LostBloke

Hi, On Thursday I took my car in for it's annual service/MOT. When I went to collect it, it was with some glee, that the mechanic took me to the place where, while running some tests, the thermometer, in his words, exploded. The area was quite flooded. Two days before I had driven home from North Wales a four hour drive, so I was lucky it didn't happen then. Is this a common problem as I've never heard of it happening before? BTW the car passed the MOT.

Thanks for the replies. I've no idea what size tyres were fitted originally, so either I have to get my speedo recalibrated or, possibly the route I'll take, fit the larger tyres. I'll check my tyre sizes tonight.

Possibly a silly question, but, at around 70 mph my phone satnav reports my speed about 62mph. Which to believe? I'm trending towards the satnav (not just because I can go faster 🙂 )

Hi, I'm very wary of non- specialists on aircon. I took my car for a aircon cleanse and top up, left it for three hours, when I returned the 'mechanic' said it needed a new compressor etc., when I told him there was nothing wrong with it before he touched it, he told me to bring it back in a couple of days. Surprise, surprise, when I returned it a different bloke took it and a short while later I had a aircon disinfected and blowing ice-cold air. I still believe the first bloke didn't know the top-up valve was behind the front wheel.

I bought a 2011 pre facelift XF, it had around 120,000 on the clock. Checking the service history I found no mention of a gearbox oil change. So far, I'm coming up to having it for 2 years, that's the biggest expense I've had, it sailed through the MOT and I expect it to do so again in a couple of months. So, a yearly service/ MOT, and I would trust it to go anywhere.

Thanks for all your replies, they've been a great help. Regards LB

Hello, It seems through getting in and out has taken it's toll on the drivers door rubber seal which has chunks missing from it. Has anyone ant idea where I can get a replacement? It doesn't help I don't know what to call it when doing a search. Thanks LB

As a driver mostly in normal conditions, what tyres are recommended for quietness?

Wow ! Almost instant reply. Thanks for that Joe, a quick job for the morning. Regards LB

HI. Holding the 'lock' button on the fob closes all the windows, or did. Now all the windows will open holding the 'open' button but the front passenger window will not close when the rest do. The window works when using the interior buttons but not on the fob. Am I missing something obvious or is there something wrong?

It would appear I'm wrong. If Rick Askew was quoted £375.00 + VAT Then Gloucester Road Gearboxes are cheaper than that.

Hi John, sorry for the delay in replying. I've had oil changes where they simply drain the oil and then refill. This leaves me uneasy about any 'scrud' remaining. So I use a company who drain the oil and then blast a cleaning solution through the system to remove all the muck, check the 'box, then renew the oil. And a one year guarantee against damage caused by work done. It's dearer than a strait oil change, but, to my mind, worth it. It takes about 4 hours, Funnily enough, Gloucester is in the name of the company I use. Regards

Hi James, Not sure about difficulty in changing oil, probably quite strait forward. But I always prefer to use a specialist who gives the system a good flush. But that's just me, plus the fact I get a written guarantee. Regards

Hi, I've just had my gearbox 'megaflushed' and oil change (130,000 Miles), and was told that the oil was very dirty. When I said I was following the recommended time (10 years or 150,000 miles), I was told to forget recommended time, all automatic gearboxes should have an oil change at 60,000 miles, as he said, "you wouldn't leave your engine oil in that long". Is this generally known, or am I playing catch-up as usual ?

Hi. When I returned to my car in a car park, some nice person had parked so close that I could not get into my seat ( I'm not the thinnest OAP in the world). After faffing about on the passenger side and with the use of a brolly to press on the brake pedal, I manged to start the car and edge it forward enough to get in. My question is, is there a way to release the brake and get the car in neutral without putting on a grand display to passing crowds? Second: I was north bound on the M5 yesterday, the normal 40 min trip took just over 3 hours. In that time I noticed that the handbrake lever was getting hotter and hotter, although later it cooled down. Was this just a by product of the starting and crawling and stopping of the trip or something to check on? Regards

Thanks, I'll give it a go.

Just a quick question, can you reach the aircon top up valve behind the nearside front wheel without removing the wheel? Regards

Yeah ! Thanks for that, after a good blast of silicon spray, a silent wheel.

Thank you for that, I'll give it a try. I was a bit wary of ruining something electrical.

Hi Recently, when the steering wheel moves into place when I start the car, it does so with a scrapie/groaning sound. I was wondering if it's rubbing against something as it moves into place or is there some sort of gearing that need lubricating? An help would be appreciated as my wife gives me a funny look when it happens and I swear it's not me or my backside.

For the small price of a new battery, is it worth it?

I had this problem when I bought my car, unfortunately the little yellow tool had a tooth broken off and did not work, got a new one off of Ebay.

Hi, better late than never. I had this problem, and with a search of YouTube found the answer. You remove the cover under the offside rear seat, remove the lid and, floating loose inside the tank, is a two wire connector. Give this a clean, reassemble and problem gone. I'd never done it before and the whole job was done in under an hour.

Okay, silly question time. When You open the boot from the key fob should the lid just pop open a shade or fully open? Ever since I've owned this car the boot has just pop open a crack, but over the last few weeks, it now opens fully. I'm just curious as to which, if any, is the correct operation. (Maybe it's the heat and the hot air's trying to get out :) )

According to their website their oil match all the standards required, you just enter your reg number and full details are given.