August 2013
Hi there.
I have a old r reg ford fiesta. When I start the car the heater will blow cold and I can drive for hundreds of miles with it blowing cold, but if I turn off the car and start again if engines hot it will blow out hot through the heater and won't change temperature by turning the temp dial.... Any ideas what's causing this? I've got to drive 500 miles in a few days with my little toddler in the car in warm weather... So if I can fix it myself I will try. (I'm a Tom boy who loves playing with cars) :-)
Thanks guys
Karen x Read more
I can't remove the pin that holds the cover and the brake pads in . I t will move round but not come out . Is there a screw holding it? Be grateful for advice. Read more
Could anyone help please? The problem I have is that the radio is permanently in 'one hour' mode. All the fuses are intact. If you disconnect the radio and reconnect it works normally for 3 or 4 switches of the ignition then reverts to one hour mode. I've changed the radio then Ford technical said it was the GEM module which I changed but the problem persists. Has anyone any ideas/experience with what this might be or if not could you point me to a good auto electronics engineer in the south of England. Read more
Many thanks for your thoughts on this. The consensus is that the switched live feed through the ignition switch must be failing, so I think you are on the right track. Thanks again.
In "Ask HJ" he makes the statement that;
"I never recommend budget tyres because I can't trust them,..."
When does a tyre cease to be, or become a budget tyre?
Are the standards set for tyre manufacture so low as to be useless?
Since having a nightmare with Dunlop SP's on one car, and seen the price of other "Premium" brands, I usually go with Hankook or Kumho and have yet to aquaplane or kill small children owing to extended breaking distances. Read more
Budget tyres today offer more grip than premium tyres did 15 years ago, yes premium tyres are better but there's nothing wrong with budget tyres. 99% of accidents are caused by driver error not lack of grip.
Of course there are compromise brands like Kumho who sell premium quality tyres at mid-range prices. I generally buy cheaper tyres and change them before they hit 3mm of wear, a budget tyre with 3mms of tread will offer more aquaplane resistance than a premium one with 2mms. ...
2 weeks ago I was sat in traffic when I was hit in the rear. Not at fault.My very good condition and well maintained car has been classed a write off (2100 repairs on a car worth 1600). Light cosmetic damage (no broken lights, scratched bumper) main issue is slightly creased floor plan. I refused the services of a management company (and I am glad I did). My insurer are being very inert and unhelpful. I cant buy the car and get the difference as a settlement. I just feel in limbo and now have my unrepaired car back (its fully driveable). After 2 weeks I am back to square one - damaged car not repaired. My isurer are being useless - no commication or updates. Any ideas how I can gee them along Read more
Well I have made progress with the insurer. I have found a insurance approved garage who will fix it. Just waiting for the engineers report (3rd reprot on the car!!)
I have been told I need to replace the EGR valve and have been quoted between £600 - £800 by my local garage (as they will need to take it to Ford to reconfigure). Is this correct? Any advice for a cheaper option (excluding DIY) would be very welcome. Read more
If the local garage have quoted £6-800 go direct to Ford. £100 part and an hour to fit, £200 tops.
I had mine done under warranty on my X type and it took about 30 minutes.
Hi,
Some weeks ago,the engine managment light came on.The fault code reading indicated a faulty airflow sensor.This was replaced and all was ok for two weeks,now the same fault has come up again.It only seems to occur in hot weather.Any ideas??... Read more
air flow meter faults will also flag if the car suffers with stalling & champion plugs are also a major headache with these for causing AFM & signal error faults !
Front wheel vibration from 60 mph upwards since buying the Kuga in mid 2011. Local garage stated not its problem so had front wheels balanced, rear wheels balanced, front wheels again balanced then tracking checked. Finally local garage re-checked wheel balance and said it must be the tyres. There is no obvious tyre damage or uneven wear and there is still a lot of tread left even at 17000 miles. Other than changing the tyres is there anything else I can do? Read more
If its not wheel balance its got to be the tyres, I had a pair of new Goodyears on a Citroen XM when I bought it, the car always pulled to the offside - until I changed the tyres. You possible have ply seperation, one way you an check is to jack one wheel up just clear of the road and run the engine, observe the gap between the tyre and road as the wheel rotates, you may find that it is varying because the tyre is out of round.
I'm thinking I may have to take the car dealer to court but not sure whether to get legal advice first? I bought the Audi A3 4 weeks ago (paid cash) and knew the ESP light was on when bought it, I was told the car needed new brake discs and sensor and this would all be done by the time I collected the car 2 days later. When my partner collected the car (and handed over my Smart Roadster as part ex) he was told the EPS light was still on as they had found it needed a new ABS repair kit, he then arranged to take the car back the week after to have this work done. But 2 days later the engine management light came on and I took the car straight back and was told they would sort it out. A week later (after the ABS repair kit was fitted) my partner collected the car again but found it was driving in limp mode so took it straight back. Once again we were promised it would be sorted out. Another 7 days later we contacted the garage and was told it was a pressure gauge that had failed and it was going into Audi to be fixed as the german car specialist they took it to previously could not deal with it. A few days later we rang the garage again to see if was ready and was told (by the owner of the business) the manager we were previously dealing with was on holiday and he then swore at my partner when we asked when we would be getting the car back. The day after, I rang the german car specialist and they told me they HAD diagnosed it and it needed the gearbox refurbing but when the car was collected by the garage they were told not to do any work on the car as it wasn't 'worth the cost', I also rang Audi and they confirmed it was not booked in for a pressure gauge fitting. I rang the owner again and he then said he didn't know anything about this and was going to take it to a specialist the next day but that was a week ago and I still haven't heard anything. So I'm now left without the Audi (but I have a courtesy car they gave me a week ago - which am not driving as it has 3 warning lights on the dash!) and no idea what is happening! Read more
"From what has been said chances are you will win, but then comes the game of getting the money out of them."
Indeed. The next step would be to use bailiffs or sheriffs, which costs more money; again, if successful, you would get this extra money back as well, as part of your costs....
Hi all,
After looking through many sites for answers to should i buy an mk3 Espace, ive decided that the only way to overcome the crazy-ness would be to fit a more reliable engine. My question is, would the likes of a transit TDI or banana engine fit in the bay?... Read more
The space can be made BIGGER!
Browse
Is the radiator fan cutting in correctly?
In my experience if the temperature is low/normal most of the time, but shoots right up under various odd circumstances, then I suspect there is an airlock forming within the heater matrix, or associated pipes.
To prove this [or not]...next time [in traffic perhaps] the temp gauge shoots right up [if the heater is on 'cold']...try turning the heater to 'hot'..and see if the temp gauge quickly returns to 'normal?'