March 2001
Some time ago somebody was complaining about Passat noisy brakes and they could not find the cause.
Reading this weeks auto bild(Germany)it transpires that this noise is faulty track rod ends and there is an urgent recall off all models in or after 1998 Read more
I've been 'caught' by either Gatso or Laser trap doing 58 in a 40 zone. I have to question this as I know the location of the speed traps and drive accordingly. I've been offered the chance of accepting a fixed fine and three ponts as an alternative to appearing in court.
Does anyone have any experiences of defending themselves against such an accusation......or will I be any better off just accepting the fixed punishment?
tia.......David Read more
I saw a flash go off behind me on a temporary camera at the North Circular/M11 junction. I didn't think that there was a vehicle close enough behind me tohave set it off and I double-checked my speedo after the flash - it was reading 27 to 28 mph, having just come out of some very slow-moving traffic.
I didn't hear anything but it is very worrying when that type of thing happens.
further to last week - i have now had the rear bumper of my boxster repaired and painted at SCUFFS of exeter at a quarter of the cost of a main stream repairer (who wanted to replace bumper etc etc. I can honestly say the service is very proffesional excellent finish with good QA from Ken, so pleased was i the wheels were refurbished as well, discounts are available and they have other sites around the country with more planned. Read more
JUST CHECKING TO SEE IF THIS WILL POST. HAD A SUSPICION THAT THE BACKROOM WENT DOWN ON THE AFTERNOON OF 17TH MARCH, BUT IF THIS POSTS IT WILL HAVE BEEN UNFOUNDED.
HJ
Can anyone please help me with the following query?
Which produces the most CO2 when burned in an internal combustion engine, a gallon of petrol, or a gallon of Diesel?
Is there any difference in the CO2 output of petrol and Diesel depending on how they are burned, or is the figure always the same?
Thanks ........... Mike Read more
Sorry for the late followup but I doubt diesel is a by product of LPG manufacture as the volume of diesel/fuel oil sold must much greater than LPG for fuel/road use. Further more Low Sulpher diesel would require additional energy to clean it up.
Deisel cars may produce less CO2 than other fuels but unlike the chancellor I tend to think that its the other pollutants that are important for road vehicles, as all cars produce lots of toxic pollutants just where people are living and breathing. So from a an environmental view concentrate on reducing these and so I say steer clear of diesel and choose LPG check out www.lpga.co.uk for stats. If you want to reduce the amount of CO2 you use, turn the heating down, put on a jumper and cancel that package holiday to the Med.
To declare my intrest (and bias) I have a power shift funded LPG Mondeo. It produces 13% less CO2 per km on LPG than petrol. All powershift literature quotes fuel economy in DEL (Diesel Equivalent Litre) to compensate for the different densities menitoned by John.
Best regards
Jon
Since my wife started driving we seem to have picked up several "mysterious" scapes around the rear wheel arch area of our Megane Scenic (metallic paint). I suspect most of these can be T Cut away - but would appreciate if anyone can recommend a decent product to minimise the damage. Read more
Don't bother trying to T Cut scrapes on metallic paint. All you end up with is elbow grief.
Have just renewed my insurance and got a good deal. I tried all the ones that people had suggested on these pages but none could get near my renewal with Direct Line. However started ringing around some of the smaller ads in the yellow pages and came up trumps.
I have found that it is best to actually talk directly to an underwriter than just somebody on telesales and couldn't recommend more Taylor Price of Newmarket. They offer very competitive quotes to those of us who are considered by the other insurance companies to be higher risk. ie younger drivers, bigger cars etc
If anybody has any comments or similar stories please comment and also an experience of a smaller insurance company rather than one of the bigger ones. Read more
I went with a company called Quotebusters in 2000 and got an excellent deal. When the 2001 renewal came up, the premium had gone up from £345 to £440. Quotebusters rang around for me, and came back with a quote from a different insurer for £350. Same car, same everything. No hesitation in recommending them.
I drive 20,000 miles a year (mainly commuting/business) but have little money to spend on purchase of vehicles. I have found that large old Fords (Cortinas, Capris currently a Granada) to be reliable, durable and reasonably priced (sub £500). They have the disadvantage of sub 30mpg. When I have tried smaller more economical cars (Fiesta, Skoda, Renault 19) I have certainly spent less on petrol but have ended up spending much more on repairs. What cars do you recommend that could be purchased for little money, could run for 20,000 in a year without wearing out (as my smaller cars have always seemed to) and return in excess of 35mpg? I'd also like to be able to pick up spares/service parts easily and cheaply. Read more
I agree that VW Golfs are good, but probably better value is a Passat, I bought a 1988 "F" registered one with 118000 miles on three years ago for £ 1000, I used it for a while and then passed it on to my father who uses it every day for work, it has now covered over 160 000 miles and still runs perfectly, the engine is 1800cc and goes very well, it has lots of room and gives at least 35mpg. there is no rust to worry about and they are not difficult to work on
Please can you tell me the regultions regarding repairing motor car tyres.
ie are patches permitted at all. Read more
Gavin
I entirely agree with Andrew Bairsto's reply ie buy a new one, but, if you must, repairs can be carried out. The rules that I have to hand for a repair system marketed under the name of "Minicombi", which I think a lot of the trade use, are quite complex. They relate tyre speed rating to size of hole and where in the tyre it is. In essence this boils down to: only holes made at 90 degrees + or - 10 degrees to the tread surface, and only those in the centre tread area, ie the bit that sits on the road can be repaired, but you need to read the instuctions to be sure. The major danger associated with repairs, as I see it, is if the steel in the tyre is exposed to allow rust then over time this will weaken the tyre and could cause sudden failure probably at high speed or under heavy cornering. The system I mentioned should prevent this corrosion, but I would only want to use such a repaired tyre as a spare or at a push on the nearside rear.
Regards.
Don Cox
Can anyone recommend a quality company that can apply a warranted dark tint to car windows - in this case a Jeep Grand Cherokee - at a reasonable (<£600) price? Read more
How can £600 be considered a reasonable price for basically deteriorating the prime function of your windows? If you have to have it done for privacy, etc. then fair enough. But consider this. Irreversible non-standard "enhancements" to your car can ruin its resale value. If you sell it fairly new, it'll end up costing you a lot more than £600.
I have a 1987 Alfasud Sprint. The tyres are due for replacement (185/60x14). Can anybody recommend a good buy. Durability is not so important as I only do about 7,000 miles a year. Most important factors in order are:
Handling and roadholding
Quietness
Low rolling resistance
My budget for 4 tyres is around £250.
Thanks Read more
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Thanks Andrew, I'll include this in the car by car breakdown. The other problem was water drowning the brakes due to lack of sufficient backplate. There is a mod, but cooling of the brakes is not so good when it is fitted.
HJ