Showing results in  Forum [Show all channels]

Sort by: Relevance | Newest first | Oldest first

• Automatic - v- Manual 23 Oct 2007 (Forum)
  The second car will be for my use and are thinking of purchasing an automatic as a fair proportion of my driving is done in stop start driving, but would like to know if would be a wise choice to go for an automatic based on the following Journey to work: 15 miles(10 miles on twisty A Roads + 1 miles on dual carriageway + 4) miles in town Leisure 3000 miles a year (1500 on long journeys + 1500 on short pottering around journeys & jounreys of not more than 45 miles each way) Also is there a lot of difference between manaul and automatic fuel consumption, any car purchased will be between 5 to 7 years old with around 60000 to 80000 miles on the clock. Cheers
• Mini One - Joke lasts about 5 minutes 28 Sep 2007 (Forum)
  I realise I'm about five years late posting this but having just driven a Mini One from London to Manchester, I've got to ask what was that all about? Handling no better than any decent small car. Performance decidedly lacklustre and fuel efficiency nothing special and being inside the thing made me feel like I was at a family party where one of the children does a magic trick - initially quite charming, but two minutes in and the grin is becoming a little fixed and after five minutes you're thinking "don't milk it sonny".
• stupid question about CO2 29 Aug 2007 (Forum)
  now a gramme of CO2 weighs the same as anyother gramme so 184g x 900 km = 165.6 kg 70 litres of diesel - I think a litre of diesel is about 0.85kg - so therefore my 70l of DERV weighs about 60kg While I realise that adding another oxygen moecule to things will add weight, can it really add so much? Including the PMs and other gasses emitted, it seems that my 60kg of fuel when burnt will emit about 200kg of by-product. Can this be true? Can some intelligent person explain?
• Slight error in 'car by car breakdown' 21 Jun 2007 (Forum)
  If anyone has any experience of this pimp-mobile or feels that my father doesn't fit it's likely crack dealer demographic then let me know! Fuel economy isn't an issue- he's loaded.
• VW Golf MK4 Instrument Panel Failure 11 Jun 2007 (Forum)
  Whilst the rev-counter, odometer, temperature gauge and trip computer all seem to work fine, the speedometer has packed up completely. Also, the fuel gauge only reads correctly until the car is driven, at which point the needle floats around randomly and the Engine Check light is permanently illuminated. This seems to have come about as the result of checking a couple of fuses to attempt to solve another problem...
• Are all laws legal 11 Jun 2007 (Forum)
  I have come across many laws around the world that are not really legal, for instance does the government have the right under a constitution to force you to buy car insurance when it doesnt supply cover of its own that is affordable for all citizens, ie schools and hospitals are offered by the government with private alternatives, can Mad Ken charge the congestion charge as this and some parking regulations may be ill legal under British or EU law or may contravene and Code of Conduct of the United Nations, We have had a case in Australia where our states were collecting fuel Tax and under the law they were not allowed to do so. I did have these laws some where and it takes forever to find them again.
• Oil Spec change question,confused 23 May 2007 (Forum)
  However they specify the oil to be used as Visco 7000 0w-40 I enquired at my Dealership last service, and they said they used Shell Helix 10w-40 The handbook says ''Oil grade ACEA,b1,API CF-4 or CF'' Visco is CF The hand book also says ''SAE 5W-30 is the best choice for fuel economy and good starting in cold weather,if you use SAE 10W-30 or higher at very low temperatures the engine may be difficult to start'' Basically, will I be ok with this oil from National as an interim,until my next main dealer service in November??
• Micra throttle body question please. 6 May 2007 (Forum)
  Question is, are there any possible implications of running with this item disconnected, engine damage, increased fuel consumption, etc, etc ? Thank you
• Driving Economically. 12 Apr 2007 (Forum)
  Have so far tried (with the aid of cruise control) 55, 60, 65, 70, 75. and the fule consumption seems to peak just below 60 (1700 rpm) then drops off quickly but rises again after 75? Does anyone know (theory or experience) what is the most fuel effiencent way to drive my car on the motorway. oops forgot to say 80% of my driving is up and down the motorways.
• fiat cinquecento 2 Feb 2007 (Forum)
  Due to the hike in van tax i am going to park my service van up and for the first time in 20yrs i will have to buy a second car,the tax is going to cost me 770 quid per year just to bring a smelly transit home(thanks Mr Brown).I am thinking of a Fiat cinquicento,i have max no claims on my X trail,what do you think will be the likely running costs for this vehicle will be (insurance,tax,fuel,passing mot etc).Going off other readers experiances is this a good cheap run around to buy?if not what are the other options?or should i keep paying the tax on the works van.I think the van tax is likely to go up each year in the budget .thanks Andrew.
• Golf spluttering on acceleration 16 Jan 2007 (Forum)
  There is a spark on every plug, but cyclinder number one made little difference when disconected until I cleaned the plug up. I then went on to think it was a fuel fault so added red-x to the tank and took it out for a 20min run and the problem seem to get worse. Whilst idling its fine but from just reving it causes it to splutter, and worsens under load (actually driving it)
• Which offers the best 'Real World' econo 26 Dec 2006 (Forum)
  Hi, I need to change my company car but I have just changed contract and now need to pay for all my own fuel (40,000 miles a year worth!!!) What offers the best real-world economy out of these four? Citroen C5 estate 2.0Hdi Renault Laguna Estate 2.0 Dci 150 Vx Vectra estate 1.9 Diesel (150hp) Ford Mondeo 2.0 Diesel PS The french get my initail vote as I can get considrably higher specs with these cars My real world is mostly motorway driving at 75-80 MPH, my current car, a BMW 320d touring does about 50 MPG Many thanks a900ss
• Micra K11: cold stall problem 11 Dec 2006 (Forum)
  Any ideas -- is this a auxiliary air valve problem, or a coked up throttle? Also, the previous owner used to run out of petrol now and again -- could it be a blocked fuel filter? Thanks Mike
• diesel particulate filter - Audi A4 (06) 10 Dec 2006 (Forum)
  C I have even written letter saying they may have to refund for car if it breaks down again. Can I buy an additive for fuel? Is their insistence that car will not run without filter correct? Car done 6000. Whet next?
• volkswagon passat 02 tdi se 8 Dec 2006 (Forum)
  i have had passat for just over a year, its been excellent however it recenttl started cutting out on me, after a change of fuel fliter everything seemed ok, howevr ive noticed now that before its warmed up sometimes it idles and stalls , then its a pain to start up! a bit of a drama when your at the lights, ive checked the glow plugs and had them cleaned but its only when starting ina morning, can anybody give me some advice on what it could be?
• Peugeot 406 hdi(90) running problems 27 Nov 2006 (Forum)
  I have enjoyed months of happy motoring in my 93000 mile pug 406 diesel, that is, until recently.(2001 Y reg) It is running very rough, very noticeable from cold, and in general lacks power and runs very lumpy (almost like a misfire) My local peugeot dealer plugged it in and said there was nothing wrong with it, so i took it to one of these delphi diesel centres. They told me that my injectors are worn, fuel pump and regulator is faulty too! They claim its an uneconomical repair:( It surprises me that all this can go at once, it was only running fine a week ago. Can anyone offer me advice on what to do next?
• Honda Accord diesel pump failures? 19 Oct 2006 (Forum)
  For those people who might be interested. My Accord Diesel Tourer, (April 2004) with 57k miles suffered a fuel pump fault which required a new pump. The new pump was supplied under warranty, (lease car). Dealer service was excellent but the price of the replacement pump was over GBP1,000.00 + VAT and fitting.
• Mondeo TD MKII Turbo Change 14 Oct 2006 (Forum)
  My TD estate 209k has just failed its mot on: Emissions (tester only did a visual as it failed on other things and I think he only used it as an excuse to avoid breaking the cambelt) Corroded front to back brake pipes Leaking power steering. I know the rack is going to be a pig to get out if its not just a fluid pipe. I know the fuel tank might have to be dropped to do the pipes. I paid £750 for it in June and was hoping to get a bit more life out of it, but I have found a saloon Mondeo TD MOTd to 9/07 with 90k with a noisy turbo.
• Efficient driving technique 29 Sep 2006 (Forum)
  One of the tips I have come across on the web is to leave the car in gear and ease off the accelerator when going down a hill. I have read that this will only work for modern cars, where the ecu/computer cuts off the fuel. In such cases, it is better to leave it in gear rather than put it in neutral. Whilst drivign down hill, I have tended to put it in neutral. I drive a 95M 1.6 Escort zetec. My question is will the computer/ecu cut off the petrol when the accelerator is not depressed, or is my car too old to have such a system?
• oil coolers? waste of money? 25 Sep 2006 (Forum)
  alot of people in my car club fit additional oil coolers, which i can see makes sense on a track only car i see them complain/mention that their oil takes forever to warm up, or never goes over xxx degrees surley driving for say 20mins until the oil passes 80 degrees is daft, and wastes fuel and increases engine wear? i know having oil running at crazy high temps is bad, but isnt it almost as bad having cool oil all the time any ideas what the safe /best temps for oil is.....my manual states not to drive hard until 80deg buts doesnt say alot about how hot is too hot