January 2001
I went to Halfords to get rear brake pads. I noticed the own brand were a dark colour and the Ferodo a light colour at £1 more per pair. The Ferodo were nicely chamfered so I got those.
Is the brake material much the same?
I read somewhere they had got rid of asbestos so they are harder. Would I notice any difference? Read more
I drive a Honda civic 1.5ils 1998 mod .Does anyone else find the occasional power surges when driving at steady speeds annoying. I have to keep a carefull eye on my speed when approaching cameras. (speed can increase 5-7mph) I am told this is normal by Honda.Ps no i am not one of those drivers that try to squeeze as many mpg as possible out of this remarkably economical engine!. Read more
My sister has the opportunity to buy a one-owner-from-new L-reg Vauxhall Astra 1.4 Merit with 23k on the clock at an asking price of ukp2300. The extremely low mileage is probably a negative rather than a positive factor; as far as we know, it reflects long periods of non-use rather than frequent short trips. Bearing that in mind, what should she ask an independent mechanic to look out for in particular and what are your opinions on the price and reliability of the model? I have checked into the car-by-car breakdown page on this site and am sending a print-out to her. Read more
The low mileage is a very negative factor. Definitely have the car gone over with a fine tooth comb. A 1.4 60bhp Astra is a fairly simple, basic sort of car anyway. I'd be inclined to go for a later higher mileage facelift M reg Astra which at least has the Merit of power steering, not standard on the model you're looking at.
HJ
Hi all,
I would like to know if VW make a Beetle TDi ? I know they are not available in this country, but do they make them in Germany ? and if so, are they planning to sell them in this country ?
I know that diesel is not the preferred choice but with the fuel costs as they are i am looking at fuel economy rather than outright performance !
Regards,
Ash. Read more
Dear Ash,
The trouble is, the new front drive Beetle is a lousy drive. It doesn't handle nearly as well as a modern Ford, You feel like you're driving a windscreen frame (you have no idea where the front wheels are), and it's impossible to park. If you like retro looks, the Chrysler PT Cruiser is streets ahead. It dose offer a good drive, it is easy to park and it turns a lot more heads than a front drive Beetle. Strange thing is, both the Beetle and the PT Cruiser are built in the same country: Mexico.
HJ
Having fitted a Fuelsaver Max to my 84 Granada 2.8iEstate was disappointed to find after a test drive of 1,000 miles that the mpg was same as before device fitted. Now trying to find the address/contact of the company Fuelsaver given on the handout as Exeter.in order to claim refund under their no quibble 30 day guarantee. Letters returned unopened by GPO. Anyone know of their whereabouts ?
Al Smith Read more
HJ, you may recall that the one I bought was advertised in the Daily Telegraph . . .
Having fitted a Fuelsaver Max to my 84 Granada 2.8iEstate was disappointed to find after a test drive of 1,000 miles that the mpg was same as before device fitted. Now trying to find the address/contact of the company Fuelsaver given on the handout as Exeter.in order to claim refund under their no quibble 30 day guarantee. Letters returned unopened by GPO. Anyone know of their whereabouts ?
Al Smith Read more
Good road test report.
Do you know anything about the Auto version ?
Some tests say it is noisy and sluggish.
Any comments ?
Regards, David. Read more
No, mate. Neons in other markets have a 4 speed box and so does the Cruiser in the UK. But I still reckon the body is too heavy for the autobox and the aerodynamics don't help either. The manual has one of the best, most positive shifts I've driven for a long time, VAG engineers please take note.
HJ
Is there an auction site that gives complete details of prices achieved on all sales in the previous week? Read more
A link to BCA's wbesite through which you can get to Auctionview is on the latest auction price news report. I used to do the fleet news auction reports, but got sacked for telling the truth.
HJ
i know it is the old issue but why the price of diesel is 4 or 5 pence more than unleaded. i have 2 diesel cars and i think any advantage of being better efficiency is wiped out by the difference in prices; acceleration hard to achieve similar petrol performance at junctions will cost further. HJ talked about heating oil price but winter is quite mild and crude oil price has gone down, so why?
France diesel price is quite low i wonder what price of diesel in Germany (re: andrew bairsto)?
regards Read more
In terms of performance for tax paid, the new VW Passat TDI PD 130 S is probably the most company car tax efficient car you can user-choose. See road test on this site.
HJ
Help! I bought Gunsons Gastester Professional (£100). Now I followed the handbook and can now measure the revs and dwell. The tester is neat, easy to use, but cannot measure CO properly.
I am testing a 1983 Austin Metro Auto (No catalyst) which had failed emissions at 6% CO.
I followed Mr Haynes manual advice, to check timing, plugs, etc and weakened mixture until speed started to fall. Recommended CO is 2.5%+/-1%
Procedure is to stabilise at 2% reading in air (Seems odd but handbook said so. Takes ten minutes)
Insert in exhaust minimum 8 inches. Reading after stabilised was 0.1% CO
On removing probe to air reading went back to 2% after 10 min for fumes to leave tester.
I emailed gunson but they have not replied. The car would not run surely at 0.1% let alone at normal 750rpm idle which it did. Any suggestions gratefully received. Read more
Its a toy.
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Everyone seems to claim their brake pads are the same as manufacturers, but like you, I'm not so sure. Not only do they all look different, some have chamfers etc on them. Some seem to make the wheels real dusty in no time at all, and some seem to make a lot of noise or break up. I think all the brake material is probably made by a few manufacturers, but there must be many grades and specs. Do all the replacement manufacturers use exactly the same spec as the OEM? I doubt it. Your observations seem to confirm that. I bought some Ferodo pads for my Range Rover, after the Land Rover specialist promised they were the same as OE. When I opened them they had no chamfer on the leading edge of the pad, and no anti-squeel material on the back. When I complained they gave me some old rubbish about not being needed, so why do Land Rover put it there? In the end they swapped them. The other thing to bear in mind is the disc life, as these are now pretty much a consumable item, although the manufacturers won't admit it. Discs are a dam sight more expensive than pads, so maybe non OE pads that are possibly harder on discs offer no real saving. As it happens, all brake friction products are soon going to be marked to ensure they conform to some sort of standards, some industry thing to try and ensure that motorists only get decent quality product.