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traffer

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  1. It does seem that paypal will respond to a request for a reversal. Same happened to me for something I sold over 3 years previously. Now receiving letters from debt collector and their solicitor. I wonder what a judge would make of that! (credit card chargebacks are usually no more than 120 days after transaction) Paypal response to the matter was pathetic. They share no information. I am not going to use them again.
  2. Thank you Helios, Yes, a friend of mine picked up a bargain as the owner had given up with a bad starting problem, haivng replaced both battery and fitted a "new" starter. This was replaced with a remanufactured unit. Problem solved.
  3. The garage should put the price of an "exchange" item as the net price, that is, less the "surcharge" on the returned item. However: 1. Some customers do not believe an exchange item is as good as new 2. Some garages may quote the gross price and pocket the surcharge. Speaking form experience in the remanufacturing industry, then an exchange item will have been properly rebuilt and any worn parts replaced or refurbished, and fully deserving of a 12 month warranty. In fact, refurbished starter motors and alternators were tested to "new" standards. On the other hand some "new" items from spurious sources have been proven to be vastly inferior to a reconditioned item, both in terms of performance and durability. Personally I would choose a respected brand reconditioned item over spurious new item.
  4. Bonnet safety catches have a nasty life. They sit right at the front of the car, being splattered with salt and water, then if the car is regularly jetwashed, any grease may be washed off. No wonder they seize up. They should be desiged to be positively engaged as the bonnet closes so if they go tight or the spring breaks, they will still work. Both Renault and Alfa Romeo have had recalls due to issues with bonnet latches. My first port of call would be Kia UK - don't be fobbed off with any out of warranty talk - it is a safety critical failure. If they fob you off, mention reporting it to VOSA. Any latch can pop open, usually because it was not fully latched. This is why doors have 2 positions and bonnets have the safety catch.
  5. What is the make and model of the vehicle? IIRC both Alfa and Renault have had recalls due to bonnet safety catches suffering form corrosion
  6. So, they did something to the handbrake to get it to "work" if it is not functioning properly, on or off it should fail the MOT. If a handbrake cable is broken on one side and has not been replaced, again it should fail the MOT. If they have broken casings etc then they should make good the damage or at least called you to advise of extra work and the risk of damage and to get your approval. If you have any doubts as to the MOT, contact VOSA ASAP. Nothing scares a test centre more than VOSA. And then there is the not insignificant matter of the light bulb. What have they done with it? They have not fitted it so why has it disappeared? It may be unwise to suggest anything else on a public forum.
  7. Nasty failure. The bolts concenred would have been removed when disks/pads were replaced before. If it is the bolts that hold the carrier assembly to the suspension upright, these are usually quite strong and would be difficult to strip, and unlikely to be stripped unless a very inexperienced mechanic was feeling overly strong. The bolts that hold the carrier casting that secures the pads and caliper assembly together are another matter. These are usually not overly tight and in my experience, the bolts supplied with some replacement brake pad kits are very soft and easy to strip. Either way, it is unlikely that KF would have spotted this as unless parts were obviously insecure as they probably did little more than a visual inspection to see if the disks and pads were excessively or unevenly worn. What did the garage replace?
  8. The pipe that appears to have corroded does contain oil under pressure. The garage is probably right that it is not readily available. The pipes would have had to be detached/disturbed when the alternator was removed and refitted. If corroded, then the pipe would have failed soon anyway. It would be difficult to detect if the pipe was abusively broken or kinked by the alternator replacement as this would be nicely covered up by welding! Leakage due to corrosion may be just a pinhole that is not too noticeable. If there is no sign of welding of the pipe then it is fairly obvious that it was not refitted correctly. Running an engine with the oil light on is not a good idea at all. The boot light switch issue is a common problem. it may be the switch leaf in the boot latch or shorting wires where the wires pass form the body to the hatch.
  9. When buying a car more than a couple of years old (depending on mileage) it is probably wise to budget for a set of disks/pads. Even if a car has been hanging around a dealer forecourt for months, the pads/disks may deteriorate to such an extent that they need replacing anyway. Also, a lot of "cheap" aftermarket pads are available that are really not much good as the performance standards for them to get the "E" mark are quite low. It is always well worth spending a little more to buy a good brand, for example Mintex, Ferodo etc. (no plugs here just examples!) The other thing it is worth doing when buying ANY car is to check that the wheel nuts can be undone! and are then re-tightened correctly.
  10. Greasing a fanbelt is not a long term fix for anyhting. Spraying a drop of silicone on an alternator belt will give a temporary indication of squeaking as it usually disappears for a while after a squirt. If the squeak is something other than the drive belt it will still be evident. So "greasing the fan belt" could be an empirical term for a diagnosis technique.
  11. So, Gick, we have a difference in opinion as to wether 2 hours is excessive. Not a problem. Based on our differing knowledge and experience of doors in general and the model of vehicle in particular that is understandable. As a forum that is trying to help people by sharing knowledge and experience, it can be most off putting to people who are considering posting when people start having spats on here. I am not going to further dignify your opinions about my knowledge of door systems with further comment.
  12. Gick, Not sure of the point you are tying to make here. But to respect the concerns of the OP, do you consider that 2 hours to investigate a door closing issue to be excessive? I certainly do, and that is based on more than 25 years on working with the design and development of products related to doors and how they can affect ease of opening/closing, noise, rattles, etc etc etc.
  13. Gick, To answer your question, if there was no problem with striker adjustment, latch wear or seals on the drivers door, I would compare with the passengers door which appears to be OK. Slowly closing each door in turn to gauge the difference in closing effort. Also, I forgot to mention hinge wear - check by lifting the door and possibly a tight check arm. If the vehicle has a frameless door there is also the possibility of the glass being out of alignment due to a guide/window reg problem. Again comparison with passenger side will highlight this. Still not clocked up 2 hours though.
  14. Fromt eh description of the problem, it seems that soemthing is tight between the slave cylidner and clutch. This could be a tight operating arm that transfers the movement from the slave to the release bearing, or the release bering may be a bit tight on its guides. Inside the bell housign is not a good place for precision sliding fits as the clutch dust makes a very sticky and tenacious mess if mixed with grease.
  15. MB doors are notoriously difficult to take apart. 2 hours to investigate a "difficult to close problem" is very excessive. A visual check of the latch would reveal if there is any wear A visual check of the striker would be a good check for wear and indicative of door misalignment. Then a check of the seals, again visual. It is very obvious when a seal is misbehaving as there are usually wear marks here there should not be. Dismantling should not be needed for any of there as all are visible with the door open.
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