June 2014
Anyone had their DPF removed? Instant MOT failure now apparently. Read more
Ironically my car that was never fitted with a DPF has a lower VED rate than my car fitted with a DPF.
VED is based on the CO2 figure. A DPF removes particles, it has nothing whatsoever to do with CO2. Thus having a DPF will not reduce your VED....
Hello
I have a few problems:
Problem 1
On my rover 25 , if I go into reverse gear it makes a grinding noise when trying to reverse car and the car does not move. It takes a while to get into reverse gear a bit embrassing when trying to do turn in the road .what could the problem be and what is the solution? Car has only done 52000 miles and it is cable clutch system.
Will changing the gear oil make a difference , or is this problem a sign gear oil is low?
Problem 2
The brake pedal vibrates sometimes randomly. I changed the front brake discs and brake pads thinking the discs and pads were causing the problem. I have been told it is just the abs kicking in when the wheels detect the road surface is uneven.is this the problem or is it something else.
And finally as the car is an LPG car as well , I am planning to replace the spark plugs as it has been 25k miles since last changed by previous owner. I have been told to use NGK spark plugs , now do the spark plugs need to be iridium coated, platinum or copper will do?also do the spark plugs need to be special type or brand just NGK plugs will do? And is any modification required such as altering the gap or do NGK already have this gap altered?
Thanks
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Thanks, where is the clutch cable located on a rover 25, 1.6 , any pics ? I did a google search and could not find much. I was told it was under the air filter box but cannot find it. Am I looking in the correct location?
I cannot find the gear oil drain hole and the filler hole, can these be reached from under the bonnet? Where are they located as it is difficult to find again?
The brake pedal vibration/thumping noise happens randomly , some days it happens on other days it does not. It happened in a car park the other day , I went back to the car park and went over the exact same spot under the same conditions as before and there was no vibration/ pulsation. Funny thing is I was parking into my drive and it happened so I reversed car and tried same again, it did not happen. My steering wheels are straight when the vibration / thumping noise happens. Is it the road surface ,setting the abs off? I took it to kwik fit where they did their free brake test. Put it on the ramp , etc they could not find anything. This random brake problem is a puzzler. I remember my alfa romeo 1.6 ts 2004 used to have same problem which used to occur randomly.
Swapping wheels about the other day, I checked the brake pads as usual. I knew they were wearing a lot faster than I am accustomed to but to find them nearly worn out at 28,000 was a surprise.
What was even more surprising was the discs. They look perfect, no grooves etc, but have a significant lip. Given that the wear allowance is only 1.6mm I'll change those too. ... Read more
I'm sure they're fine but I get the impression they are more generic than the Pagid or Textar ranges. That's the problem - it's only an impression.
They are in effect saying they are different, without being totally clear about what those differences are....
I thought the old one looked great. I wanted to test drive one of the old ones, but when I got to the dealer I found out that they had recently stopped doing them. Bringing it back would be good and it would be hard for me to say no.
I think the older one looked a bit better, but the new still looks better than any of the other smallish cars on the market.
I have a 52 plate ford focus zeta 1.6 160. Travelling back from Birmingham to Liverpool my car suddenly lost power as if I'd stalled at 50mph I was attended by AA who diagnosed the problem as being a broken timing/cambelt. When I came to do the repair I found the belt had not actually snapped but all of the belt teeth that were at the crank shaft had been ripped off, leaving that section of the belt smooth. I have now replaced the belt and tried to start the car but both serpentine belt systems (timing and fan belt) are jolting as if trying to turn over, then there is a single click and they both seem to seize in place.
Any help would be greatly appreciated... Read more
I thought as just wanted some proper advice on whether it would be valve or piston damage or both. Was I'd got away with it because the belt hadn't snapped. Thanks for the fast response.
I purchased a 59 plate focus in january 2014 spent over £8000, had it for 5mnths now and the clutch has malfunctioned. Im able to get gears but it hasnt got any acceleration. When i purchased the car the paperwork i got with it the mot had 40,000+ miles that was done in oct 13, but when i picked the car up it had 43,000+, now is has 50,000+. I called fords where i got the car from and they basically told me that coz id done alot of mileage wot do i expect......now im not being funny but i no some other people with a focus and they havent had this problem. Please could someone help me sort this out coz fords r telling me that i have to pay which i think its wrong. If id know there was a problem i wouldnt have brought the car!!!! Fords tell me that the warrenty doesnt cover the clutch. They havent even taken the car in to check it they just gave me a quote for a new clutch -£850.00... Read more
I'm very sorry to have to tell you that a clutch isn't normally covered by any used car warranty, even a manufacturers one. They are considered to be a wear-and-tear item.
From what you say I assume the clutch is slipping. Do you try to accelerate but the speed of the car doesn't increase? Is this accompanied by a rise in the engine revs? If the answer to both of these is "Yes" then I'm afraid your clutch is slipping....
We have a 57 plate Jazz. It has good performance, and is very economical. It has the CVT gearbox and is ideal for my wife who is partially disabled.
If driven gently, it will return over 50 mpg which is very impressive for an automatic. It is a good car to drive.
I have only one gripe. The handbrake is not very good. Read more
I so badly wanted to buy a Yaris due to its reliability, but just could not live with its styling both in and out, its dull engine note and complete lack of personality. It's the automotive equivalent of Spinach , good for you but you hate every bite. I settled for a Swift 1.0 Turbo and its a marvellously entertaining car with a fabulous driving position afforded by its unique upright windscreen. It may or may not prove to be a bit less reliable than a Yaris , but I would rather spend a little extra time in a workshop than 5 years driving a Yaris.
just dont buy a Mazda diesel and you will be ok Read more
Not sure I agree with that. My partner has the old model Mazda 2 diesel and generally it's been fine. A few problems last year but it was 7 years old so things go wrong. Very economical motor too (I drive a Merc but can still appreciate how good a car this little Mazda is).
Due to a problem with my radiator cooling fans not working, I have cut the cables to them and hard wired them through a switch and 2 relays (one 40A relay for each fan) On testing the fans with my ammeter I find that each fan is taking about 25A - 30A to work. Is this normal?
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There is a lot of high current demand equipment on modern cars as everything seems to be going electric, the auxiluary heaters on some diesels like the C5 must draw around 100 amps and alternator output can be much greater than that.
Browse
Hmm Ford speedos were notoriously happy at speed - you were probably cruising at 70! I can understand a 1500 Maxi struggling - they were underpowered - but a 1750 should cruise quite happily at 80. If I remember rightly the 1600 mk3 was geared at about 20mph/1000revs - so your 85mph cruise would have been at 4,500 rpm - I can't see how that could have been serene! I did like the Renault 16 as a motorway cruiser - surprisingly competent.