March 2018
Clarke Jumpstart 4000, a few months old, only used once to start a car, and once to inflte a matress via the 12V socket; always kept on trickle charge, kept in the house. Anyone have one who can answer this for me please?
Two queries:... Read more
Hi,
My 2014 Mazda 3 has become increasinly annoying in the mornings with pulling away in 1st on cold/damp days only. ... Read more
My old Focus has started doing this in the last year. I also have discovered it's dependent on the weather. I have a theory that as the clutch wears it becomes less tolerant of any moisture. At 86000 miles it must be about 50% worn.
Wear depends on driver not mileage as some clutches with a good clutch user can last 150k plus, I have seen good ones over 200k on Toyotas, only reason they were changed was for gearbox issues rather than clutch....
Hello,
... Read more
now, there's a good reason to see a private GP ...
Hi everyone
My in laws have the above car which runs well but is overdue a cambelt change. They can't afford the £500 quoted by a local indy. I've changed a few cambelts over the years so not afraid to have a go. Is there any specialist tools I'm gonna need? Also, which make of belt kit is the best to go for?... Read more
The camshafts on the Sigma engine have flats so you can use an open ended spanner to hold.
Fiat's Fire engine used to be one of the simplest to replace the timing belt on, but now they have gone the Ford route so locking tools are required. I'd be interested to know why. Could it be it makes production cheaper or is it that it makes timing more accurate and hence emissions are better controlled leading to lower VED?
The Logan has gone in for its second service today so I thought I would post a quick update about my two years with my cheap motor! I’ve only done 8000 miles so it hasn’t had to work very hard, but during those miles it has been faultless.
After 2 years my Doblo was already showing its age with loose trim and niggling faults, but nothing like this in the Logan. The trim looks and feels cheap in places but is proving to be robust and is showing no sign of wear.
The little 0.9l engine is great, if a little laggy, but as long as the revs are kept up its really good. Nice long gearing is good on the motorway too.
And there’s not much else to say! It’s been an uneventful 2 years with a really good car. Why aren’t there more around? Read more
There are actually a lot of french parts on the car (that could be a good or a bad thing depending upon point of view).
...
My partner is looking to buy the Audi with the above spec from SMS cars in Wellingbourough.
Would this 1.9 be a PD engine which are brilliant and would it have a Dpf being a 59plate ?
Viewing on Monday so your advice would be appreciated. Read more
The following link shows the 2008 Audi A3 brochure.
I have a VW Polo with a 'normal' mechanical handbrake. Sometimes when I release the handbrake (after the car has been left overnight) the rear brakes feel like the are stuck on and they release with a small 'bang' when I drive the car forward or reverse.
This seems to happen more in damp weather.... Read more
Why not leave the car in 1st. or reverse overnight?
I used to do that with an old Ambassador that was parked on a sloping drive and had a similar 'sticky' brakes problem.
SWMBO would never put it in neutral before trying to start it, resulting in a starter motor failure.
A lot of people pull away in second gear in icy conditions but I really can't understand the benefit. My main reason for always using 1st gear is to avoid clutch wear, but I decided to try second gear in the recent snow. I found that it was so much harder than 1st gear. It has a tenancy to 'run away'. In 1st gear my car will usually crawl along at a steady speed and you just need one foot to control the speed.
With 2nd gear you're either trying to balance the clutch and gas pedals or the conditions aren't actually that bad and you could have pulled away normally anyway. Trying to balance clutch/gas in slippery conditions can be hard because you need to work out whether the wheels are slipping, the clutch is slipping or both.... Read more
I found my last two diesels start better off in the snow in 1st, if starting in 2nd they both sped up to quickly to 15mph where as in 1st they get uo to 5mph and are more controlable.
Saw this short video on the BBC news website.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-43592885/vol...a... Read more
The scientist who broke the news about VW s software fixes was driving a 1996 Honda Accord which probably emitted far more pollution than any VW/Audi diesel !
OF course, but it doesn't take into account all the polution caused by people over the same period buying three cars, which needed energy to (and thus CO2 emissions and otherpollutants produced):
- Mine the raw materials for the two new cars;
- Transport said raw materials to be refined into pure ones for use in industry;
- The refining process of the materials and processing all the way until usable metals, plastics and carbon composites are formed;
- Transportation of said refined materials to manufacturing plants and again from them to the car assemby plant;
- Design, test and manufacturer the car;
- Transport it to the local dealer plus storage and sales requirements;
- Provide marketing;
- Etc, etc.
If this was so much lower (per car, on average) than the difference in CO2, NO2 etc emissions from one generation of car to another, or even two generations apart, then we'd ALL be (by law) required to change our cars every 3-5 years....
hi,
my daughters fiesta has had a new battery fitted and we cant find the radio code... Read more
You are very welcome!
Thanks for coming back.
Browse
.jpg)
Thanks for the replies, have spoken to Clarke’s who are going to collect the unit and see if they can work out what the problem is. Good service so far.
Cheers, also from rural Dorset!