SteveC

Another vote for suspect tyres. When I bought mine it sounded just like it had a diff or bearing problem. A new set of tyres and the noise completey went and was never heard again.

What I perhaps should have added (although I asummed it would have automatically been taken into account), is that when using the same ballast, a 4300K bulb will have a higher light output (more lumens) than a 6000K bulb from the same manufacturer. Have a look on any of the websites that sell HID sets. Here's one link that confirms the above.

You cannot get a shock from 12 volts, it would need to be boosted to at least a couple of hundred volts. A mate did this many years ago . Someone tried the door handle, got a 400 volt shock, then put a dent in the door with his boot and ran off. After that my mate went back to just using a fuel cut switch!

4300K have a better light output than 6000K (and also look white like factory fitted HIDs), but 6000K are fine if you like the lights to look blueish - and also don't mind the slightly poorer light output.

If where you're thinking of parking the car is a dodgy area, then I'd either use public transport or buy some cheap runaround for traveling to work. If that's out of the question, then perhaps an alarm with a microwave perimeter sensor to hopefully warn off someone before they make a closer move on the car. Some alarm systems can have the option of an additional wireless immobilser that can be hidden away somewhere in the car.

The up/down micro-switches are located in the spoiler drive motor unit. The spoiler drive motor unit is located on the drivers side, just above the spoiler itself. There's some info here that may be of some help.

I've had the same happen to mine on the odd occasion. I suspect the cause is along the lines of dirty microswitch contacts (or an associated connector plug) that detects when the spoiler is fully up or down.

The Clifford Avant Guard 5.5 has remote-start (Intellistart) and is in fact listed as CAT1 approved by Thatcham here.

I've just phoned Thatcham (the people who test alarm systems in the UK and allocate a 'CAT' status), and they said that it's up to the individual insurance company itself as to whether or not they will accept a car with a remote-start system. I was told that Thatcham test the alarm system itself and not any "add-on" systems. In other words, it would appear that the adding of remote-start itself doesn't automatically remove the CAT1 status of an alarm system.

Quite right, it's not what I think at all. It's up to the insurance company to decide if they want to insure you or not with any particular alarm system. It just doesn't make sense to me (yet) to dismiss a system that is so well thought out...

You're right, it is certainly illegal to leave your car unlocked with the keys in and running - it's called "quitting". But when it's running and locked, fully alarmed, no keys inside and there's no easy way of breaking in and simply driving away, then I don't see how that can be illegal - you can't even leave it running indefinitely because with Intellistart it times out after so long, so the engine stops and it returns to being just alarmed and immobilised. I think the Police would have a difficult time prosecuting under these circumstances. I do appreciate that some insurance companies may not be happy about some/all remote start systems though.

I'd of been pretty p*ssed off if I'd paid someone to install an alarm, and then have to have the car back with them for another 1½ days to fix faults due to improper installation! Any decent installer will get it right first time - or at least they'll sort out any 'fine-tuning' before they hand the car back. Every aspect/function of the alarm should be tested prior to the handover. I've heard this said before, but I've no idea why if it's installed properly. On a decent system (Intellistart), the remote start works fully in conjunction with the alarm and immobiliser circuits. Remote start can only be 'set' if the car is in neutral and with the handbrake on - if installed correctly. If you don't follow exactly the correct sequence when getting into the car, the engine simply stops and the car is re-immobilised. If someone tries to break in with the engine running, you can add the alarm/horns sounding and lights flashing to the re-immobilisation and engine stopping.

I have, and can recommend, Clifford alarms. A bit more expensive than others, but they're very flexible and you can add loads of extras at a later date if you want to. Far more important than actual alarm brand is the quality of install itself . Just don't use these guys who'll install one in a couple of hours or so, or you'll probably just end up with problems in the future due to poor installation. You'd end up paying out again to get it sorted.

That's good news. You should be all sorted by this time next week. In the my previous posts I should have said 'full closure'. It's no wonder you didn't know what 'full closer' meant!

Full closer is when you can pull up with the windows open, get out of the car, set the alarm and both windows automatically close. Venting is operated by the remote and you can leave the windows very slightly open in Summer to stop the car getting too hot - the alarm is still on of course. You can set exactly how far open the windows are open with Cliffnet software. One-touch is simply a quick flick in the down or up direction on the window switch and the window either goes fully down or up without having to keep your finger on the switch. Remote boot release is only about £15 or so for the solenoid, a relay and a bit of wire. I installed my own about 18 months ago. I added Intellistart, Smartwindows, wireless immobiliser, dual zone microwave, dual zone shock, tilt sensor, glass break sensor, boot release, remote headlight activation, internal sounder and standard horns connected as well... I may have forgotten something else They're not as difficult to install as some 'Professionals' make out. If you have some basic electrical knowledge and can use a laptop, then it's really quite straight-forward. Get Intellistart wrong though and the consequences could be very bad! (the car shouldn't be able to be started whilst in gear)

With the Cliffnet software the valet code will be able to be reset to whatever you want, so that's no problem. The Intellistart modules are about £80, fairly easy to add and are a nice thing to have for the novelty factor alone! In Summer you can also have it remote start with the aircon on. Some say that having Intellistart installed prevents the car from being insured as it's then no longer classed as Cat1. I'm not sure how that works, because if it's installed correctly the car is no less safe (or less secure) than without it. Smartwindows is also quite nice and about £80 for the module. This adds full closer, one-touch control and venting for Summer. Very flexible these Clifford alarms...

Here's an owners manual for you. concept300uk_owners.pdf

It's probably something as simple as a few poor wiring connections. The system really needs to be checked through - thoroughly.

If by any chance you do have non-standard wheels fitted with an offset less than 50mm, then you may want to consider fitting longer than standard length studs to take that into account. I bet there's many driving around with only a few threads of the wheel nuts holding the wheels on!

Very sorry to hear that your efforts in cleaning the filter didn't pay off. Mine had just the same symptoms - intermittent noise and over-flowing fluid. I can only think of two options - assuming you're not losing fluid elsewhere: the filter is still blocked, or the PS pump is knackered, i.e., it's pressurising the system but not drawing fluid in from the reservoir - if that's possible. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me will be able to shine some light on the problem. Good luck.

The filter is inside the reservoir itself. You can see it through the black cap opening - when there's no fluid inside. There's three bolts as I recall to get the reservoir off. You could try and get some of the fluid out first with a big syringe first, then pack old cloths around the area to catch any fluid that drips out. BTW, that's a clean looking engine!

When the filter is partially blocked, fluid can't easily be drawn into the system but the return is still retuning fluid into the reservoir. That's why it can overflow. I took the reservoir off my car and cleaned it out with some petrol and gently used a small paint brush on the filter. Once the reservoir was dry, I put it back on, refilled with fluid, bled the system and it was sorted.

I'm not sure if PS fluid will strip paint or not, but I do suspect that the small filter in the bottom of the reservoir may be partially blocked and needs cleaning.

That's good news. Christmas has come early for you then!

Yes, the higher the mAh the battery, the longer it'll last. It doesn't work out exactly, but a 2000 mAh battery will last about twice as long as a 1000 mAh battery in the same thing.