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astra diesel 7 Jul 2002 (Forum)
Because of this (i think because of this, i've never had problems with any other car) i just can't make a nice gearchange, and miss useful engine braking. Any thoughts? Apart from that, i think i could be tempted into running a diesel as my own car. How easy are they to service etc. I do all my own work, but frankly haven't been sufficiently interested in diesels to pay any attention to them. -
Deathwish kiddies. 22 Apr 2002 (Forum)
As the car picks up speed to pass, one or more (timed by furtive over shoulder glances) dart out in front of the car forcing an emergency stop (proper slam on brakes or hit kid). Off they run cackling like @!#$ gremlins. And repeat. Not only is this dangerous to all concerned but as l have witnessed can be very intimidating for the drivers. Perhaps their responsible parents who didn't want the mewling little brats in the first place, told them one too many times to go 'play' with the traffic. -
cutting out 11 Apr 2002 (Forum)
Anyway, some bright spark in the back says he thinks he knows what it might be - an oil sensor connected to the power steering: when braking and turning at the same time (that's when it usually happens) he reckons it puts such a load on the battery that it cuts out. Now, is this just a tale to get me off their back or could it be that after two years my problems could finally be over? -
Towing again 14 Mar 2002 (Forum)
Which is all very well, but the kerbside weight of my VW camper, in its basic high roof configuration, is 1620 kg. Yet the maximum permissible trailer weight(with brakes)is 2000 kg, and the gross train weight is 4500 kg. Enough of the theory. The camper tows the boat safely, stops it and, with care, recovers it on a steep slipway. The trailer weight (boat, trailer, anchors and coal) is an estimated one and a half tons in old money, or around 1600kg - so I'm well within the manufacturer's guidelines, but marginal within DSA guidelines. -
POLO WARNING and more advice sought! 6 Mar 2002 (Forum)
1) DO NOT BUY AN OLD VW POLO WITH THE INTENTION OF HAVING A CHEAP CAR - the following is a list of breakages in 9 months, probably not exhaustive: -Radiator -Clutch -2 clutch cables -Brake pads, discs, cylinders -Tracking, very temperamental -Suspension components -Wheel bearings -Oil consumption and leaks EXCESSIVE DESPITE 140+ K -Exhaust: full system (blowing already after a month) -Fan belt -Ignition leads (POOR SERVICING by previous round-the-corner-use owner) -Latest: throttle cable spring, part-and-parcel of the carb - may need to replace carb if cheaper - was very scary as I was overtaking somebody and the revs shot well past maximum for about 10 secs before I could 'safely' turn off the engine to avoid seizure, then had to coast to a layby. -
nottingam sacks all traffic cops 22 Nov 2001 (Forum)
The force is scrapping its traffic division to rely on speed cameras as its sole road safety enforcement. It?s also binning Operation Brake, a scheme which works to cut bike theft. Notts police is denying the cost-cutting move in public, but officers have called MCN to express their dismay at the decision, which is part of a " restructuring " scheme. -
First Car (memories) 11 Nov 2001 (Forum)
I took all to bits and put it back together that year (it needed a new flat head and piston rings and some gear box work(2ed gear synchro) and some pop rivet work on the body and a new clutch and the brakes needed work and the steering kit needed renewal and the fuel pump needed rebuilding and the water pump and the radiator (cause of the cracked head that had put it out of service was the botom mount radiator core falling to bits in the middle of nowhere... hose run from one side of water pump to the other... after run home bonnett lifted in the dusk to see the head glowing red... buckets of water dumped on same to keep engine from freezing up when turned off... after the steam cleared many crackes in the head but engine still running on about 2 pots!) -
If Microsoft Built Cars 24 Oct 2001 (Forum)
Mackintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, twice as fast but would only run on five per cent of the roads. The brakes would say "Are you sure?" before operating. When you turned on the heated rear screen, the indicators would only work above 50mph. You would crash twice a week, and you would have no idea what happened. -
UFO ( unbelievable flatout object ) 21 Aug 2001 (Forum)
Him, another bloke and a woman with a baby were trapped in a car in which the accelerator stuck, the brakes burned out, the gears were stuck and the ignition switch jammed and the key snapped in it in the process of forcing it, how unlucky can you get 'eh ? She was driving by the way. Anyway, after a rollercoaster ride in which they'd popped the bonnet open to try and climb out and disable the electrics whilst balanced on the engine bay at 90mph, and used a patrol car to try and slow it down, winched the baby out of the sunroof with a helicopter, they eventually ran out of fuel. -
Audi Service 29 May 2001 (Forum)
I have an Audi A6, which I purchased from new and have serviced according to the manual. last year I went to collect it from it's service and the dealer tried to charge for changing the brake fluid, it is recommended for change at two yearly intervals, I pointed out that it had been changed the previous year and was shown as such in the service book, I did not therefore pay for it, when I got home I looked in the service book, which had been left in the car prior to collection, no note was made of the fluid change! -
Aprillia sr50 ditech 2 Mar 2018 (Forum)
I rode the bike down to xxxx on the 13th October and left it with them, they had a problem removing the exhaust which has to be done so they can change the rear tire, when they eventually got the exhaust off they said the rear brake pad broke off when removing the tire so I couldn't ride home. I had to walk home, they said will call you when we get the new brake pads they never did I had to keep calling them, after a few heated calls they finally said my bike was ready on the 18th October. -
FAO Honest John, the Indian Dacia Duster Problems 5 Feb 2014 (Forum)
Some owners claim brake pipe cover shields have been found missing by dealers on some cars.Nissan Leaf - Leafing my wallet alone! 18 Apr 2025 (Forum)
It costs buttons to run, the fuel is (currently) free and there’s hardly any moving parts to go wrong. The only service item listed by Nissan is the brake fluid which should be changed every 3yrs according to the schedule. What they’re asking £150-£300 for when they “service” it I don’t know and I (I know John will appreciated this) won’t be partaking in this either.Nissan Qashqai 1.6 Tekna Xtronic 65 plate auto - HELP!!!!!!! 2 Nov 2019 (Forum)
--[endif]-->Been driving car 4/7 days for work, always starts, I have to drive really slowly to end of road then increase speed slowly, rev counter does its own thing, including dropping down to below 1000 even if you doing 40 when you take foot off accelerator and shooting up to 3000 when you accelerate. Once car is warm it stops doing all that and decreases slowly as you brake, and goes up normally when speed increases BUT it still doesn’t like going uphill seems sluggish with lots of revs, downhill revs increase when braking? 14.Vauxhall Vectra C - Vauxhall Vectra C - clutch problems 31 Aug 2016 (Forum)
This was something I'd planned to look into but over time the problem seemed to disappear so I never got around to it, and it's been absolutely fine for the last 18 months or so. Ignorance is bliss, and all that! I had fitted new brakes, and bled the brake system, around the time the clutch issue disappeared, so with hindsight I'm guessing that was linked due to sharing some of the hydraulics (if I understand it correctly). Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, everything has been fine for 18 months, until I notice that whilst depressing the clutch pedal, I can feel vibration through the pedal and a 'whirring-knocking' sound whilst the clutch pedal is pressed down.Poorly Ford :-( - Rear end shunt - advice please 9 Aug 2013 (Forum)
I presumed that it was making forward momentum the realised tha tthis was a parked car, one cars length from the roundabout on the inside lane of the dual carriageway. They had their driving lights on, but no hazards, indicators or brake lights, so it wasn't obvious that she was stationary initally.. I tried to pull into the outside lane to avoid hitting her, but there was a car travelling at speed in the outside lane, so I ended up rear ending her.Peugeot 206 hatchback (1998 - 2006) - 03 1.4 HDI poor fuel economy, how to identify prob 12 Dec 2009 (Forum)
I have done this since owning the car, fill up at exactly the same point every time by 2 gallons and reset fuel gauge. I consistently return 30mpg and I do this usually about twice a week. The rear brakes were fixed recently and didn't make a bit of difference, but at least we can rule out brakes binding. My backbox has also been changed recently and the tyre pressures are fine too. My driving style is also very economical.General poor driving nowadays in Blighty 1 Nov 2008 (Forum)
I've not long returned from a long weekend in France (and very enjoyable it was too) and the thing that struck me quite noticeably was the vast difference in driving standards between the two countries 'er indoors was quite vocal on the subject too and she's one of those people that very much prefers to sit in the passenger seat and let me get on with it (fortunately) some examples are: when you're catching someone up on the m/way, who they themselves will need an overtake shortly i.e. they also are catching someone up (2 lanes for them, 3 for us which ought to be to our advantage, but due to the CLOG isn't) the accepted practice over there is for the vehicle in the middle of the equation to throttle off a bit and wait for you to pass, then pull out and do their manouevre...yet over here it is pull out early and make you wait absolutely everyone pulls back into the nearside lane after an overtake, whereas over here they dawdle along in the o/s lane mirror usage in France is more than acceptable, over here it seems to be optional when I got back to good old Blighty, pulled out of Dover and went up the hill on the A2, for the whole length of the up hill dual carriageway, some woman in a blue Escort did the whole length of it at 55mph in the o/s lane, thus preventing a queue of us 'popping off' the lorries before the single lane bit at the top, she could have quite easily moved back to the nearside but couldn't be bothered...doesn't happen in France on several bits of dual carriageway and m/way up the M2 there were a number of people unnecessarily staying in the o/s lane (i.e. nothing directly in front of them), to the extent that some motorists started under taking, which although i'm not a fan of I had a degree of sympathy with the final straw was the coach that did a sudden 'signal, manouevre, mirror' despite not being that close to the vehicle it wanted to overtake (thus not giving me much of a chance to realise it was a possibility) and when he realised i was having to brake quite well, swerved back into the nearside lane, then gave me a load of main beam once i'd gone past...marvellous, try checking your mirrors first pal, i wasn't going that fast, had headlights on in the dusk and was fully loaded with my kid in the car, so not willing to push it that much there were others too, like the fool in the green Audi A4 estate that felt it was reasonable to do 4 lanes of the M25 in a high speed swerve from the slip road to the o/s lane in one mad blast ..heaven alone knows what would have happened to a filtering m/c, as the lanes were fairly congested (approaching the toll bit)... and the blue Renault Clio with the young chav that accelerated as hard as he could away from the toll (saw it in my nearside mirror) and thought he could do the double white line lane markings and barge in front of me, but misinterpreted the situation, because by then i'd become Mr Grumpy and closed the gap..which had him accelerating right up to my bumper, revving like hell, then dropping back all the way through the tunnel (the temptation to dab the brakes at a critical moment was severe, but I managed to resist it).S-Max and C4 Picasso: who's tried both? 16 Jan 2007 (Forum)
t; Not enough space behind a tall driver for a tall adult; seatback tables reduce kneeroom; Semi-auto gearbox hard to drive smoothly, although this will presumably improve with practice. Not so the push-button parking brake ? truly horrible and you?ll see a lot of C4Ps with brake lights on at traffic lights; Worst ? and this probably knocks the C4P on the head for me ? I couldn?t find a comfortable position for my redundant left foot.Peugeot 205 record? 1 Nov 2000 (Forum)
The latter was necessary after the originals nearly caught fire on the first event. Smoke and smell everywhere and no brakes: quite exciting really! Oil and filters have been changed every 6,000 miles and it certainly paid dividends. I stripped down the engine after 230,000 miles and the machine shop refused to believe me!