August 2013
This is just for a bit of fun but if for some reason we had to switch to driving on the right....as the Swedes did.....could we actually do it? Read more
I recently bought Astra Estate car. everything is fine with the car except it doesn't start some time for 5/10 minutes and service light (car with spanner) blink and after many attempts it start and run fine. the service is done few weeks before and vauxal service centre checked and reset some codes but car still has problem. plz help! Read more
Vauxhall cars have a bit of a reputation for engine management faults. Try taking it to an electronic diagnosis specialist rather than another vauxhall dealer.
If it's a faulty engine sensor or egr valve, it shouldn't be too expensive to fix. The other option is just to fit new parts by random guess work, which can be expensive and time consuming.
I'm looking for a really cheap runaround to do approx. 80 miles per week.
I've narrowed my choices down to a couple of cars -
1. Mazda323 1.3 litre, 2001 reg. with 105,000 on the clock;
2. Daewoo Matiz 1.0 Xtra, 2004 reg. with 105,000 on the clock;
3. Daewoo Lanos 1.6 SX, 2003 reg. with 95,000 on the clock.
They all seem to be in fair to good condition for their age and are a similar asking price. I think the Mazda sounds like the better choice, but I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Many thanks Haf Read more
I'd forget about the Matiz -- at that age and miles it's about at the end of the line.
I'd echo the comments about going Hyundai if you're interested in Korean bangers -- Hyundais have been nearly at the level of the Japanese for a long time in terms of reliability; Daewoos weren't terrible but the Matiz was never one of their best cars (the engines are prone to problems with the timing belt and head gaskets fail)....
my rear nearside brake light is not working, i have tried changing bulbs but still same, swopped bulbs from offside and still same, i then changed bulb holder today and still same problem,
anybody know what it could be. Read more
If you haven't got a multi-meter it might be a cheaper option to buy a cheap one (about six quid) than replacing bulb-holders etc. There is also a cheap LED voltage tester that you can get from car-parts shops - it's just a plastic stick with a line of LEDs. Clip the black lead to eath and the red probe to your wiring terminals and the LEDs light up to show the voltage. I have found that the quality of Vauxhall wiring is suspect, with the use of dis-similar metals in bulb holders which causes connection problems.
Failing the availability of a test-meter, Just try running a wire from the earth terminal of the faulty bulb holder directly to a clean (not painted) bolt head or nut on the bodywork, and then a wire from the live terminal of the working bulb to the 'live' terminal of the non-working bulb and see which one lights the bulb....
Just returned from holiday in florida. We had seven of us and we were given a Chrysler Town and Country about the same size as an Espace I guess. Easy to drive with everything electric including sliding side doors. auto lights, air con was great. getting in the drivers seat was an art and a large person might not manage! The 3.6 petrol was giving around 20 mpg but at $3.50 a gallon I didn't care. with no lane discipline required there was no road rage and any navigation errors were soon reversed with a traffic lighted u turn. All this for $30,000 dollars. Read more
We had a Chrysler Town & Country about three years ago in California. Must have been a similar vehicle to the OP's and performed in a similar way. Very happy with it. We then moved to New York State for the remainder of the trip and were given a similar vehicle, but with a different badge. Less goodies, smaller engine and fewer gears. Not as nice to drive... but still preferable to a Kia Sedona.
I cant get any rear lights to operate on the right side of the vehicle. When I operate the indicator switch the dashboard light flashes rapidly Read more
I'd start by checking the earth connection (assuming all the bulbs haven't failed).
I bought a Mondeo Zetec (tdci 140) in April. When I purchased the vehicle it had just under 12,000 miles on the clock. It was only registered to ford prior to purchase. At about 15,000 miles I noticed a problem when going up the gears and trying to accelerate. There was a brief pause before the car moved forward. Then, with the momentum of going up into a higher gear, it was like a sudden, noticeable thrust in acceleration. I took it to ford who couldn't find a fault. They told me to come back when the "engine malfunction light" came on. I carried on driving the car (still performing exactly the same) until about 18,000 miles when the light eventually came on. I took it back to fords who told me that the light indicated a deterioration in my oil and oil filter. They changed the oil and filter, which I paid for because this wasn't covered under warranty. I also paid for a pcm update, as I was told it needed one. A couple of hundred miles later the light came on again. This time I was told the computer behind the dashboard was showing a fault. Fords cleared the fault, and for about 1,000 miles the car drove really well. At about 20,000 miles the car reverted to driving as before. Only this time the hesitation was gone, but the thrust in acceleration has returned. In addition, when this thrust in acceleration comes, so too does the engine malfunction light. This thrust in acceleration causes the engine to reverberate slightly. When the car runs in this way I also notice that my mpg takes a noticeable hit also!! Please help!! I really don't know what to do. Read more
Hi,
I have a 2009 plate Nissan Micra DCI (diesel) 1.5 engine. ... Read more
First time in 6 months from new that i've been present when the lorry cab was tilted this week (fuel filters needed unsheduled replacement), so took the opportunity to compare the dipstick level (needs cab tilted) with the in cab electronic reading, sure enough identical.
Still rather have a dipstick as well, nothing quite like being able to see feel and smell the oil for yourself....
I was thinking of buying a 1-2 year old petrol qashqai +2 for my dogs as i like the boot room, driving position and space. However i've read some dire reviews of the car with numerous problems. I was wondering if anyone had an independent opinion (unlike the cut and paste what car, auto expres etc) opinion or even better experience of a +2 petrol model. Read more
I think the reason for petrol Tiguans being few and far between is that, unusually, the petrol 2.0 costs more (new) than the diesel with the same equipment level.
When slowing down to about 10-15 mph, when I let my foot off the brake there is quite a loud "clunk" from the rear brakes. Has anyone else experienced this, if so is it normal, or should I have it checked out under warranty. Read more
Information. Clunk stopped, all fine. However when I filled the car the noise started again. Phoned Jaguar and apparently it's somthing to do with the securing/insulation around the fuel tank which they know about. Booked in for modification.
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Some years ago American Samoa changed from driving on the right to driving on the left so they could take advantage of the second hand Japanese cars that are prevelant round the Pacific. (Leave aside for the moment the islanders "any side will do" attitude, driving in Samoa is, shall we say an experience).
First problem came when the US style school buses pulled up adjacent to the kerb on the right side of the road and disgorged their contents into the melee of drivers unsure of which side of the road they were meant to be driving on in their betel nut fuelled haze.....