Email Tim with your questions
Hi Tim,
I own a Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec Climate (Jan 2006) and was having problems
with the back windscreen wiper in January where it would only cover half of
the windscreen each time I switched it on. Hence I had to click 4 times for
it to return to its usual position. Sometimes it would wipe the back window
without it being switched on. I brought it in (under warranty) to a Ford
approved garage and, after 2 days(!), they discovered the issue was water in
the relay.
Unfortunately the exact problem has manifested itself again and I was
wondering if you know of any known issue with Ford back windscreen wipers. I
suspect that water has found itself back into the relay so was wondering if
there is a way to make it water tight (if this is indeed the case).
I would return to the Ford garage but have zero confidence in them fixing
it correctly. Hence me contacting you before I do so.
Regards,
Andy, Edinburgh
There are a couple of problems with Focus rear wipers. First, check that
nothing’s covering the contacts where the tailgate closes – that will stop
them working altogether. If that’s not the problem, ask the garage to check
the relay again, but this time, if water has got in, tell them to find out
where. The tailgate seal can sometimes leak, or rainwater often enters the
car when you open the tailgate after a shower. There will be evidence of
water staining which should point them in the direction of a permanent cure
– but they must find the problem, not just cure the symptom.
I have a Saab 9-3 Petrol 52 plate.When brake pedal is pressed there is
excessive travel if pressed again immediately the pedal comes up to the top
with very little travel of the pedal and is harder than being spongy.I have
taken it to two garages inc. Saab dealer and they cannot solve problem also
ther is no loss of brake fluid.
Barrie Thomas, Bridgend, Wales
The most common cause of this symptom is that air has got into the hydraulic
fluid and it needs bleeding. When you press the pedal the first time, the
air compresses which is why the pedal travels so far. The second time it’s
still compressed, so you get a “normal” pedal height and feel. However, it’s
such an obvious possibility that I’m sure at least one of the garages will
have tried bleeding the system. I therefore suspect that there’s too much
clearance between the disc pads and the brake disc. A brief description of
how the disc brake operates will help explain. When you press the brake,
you’re pushing some brake fluid along the brake pipe and into the calliper.
The calliper contains one or more pistons and the extra fluid forces them
outwards so that they press against the back of the brake pads which in turn
squeeze the disc and slow it down. When you release the pedal the pads stop
squeezing the disc, but they also need to retract just a fraction so that
they don’t continually rub against the disc – otherwise both pads and disc
will wear quickly and run very hot. This slight retraction is produced by
the rubber piston sealing ring. It stretches slightly with the piston as it
pushes out and once the pressure’s released the elasticity of the rubber
gripping the piston pulls it back into the calliper to give that tiny
clearance. It’s important that the clearance is very small, otherwise the
next time you press the brake, the piston has to travel out of the calliper
before it presses the pad against the disc, meaning that you have to press
the pedal a long way to push more fluid along the brake pipe. On your car
the piston is being forced back in to the calliper too much when you release
the brake pedal. The fluid is now pushed back up the brake pipe into the
reservoir. The next press of the pedal has to push a lot of fluid down the
pipe to push the piston back out of the calliper to contact the pad again,
before the second press applies the brake pressure. You or your garage needs
to identify why the piston(s) are being pushed too far back into the
callipers. The normal cause is too much sideways movement of the disc as it
rotates – either because it’s warped or because there’s play in the wheel
bearing. Both of these are easy to check and fix. It might be just one brake
that’s causing the problem, but check them all, front and rear, to be safe
and sure.
Hi Tim (apologies for the length of this email but I'm stuck!)
I have a Honda Accord '99 1.8s VTEC with 115k on the clock. Reliability was
excellent until four weeks ago. The car has suffered a complete loss of
engine power on five occasions now; at various speeds driving around
roundabouts, on the motorway, over large traffic humps and in a car park!
The only common factor appears to be ... the loss of power!? There's no
warning light (ECU - sensor failure?) flashing, i just watch the needles
drop and the car begins to roll (although it think that the stereo light
remains on). This was a tad scary when on the motorway! I usually pull over
and wait 10 seconds and then restart without a problem.
The problem arose following a break down six weeks ago for a reported
catalytic convertor break up (expected) & total engine power loss. I had a
tow to a national garage chain and the cat replaced. Then i began to
experience the power losses on an irregular basis, with an occasional
hesitant acceleration at low revs. The AA & cat supplier suggested that cat
bits had blocked the exhaust and as the back box was just starting to blow i
had the mid and back sections replaced fully, hoping to end the problem and
keep the car for a year or two longer. However, the engine has since cut out
on three more occasions. It continues to hesitate (with no discernable
predictor) on acceleration no matter if it's hot or cold.
Following the fourth of the five power loss occasions I asked my local
independent garage to replace the fuel filter (due at upcoming service) and
check out the ignition barrel for electrical problems. I'd noticed that when
starting the car it didn't always switch on the dashboard lights; a slight
upward jiggle gave me the dashboard lights and then a full turn, turned it
over. The garage reported no fault that they could identify.
The problem has occurred again and i'm none the wiser. I have a number for
a mobile auto-electrics specialist but he charges a minimum of £49 inc vat
(!); i'm not Bill Gates and have little faith with my local independent.
Could it be electrical, fuel related (contaminated fuel disabling O2
sensor?) or wear and tear? A neighbour reported a similar problem with his
Rover and subsequently cleaned out his fuel tank and tank filter (?),
removing 2 handfuls of rust particles!
Can you please advise me? I'm at the mercy of the garages but may be
broad-sided by oncoming traffic!
Kind regards,
Tim Bowden, UK
Identifying this fault is dependent on what you mean by “The needles begin to
drop”. If they all drop as the engine cuts out, including the fuel gauge,
temperature gauge etc., it indicates major electrical failure and I would
replace that iffy ignition switch. The same symptom could also point to a
fault in the main power supply relay for the engine management system, but
given that the ignition switch is a bit dodgy anyway, go for that first. If
it’s just the rev counter dropping as the engine dies and the speedometer
drops as the car slows, go for the ignition module – they gave trouble on
the Accord and the symptoms were intermittent cutting out.
Hi Tim, My wife drives a 1997 Ford Fiesta Encore. Since we bought it in
2000 we have had a terrible problem with water on the inside of the windows.
I seem to remember you providing advice to another reader with a similar
problem in Nov/Dec last year but cannot remember the name of the products or
suppliers you mentioned. I have tried the local Halfords without success.
This model has no AC however heater and rear demist working fine. Can you
please help.
Regards
John Weir, Grangemouth, UK
Water condensing on the inside of the windows inevitably means there’s water
sitting inside the car somewhere. There is a surprisingly long list of the
ways that water finds its way into the cabin of a Fiesta (perhaps rain is
seldom known in Dagenham), so you need to pinpoint the general area first.
Lift the carpets in the front footwells and check for signs of water
underneath them. Dampness here can be coolant leaking from the heater or
rainwater entering through various grommets in the bulkhead. If the
dampness seems sticky, suspect the heater unit, especially if you have to
top up the coolant level fairly regularly. If it isn’t sticky, it could be
a poor body seal between the bulkhead and “A” pillar (the bit that forms the
corner linking the windscreen and the front edge of the door), the bottom of
the wheelarch, or it could be coming through the bulkhead via the wiring
loom grommet or brake servo bracket. Ford dealers should have technical
service bulletins telling them how to fix the leaks, but it’s always good to
be able to tell them where to look. If the front footwells are dry, work
your way round the car to find the wet spot and trace the water’s path back
from it. The source can be very tricky to identify, but since you say the
problem is very bad, the leak should be fairly noticeable. Good luck!
Dear Tim, you recently gave me a very full answer on my oil consumption
problem. Thank you so much. I have another question. I have a Skoda
Octavia Estate 2 litre. It is Y reg and has only done about 35,000 miles. It
has proven very reliable in all regards, and has a full service history,
mostly with Skoda franchised dealers. However, the climate control seems to
be malfunctioning. For example, at 22 C setting it feels more like 35 C.
It all seems like it needs "re-calibrating", if such thing is indeed done to
air-con units. What do you think I should do? Do I necessarily have to
take it to a Skoda dealer? I would prefer not to, but it would help to be
pre-armed with some idea of what might be the problem.
Best regards,
Lorenz and Sarah Jorgensen, Saffron Walden, Essex
The first thing to do is get an aircon service from a specialist. You don’t
have to go to a Skoda dealer – there are loads of specialists around, and
they usually understand air conditioning better than the dealer anyway. The
best place to look is your local paper, or if you have a trusted local
garage, ask them who they recommend. The service will include a gas
recharge if necessary and a full check of the system. It’s possible that
you need a new interior temperature sensor, which is fitted behind the
dashboard.
Hi Tim,
I have got a Peugeot 307 2.0 HDi on a 2001 plate. I have had the car over a
year and it has had its ups and downs. The first thing that went wrong with
my car was that the diesel pump went faulty, causing the car to skid on its
own diesel and crash.
Having the car repaired and a brand new diesel pump installed it ran fine,
until an anti-pollution fault came up on the screen (this was a couple of
months ago), which caused immense loss of power. I got it checked out at a
local garage who said drive it around and it will fix itself. And sure
enough it did.
Now 2 days ago I started the car and got a message saying ABS fault, and
the ABS light is constantly on, I wonder if you can shed any light on what
it may be, and do you think it will probably disappear just like the
anti-pollution warning?
Nadeem Asghar, UK
The ABS fault is nothing to do with the anti pollution warning and it
certainly will not fix itself. A bit of explanation from the dealer would
have been much more helpful when the anti pollution light came on! It was
simply telling you that the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) was almost full
of soot and the car needed to be driven for 30 miles or so at 40 – 50 mph or
above to burn off the accumulated soot and clear the filter. This is not a
fault with the car – simply a feature of cars with a DPF. (I often get
asked why you can’t simply change the filter rather than wasting fuel going
for a long drive to clear it. The answer is, you can. The cost is around
£1,000, which makes that drive look suddenly economical).
The ABS fault is a fault and won’t put itself right. The most common cause is
a wheel speed sensor but a fault code reader will reveal all. The ABS
warning light on means the anti lock bit isn’t working, even though the
brakes themselves are working fine. It’s also an MOT failure, so do get it
done.
I purchased my RX8 just 2 months ago (privately) and was enjoying the
experience until I started getting warm stop/start problems (as I posted
previously in this forum). Well I've just been formally diagnosed - low
compressions. Solution = replace the engine. Cost = £5,500. (other option -
overhaul the engine but apparently Mazda do not approve that in the UK!). No
longer under warranty (04 plate).
I was told:
Standard Compression = 830KPA
Minimum Compression = 680KPA
Our's ranges from 640-530KPA dependant on temperature of engine.
I am well p***ed. Have you across this before and do you have any idea if
there is any other solution to my problem?
To top that - my steering is now heavy and clunky and I've been told that
will take another £1,000 to fix. This is becoming a very costly buy. Any
ideas. Please.
Name and address withheld.
You’ve just discovered why rotary engines never caught on in a big way. You
have worn rotor tips I’m afraid – they’re the equivalent of piston rings in
a conventional (reciprocating) engine and the BIG drawback of the rotary
design. Wear is particularly bad if it’s used for a lot of short journeys.
The RX8 is a brilliant car to have as a company car, but unless you have an
obsession for being different, coupled with deep pockets, beware of private
ownership. Unfortunately there is no cheap cure for a worn engine (other
than an equally dubious 2nd hand lump).
There was a recall for bottom suspension arm ball joint failure for cars built
in 2003 and your 04 model just might have dated from then. If so, make sure
yours was recalled and repaired because this could be your problem with the
steering.
I have recently bought a 2001/51 307 with 41000 miles, and have found that
sometimes when I turn right the indicator will automatically click left when
I straighten the steering wheel. This only seems to happen when the steering
wheel is being turned quicker. Is it possible that the indicator is falling
under it's own weight due to a faulty mechanism?
Matthew Crockett, Corby, UK
This could be a simple matter of adjustment or excess play in the bearing at
the top of the steering column. The latter is more probable. To check it,
sit in the driver’s seat with the engine off and try to move the steering
wheel up and down. If you can feel any free play, get the bearing changed.
I bought a Audi A3 August 06, following service in July 07 I was advised my
back tyres were unsafe and had 2 new ones fitted. Having discovered a slow
puncture on Sunday 20/4, I left my car into a Tyre dealer to get puncture
fixed only to be told that I needed 2 new back tyres as the old ones were
dangerous and were both bald on the inside rim. i explained that I had only
bought them in July and was told that there must be a serious problem with
the car. I took the car back to my local Audi dealer who firstly stated that
I hadn’t bought tyres from them as it wasn't logged on computer, having
produced a copy of the invoice they gave me, they agreed that the tyres were
bought from them. They went on to ‘hmmm’ and ‘hah’ about it probably was my
fault or the potholes. To which I replied that there appeared to be a
problem with the car when 2 sets of tyres where required in less than 2
years (34,000 on clock). He said it was likely to be the alignment which
had been put out by my driving and would cost around £170 to fix. I gave
him one of the tyres. kept the other one and booked the car in for review on
1/5 but I don't feel confident in their ability - the car has already been
back to them 3 times before with problems which were under warranty. What
should I do - i would really like a 2nd opinion as I feel Audi will just fob
me off and tell me an alignment problem without really checking and I might
have a potentially dangerous car.
Dianne Cardwell, Banbridge, Northern Ireland
One of the proud boasts in the A3 advertising is that the car has multilink
rear suspension, giving better road holding if you’re driving round bends at
speeds that will make your passengers inclined to take a bus next time you
offer them a lift. The downside, which doesn’t make it into the ads, is
that rear tyre wear is much more rapid than for other, less advanced
suspension systems. 17,000 miles for a set of tyre is sadly not unusual,
but if you still think there’s something wrong, get it to a tyre outlet or
garage with 4 wheel alignment test rig. Ask them to give you a report of
what the alignment is and what it should be, before they adjust anything.
At least you know where you’re starting from then.
last year we bought an MG ZT 190,manual, petrol, it was 5 years old. in
august the hydraulic master slave went and it had to be replaced. Ever since
then there has been an annoying clicking/rattling sound coming from the
front passenger side, do you know what it could be? We recently found out
that the people who fitted it DIDN'T tighten up the CV joint properly, could
this have anything to do with the noise? Please help as it is really
ruining the MG ZT experience for us!
Name and address withheld
The slave cylinder is fitted on the release bearing, which means that the
garage had to take the gearbox off to fit it. I hope they suggested that
you have a new clutch at the same time – it is a false economy not too. The
noise could be something not refitted properly, but if the CV joint was
running loose in the hub, the splines could have worn – check that first and
refer it back to the garage if they are worn.
I bought a Chevrolet Lacetti from an approved Vauxhall dealer (James& Jekins) in Cardiff in December 2007, Just to say it was good to find a dealer with Good sales service and excellent aftersales sevrice. a missing handbook and key were provided quickly. Would really recommend them
bernie, carmarthen, wales