Canon 300D Digital Rebel w/ 18-55 kit lens won't auto-focus

My Canon Digital Rebelwith 18-55 kit lens is giving me problems. More
particularly, the auto focus function hardly ever works. When I
semi-press the shutter release, the green AF light flashes to show it
can¹t focus. The camera makes a short sound as if the lens is going to
move to focus, but it generally doesn¹t. If I manually focus the camera
to be almost right and then set the lens to AF again, it quite often
manages to do the final bit itself, but if the initial focus is out, it
always fails.
This is not just in poor light conditions but also outside during the
day focussing on wel lit and contrasted objects.
I¹ve tried the camera with a friend¹s Sigma lens and then it focusses
fine. I¹ve also tried my kit lens with my friend¹s own Digital Rebel
and then that works fine, too. So it¹s a combination problem between my
camera and my lens.

I don¹t know if it¹s related, but I have occasionally gotten Error 99
messages.

Has anyone has these or similar problems or have any tips on what to
do?

Many thanks in advance.

Doesn't sound right to me... I have the 20D with 18-55 (have used two
different ones) and it focused very well, if a bit noisier than my L glass
USMs.

I'd take it in and show the sales dude...

Al...

"RDC" <chanson RemoveThis @xs4all.nl.nospam> wrote in message
news:200320052217544001%chanson@xs4all.nl.nospam...
 >
 > My Canon Digital Rebelwith 18-55 kit lens is giving me problems. More
 > particularly, the auto focus function hardly ever works. When I
 > semi-press the shutter release, the green AF light flashes to show it
 > can¹t focus. The camera makes a short sound as if the lens is going to
 > move to focus, but it generally doesn¹t. If I manually focus the camera
 > to be almost right and then set the lens to AF again, it quite often
 > manages to do the final bit itself, but if the initial focus is out, it
 > always fails.
 > This is not just in poor light conditions but also outside during the
 > day focussing on wel lit and contrasted objects.
 > I¹ve tried the camera with a friend¹s Sigma lens and then it focusses
 > fine. I¹ve also tried my kit lens with my friend¹s own Digital Rebel
 > and then that works fine, too. So it¹s a combination problem between my
 > camera and my lens.
 >
 > I don¹t know if it¹s related, but I have occasionally gotten Error 99
 > messages.
 >
 > Has anyone has these or similar problems or have any tips on what to
 > do?
 >
 > Many thanks in advance.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->