Finn
Member
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2010
- Messages
- 40
- Points
- 88
Hi everyone. I have a few issues with our 2006 Croma that I thought someone here may have advice for! We've owned it for 3 or 4 years now and it's fairly good condition and low mileage, so I want to iron these things out as I plan to keep it.
1. The boot no longer opens from outside. It did when we bought the car. The only way to open it seems to be from the key fob, which annoyingly doesn't work when the key is in the ignition and the car is running. So if you're out somewhere and dropping something off, for example, you have to turn off the engine to open the boot, and this is particularly annoing in sub-zero temperatures where I want the car to warm up even on local runs som and I try to avoid unnecessary cranking. A mechanic friend said it's probably just that little button thing in the boot, that I should order and change that. But I can't find them anywhere, and I don't really know what to search for! I've tried searching boot and tailgate release, switch and so on. Does anyone know what those are called? Or of course if there is something else I should try...
2. Since we bought it, one of the back doors works like it has a child lock in reverse: it doesn't respond to the outside handle, so you have to reach inside to open it. The handle feels normal though, as though you're trying to open a door that is locked. Maybe something has just come loose inside the handle mechanism, but I thought I'd run it by you lot anyway before starting to take the door panel off, and ask for any tips on how I go about taking the inside panel off.
3. Something creaks and clonks in the engine bay when manoeuvring, particularly in certain weather conditions (cold, damp weather IIRC). I'm guessing something at the top of the suspension sticking a bit, as that's what it sounds like - like the top of the spring is grinding in its holder or something as the steering is turned. It's been doing it since we got it, off and on, and I've asked the MoT man to check if there is anything he can see and there never is. Not being much of a mechanic I don't want to randomly take things apart and shove grease in where it's not needed!
4. Seeing as we're here and asking questions... I'm going to stick some extra full beam driving lights on the front of the car, as we're out in the sticks and there's loads of deer and elk running about. And it's grey and miserable with bad visibility, especially if there's no snow (like now). I already have some nice Hella halogens purchased (didn't go for LEDs on a car of that age).
Does anyone know if I can just take the signal to a relay from the full beam wire at the back of the headlight, or will it do something weird and wonderful that I don't expect? I ask because I once did that on a 1996 Volvo V40 and for some reason the traditional wiring - own fused battery feed via a relay for aux lights and the relay signal from the car's own headlight feed - resulted in the auxiliary lights also coming on with just side lights. Never did work out why, as we then moved to Finland where my 4 extra lights were deemed illegal and I was told to take them off before I could register the car here, so I never got round to working out why.
There's probably more little things but those are my main little "must get round to sorting" things! Cheers in advance
Steve
1. The boot no longer opens from outside. It did when we bought the car. The only way to open it seems to be from the key fob, which annoyingly doesn't work when the key is in the ignition and the car is running. So if you're out somewhere and dropping something off, for example, you have to turn off the engine to open the boot, and this is particularly annoing in sub-zero temperatures where I want the car to warm up even on local runs som and I try to avoid unnecessary cranking. A mechanic friend said it's probably just that little button thing in the boot, that I should order and change that. But I can't find them anywhere, and I don't really know what to search for! I've tried searching boot and tailgate release, switch and so on. Does anyone know what those are called? Or of course if there is something else I should try...
2. Since we bought it, one of the back doors works like it has a child lock in reverse: it doesn't respond to the outside handle, so you have to reach inside to open it. The handle feels normal though, as though you're trying to open a door that is locked. Maybe something has just come loose inside the handle mechanism, but I thought I'd run it by you lot anyway before starting to take the door panel off, and ask for any tips on how I go about taking the inside panel off.
3. Something creaks and clonks in the engine bay when manoeuvring, particularly in certain weather conditions (cold, damp weather IIRC). I'm guessing something at the top of the suspension sticking a bit, as that's what it sounds like - like the top of the spring is grinding in its holder or something as the steering is turned. It's been doing it since we got it, off and on, and I've asked the MoT man to check if there is anything he can see and there never is. Not being much of a mechanic I don't want to randomly take things apart and shove grease in where it's not needed!
4. Seeing as we're here and asking questions... I'm going to stick some extra full beam driving lights on the front of the car, as we're out in the sticks and there's loads of deer and elk running about. And it's grey and miserable with bad visibility, especially if there's no snow (like now). I already have some nice Hella halogens purchased (didn't go for LEDs on a car of that age).
Does anyone know if I can just take the signal to a relay from the full beam wire at the back of the headlight, or will it do something weird and wonderful that I don't expect? I ask because I once did that on a 1996 Volvo V40 and for some reason the traditional wiring - own fused battery feed via a relay for aux lights and the relay signal from the car's own headlight feed - resulted in the auxiliary lights also coming on with just side lights. Never did work out why, as we then moved to Finland where my 4 extra lights were deemed illegal and I was told to take them off before I could register the car here, so I never got round to working out why.
There's probably more little things but those are my main little "must get round to sorting" things! Cheers in advance
Steve
