September 2001
I drive a Triumph 1500TC 1975 model (essentially a Dolomite). I've had the engine overhauled, a replacement distributor fitted and new carburretor parts. There seems to be a slight dead spot on pick up - overcome by pulling out the choke - but the engine then soon chokes up. The handbook recommends Champion N12 plugs. An old lag says use N9s - they get hotter quicker and should overcome the dead spot. Any comments? Read more
My girlfriend is getting her new car sooner than expected leaving not much time to flog the old one - about 3 days in fact.
She will need to be insured on the new one leaving the old one uninsured.
It's taxed and MOTd. I have 'driving other cars' third party cover in my insurance. Does a car have to be insured (and have it's details on an insurance certificate) to be parked on the road? Is it still legal for me to drive it? I can't find a definite answer for this.
In terms of flogging the old one - will Autotrader web-site be as good a place as any - seems good value at £7:50 including a HPI check or does an ad in the mag get onto the web-site?
Piers Read more
> Mark Thanks for a definitive legal view.
ooeer, "definitive" !
A good, possibly even expert, opinion, but for definitive you'd need to speak with a current, professional expert uptodate on the ever changing face of case law & statute.
Having just bought a cheapy as a temporary car for my wife she has an aversion to the fact that the previous owner must have been an inveterate chain smoker. (I dont know how I was conned, I suspect the windows / heater etc must have fully opened for hours before I test drove it).
I have tried copious amounts of Fabreze with hardly any success.
Any body else sucessfully solved the problem?
PS I will not declare the car as my credibility on matters of judgement will sink below zero!
The only alternative will be to pass it on the same way. Read more
Had very good results using a product called G101 by AUTOSMART as the cleaning fluid. Spray on with a hand spray and rinse with clean water.Rub in well with a brush on upholstery. Leaves a fresh smell and leaves vinyl/plastic surfaces a nice matt finish ready for retreatment with dash sheen.
I want to retro-fit cruise control to my 2000 W Astra 1.8CDi.
I know I need a new left side stalk and maybe some loom mods., but
Lance Owen are telling me I need a new ECU at £500 ex-VAT. As there is only one model ECU for this car range I am puzzled why a new one is necessary. Can't an existing ECU be re-programmed? Read more
I can't speak for GM ECU's but when I worked with Rover MEMS units (around 5 years ago) they had many variants of ECU and in a few cases it was just the software that needed upgrading.
However, in the case of a vehicle with cruise control this would also have additional circuitry in the ECU to monitor the extra inputs. I would be surprised if GM have one ECU that covers the whole Astra range.
Colin J
Which diesels have timing chains, not belts?
I have heard that Mercedes, Vauxhall and the 2L Mondeo may do. Can anyone confirm this or add any others to the list. Read more
If it's an older Mercedes (pre 89F I think) make sure its a not a simplex (single link) chain. These still need changing.
Doesn't the 2.5TD VM Granada/Scorpio have a chain also?
For those that didn't see Driven last night, there was a very interesting part about theft of car keys. In the space of six hours, ten drivers filled up with petrol, then went to pay leaving the keys in the ignition. Also, it is becomming common for keys to be stolen through the letter box.
The advice is never to leave the keys in the ignition if you leave the car, even for a few minutes (common sense), and never leave your keys near the front door or any other place where they can be removed by some crafty bastard with a length of bamboo with a hook on the end.
The simple reason is that ALL insurance companies will not pay out for cars that have been stolen using the keys.
Andy Read more
I would like to add please everyone dont as the mornings are getting colder start the car and leave it on the drive to warm up/defrost. As cars do have imobilizers now days it is forcing theives who cant by pass imobilizers to pypass the immobilizer the easy way by pinching the keys.
Somebody, I think Andrew, asked me about this some time ago. Some stuff happened to come across my desk, so I thought I'd put it here.....
600,000 road traffic deaths in last 37 years
28,560 road traffic deaths in 1997 alone
(In both cases, only death at roadside is included, subsequent death in ambulance or hospital is not included in these figures)
3.5% of all deaths in Brazil are at the roadside in traffic accidents (comparison 1.1% in holland which is ALL traffic deaths, not just road side)
Cost to the govt of > US$10bn EACH YEAR
Average traffic jam length in Sao Paulo rush hour = 57 miles
There are 116,000 police in Sao Paulo (80k military, 36k civilian)
315,200 children do not attend school in Sao Paulo
All figures are from 1997, so goodness only knows what the figures are now !!
And just to round it off on a non-traffic related matter - quote from a Sao Paulo governor "its unfortunately true to say that torture by prison guards of inmates hasn't decreased as much as we had hoped for this year" Read more
> I have a
> photo of me talking to policeman leaning against the tropic
> sign on this road.We were discussing his increase in pay .
I've got a photo of my Mother leaning on that sign - on the way out to Campinas ?
> And do not forget O`Malleys in SP
I've always preferred Charles Edward in Juscelino Kubitscheck.
I have a silver car and I have just incurred a "J" shape scratch about 4 inches long on the driver side of the bodywork on the side of the boot area.
It is scratched through to the "white" primer (?) underneath.
If I use spit and rub it on, the scratch disappears temporarily. Obviously when the saliva dries, the scratch reappears.
What is a good solution to removing this. I am loath to use touch up paint because that looks crap, but that may be my application of it!
Can anyone help?
WVM Read more
I'm thinking about using the SCUFFS branch in Ipswich for some stone chip and scratch repair etc... Any words of wisdom or warning from anyone with exp of these guys?
Dan
I am looking to buy my first car, at the moment i am driving about in my Mums H-Reg Mk 2 Astra 1.4.
I quite like it but my mum says i am taking it over and my dad wont let me loose in his Lexus GS 300 (cant imagine why?).
My parents have said they will chip in 4 a car, but my budget is realistically £1000, as i have to buy insurance etc.
I know it is alot to ask but i want something different from my friends, e.g not a Escort or a Modifed Nova, which has a bit of class, but is nt going to get me a gary boy image. Saab or BMW 2 much to ask as i want something with a bit of poke, tha is reliable and will go on 4ever! please help
Your input is v.highly valued Read more
You say you want something different, 2CV.. run all day flat out very reliable, as there is little to go wrong, and is easily fixed yourself. No expensive ecu's etc. Sadly not much poke then again you wont get 12 points or dead by the time you're 21, but plenty of cool if you can carry it off, ie inverted cool, Give the plebs a knowing smile and stick 2 fingers to the little boys in their corsa's, ha, who'd drive a corsa?? Why are they all purple or white?? Ha Ha.
VW's are full of hype, Skoda is the same car; different badge is all;
Beemers also, £2k for the badge and hype,
Ladas Sumatra were designed by PORSCHE
Spend your money wisely, get some experience under you belt before spending big bucks on a decent motor, coz pound to a pinch, you'll prang it sometime, may not be serious, but you'll hit something. 2CV wings are bolted on so no welding required. If you want a bit more poke, theres a guy up near Carlise I think, (Honest John will help with that) who rebuilds 2CV's with a bigger motor. uprated brakes etc.
Safer Motoring
What is wrong with motoring journalists? I have a very smart (albeit old) '90 Toyota Celica GTi. I think it looks great (as do most people I meet). I work hard to keep it clean, and it still turns heads (or am I to believe it is with disgust!).
So why do the motoring press, car guides (such as Parkers), and this web-site think it is an ugly duckling?
I accept that the Japanese aren't the best at designing aesthetically pleasing vehicles, but why do writers seem intent on imposing their own ideals on the car buying public?
Surely no one can describe a Ford Escort as an attractive vehicle, but I have never read anwhere that it is ugly.
To use well worn cliches, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", and "variety is the spice of life". I wish the motoring press would let US decide which vehicles are attractive, and which are not.
After all, it would be a fairly dull world if all cars were Ferraris and all women looked like Melissa Joan Hart (Mmmmm! Put that way, perhaps my car is ugly..........). Read more
Well on behalf of those of us who regularly suffer from the little voice in the back going "Are we nearly there yet Dad?" when its only 15 minutes into a regular 30 minute journey.
I might accept that the three in a row seating allows youngsters to sit up front and in the action as opposed to being excluded from family life in the back where they cannot see much and its difficult to hear the conversation in the front.
I think I would be prepared to drive around in a cottage loaf on wheels just for that feature alone.
However the thought of all those extra pops in the doorskins due to it not fitting in parking spaces does not bear thinking about.
just my two pennorth @ lunchtime
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I am not familiar with this car but if it has SU or Stromberg carbs, and you have had them rebuilt, have the correct metering needles been fitted? I've had a similar problem with a Rover V8 engine in a kit car (using Stromberg carbs) and had the same effect in that it would perform much better if I pulled out the choke. I eventually found, after a tortuous trial and error session that different (more tapered and hence richer) needles were required. There are a great many different needle profiles which can be fitted.