which back roomers are ready for winter, i know that alot of people think 'i will get ready for winter closer to the time', but alot of us never get ready, so we all rush around in the snow, looking for ice scrapers, and the lock de-icer.
also i was wondering if anybody knows if you can buy a lubricant, to stop the rubbers around the door from sticking to the metal, as i always have the problem of not being able to get into the car due to the ice.
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Try a silicone lubricant i have just prepared my removable hard top for the winter by smearing the lubricant over all rubber bits, it seems to be absorbed and retains a film that keeps the rubber supple and appeares not freeze, i have had a small tube for years as it is applied sparingly, it is used in many applications from feeding electricial wire into norrow conduit etc, I also believe Ford sell it at their parts counter.
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Your local Volvo agent should be able to sell you a Volvo 'Rubberstick' which looks like an underarm deodorant stick! It is specifically developed for stopping rubber components from freezing like door seals.
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Winter may be at an end in Brazil, Mark, but are you immune from the great Christmas nuisance?
Suggestion for new summer sport:- See how far a Ferrari can be driven up a mountain!
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> Winter may be at an end in Brazil, Mark, but are you immune from the great Christmas nuisance?
I love Christmas. And it just isn't the same when Christmas dinner is a barbecue on the beach.
My only worry is that after so long I firstly have "rose-coloured" memories of life in the UK and secondly that maybe the UK has changed in 10 years, or however long its been.
But the Sally Army band playing in the streets, warm pubs on cold nights, increase friendliness, family, etc. etc.
Sometimes I miss life in the UK very much. This is why I will return next year.
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Good point.
BTW, does anyone know how to see if I've got enough anti-freeze in the water system in the car?
I'm a bit hopeless under the bonnet, but can just about open it up...
Cheers
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Lee,
I have a hydrometer measuring antifreeze concentration. Bought it in a two pack with another which does the same for measuring battery acid charge.
You draw some of the coolant up into the unit by a squeezy rubber bulb, and inside there is a little floaty thingy, no doubt someone will remind me of the proper name, the height at which this thing floats depends upon the strength of the mixture. The floaty thingy is calibrated and graduated showing the freezing point of the coolant.
Having said all that it depends how long since it was changed, a drain flush and refill with fresh antifreeze never hurts IMHO and does not break the bank. Unless its an XUD and you dont get all the air out of the system.
Cheers,
S
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Stauart (& Peter),
Many thanks, I'll pop into Halfords over the next week and acquire one. It's getting quite cold now (which I'm sure Mark will be pleased to hear!) so I'd better sort it out soon!
Cheers
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Actually, my winter is just finishing, it'll be spring soon.
And the weather will warm up (from what is, today, 29 C)
M.
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mark you ARE lucky, you live in an off roaders dream, you have nice cars, it all sounds wonderful, i wish i was there, instead of being in damp old britain.
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> i wish i was there, instead of being in damp old britain.
Its not all great.....
Brazil:
No pubs
Limited opportunities to relax and speak English
No Branston Pickle
High crime rates
No Cheese & Onion crisps
Horrendous traffic congestion
No Ploughmans
Lunatic drivers
No cheddar Cheese
Corruption (esp. police & govt)
No decent bread
Nothing works
No decent milk
Chile, is good, but it has one major issue - its a bloody long way from my family & my country. It takes me 24 hours to get to the house, not something that its possible to do very often.
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i am now glad i am in england, as i couldnt live without cheese and onion crisps, if you are ever coming back to britain, and you need somewhere to stay, just give me a ring and you can come round to stay, either in the house, in the garage, or in one of the cars :-)
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Mark (Brazil) wrote:
>Its not all great.....
>
>Brazil:
>
>No pubs
>Limited opportunities to relax and speak English
>No Branston Pickle
>High crime rates
>No Cheese & Onion crisps
>Horrendous traffic congestion
>No Ploughmans
>Lunatic drivers
>No cheddar Cheese
>Corruption (esp. police & govt)
>No decent bread
>Nothing works
>No decent milk
Whilst there might not be a shortage of various dairy products, Branston or Cheese & Onion crisps over here I can think of several areas of the UK to which everything else you mention can be applied!
Perhaps we should mail you out some cheese & onion crisps as a Christmas prezzie? :o)
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> Perhaps we should mail you out some cheese & onion crisps as a Christmas prezzie? :o)
Every time someone travels between our offices here and in the Uk, then a carrier bag of Cheese & Onion crisps is the price of my signature on their travel reqs.
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Chris, you are, however, totally correct about the weather.
In Chile weather forecasts extend out a month, and they are rarely wrong.
It is very unusual that it will rain in Santiago between September and April. Day in, day out blue skies, 30ish degrees, no humidity - it changes your whole lifestyle.
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I would miss the four British seasons. When I lived in Singapore and Malaya (3 years each) we got fed up with the endless humidity and mossies. Monsoon time was a great relief, dancing in trunks in the warm rain.
People here seem to want endless sunshine, but you get tired of it, think positively about our climate, crisp winter walks, reflections in the wet streets, new shoots in the spring, tea on the lawn in the sun (sic) in the summer, an ever changing fecund landscape. You can keep the dry, brown, the baking heat, etc. Great for holidays though!
Talking about the weather...how terribly British!
Better make it motoring related quick: 'If you need your wipers, you need your lights'.
Quickly off to do some really manly things!
S.
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yes lets think about the seasons... spring-hay fever. summer-a little bit of sunshine, and alot of rain. autumn-leaves on the train lines, meaning more train delays, and leaves on the road so you skid all over the road. winter-black ice, trying to take the ice off the car early in the morning, being snowed in, slipping when walking to the car, the refusing to start, etc etc.
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thats supposed to be...slipping when walking to the car, the car refusing start.
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Has Michael Fish hacked into Honest John's website?
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Got my shovel ready!
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i think everyone should have one of these.... its a heated ice scraper, but dont buy the kind that you have to plug into the cigar lighter, as it drains the battery, instead buy the battery powered version, its quite hard to find, but the one i have, i bought from C&A, the only problem is that C&A isnt around anymore, but if you search the web, you might find one.
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We have heated windows, they work very well thanks
Kev
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getting back to the plot, antifreeze testers are sometimes suitable for either ethelyne glycol or alcohol types, so check which type you are testing (most good brands are e/glycol & may contain corrosion inhibitors), idealy you should drain the old coolant out and refill with the correct amount, too strong a mixture can reduce the boiling point!. unlike the recent oil debate dont drain it when its hot, especialy if you've got an aluminum block or cylinder head
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