Ask a Shiter

[D Spares & Tyres]

What do I buy/do to recreate the stone chip finish on the sill of the Clio? Welded a hole up and now just need to match it in. Got the spray can in the correct colour but need whatever goes under it first.

Like this:

shutz gun and gravitex....you wont match that lower lip cheaply as its sealer sprayed on 

 

best you can do is get some pu sealer and stipple it with a cut down paint brush to try and match it a bit

 

Any paint place sells 'stone chip' paint. Use that. Same as gravitex but cheaper

 

For the bit at the bottom just take the nozzle off the end of the gun and blast it on thick

[andy18s]

How do you get all of the oil out? Or do you not?

You can't get it all out without physically stripping the torque convertor out

3 or 4 oil changes will get 90% changed but can get expensive or messy

Garages are starting to offer oil flushes which claim to get it all but cost a bit....

[rainagain]

Wheel bearings

 

Can they suddenly fail? I drove my 307 yesterday and there's a now a terrible noise. It changes with speed not engine revs. Its the same with the gearbox in neutral. Its worse when turning right and virtually silent turning left.

 

I'm thinking left hand wheel bearing.

 

However I've never had one fail like this, normally they get gradually louder not all of a sudden. Has anyone experienced a failure like this?

[Richard]

.

[Bobthebeard]

You can retract a bid, I think you only get a few options as to your reason so I'd message the seller and explain if it was me.

No reply from the seller. (Am not surprised )

My fault. Looked at bid retraction options and none fit the criteria.

Only hope is to be outbid.

[Landy Mann]

Is there any reason why my 1.4 Kettle now keeps it's cooling system pressurized once the engine has cooled down? No overheating but sporadic coolant loss. I can only think it's HGF although none of the classic water in oil, or oil in water symptoms. The coolant is dirty but no more so than when I bought it .

[rainagain]

It can happen. Check the driveshaft nut ASAP, that's one of the things that can cause sudden failure.

Thanks for the suggestion, I don't have any tools where I am but I went out to the car and rocked both front wheels. There is a definite 'clunk' when you rock the front left. I'll take a gentle drive to my dads and check the nut.

[jonathan_dyane]

How do you get all of the oil out? Or do you not?

 Some cars (not many but certainly older Mercs) have a drain plug in the torque converter which you rotate until the plug is at the bottom.

[egg]

Can anyone confirm if there is anything 'we' class as shite and also buttery biscuit base but also has air conditioning?

 

In other words - what's an low spec old car without all the options ticked that has air con?

[320touring]

Can anyone confirm if there is anything 'we' class as shite and also buttery biscuit base but also has air conditioning?

 

In other words - what's an low spec old car without all the options ticked that has air con?

Best bet is like an S280 merc, or a shanner 728i BMW etc

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Can anyone confirm if there is anything 'we' class as shite and also buttery biscuit base but also has air conditioning?

 

In other words - what's an low spec old car without all the options ticked that has air con?

I once had a 3 door Disco on steels that had air-con

 

In 92/93 in response to the launch of the Mondeo, Peugeot offered the choice of aircon or sunroof on 405 GLX s, which at the time was one up from base and their LX/LS competitor. Incidentally Vauxhall fitted airbags to the Cavalier for the same reason and where I worked at least it seems people would rather be cool than not killed.

 

It seems strange to think That XJ40s, W126 S Classes and e32 7ers didn't come with aircon on lower models unless you paid extra.

[Guest Hooli]

I don't think aircon was standard on Jags until the X300. I was amazed to find that out myself.

[gordonbennet]

Is changing automatic gearbox oil as simple as warm up, drain from plug and refill? Does the sump need to be removed? Does it hold oil anywhere else?

As said, can be a fair bit in the torque converter..

 

You can flush the system through by dropping and refilling one sumpful, then disconnecting the oil cooler return pipe, putting some extra plastic pipe on both ends, suction side in the tub of fresh oil return side in the waste can then start up and in theory it should pump old out and draw in new at the same time.

 

I didn't do this when i changed the Landcruisier gear oil, i can make more mess than you can shake a stick at by just draining and refilling, i'd probably cause a biblical enviromental disaster if i did the pump in/out, so instead i changed 4 or 5 sumpfuls, running the box through all the gears after each refil, cos i is fed up of wearing more than i get in the bloody drain can.

Don't even ask what sort of mess i can make when 7.5 litres of hot black Diesel engine oil comes hammering out like a bloody fire hose.

 

Make sure before you go draining that you've got a dipstick to refil through, no such joy on the LC (wtf are you playing at Toyota, this aint Range Rover wallet draining design copy), it has a second level check plug in the sump and a filling point half way up the box, but that means you need an oil pump of some sort.

 

I believe some modern Mercs (no doubt others now) have to have the oil pumped in and out under pressure whilst connected to STAR system, i'm not getting into DiYing one of them.

 

If you buy the correct oil online, even 20 litres of the new Dexron6 full synthetic is around £70 delivered, more than enough for even a big box and saves 5 litres for top up.

[clayts450]

Is there any reason why my 1.4 Kettle now keeps it's cooling system pressurized once the engine has cooled down? No overheating but sporadic coolant loss. I can only think it's HGF although none of the classic water in oil, or oil in water symptoms. The coolant is dirty but no more so than when I bought it .

 

Good guidance on OMGHGF here - 9 times out of 10 it isn't - may be faulty inlet manifold gasket, water pump, dodgy hoses, knackered rad, heck even a dodgy coolant expansion tank filler cap etc etc

 

http://forums.mg-rover.org/how-do-i-answers-common-problems-8/how-diagnose-k-series-head-gasket-failure-243523/

[fraser.innes.3]

Is changing automatic gearbox oil as simple as warm up, drain from plug and refill? Does the sump need to be removed? Does it hold oil anywhere else?

The recommended way for my grand voyager the yanks use is to pull the outlet from the gearbox oil cooler then start her up. For every litre that comes out pour one in. That way the converter is emptied.

 

Sent from my SM-J320FN using Tapatalk

[mercrocker]

This may be one for the truckshite thread but here goes...

 

Recently I have noticed a fair few MoD T45-cabbed Leylands being shunted about.   Never driven, only on flatbeds.  

 

Do the Army still use these or am I just watching stuff being carted off from auctions?  

[Rusty_Rocket]

The thermostat does sound faulty, but it's not causing the cutting out problems. 

 

Changing the 'stat will allow it to run at the right temperature of course, but will probably accentuate the cutting out problem, which sounds like a sensor failing when hot.. 

Also, there's a reason people don't change thermostats on TD4 Freelanders, it's a big job   

[Cavcraft]

Why do some cars have these things on the number plates?

 

 

 

Been bugging me for ages that.

[twosmoke300]

Parking sensor kit isn't it

[Richard]

.

[Kiltox]

Parking sensor kit isn't it

This. Works very well too.

[Richard]

.

[Bobthebeard]

No reply from the seller. (Am not surprised )

My fault. Looked at bid retraction options and none fit the criteria.

Only hope is to be outbid.

Wasn't outbid and won the auction at £60. So paid up but sent another message stating my mistake. Wrong gearbox, didn't realise/check properly etc..

However was contacted by the seller who has now refunded the money with no questions asked.

Result! Thanked him/her profusely.

I won't make that schoolboy error again.

[phil_lihp]

I'm keeping an eye on a cheap local eBay listing, a Corsa C 1.4 in a fairly vile shade of metallic pink.  1.4 on a 2000 X plate, fairly good MOT history and current ticket til next year, 100k on the clock, thinking of it as a cheap doer-upper if the price stays low.  Not my cup of tea at all but viewing it as a quick turnaround and sell on if it can be fixed easily enough, a good wash and polish would help it straight away.

 

Only listed fault is an intermittent problem with it going into limp mode, only does it every few days apparently.  EML comes on as well, fault goes away again by itself.  Allegedly no codes produced.

 

Any thoughts on what it might be?  

[AMC Rebel]

Can anyone confirm if there is anything 'we' class as shite and also buttery biscuit base but also has air conditioning?

 

In other words - what's an low spec old car without all the options ticked that has air con?

My 2000 Mondeo Verona - not quite base spec, but not far off.

 

Also had aircon on a 1991 base spec Saab 9000 

[Squirrel2]

Can anyone confirm if there is anything 'we' class as shite and also buttery biscuit base but also has air conditioning?

 

In other words - what's an low spec old car without all the options ticked that has air con?

I'm a bit new to this but what about Volvo S60 or V70 Phase1?

[Bfg]

1) Is it true that there are hardly any shared body parts between the Princess and the Ambassador?'

 

.. a spokesman from the Royal household declined to make comment on such allegations.

[bramz7]

Odd one, Aviva day insure is usually by far the best short term insurance provider. However they just won't insure my little AX. At first I thought potentially due to the salvage marker, but no, other cars with the same are fine.

Could it be because it was on someone's trade policy (and probably still is)? I've had all sorts of crud on their day insure yet this is the only one to cause problems.

[HH-R]

I'm keeping an eye on a cheap local eBay listing, a Corsa C 1.4 in a fairly vile shade of metallic pink.  1.4 on a 2000 X plate, fairly good MOT history and current ticket til next year, 100k on the clock, thinking of it as a cheap doer-upper if the price stays low.  Not my cup of tea at all but viewing it as a quick turnaround and sell on if it can be fixed easily enough, a good wash and polish would help it straight away.

 

Only listed fault is an intermittent problem with it going into limp mode, only does it every few days apparently.  EML comes on as well, fault goes away again by itself.  Allegedly no codes produced.

 

Any thoughts on what it might be?  

Vauxhalls of this era can put the EML on if the oil level is low (knock sensor triggered IIRC) but I'm not sure if it causes limp.

[3VOM]

MOT fail on the Signum recorded as 2.2.B.1h Steering arm has relative movement at its fixings. I can't find much wrong other than a small amount of movement in what I would call the lower suspension arm. Is this what the tester is getting at? Also, he will have tested it under load, I checked it with the wheel off the ground.