Topic: Car & mechanics advice thread

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Spent a few hours hitting it with a hammer. That'll sort it out. One of our neighbours seems to hit all his possessions with a hammer from around 08:00 every weekend morning.

[paulrazor]

Anyone know anything about a flashing glowlight on Mondeo diesel?

Ive had the problem once and had the EPR valve cleaned. 8 weeks ago and its just come back on now - the engine lost power whilst changing gear. Its gone off since restarting but sure its only gonna come up again.

Car is a 2007 but not the new shape. Its a 2.2 engine. Read up on things and some forums point to a injector problem

what colour and symbol show up

Mr mrs had a 2002 focus up until recently for a brand new focus. the old one must have had the engine lot on most of the last 4 years. didnt seem to cause too much problems though.

[Ciara (with a capital "C")]

When you buy a new car, brand new, do you not have to MOT them for 3 years? Is that across the board or just specific makes?

[Andy @ Allerton!]

When you buy a new car, brand new, do you not have to MOT them for 3 years? Is that across the board or just specific makes?

https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot


1. When to get an MOT

The MOT test checks that your vehicle meets road safety and environmental standards.

You must get an MOT for your vehicle by either:
##the third anniversary of its registration
##the anniversary of its last MOT, if it’s over 3 years old

Some vehicles need to be tested at one year old - check the MOT fees table to see which.


Class

Vehicle type

Age first MOT needed (years)

Maximum MOT fee


1 Motorcycle (engine size up to 200cc) 3 £29.65
1 Motorcycle with sidecar (engine size up to 200cc) 3 £37.80
2 Motorcycle (engine size over 200cc) 3 £29.65
2 Motorcycle with sidecar (engine size over 200cc) 3 £37.80
3 3-wheeled vehicles (up to 450kg unladen weight) 3 £37.80
4 3-wheeled vehicles (over 450kg unladen weight) 3 £54.85
4 Cars (up to 8 passenger seats) 3 £54.85
4 Motor caravans 3 £54.85
4 Quads (max unladen weight 400kg - for goods vehicles 550kg and max net power of 15kw) 3 £54.85
4 Dual purpose vehicles 3 £54.85
4 Private hire and public service vehicles (up to 8 seats) 3 £54.85
4 Ambulances and taxis 1 £54.85
4 Private passenger vehicles and ambulances (9 to 12 passenger seats) 1 £57.30
4 Goods vehicles (up to 3,000kg design gross weight) 3 £54.85
4a Class 4 vehicles (9 to 12 passenger seats) with a seat belt installation check n/a £64
5 Private passenger vehicles and ambulances (13 to 16 passenger seats) 1 £59.55
5 Private passenger vehicles and ambulances (more than 16 passenger seats) 1 £80.65
5 Playbuses 1 £80.65
5a Class 5 vehicles (13 to 16 passenger seats) with a seatbelt installation check n/a £80.50
5a Class 5 vehicles (more than 16 passenger seats) with a seatbelt installation check n/a £124.50
7 Goods vehicles (over 3,000kg up to 3,500kg design gross weight) 3 £58.60

[pw1008]

its an orange glow plug symbol but like a spring is best way i can describe it

as usual could do without having to trade it in at the moment with one thing or another but need it to be reliable enough for a 70 mile round trip to work each day.

[Motty]

Something I have noticed with mine, when I was down in England my average MPG was 27.5. That's an '02 plate 2.4 V70 with 139k on the clock. I've ladders on the roof, and probably 150kg of gear in the boot.

Up here, never had less than 33, and the best was 36. That's 90% rural roads/10% M-way. Importantly though, 0% traffic jams.

It's the country air Shane, it makes the car feel happier so you get more mpg

No chance of changinh the car so hopefully a long run on the weekend will blow away the cobwebs so to speak. This is what happens when you let a woman drive the car mostly

[John C]

When you buy a new car, brand new, do you not have to MOT them for 3 years? Is that across the board or just specific makes?

As Andy said, for cars its after 3 years and consultation will be underway to extend it to 4-years from new.
Something I'm very much against personally.

[paulrazor]

Found this
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/?t=95252

 

[rob1966]

As Andy said, for cars its after 3 years and consultation will be underway to extend it to 4-years from new.
Something I'm very much against personally.

Same here. My mate is an MOT tester and I've been in his garage and seen 3 yr old cars fail the first MOT with serious faults, in fact my sisters in laws Citroen C4 Picasso rear suspension failed at 3 and a half years old. I used to do 22,000 miles a year, its ridiculous that a car could do 90,000 miles before being MOT'd.

I also noticed a hell of a lot of cars of all ages failed due to worn tyres. I know that this is a driver responsibility, but so many people have fuck all clue about cars and things like tyre wear and its the MOT that makes a lot of people aware and acts as a safety net.

[paddysour]

I used Radweld to cure a leak in my cooling system. It's a very cheap car that I'll be replacing soon so didn't want to spend money on it.

Anyway, the radweld has stopped my blowers from blowing warm air. I'm assuming this stuff has plugged something it shouldn't have, and I'll just need to find that and clear the blockage. My question is where should I be looking?

[L666KOP]

I used Radweld to cure a leak in my cooling system. It's a very cheap car that I'll be replacing soon so didn't want to spend money on it.

Anyway, the radweld has stopped my blowers from blowing warm air. I'm assuming this stuff has plugged something it shouldn't have, and I'll just need to find that and clear the blockage. My question is where should I be looking?

I'd start with the thermostat. It may have clogged it up.

That's the easy fix. If it's not that then I'd guess it will probably be the heater matrix, and that's buried deep behind the dashboard.

[NotAsBigDanno]

I used Radweld to cure a leak in my cooling system. It's a very cheap car that I'll be replacing soon so didn't want to spend money on it.

Anyway, the radweld has stopped my blowers from blowing warm air. I'm assuming this stuff has plugged something it shouldn't have, and I'll just need to find that and clear the blockage. My question is where should I be looking?

Is it a ford ka or fiesta? If it is a common fault is the heater control valve sticking, £30 for a new one and fairly easy to fit

[paddysour]

I'd start with the thermostat. It may have clogged it up.

That's the easy fix. If it's not that then I'd guess it will probably be the heater matrix, and that's buried deep behind the dashboard.

Ok lets hope it's the thermostat then 

What should I do here, just remove the thing and give it a clean out?

[paddysour]

Is it a ford ka or fiesta? If it is a common fault is the heater control valve sticking, £30 for a new one and fairly easy to fit

It's a Corsa C

[L666KOP]

Ok lets hope it's the thermostat then 

What should I do here, just remove the thing and give it a clean out?

Just replace it mate, they're cheap.

Do you know where the leak is/was ?

[paddysour]

Just replace it mate, they're cheap.

Do you know where the leak is/was ?

I'm not entirely sure. The coolant almost always emptied after about a month, but with no signs of drips in the engine bay or the ground underneath 

Recently though I noticed wet patches on the ground under the radiator so that's when I threw the radweld in to see if it would help. Been bucketing down though so I don't know if it has 

[L666KOP]

I'm not entirely sure. The coolant almost always emptied after about a month, but with no signs of drips in the engine bay or the ground underneath 

Recently though I noticed wet patches on the ground under the radiator so that's when I threw the radweld in to see if it would help. Been bucketing down though so I don't know if it has 

Have you checked your oil ?

Undo the filler cap and check that it's not emulsifying inside. If you see anything that looks like dirty mayonnaise then it's probably the head gasket. Just something else you can rule out if it looks okay.

[paddysour]

Have you checked your oil ?

Undo the filler cap and check that it's not emulsifying inside. If you see anything that looks like dirty mayonnaise then it's probably the head gasket. Just something else you can rule out if it looks okay.

Yeah that was one of the problems when trying to google the symptoms. Literally everywhere says head gasket. But it's not that, no mayo bar normal levels (I dry very, very short journeys). Temps never go over half way. No performance issues. And the heating was fine up until radweld so I think it's safe to rule out the head gasket

[paddysour]

I used Radweld to cure a leak in my cooling system. It's a very cheap car that I'll be replacing soon so didn't want to spend money on it.

Anyway, the radweld has stopped my blowers from blowing warm air. I'm assuming this stuff has plugged something it shouldn't have, and I'll just need to find that and clear the blockage. My question is where should I be looking?

Fixed this by replacing the thermostat, flushing the coolant and flushing the heater matrix as well. Don't think replacing the thermostat was necessary in the end but it was cheap and easy to do anyway. The coolant flushed from the heater matrix was minging, so I guess that was the problem.

Dead easy job once you look up what to do. Only problems involved getting old hoses to move 

[boots]

You may not notice drips as when the car running, the water is hot and under pressure. A minute hole may cause the water to be released as steam and hence evaporate quickly without leaving a trace.

[paulrazor]

whats it cost to repair a scratch on the alloys. http://www.spraypaintingsydney.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/beforeafter.jpg

if you look at this its about the size of the area covered by the back shadow where the word AFTER is

[Barneylfc∗]

Any help? This wheel thingy was hanging off the cog thingy on the left of the second picture. No belt or anything round it. No warning lights and car running normally. The cog thingy on the second pic doesn't do anything when the engine is running

[L666KOP]

Any help? This wheel thingy was hanging off the cog thingy on the left of the second picture. No belt or anything round it. No warning lights and car running normally. The cog thingy on the second pic doesn't do anything when the engine is running

It's a pulley mate.

IT matters 

If car is running normally then I'd suggest it could well be your Air Con drive belt.

Start the car, turn the climate control on, and set it to cold. If it doesn't get cold then there's your answer.

Either way, get to a garage sharpish, the pulley on the left has clear grooves on it, there should be a belt on it.
 

[Barneylfc∗]

There's grooves on the wheel thing too

[Barneylfc∗]

Checked the air con. Getting both cold and warm so seemingly not that

[Barneylfc∗]

This page suggests it is AC related

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=884299

The belt drive system also includes as shown in the picture above the power steering pump (D), idler and tension pulleys (respectively C and B), alternator (I) water pump pulley (A) and AC compressor (F).

Although the mechanical fan is connected to the same belt drive system that the AC Compressor is connected to the mechanical fan has nothing to do with AC coldness or strength. However the reverse is sort of true. When the AC is turned on in the cabin the effect of the AC compressor turning on is rippled thru the belt drive system and will be demonstrated as a momentary roughness in the engine rpm (i.e the rpm needle on the odometer jumps).

No idea what the fuck aby of that means

[outlaw_nas]

For clogged up dpf put in v power and some forte dpf cleaner. And take it for a blast on the mototway

[rob1966]

Any help? This wheel thingy was hanging off the cog thingy on the left of the second picture. No belt or anything round it. No warning lights and car running normally. The cog thingy on the second pic doesn't do anything when the engine is running

This time of year, the fan will blow cold regardless, normally when you switch the air con on and the system is working, you can hear the engine start to work harder, you can just feel a small drop in power.

While no air con at this time of year is no big deal, I'd be getting it looked at to find out why its sheared off and is anything else damaged, because if that other pulley lets go you've lost your alternator.

[paddysour]

My Corsa C has began to cut out while driving. The common theme seems to be as I slow down. Car dies completely so I lose all steering and brake assistance. Car then turns over but refuses to start, but if I leave it ten minutes it starts again.

Anyone know what that could be? Plenty of petrol in her and temperatures are fine. All electrics work as well. It doesn't happen all the time either, just randomly.

[Claire.]

Run flat tyres, who prefers them to non runs flats?

We've spent the best part of a grand on 4 of them and welding a cracked alloy in the last week.

Wondering if anyone (BMW) has swapped them and bought a spare wheel?

Experiences?

[paddysour]

Run flat tyres, who prefers them to non runs flats?

We've spent the best part of a grand on 4 of them and welding a cracked alloy in the last week.

Wondering if anyone (BMW) has swapped them and bought a spare wheel?

Experiences?

Wait your turn you cheeky bugger 


 

[kavah]

My arl fella cuts little, thumb-nail-sized, squares of black insulating-tape and whenever a new warning lights up he just covers it up. He's had the car for yonks and it runs like a dream

[soxfan]

Run flat tyres, who prefers them to non runs flats?

We've spent the best part of a grand on 4 of them and welding a cracked alloy in the last week.

Wondering if anyone (BMW) has swapped them and bought a spare wheel?

Experiences?

Not sure if there was any relevance to the cracked wheel. Could just be coincidence. But from a performance viewpoint, they are inferior to normal tires. They tend to be noisier too. I am on a Corvette forum a lot and the first thing many owners do is swap out the run flats for normal ones (though "normal" on a Corvette still means crazy expensive due to the size and performance expectation).

You're gaining convenience and peace of mind in exchange for driving quality.

Here's a couple of debates and some ideas:
http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239417

http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165162

[Wigwamdelbert]

My Corsa C has began to cut out while driving. The common theme seems to be as I slow down. Car dies completely so I lose all steering and brake assistance. Car then turns over but refuses to start, but if I leave it ten minutes it starts again.

Anyone know what that could be? Plenty of petrol in her and temperatures are fine. All electrics work as well. It doesn't happen all the time either, just randomly.

Sounds like a problem I had on a previous car of mine, turned out to be the crank shaft sensor had gone, was a bitch to get diagnosed, I kept telling the garage that I thought that was the problem, but oooooooh nooooo, they didn't think so!!

[rob1966]

Not sure if there was any relevance to the cracked wheel. Could just be coincidence. But from a performance viewpoint, they are inferior to normal tires. They tend to be noisier too. I am on a Corvette forum a lot and the first thing many owners do is swap out the run flats for normal ones (though "normal" on a Corvette still means crazy expensive due to the size and performance expectation).

You're gaining convenience and peace of mind in exchange for driving quality.

Here's a couple of debates and some ideas:
http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239417

http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165162

No its not a coincidence. Neighbours son had a 7 series BWM until recently, he went through more than 2 wheels due to the runflats. I know he's got rid of the car because of it.

[Bunter]

My Audi A3 tdi has not been starting randomly but only after short journeys, I left it for several days without using it and had no problems when starting it. Not sure if it's the battery or possibly the alternator but i don't lose electrics after trying to turn it over. It's been working fine now for a few days but I'm worried the next time it doesn't start I get stranded. It will usually start again with a jump which is confusing as the battery doesn't appear to be low.

[paulrazor]

it might not be holding the charge

it happened me about 2 years ago

in fairness i drained the battery one day (i was waiting for a football match on a cold december morning so left the heat and radio on for about 20 mins)

i recharged it but then it cut out again a week later (the mrs left the lights and heat on when i went into a shop albeit only 5 mins).

jump leads were used then about 3 weeks later it wouldnt start, first morning going back to work, charged it and got to work and home (130 miles) all ok. then next morning same thing

i just changed the battery as i wasnt spending 25 mins every morning doing that in the cold (garage confirmed the battery was dying a death anyway and it sorted the problem by changing it)

likewise it could be an alternator, the battery would be better in that regard as alternators are dearer

does the battery warning light or any other warning light randomly come on?

[۩ Imperator ۩]

Having a car nightmare.

Put my Giulietta in for a service last Monday with my local Alfa specialist. Was due a cambelt change which was done along with the usual oil change and plugs etc. The following day, it was idling rough and firing on three cylinders. Went back in for investigations, and after a week without the car, it turned out the multiair actuator has failed. So after spending £440 last week, this week's bill is another £650. This year's holiday cancelled.

[rob1966]

My Audi A3 tdi has not been starting randomly but only after short journeys, I left it for several days without using it and had no problems when starting it. Not sure if it's the battery or possibly the alternator but i don't lose electrics after trying to turn it over. It's been working fine now for a few days but I'm worried the next time it doesn't start I get stranded. It will usually start again with a jump which is confusing as the battery doesn't appear to be low.

Change the battery. There will be enough juice in it to power the electrics, it'll even show 12v or more when you test it, but when you try and start it you need a lot of power and theres not enough in the battery to turn the starter motor.

[paulrazor]

Change the battery. There will be enough juice in it to power the electrics, it'll even show 12v or more when you test it, but when you try and start it you need a lot of power and theres not enough in the battery to turn the starter motor.

should be places that check his battery for free too. so that should confirm it one way or another whats wrong