July 2001

Jonathan

The BBC are showing a programme tonight about car fraud, and imported stolen cars from Japan.

Could be very interesting viewing

tonight 7:30 - 8:20 (Damn - conflicts with Coronation Street!!!!)

Jonathan Read more

Jonathan

You are welcome

Jonathan

Stephen Khoo

Just a short note to preempt any other msgs.

I apologise that the server for this site went down this evening from 8pm to 10pm due to a power failure at the ISP.
The electricity co. took the local substation down at 2pm and the backup generators could not cope with the load of all servers at our ISP.
They are a great bunch of guys there and have clearly managed to get everything back to life quite quickly - which calms my nerves I must say.

Thanks for your patience

Stephen Read more

Michael

and...I trust they promised an upgrade to their back-up genny.

Martin Allan

I have a Citroen Xantia 1.9 Sx TD Estate (not Hdi) with just over 90,000 miles on the clock. I bought it second hand with 62,000 miles up with a full service history. Since then it has had regular servicing at recommended intervals by local garages and more recently by a non-franchised Citroen specialist. I also change the oil myself in between the 6,000 service intervals. For about the last 25,000 miles it has been a bit reluctant to start. I tend to use the heater plugs twice and it always starts quite well. It never fails to start if I do this and once started it runs perfectly, but unless I do this it splutters before starting and sometimes produces white smoke with some hunting.

A mechanic friend has suggested that it might be running slightly weak but to leave well alone provided it is reliable, as I am averaging about 46 to the gallon.

Other mechanics have said it is a known problem with Xantias, and that dealers have tried fuel filter housing replacements, suspected non-original fuel filters, but that no-one has really pinpointed the problem. They say it is a niggling annoyance rather than a reliability problem. Read more

Martin Allan

Fitting the plugs on a 1.9 turbo is not that easy, and if you are not careful you can displace the intercooler pipe from the turbo. This can have the result that the intercooler connection with the turbo cracks. (It's quite robust and reasonably well designed), however as a plastic component with a weld at just the wrong place for ham fisted mechanics; who when trying to shove the pipe out of the way crack it. The crack grows until the intercooler pipe is not connected at all and tends to "blow" out of the way when the turbo reachesd boost at about 2,200 RPM.
Overall I found out the hard way - useless pattern plugs and no turbo effect to speak of!

Luckily the local garage owner is reasonable and although I could not positively prove his mechanic had broken the pipe he fitted free the second hand intercooler pipe I managed to obtain for about£12 from a breaker.

He also recommended a local independent diesel specialist who checked everything out for me and fitted genuine Bosch Glowplugs for £70 inc Vat. Not bad when you consider that the plugs cost about £8+Vat.

The car now starts better when freezing cold than when warm! (Warm starts are fine ) and I'm getting about 44 to the gallon average. so the injectors don't need touching. (The sopecialists words) The car goes very well overall quite nippy now I've also got a turbo system without holes!

One other tip, whether its HDI or an old type mechaniocal pump The specialist strongly reccommends the use of an additive like Diesel Plus because moderm low sulphur fuels have not got the lubricity of older diesel, consequently the pumps HDI/electronic or otherwise are being ruined.

Luckily I new this and have always used additive about every second filling - probably why the injectors are OK after 98,000 miles!

Chris Smith

Does anyone know a good machine shop in London? I need to have my Ford X Flow head skimmed and cylinder head crack tested to narrow down the possible causes of my whitesmoke saga (see previous thread)

Some interesting feedback thanks! I will keep you posted as to the result. A Caterham "enthusiast" list came back with one response that I needed to roughen the surfaces of the engine block and cylinder head more vigourously and suggested taking a "coarse file" to both! He had just replaced his engine though - probably as a result of excesive enthusiam/filing!

Thanks

Chris Read more

Ben Chapman

Try www.cylinderheadshop.co.uk , or Vulcan Engines.

Ben

Chris Wardle

I have a 1996 Toyota Carina E which has had since about 3 years old a problem which the dealer seems unable or unwilling to solve Both front electric windows often stick fast closed, particularly in hot weather. The problem appears to be with the material of the rubber window seal, but I've tried various lubricants which have very short term and limited success.

It is most annoying when stopping at tolls or drive up petrol station kiosks. also potentially an extra danger of electric windows in a crash situation. Also because the Driver's window has a 'Wind fully down' mode it leaves the motor straining if one doesn't reverse the switch immediately.



LSO POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS

, mt wind Read more

steve paterson

The lube aspect of this problem has been well covered, but as a matter of interest, a Ford auto electrician once told me that the best lubricant for sticky window seals is 'Back to black'. After months of problems with my windows, (high friction on one side caused the window to tip and jam), one application of Back to black sorted it.

Mark (Brazil)

Gosh I have a lot of questions today...

When shopping for a new car in the US, it is usual to access the appropriate manufactur's website and discover the trade invoice price for the car you will buy.

Then to take this along to the dealer as the basis for negotiation.

It would then be fairly normal for a dealer to take something like a $200 profit on a $20,000 car, and some determined buyers in the US will insist the dealer proves the figures.

Now, I am sure that the dealers get special discounts over and above the trade invoice price, and of coure the various shenanigans you can get up to with finance, but nonetheless, this seems extremely low for a profit.

Are profit margins similar in the UK ? (for the dealer on new cars, I mean).

No wonder they want to service it, insure it, finance it etc.

On another point, it would be unheard of in the US to wait for delivery of a car. Even when finance is required most people would expect to take thier car home with them as soon as they've chosen it.

If I remember the UK, for a truly new car, it was more a question of days if not weeks.

M. Read more

Dai Watchalowski

A55 North Wales (eastbound) Road works just before Penmaenmawr Tunnel. This section of road has had a 50 mph speed limit since it was opened some years ago. Last week there were roadworks on it and quite rightly speed limit had been reduced to 40 mph on the single carrigeway that was open. The road then splits with two eastern lanes going around a headland in a series of tight bends and a tunnel with a 30 mph (bit slow) limit on it. Police regularly monitor speeds here and there is a huge Camera sign to advertise their (sparodic) presence. They have a fixed point with buried cables, so if you see a car parked on the side it is usually Plod revenue collecting....sorry preventing fatalities. What they did last week was well out of order. There was no sign of a car so traffic maintained their 40ish speed around the headland only to encounter an Officer in shirtsleeves(no canary jacket) manning a tripod mounted laser/video unit copping cars coming out of the tunnel into bright sunlight. A bit rude really. I was lucky as I was "trapped" in the inside lane behind an Artic, but I.m sure they caught a lot that day, quite outragiously. Read more

steve paterson

You should be grateful, thank your lucky stars that you weren't trapped behind a nutter doing 70mph.

Mark (Brazil)

JPs want fines for drivers who use phones
By Philip Johnston, Home Affairs Editor
(Filed: 23/07/2001)


MOTORISTS using their mobile phones while driving would get a £60 fine and three penalty points under plans being put forward by magistrates.

The Magistrates' Association, which represents 30,000 JPs, is pressing the Home Office to introduce new penalties aimed at reducing the growing number of accidents allegedly involving mobile phone users.

Up to a dozen road deaths have been attributed to drivers being distracted while on phones. Arthur Winnington, chairman of the association's road traffic committee, said there should be a dedicated offence and penalty to emphasise the seriousness of the problem.

He said: "It would not be long before people gave up telephoning while driving because with a couple of speeding offences on top they would pretty soon be off the road. How many people have to die before we get the simple remedy of a specific charge?"

Police are opposed to the proposed fixed penalty, but Mr Winnington said the risk of being fined had worked in enforcing the compulsory wearing of seat-belts. He added: "What is the difference? Magistrates want something doing about this. It is frustrating."

An AA spokesman said motorists should face a fixed penalty for not having proper control of a vehicle, something that would cover other distractions, such as eating or even smoking, as well as using a phone.

The Association of Chief Police Officers said existing laws relating to careless driving and driving without having proper control were sufficient and new offences were not needed.

A spokesman said: "We disagree about the need for a change in the law. We think the issue is already covered.

"The odds are quite long of a policeman seeing somebody doing this. We would not want to introduce a law that would fall into disrepute because it would very rarely be detected. It would lose its deterrent effect."

However, the law on using mobile phones while driving is far from clear and both police and motorists are often confused about when they can use a mobile phone while driving.

Last year, the RAC Foundation urged the Government to consider an outright ban on the use of handheld phones by motorists while driving, though it said careful use of hands-free systems should continue to be legal.

There is no law which specifically bans the use of mobile phones in moving vehicles. Police can, however, charge a motorist with failing to exercise proper control of a vehicle or with careless, dangerous, or reckless driving.

In the most serious cases, drivers can be summonsed for causing death by dangerous driving. A conviction carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail, an unlimited fine, disqualification for one year and a mandatory re-test.

The number of people successfully prosecuted for mobile phone offences is so small that the Home Office does not keep separate figures Read more

Stuart B

Why is there a sudden outbreak of posting under silly names and emails?

Personally don't mind it if it adds to a post which is basically making a joke, and guilty of that myself on several occasions, but if a comment is to be taken seriously.........?

Incidentally I agree with the comment about hands free kits & police feds attitude on quality of advanced driver training.

But to get away from the police don't you think journalists have a lot to answer for? Take all that stupidity in Top Gear et al on disused airfields using driving techniques which have no place on the road or in competition, unless its one to get the biggest slide with the most tyre smoke. Then I was reading a bike magazine the other day which had an article more or less on how to get from being a nervous novice to getting your knee down in the bends in four easy stages. Really!

Just my two pennorth.

Marcus

Are these any good ? - My mate's offered me one very cheap - although it's been standing ( indoors ) for over a year.

What should I look for when appraising the likely cost of refurbishing this to a useable condition ?

Would love to hear from anyone who has any advice or info about these unusual little cars.

Cheers

Marcus Read more

marcus

Thanks Robin,

I have obtained a copy of said magazine, very interesting, although I'm not into stripping and rebuilding the thing, In fact I quite like the idea of a scruffy spitfire as a general runabout, I merely wondered about what horrors they could be hiding. I'll be collecting mine next week ! It hasn't cost a lot and will doubtless be a bit of fun.

peter

G reg Metro very low mileage 17k. Was repressurised about 6 months ago due to lo ride height and has suddenly started becoming extremeley bouncy with a very pronounced front to back pitch that is bordering on outright dangerous if combining a bend with a bump. The reaction to Road humps at even 20mph is hard to believe. The ride height is I suspect a little lo but correct figure is not to hand.

Any comments advice appreciated. Read more

peter

I guess since it is badged as a Rover Metro (was G the transirion time?)it probably has front to back linking. I cannot imagine that the pitching could be that bad without some front to back element! Is there some kind of limiting valve or similar in the front to back pipe work? Next time I go underneath I will try to look for it. But there appears no visible leaks. There must be a real Metro anorak out there somewhere.....