great car to drive.
Option 1 - Mazda 6 (09/10 plate) -but heard many horror stories about how bad the diesel cars are and chain cam being a problem.... Read more
spam link - again
hi all, i recently bought the above car, it has 166k but had a new engine, clutch and DMF at 105k. I have changed the oil last week for a vw specific 5w30, only around 2.5 litres fell out (still quite clean), while filling with 2.5 litres shows as slightly over on the dipstick. I have had conflicting ideas of how much these should take, it is on a 03 plate. Some say 2.5, others say 3.5, others say 4.5. It recently had a new sump as the old one had leaked (high speed hump?) could a smaller than standard sump have been fitted? the sump nut needed a 'm16 splined bit' on a half inch drive, to remove it
Another thing, how exactly do i find out if the engine change at 105k (presumably for the camshaft wear issue) was a like for like job? the paper work shows engine code ARL 16044, but the sticker on engine says ARL 059657.... Read more
I am still here and glad to hear your mechanic who could see, hear and feel the engine under his nose was far more able to fix it than someone giving you free advice remotely using 3rd hand information provided by someone who does not know what they are dealing with...
Hi Gurus, really appreciate some thoughts out there.
My baby is an 04 Citroen Picasso 2.0 hdi diesel. Ive had her since 2007 and she's done 59000 miles. She has always started first time no problems but when it was really cold a couple of years ago she took 3 or 4 turns (each about 10/15 seconds) of the engine to get her going, car seems smooth enough though once going. When that winter was over I replaced the heater plugs thinking that they would be the likley cause but they all looked in good nick but I changed them anyway. BOttom line is its still a poor starter, churning over ALOT more than it used to before it coughs into life. Whats the thoughts on the next line I should take ??... Read more
Hi, thanks for this comment, in your opinion what would your next logical step be ? Im thinking paying for a compression test OR getting the fuel injectors reconditioned ??Thank you
A quick easy test is to locate the fuel filter housing beneath the engine cover. It's black, circular and about 6" in diameter. Get an assistant to switch the ignition on and off, but do not crank the engine. Whilst he is doing so you should see the filter housing swell slightly and ease back. This will tell you if the in-tank fuel pump is working as it should do. Common rail fuel pressure can be checked using suitable diagnostic equipment which as I said before must reach at least 10,000kpa on cranking before the engine will start, but it should be remembered that the rail pressure reading is what the sensor is telling the ECU, not the actual pressure in the rail, which could be different if the sensor is faulty. Pumps do not create pressure. They facilitate flow. Pressure comes from opposition to flow. The pressure in the common rail will be reduced if too much fuel is allowed to return to the tank from one or more injectors. Apart from removing the fuel return pipes to measure the quantity of fuel leaking off, do not attempt to do anything to the fuel injectors. They are expensive and could easily be damaged if you tamper with them. A diesel fuel injection specialist should be able to do these checks for you, and re-condition your injectors if necessary.
Hi
Citroen berlingo XTR 1.6 HDI 2009 reg... Read more
The berlingo vans (09)have been changed at 5 years and 80,000 odd miles.
I'm looking for a diesel 2005 ford galaxy or vw sharan aroind the £2,500 mark. The ones I've seen advertised have high mileages around 150,000. I'll be converting it into a camper & heading off into europe so reliability is important.
ANything I should be aware of, if the engine's knackered how much is a rebuild? Would I be better off picking up an older (say 2001) Galaxy for a £1000 and then using the money saved to get it up to standard?... Read more
>>>Ah, so general advice to avoid automatics for reasons of potential failure, rather than specific advice to avoid automatic Galaxies.
No, I could and should have have made that clearer. Their advice was to avoid any of the auto boxes on VAG engines (Passats, Sharans, Alhambras, Galaxies, Golfs etc) especialy tiptronic. Their advice was to seek out certain specific engine codes and the 5 speed manual for best reliability and longevity potential. Quite a bit of advice here confirming it from people such as 659FBE who know a spooky amount about it all!
Hi, I posted here over a year ago as my work was to move offices to over 30 miles away from home so a round commute each day of 66 miles, most of that on motorway - and the new office is on the snow line (yes, seriously - a well researched move!). It got delayed but is now happened on February 15th. So the hot topic in the office is everyone buying new cars! I've been seriously looking for the past couple of months but the more I look, the more confused I get.
My current choice is probably between a Polo Match or Ford Fiesta - I also looked at the Swift, Juke, Yaris and i20. Today I had a test drive in and loved a 1.25 5 door Zetec Ford Fiesta that was on offer for £9,495. It's a 12 plate, pre reg with a year's road tax and only 25 miles on it. This seems a very good deal but they're offering me a really poor trade in price. I drive a 1.2 08 plate Nissan Micra Acenta, great condition, 37,000 miles on it, done my research, seems to be worth at least £3200 and they said £2600. For anyone reading this who lives in central Scotland, you'll understand which dealership I was at given the monopoly they have in the area (!!). The VW arm of the same dealer said £2700 at a test drive of a pre reg Polo and then said they'd give me £4k if I bought a more expensive new car - more expensive than the difference in the increased trade in price offer!!!... Read more
There is a new updated Ford Fiesta that has just come out. It's a significantly improved car compared with the 12 reg. you were considering. The ride comfort is superior, less road noise, much improved quality, superior driving experience. You can order a new one and have a 13 reg number plate for early March. Alternatively you may be able to locate a low mileage 62 reg. demo.
A Ford Style 1.25 82ps 5 door can be purchased on the road including delivery & VED for around £10,100. A Ford Zetec 1.2 82ps will be around £10,600. If you want better fuel economy then the 1.0 Ecoboost 100ps 5 door has zero VED and an on the road price of around £11,700.00, this engine has plenty of power and torque as a result of a small turbo, fuel economy should be around 15% better than the 1.25 82ps. The Zetec model holds its value better than the Style model....
We have a 2008 VW Crafter van, with 120K on the clock. Our DPF caused it to go into limp mode and it wouldn't regenerate, so the garage suggested removing it - which they did. We continued to see a lot of black smoke, and returned the van to the garage, who diagnosed a turbo issue. The turbo has been replaced, but the oil consumption is still high - about 1 litre every 400 miles.
The black smoke has definitely decreased, but we're concerned about the amount of oil we appear to be consuming.... Read more
I wouldn't think that high oil consumption would make it unreliable - unless it runs out of oil of course which will wreck it, so just keep an eye on the level. High oil consumption is normally caused by excessive engine wear which generally only happens at a high mileage but it could be caused by leaking valve stem seals.
Peter
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Apologies, it's the mk1 with that problem.
Got this advice from someone in the know.
First, give all the internal windows a thorough clean with a window cleaning agent.
After driving the car and before turning off the engine set your climate control to Off or to floor without defog/windscreen before shutting it off. Leave it enough time to close the internal flaps (approx. 3 secs). What is happening is some water is getting into the evaporator core box through the windshield cowel and it's evaporating and condensing on the windshield.