March 2017
. Reading the HJ Telegraph columns for many years I have noted your advice re early cambelt, water pump, tensioner change. After exchanging emails with you last year I agreed that the 10 year/100,000 mile recommended for this engines cambelt was optimistic so took your advice and at 70,000 miles/7 years I had them all changed. The car has run perfectly until last week when with virtually no warning it failed. I heard a slight ticking noise and less than 20 seconds later it cut out completely.
It was recovered to my local independent Volvo garage who found that the auxillary drive belt pulley had failed. This had thrown off the auxillary belt which had then fouled the main cambelt with the resultant major engine damage.... Read more
So I’m looking for some advice on buying a used car. I have a very small budget but don’t want the standard boring hatchback. Having looked on auto trader it has come down to the 3 options below. Looking for anyone who can give me comments / advice / warnings about them. Thanks for any help i! advance :)
1. 1999 BMW 323i 2.5L Convertible 120,000 miles £1490
2. 2003 Honda Civic i-VTEC 1.7L Coupe 110,000 miles £1295
3. 2005 Alfa Romeo 156 JTD Veloce 1.9L Saloon 96,000 miles £950 Read more
Thanks again everyone. Appreciate your thoughts.
Many supermarkets buy mogas and diesel on the "spot" market and the fuel quality is often suspect. I would never put their fuel in my Jaguar XF and will only use Shell V-Power + Nitro or BP Ultimate. Given also the current, negativity being generated towards diesel-powered cars, the emissions from Shell and BP fuels above, will be far more environmentally acceptable, let alone the enhanced fuel consumption.
I consider, therefore, supermarket fuel, albeit cheaper, is false economy. Read more
Not many aircraft use diesel engines....i can only think of one, a German WW2 high altitude type.Maybe(?) a few modern type do, but weight is the main reason they use petrol or gas turbine/jet type,
Hi all,
My first post here, I'd appreciate some advice from people with more knowledge than myself, (which wouldn't be difficult!).... Read more
Any Mazda dealer can provide you with a print out of the digital service record.
The Road Traffic Offenders (Additional Offences) Order 2017
Coming into force
5th April 2017
This Order amends section 20 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 which allows records from prescribed devices, such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, to be used as evidence in proceedings for certain offences.
This Order adds two offences to the list of offences to which section 20 applies—
(a) driving on the hard shoulder of a motorway contrary to regulation 9 of the Motorways Traffic (England and Wales) Regulations 1982 (S.I. 1982/1163) which is an offence under section17(4) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (c.27); and
(b) failing to comply with an indication given by a light signal not to enter, or proceed in, a traffic lane which is an offence under section 36(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (c.52).... Read more
Many thanks DVD.
hi, i have a 2006 accord tourer 2.0 i-vtec and ive just had the rear pads done and found out the caliper piston has seized on n/s/r. ive sourced a few refurbished ones but there from either the 2.4 or the 2.2 cdti, will this caliper be compatible with mine? or would it be better if i got a caliper repair kit with seals,piston etc
I've had an 07 reg Civic, and now got a 15 reg Accord tourer.
When working on the Civic brakes and replacing the rear pads I followed the procedure in the Honda workshop manual and had no problem with the handbrake system....
Trying to help a friend locate a half decent V6 manual zt, and appalled at the state of some of the cars we have seen. Definitely firmly in banger territory..
Lots of MOT fails and being sold with declared expensive faults that will cost more than the value of the car to fix. I said give up! Read more
Yes, there was a 2.5zs manual.... Rocket sled....
i am going to fit a pair of 55watt h3 spot lights and they have also have a blue liight around the edge of the spot lights. for the switching of the relay i am going to take a feed from the main beam at the head light to a swicth inside the vehicle. for the blue light around the edge of the spot light take a feed from the side light but this vehicle has dip dim so has anyone got any instructions to get over this issue
... Read more
i have got the spots lights bolted on and the blue rim working there are four 12v 5watts builbs
in each spot light for the blue rim feed taken from side light should i put a in line fuse in the feed wire....
'Myth' 4 isn't quite true, as on my old Micra, a stone bounced up from under the car, snapping the water pump belt, causing the car to overheat. Fortunately other than a new belt and a top up with some good ol' H2O, no major repair was needed, however it did take the RAC man a good while to replace the belt, over an hour.
All I paid was the cost of the belt (fortunately he had one in his van's stock that fitted) - £7.95. A dealership would've charged well over £50, probably nearer to £100 to do so (this was back in 1999). A real bargain! Read more
Some interesting comments and many with adverse experiences related to a certain company that offers breakdown services too. As an avid reader fof motoring columns and forums, I've taken warranty and 'approved vehicle' claims from such companies with a pinch of salt, as there is no consistency and a questionable audit process.
My only warranty claim experience was on a 58-plate Mini Cooper S which I bought as a Mini Cherished car in late 2013 with 51k on the clock. After 6 weeks, a bad misfire developed and after a roadside inspection and the car transported to a Mini franchise, they discovered low compression in No. 2 cylinder. Being warned that further stripping could render me liable for a bill if what they discovered was not covered by warranty, I said proceed, and the diagnosis was a broken piston. It was worse that metal swarf had entered the oilways and in short, the engine was contaminated with metal particles. Car needed new short engine.
Mini warranty accepted the claim, provided a rental car during the repair process which took a couple of weeks and included several new ancillaries. The 'book' price was £6,500 on a car that cost £7,500 and Mini picked up the bill. Ran the new engine in very carefully and was delighted with how claim had been handled.
Six months later was l losing water, and problem was thermostat housing that was renewed at engine time. Again, Mini took full care, but because part was on back order, we swapped the hired BMW after 4 days for something else, but again, an efficient and fuss-free process through my local Sytner dealership.
The way my claim was handled and I was treated was how a warranty should be honoured, none of the wear & tear cobblers as an escape route. I should add that with BMW/Mini warranty, the claim limit is the value of the vehicle when bought used, so will not diminish in value as the car's value drops - unlike many policies which cover £1000 labour and parts which goes nowhere on a complex modern engine.
Most salesmen i've encountered of late have very limited knowledge of the vehicles they are trying to sell!........Not a small detail when they are clueless to to how many cylinders the engine has. I don't want a 3 pot engines that has a gruff character that idles in an un-even manner thankyou!. I don't want a turbo that could fail at any time and i certainly don't want a VW with a fragile TSI twincharger system with a suspect camchain and pistons made of cheese. So i'm sticking with Honda for my next car thankyou when my Golf MK4 finally throws in the towel. Read more
They are only trained to sell you the add on (s) , finance and how to use the Computers and Programs . Most can't tell you anything about the car itself ,
well that's not quite true !!! They know how to use the Computers, Sat Nav's and
Blue tooth plus I pods! Anything technical like the type of suspension or If it has a combustion Engine they think your either Mad or a Dinosaur?
In the 60's 70's 80's or even 90's if you failed to answer technical questions they
would ignore you and move on .If you had to ask a computer to price a car,instead
of a Guide , you had no chance. If you got the specification wrong of the trade in
you could loose a fortune . The better you new everything about car prices, retailing or
at auctions plus through the trade preferably carried in your head or a colleagues .
the more money you made for your Company and the more commission you could
earn for your selves . No talent or skill these days and "horse trading?" gone with mechanical points and electric distributors .Still when they are all Driver less even SALES PERSONS will be gone . From an old "T REX" RETIRED AND VICTORING!!
Browse
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Yet another sad story of undue caution followed by disaster. Why on earth anyone would think the manufacturer's time and distance recommendation was unduly risky beats me. Even if 0.5% failed beforehand their name would be mud.
If it works, don't mend it!