Ask a Shiter

[Station]

Would the difference between a nearly new (ie 6 years) 330/530d and an XM be noticeable seeing as I do a depressingly high amount of motorway driving in a year. I've been looking for the past couple of weeks and want a manual 3l diesel estate BMW (in black), but will eventually bottle out after realising I can save the money and buy another shitter.

Are XM's reliable in the sense that they won't breakdown randomly? My Astra is nice and cheap and doesn't ask for anything, but there has to be something better in life doing 50,000 miles every year.

[Station]

I sold my Justy 'to someone else' while the bidding was on ebay. They paid a £50 deposit for me to end the auction, but now want to pay via paypal instead of paying cash on collection. I always say 'COC' in my adverts as I reckon PP is hassle.

The buyer was asking loads of questions and I said every fault is in the auction description, and then they went for it. I'm worried they're going to decide something's not what they were looking for and then go through paypal for a refund, and what with ebay being ebay, they'll get it back for some reason.

Is this possible, I'm not too bothered otherwise if this isn't possible, as I'm going to say I want cash on collection as it's less hassle.

[sheffcortinacentre]

mk1 fiesta ghia has wood dash & revcounter with fuel/temp in centre.

[skattrd]

Station, I've had a few years doing similar sort of mileage to you and I generally have 1 cheap to run shitter to use most of the time and another to use for a change when I'm fed up with it.

My boring does a similar role to your Astra and is worth fuckall, yet I've just spent £200 improving the suspension that wasn't really that bad, just to make it more enjoyable to drive. Tomorrow I'm off to collect a Merc C250 TD which will be used for a bit to give me a break from the boring. One day I will wake up and go feck the Merc and its 40mpg, sell it and drive the VW again for its 60mpg veg liking. I'll get in it with the new suspension, think it's gr8.1 enjoy driving it for a few weeks/months, then buy something else to run for a bit.... and so the cycle continues.

 

In the last 3yrs I've run Volvo S80 tdi Citroen XM 2.1TD, Citroen bx 1.9D, Renno 25, Lancia Thema, Subaru SVX, some longer than others, but none for more than 6 months After each I return to the boring and count the pennies.

[Craig the Princess]

I sold my Justy 'to someone else' while the bidding was on ebay. They paid a £50 deposit for me to end the auction, but now want to pay via paypal instead of paying cash on collection. I always say 'COC' in my adverts as I reckon PP is hassle.

The buyer was asking loads of questions and I said every fault is in the auction description, and then they went for it. I'm worried they're going to decide something's not what they were looking for and then go through paypal for a refund, and what with ebay being ebay, they'll get it back for some reason.

Is this possible, I'm not too bothered otherwise if this isn't possible, as I'm going to say I want cash on collection as it's less hassle.

 

 

Is he also paying your paypal fees? If not sack him off as it sounds a little dodgy.

[Pillock]

Tell him you don't accept PayPal and you asked for cash.

 

If he doesn't like it, remember to send him a picture of what you spent his £50 on then block him.

[dave21478]

DO NOT take paypal for anything that is collected in person. You will obviously have no proof of posting (which is all ebay care about in a dispute, never mind that a car wont fit in a fucking post box) so he can claim his money back with relative ease.

[Craig the Princess]

Are shower heads a universal fitting, our one is borked but the B&Q website doesn't mention any different fitting types.

[myglaren]

Are shower heads a universal fitting, our one is borked but the B&Q website doesn't mention any different fitting types.

No - I have just had to replace my daughter's shower head and rail as the new head wouldn't fit the old rail.

 

If you remove the holder for the head and take it with you you may find one to fit.  One of the same make is likely to.

[Craig the Princess]

Ta very much, will see what they have to offer tomorrow with the rail in hand.

 

Have some internet points

[wuvvum]

The Paypal money back guarantee thing doesn't work with vehicles though.

 

Question:  what's going on with Zafiras?  There was a new one came out on a 13 plate, but I've just seen a Zafira B on a 64.  Are they selling both side by side, or will the 64-plater have been one which was sat around for 18 months?

[Wilko220]

Is it possible to get a HBOL that covers later Citroen C15s?

 

All the ones on eBay seem to say 89-98 (F to S reg). Mine's an 03-reg with a different engine.

[Stroller133]

They must have made a lot of them (Zafiras) as they are loads of 13/63/14 plate old ones about. a local vx dealer had pre regd ones with a few 100 miles for 9995 not so long ago. I realise most on here would view it otherwise but a virtually brand new 7 seater for 10k is cheap. 10k would probably only buy a 3 year old c-max or 5 year old s-max.

[Stroller133]

Lookers vauxhall of Yardley have 64 plate with 4 miles on the clock for £10499. 1.8 petrol. It all one model, fairly basic spec.

[HH-R]

I saw a brand new Zafira B the other day so you must still be able to buy these heaps somewhere. Probably just run out stock lying about.

[wuvvum]

OK, here's another one.  The PAS fluid level in the van is very low.  I have a stock of Ford-type ATF that I bought when a local place was getting rid of it dirt cheap - can I use that in the PAS, or does it have to be standard Dexron stuff?

[sheffcortinacentre]

should be fine.

[Station]

The Paypal money back guarantee thing doesn't work with vehicles though.

 

 

 

I don';t know whether I made it clear, the item was bought outside of ebay (I told the winning bidder the car had been sold), it is unconnected to the car or auction and as far as I'm aware was sent as a 'gift'. She said she is paying via credit card.

I just said 'bollocks' and she sent it over, and is collecting the car tomorrow. If it means selling a car I have had up for sale for nearly a year with the slight possibility of no comebacks (I've listed all the faults), the fine. My paypal is no longer connected to bank accounts, so I use it as storage to buy stuff off ebay - I rarely use it and have only sold cars on ebay with cash payment.

[drum]

OK, here's another one.  The PAS fluid level in the van is very low.  I have a stock of Ford-type ATF that I bought when a local place was getting rid of it dirt cheap - can I use that in the PAS, or does it have to be standard Dexron stuff?

Some cars say it's fine while others don't. Think there is something in ATF that might not be good for the seals in the PAS system if the car hasn't been designed for it. Check the manual.

[catsinthewelder]

A friend of mine has a late model C15 with the dw8 engine. It's been a bugger to start lately and coughs out a cloud of white smoke when it does so I've suggested draining the water from the fuel filter. I went to show him how this was done but couldn't find the bugger, any guesses?

[dave21478]

A friend of mine has a late model C15 with the dw8 engine. It's been a bugger to start lately and coughs out a cloud of white smoke when it does so I've suggested draining the water from the fuel filter. I went to show him how this was done but couldn't find the bugger, any guesses?

 

 

Its a paper cartridge type....

 

[dave21478]

I don';t know whether I made it clear, the item was bought outside of ebay (I told the winning bidder the car had been sold), it is unconnected to the car or auction and as far as I'm aware was sent as a 'gift'. She said she is paying via credit card.

I just said 'bollocks' and she sent it over, and is collecting the car tomorrow. If it means selling a car I have had up for sale for nearly a year with the slight possibility of no comebacks (I've listed all the faults), the fine. My paypal is no longer connected to bank accounts, so I use it as storage to buy stuff off ebay - I rarely use it and have only sold cars on ebay with cash payment.

 

 

I believe that if it was sent as a gift, she can't claim it back.

If she used a stolen credit card, Paypal will have the money back off you at some point in the future. If she is legit, she is probably just using paypal as a means of buying a car privately and paying on her credit card.

[saucedoctor]

Anyone know of a reputable "Post your ECU to us and we'll fix it" type service?

 

The patient: Rover 200 Turbo Coupe, 1995.It won't turn it's rad fan on in traffic. The sender has been replaced, but it still won't work, that leaves the ECU. The fans are OK.

 

Cheers all.

 

 

[skattrd]

Can you not check the ecu number and get a replacement?

[skattrd]

Alternately fit a thermo switch in the coolant pipe, surely that's cheaper and simpler option.

[Asimo]

^^^^Don't forget the wires and connectors!

[saucedoctor]

Cheers lads. The ECU is a rare one, as this car is one of 300 cars that went to Japan, and came straight back again. I suggested a manual dashboard switch for the fan, but the woman that owns the car (friend of a friend, wish I hadn't got involved TBH) isn't keen. The other thing about the ECU is that it "chatters" even when the car is running, which makes me think it's banjaxed. I'd initially thought it was the throttle body, but it's defo the ECU that's making a noise. Rather out of my comfort zone with the T Series, if I'm honest!

[wuvvum]

Well the fluid in the PAS reservoir was red, which normally indicates ATF, and I found a bottle of Dexron in the shed so tipped some of that in.  Normally older PAS systems (and I would imagine the Boxer qualifies as one of those - it's a 2004 van, but the design came out in '95) seem to be OK on ATF, I just wasn't sure if using the Ford stuff (which is a different spec) would bugger it up.

[DS20]

The Range Rover has started doing an Odd Thing (no, not driving normally and efficiently).  Every so often, while I'm driving along, the revs will drop and the engine will die (it's an automatic, so I'm not guilty of stalling it).  The car coasts happily* to a halt, and restarts either instantly, or within 30 seconds.  I don't think it's the immobiliser doing weird stuff, and I'm stumped as to where to start looking - have any of you got any ideas?  As info, it had a new idle control valve in April this year, as the old one was U/S, but if anything the car is better to drive since that was replaced.  

 

Thank you for any brainwaves - 

 

Confused of Grimsby 

[mat_the_cat]

Cheers lads. The ECU is a rare one, as this car is one of 300 cars that went to Japan, and came straight back again. I suggested a manual dashboard switch for the fan, but the woman that owns the car (friend of a friend, wish I hadn't got involved TBH) isn't keen. The other thing about the ECU is that it "chatters" even when the car is running, which makes me think it's banjaxed. I'd initially thought it was the throttle body, but it's defo the ECU that's making a noise. Rather out of my comfort zone with the T Series, if I'm honest!

 

I'd have thought it likely that the main current to the fan is switched by a separate relay, but the chattering noise suggests a relay within the ECU. If it really is switched internally, I'm wondering whether there's a high resistance in the supply to the ECU, so that when it switches the larger current needed by the fan, the voltage drops to a level which is unable to hold the relay in the closed position?