May 2013
Got a few problems with my KA, but I'll start with the most pressing.
Recently, after driving, there has been a gurgling sound coming from the coolant hoses and expansion tank. The level has not been dropping and I've always kept it topped up. The hoses get plenty hot and there's no sign of any steam or leakages anywhere. I thought it was only longer jouneys but it also happened after 5 miles.... Read more
I just changed the Clutch Assembly on my Fiat Punto Active Sport car. Following the Repair manual instructions, I disconnected the gear linkages etc in order to remove the transmission and gain access to the clutch assembly. Having reassembled the Unit after successfully changing the clutch assembly, the car starts OK, however I cannot engage the reverse gear. I can only select a forward gear, and physically move forward. I am not sure if this is a single forward gear as a selection occurs when I select any forward gear. However there is no gear engaged when I select reverse and hence no reverse movement. I suspect this may have something to do with the gear linkages. Is there anything I must take into account when reconnecting these two linkages. How do they relate to each other. I hope you can help me Read more
Can you get hold of a workshop manual for your car?
They sometimes have a set up for the gear linkage. Not sure what type yours has, but some types I've done in the past need the rod lengths to be an exact dimension....
This is my first post on this site so hi to all. My wife has just come into a little money and she decided to spend some on a new car. We have two medium sized dogs and are fed up with having the back seat down on our 11 year old Micra to accominadate them. So have a look on web sites to se what is arround at prices we could afford and found Honest John and looked at all the reviews. we whittled it down to the following Hyundai Ix20 mini MPV, Kia Venga, Skoda Fabuia Estate and the Skoda Roomster.
We went to the local Maidstone dealers and test drove all found nothing wrong with driving the Ix20 and the Venga in fact quite a nice drive but found that the boot space was not big enough to accomidate a rather athritic old colly and a colly cross lab also the dashboard controls resembled a fighter plane and rather confusing.... Read more
Just to report thea the Roomster has now covered over 500 miles and beyond all expactions and great drive a realy cracking car.
Does this need changing at regular intervals ? I just topped it up in the office runabout car, a Mondeo 2.0 Estate 2008, and I put a bit too much in, so I sucked the excess out with a syringe, and noticed that the old stuff is kind of chocolate colour, and the new stuff much clearer and lighter.
I can find nothing in the maintanence records about this.... Read more
Well it's bound to degrade, as it is lubricating a high speed hydraulic pump and steering rack. It is likely full of wear particles, hence the discolouration.
...
Earlier last year I had an accident with the car causing damage to the bumper and bonnet corner which crumpled a bit. I had agreed to have this fixed for £400, as we had third party insurance. The bodywork shop dealer took months to sort it out. Which I was patient with at first as Id had little time to get to the garage myself on the days he was free ,so I got him to do half of the work for £200 just enough so I could drive it aorund legally, and agreed to do £200 of the work later, nothing which was documented, regretably.
Anyway come september, my insurance was running out and tax as well at the same time, and the old bmw broke down. I had the waterpump fixed a week before so knew it was something to do with that. I paid £80 already to have it replaced.... Read more
Sadly, I don't rate the chances here. This highlights a big problem with vehicle documentation in the UK, the fact that whilst the V5 does not prove ownership, there isn't anything else that does. The V5 is the closest thing you have to go on if trying to establish who owns a car, and from previous cases discussed here it seems the police are inclined to steer well clear of this sort of case.
The issue is that if the dealer has the V5, unless you are accusing him of stealing it from you, it is clear that you have given it to him. If that is the case, any argument about money etc becomes rather insignificant, as whatever you accuse him of he can simply deny; the overriding fact is that you have passed the V5 to him and it (probably) has his name on it. If you go to the police and claim he has defrauded you, he can simply say that he bought the car from you for cash, and you are now trying to get him to pay you again....
Hi, I'm having a few problems with BBC iplayer, online Ch4, etc. All of these 'mainline' websites stall from time to time - due to lack of banwidth. Sometimes I can watch an hour long documentary without the 'buffering' and at other times I just can't be bothered due to the constant buffering.
And yet I can watch a HD documentary on Utube - and there is never a problem. They just play ! I have a standard BT connection, apparently good enough for HD video.... Read more
Thanks for the replies, and sorry for my delay in answering. I can remember back in the days of Freeserve dial up the difficulties of dealing with two suppliers. Each blamed the other for faults, and then Orange took over and things got worse. I went BT internet to sort of consolidate the two services. And to be honest, once you get used to the different accents (Scottish, Welsh, Indian etc) the service is excellent. And the engineers visits are not chargeable. But they've never really sorted out my intermittent / slow connection.
I've decided to go for the fibre optic option, expensive and time consuming for BT to install and not much more expensive for me. Actually - according to the Scottish salesman I spoke to, the fibre optic plan works out a whole lot cheaper than my present unlimited plan. We'll see !
Hello,
I need help buying a car on the modest budget of £2000.
Having wasted hours and hours of my life last year, stranded in laybys with my renault grand scenic and thousands of pounds on keeping it going i am desperate to buy a decent car this time. So my priorities are that it be reliable and economical. I do a fair amount of driving on open road and in town, probably around 30miles a day, as well as occasional long distance trips. 7 seats was great (the only good thing about the grand scenic) but i can live without it as i dont think its acheivable in my budget. i do have three children to taxi around as well as all the stuffthat goea with them, so it needs to be a real workhorse.
My husband is keen on a golf... I am thinking something Japanese as I am told they are the most reliable? But what do you think, can you give me some advice?
Many Thanks Read more
Another good tip! I hadn't heard of the Honda Stream, I will see if I can find one.
Thanks again!
Hello all,
Looking for some help!
I'm a single mum and worked really hard to buy my new car which was a major treat to myself!
I'm now sick and could cry myself to sleep most nights as I'm struggling to see how I can afford to run it!
I bought a hyundai i40 1.6 petrol tourer as it gave me the space I need for my little girl and all her grubbing and came with all the extras that made it feel really special!
I bought it from arnold clark but instead of the mpg of nearly 42 I am only getting about 30 mpg!
It now has 894 miles on ten clock and has cost me well over £200 in petrol to do that mileage!
I have filled up at the same petrol station, driven the same routes etc to see how the mpg changes but nothing makes it more economical! I drive with my 4 year old in the car and don't exceed 65 mph even on the motorway and always try to get it into 5 th and 6 th gear as soon as possible and only accelerate slowly!
I feel a bit let down - any suggestions as I cannot afford to spend £3 k a year on fuel just to do 8 thousand or so miles a year! It has taken all the joy out of a new car and if I honest I feel let down by the salesman who I'm surprised didn't feel the need at any pint to make me aware of this gas guzzling car.
It would prob be cheaper for me to drive a hummer!
Help! Anyone else got one and has the same concerns or experiences?
Read more
The petrol i40s are known for being very thirsty
50 mpg is easily achievable on the diesels. However this is dependant on the oil used. Mine went as low as 38 with cheep oil from a local garage...
JCT600 have taken over the 3 Audi dealerships near me and as i have just bought my first Audi i wondered what they were like as a dealership and if anybody has any experience with them Read more
I bought a new A4 cab from their wakefield branch. 3 months later the steering rack was making a racket on full lock. After replacing the rack once the problem was still there. I was so frustrated after 6 months i spoke to their Commercial Director who basically implied I was lying and didnt want to know. I sold the car after three months and never went back there. I've heard they concentrate on hard selling.
A gurgling sound from the cooling system and a warning light ,suggests you definitely have a problem.If there is no water loss,then it could be a thermostat problem.If you have the old style endura engine,it is a cheap and easy job.The later overhead cam engine is more involved and more expensive.hth