March 2014
So my car was stolen and has not been found..
After finally settling the valuation amount with my insurance company, I went to cancel my policy because I no longer have a car, and they are telling me that I need to pay the remainder of my premium or continue to pay monthly installments until my policy is up for renewal..... Read more
A Warning to all motorist renewing their Car Tax online.
I have just renewd my car tax online. somehow I got scamed by TAXDISC DIRECT.CO who took £215 from my debit card for £175 worth of car tax I am normally very careful to check that the web site is genuine but as i was in a hurry and it looked like the official site i used it. I have got the tax disk but it has cost me an extra £40 and i probably should get a new debit card just in case.... Read more
Do the change of ownership online and get :-
You’ll be sent:...
I have a 1.6 petrol 51 plate Xsara Picasso. When I set off the car is ok until the engine is warm, then I notice when I stop the revs are a little high and slowly drops to normal. Each time I stop it takes a little longer for the revs to drop. Eventually it doesn't drop at all and then increases as if I have my foot to the floor, I have to turn the engine off whilst waiting at traffic lights and junctions.
I have done a diagnostic check and the only fault showing is slow cooling fan relay circuit.... Read more
Did you get it checked with Lexia diagnostic equipment? That can do much more than just code read, it can read live engine data and check components.
Hi, My focus has developed a problem where upon starting the car runs for a few seconds then cuts out stating 'engine system fault' and will not restart. RAC plugged in and seems the fuel pressure was too high with error code referencing the fuel pressure sensor. Having reset / cleared the errors the car re-started and after a short time pressure went to normal. RAC suggested a bit of dirt as seemed to sort its self. The issue has occured again but my local garage are not confident of what the issue is. Once running the car runs faultlessly with no issues. I do most of the maintenance myself but never had to get involved in the computer of fuel system side! As there are no symptoms when the car is running could the issue be the pressure sensor on the rail, mass air sensor... cant see it being the pump if the pressure is too high or the filter as surely if there was resistance their I would have hesitation/loss of power under high rev?
Suggestions greatfully received! Read more
Did you resolve the issue, if so what was the problem?
Hi everyone,
I am looking to buy my first car to commute to my job (40 miles a day). My priorities are reliability and safety and at the moment I am mainly looking at Hyundai i20s and Ford Fiestas. My budget is £6500 and I prefer the car to be less than 5 years old.... Read more
Another vote for the i20. Plenty of space, happy around town and on the motorway and, as groaver said, it's quite lively if you use the revs. The 1.2 petrol is as economical as any other similar sized petrol car.
Hi guys,
Need some help on this. Bought a 2003 VW Polo recently and was driving it to work this morning. Going 50mph downhill towards a queue of traffic as I moved to slow the car I suddenly felt I was unable to depress the break pedal..
It went down about 15% and I could feel the car just starting to break but beyond that, not matter how much pressure I applied, I couldn't get the pedal down, it was just stuck. It didn't feel like it was hitting anything solid, just like there was a pressure I couldn't overcome.
I kept pumping the pedal and eventually it just returned to normal, since then it was fine. I took it to a garage and the guy took a look and said he couldn't see any problem, and just topped up the break fluid.
I feel extremely edgy not having a diagnosis, I have read that possible causes such as an air bubble or debris in the break fluid could cause this and that it will happen periodically, and I'm not sure if the guy that checked the car over looked for that. He just seemed happy there was no problem, but I've never ever had a car do that before and it could easily be a deadly malfunction so I would like a better understanding to be honest... Read more
In addition as mentioned above if the brake fluid hasn't been changed in the last couple of years - change it now! Absorbed moisture plays havoc with hydraulic systems especially ABS units.
I have had various discussions with VW franchise re 7 speed dsg. From this I am told that my vw Golf Plus 1.9TDI DSG 2009 model does not need an oil change as it does not have a gearbox sump plug ( according to the local franchisee!) so they cannot drain the oil. Despite the fact that they keep sending me notifications to get my oil changed.(now at 40,000 miles). Can anyone confirm that this is correct - is it sealed for life??. Why would this be? I receive various answers from different VW sources. Who is right?
The last (from VW Customer services) said they will recall my vehicle to have the Metronic oil changed ( after I asked them about the various media remarks about DSG) and they also told me the gearbox drain plug is underneath the unit?! They also said the garage/franchise will be informed as to how the metronic oil can be changed. I also note that Honest John in the telgraph had an article about DSG last week that said there is no need to change the oil in the Metronic unit in the uk? That this information came from VW. Now who knows what VW Customer servcies are up to and where are they getting the information? I also need to understand a term they use at VW that my unit is a dry unit is this just ref the clutch mechanism. Read more
There are two types DSG7 wet clutch and dry clutch. Dry clutches do not need a change and wet clutches every 40K and therefore would be in your service manual.
Morning all,
I've been having a Google search for this problem for quite some time, and I usually find it's either one problem or the other as opposed to both at the same time.... Read more
Sounds very much like the plastic thermostat housing is fractured.Not uncommon on these.The other issue may be corrosion of the aluminium cylinder head material where the stat is bolted.This could be more of a problem.Low water in the system means no heater.
Garage have recommended replacing above on a 59 plate 19k mileage .
Should I go ahead or ask for a re-set first to see if fault comes back ?... Read more
You don't say what your problem is but a sensor is highly unlikely to be faulty. Garages commonly misdiagnose because of a basic misunderstanding of the engine management system.
How exactly does an engine control unit differentiate between a sensor that is giving a poor reading because of an engine running problem, and a sensor giving a poor reading because the sensor is at fault. The fact is it cannot, and this is why sensors are changed but rarely cure the problem.
Bit confused. Sorry for all the part numbers but they might mean something to someone.
I fitted a JVC KD-X30 4x50W MP3 head unit a couple of years back, which was a big improvement on the OEM TAPE DECK!
The speakers were the next weakest link so yesterday I fitted a Pioneer TS-Q171C Separate 2-Way Custom Speaker System (Door speakers and dash tweeters)
These are designed for PSA cars and all went together easily in about five minutes.
Again, a huge improvement in quality especially with separate tweeters but there seems to be noticeably less bass, and turning the volume up results in more distortion than I'd expect from a £90 kit on a decent head unit.
I have a feeling an amp may be required to get the best from the new speakers but not entirely sure as I know very little about I.C.E.
I've never bothered upgrading the audio system in any vehicle yet. But as I spend so much time in the van, and I am a music lover, this is almost a 'treat'
Read more
speakers should be 4 or 8 ohms you can find some are 6 but its nominal impedance ie it fluctuates, personally I would fit 4 ohms but thats me, you should then get the best from HU
Some are 16 Ohms but will halve the output due to poor resistance,you could have volume flat out but it wont sound it,if you have the correct speakers already it can only be low output from head unit or as stated cable but I`d go for former...
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Thanks for all of the info and comments, its definitely shed some light on the subject for me..