July 2024
This is almost too hard to believe, but it's a true story.
I bought a used car from a 'dealership' (I use that word lightly). There were some alarm bells ringing that I ignored in favour of a deal—namely, the mention of spares and repairs on the contract (I know now what this means, but they let me test drive it and let me drive away with it with a children's seat in the front, so I'm fairly sure my consumer rights would have been intact). ... Read more
On holiday on the Isle of Man, diesel and unleaded the same price, super unleaded dearer than diesel. Read more
It's been like that in France for getting on for 4-5 months.
FuelPriceDateDiesel (B7)1,68512/07/24E85 (E85)0.79820/06/24LPG0.96905/03/24SP95-E10 (E10)1,77812/07/24SP98 (E5)1,86906/07/24...
Our trusty old Ford Fusion (2003 - 1.6 petrol engine) has been leaking coolant for a couple of years now, and we simply top it up every week or two with about 100 ml of coolant. The coolant drips from the bottom of the engine sump, but seems to be coming from higher up somewhere behind the AC compressor. I spent some time today looking for the source, taking out the right hand headlamp for better access. Unfortunately, the alternator and the AC compressor are in the way, but I think the leak must be coming from the point where the thermostat is mounted on the engine. I can feel that connections of the two hoses to the thermostat are not leaking. If am thinking this is probably beyond my capabilities as (according to Haynes) I would have to cut (and renew) the aux belts in order to remove the alternator to then access the thermostat and renew the seal (if my assumption about the source of the leak is correct). The cost of garage hours is really not an option for us at the moment. So I wondered whether it would be best to carry on as before with the topping up, or try some "leak sealing" product. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome - many thanks. Read more
Many thanks to both of you for your combined wisdom and advice - really appreciated :-) I will resist the leak sealers and carry on with the topping up until the situation worsens and some sort of plan B is required. Interesting extra note: checking the brake pads this afternoon, I raised the left side of the car onto an axle stand (with the engine completely cold) and the coolant dripped off the sump at a fair old rate, at least two drops per minute. The dripping stopped after I lowered the car again. Maybe the leak is on the right side of the thermostat housing!
Looking to purchase a decent scanner and code resetter for myself as a reasonably experienced diyer. The family fleet consists of Suzukis, old Toyota, Fiat panda and Peugeot partner 1.6 hdi. I would like to be able to interrogate and reset parameters particularly around the diesel Eolys and DPF data if poss, or at least see live data of what is going on. I like to do my own work as far as possible and farm out more complex stuff. Any recommendations please? Budget will be up to a couple of hundred ( I know PSA models are more complex) Read more
icarsoft is good for various marques.
But if you have a Peugeot in the stable you'll need a Lexia / Diagbox cable and software.
I had a look at a certain money saving site for links to leasing companies. The site point that in leasing deals the depreciation is bared by the leasing company seemes odd, is that really the case?
I am looking at a personal leaese so trying to understand the business model here in case of strong depreciation (looking at a new Pug 308 1.6 estate).... Read more
You’re thinking too much about it, this is just a reminder of how much Joe Public is overcharged by car manufacturers. There’s no concerns with leasing a car, as long as you stick to one of the well known firms.
My engine has suddenly started running lumpy at tickover (particularly noticeable at about 1000 rpm). At higher revs the engine is obviously not happy either, and the car feels underpowered. The engine is petrol 1.6 litres DOHC (engine type Z16XEP). My little OBD reader says error P0304 Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected. I think cylinder 4 is the one f***hest from the timing belt end. I had a look at the spark plugs, and they seem fine, though the one in cyliinder 4 looked very slightly sooty. When I put it them and the ignition module back, there was no improvement and the same error showed on the OBD reader. Might this be something simple, or am I in for a nasty shock at the garage? Please offer advice if you can - many thanks :-) Read more
Well, AFAICT without knowing the car, it would still have allowed you to provisionally eliminate plug and lead faults before you shelled out 80 quid for the unit, but anyway it worked out ok
I started my MkI Lada a few times using the starting handle, perhaps the last starting handle available on a new car ( the enormous OEM battery was finally dying), and it just worked. Mostly it was just useful for turning the engine for doing the tappets, manual timing chain tensioner and such....
I have a 2016 c3. I want to fit a different engine. How do i stand with regards to MOT emission?
If it’s the same engine type/ code, then it will have the same emission level .
sorry, more info has came to light, I'll post back later!... Read more
On here we often see reports of heavy oil consumption in certain engines - e.g. MINIs. I am wondering just how much the early servicing history of an engine affects its later life.
The 1991 Pug 205 (1.4 petrol) car I got at the end of 2022 from its original owner came with an almost complete servicing history. The car's handbook advises 15/40 oil or (amusingly) 10/40 'for sporty driving'. As far as I can tell it had 15/40 until about 2011, when semi/synth appeared, and after 2016 it got Millers 10/40, though I don't suppose the lady owner started to drive sportily from then on.... Read more
By the way, sorry JohnF :-), almost never have my cars gone past 3000 miles on the same oil.
That's fine if you want the engine to last half a million miles but for most of us, changing every 10k miles or so should ensure 200,000 miles in a decent engine. Few have done anything like that mileage when they are sc***ped. None of our cars have ever gone beyond 12k between my oil changes. But my 1980 TR7 handbook says every 6,000 miles, and it has never gone further than that between changes - far less recently as fewer than 500 miles a year now. So far this century it has had fresh oil and a new filter in 2003, 2013 and 2019. ...
This car sat for about 5 years without being started.
I fitted a fresh battery, it started in about 8 seconds.
I drove it about 1/2 a mile and put it back in the garage. I noted that fuel gauge showed very empty. Zero needle movement.
A few days later someone else attempted to start it. It turned over but would not start.
I added about 3L of petrol today. Attempted to start it multiple times, including with jump leads as the battery got low. Turnover time was about 3 min in total.
I assume that should have been plenty to get fuel up to the injectors. I have never had to bleed a petrol system. Maybe bleeding is needed with Clio.
I have zero experience with fault diagnosis on Renault Cars.
If this was a 40 year old car with a carburettor and points I would be able to quickly diagnose the issue.
I believe this diagram is correct for a 2001 Clio, but I have no idea where to find the various components
Please suggest what I need to check to eliminate some issues and find the problem. If possible link to photos or a video so I know where to find the items to check. Read more
Uh?
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