October 2001
Took the dogs playing in the snow at the weekend. This requires a pretty agressive drive on some wild landscape. Not the sort of driving that you would ever need to do in the UK, probably nowhere to do it anyway.
I live on the edge of the Andes mountains outside Santiago in Chile. My house is above the snow-line for some of the winter, but mostly below. Its rocky, wild and very difficult to drive in.
The place we went to there are no roads. I don't mean no tarmac, I mean not even tracks. There is no way to know which way to go, since there are no tracks, car tracks or anything else to indicate. Map, compass and being lost there last year are all the things you have to help. Usually we end up driving towards the gap between two peaks to see if we can get through. We actually went over to the Argentina border which took about 5 hours there and less back.
However, we took four cars - my Dodge Ram, its a twin-cab pickup; a Landrover Freelander, a Toyota 4-Runner and a Toyota Hilux (a pick-up). And since I drove all of them, I thought you might be interested in my opinions.
The Dodge you probably don't care about. Its only problem is its size, which restricts some of the things it can get between or across - at one point I had to go through a river because the bridge over the river wouldn't take its weight.
However, space permitting, it will go anywhere and over anything. Too big for European roads though.
The Hilux was surpisingly capable for a cheap pickup. It lacked the pure grunt of either the 4-Runner or the Dodge, but this only made it a little more trying, it didn't fail to get up, through or over anything. Its a four-seater pickup, although you wouldn't want to be travelling in the back on bad surfaces, you get thrown around a lot. But it was fine in the front, and the seats are supportive, with loads of things to grab hold of and brace yourself against.
I might even buy one and keep it up in the mountains - there's times I just don't want to drive anything as big as the Dodge.
It even had mountings for extra spare wheels, which is essential since we normally try to carry three for each car - although I've never needed to use more than two. (and that wasn't my fault whatever you hear, it was a stupid place to leave a hole).
Freelander - I hope its good in supermarket carparks, because its naff-all good for anything else. Small unsupportive seats allowing you to be thrown around and a small under-powered gutless engine. (This one was a year old, so I know there are V6 & Diesel stuff about now which *must* be better).
Lousy amount of storage space and no space to put things in in the front to stop them flying everywhere.
As I understand the 4wd, it works out for itself where it needs to be putting the drive which I took to mean that if it needed to be 4wd it would be, but on tarmac it would be mostly 2wd. Well, maybe - but it doesn't work - it was forever spinning two of its wheels and instantly trying to slide off the mountain sideways - at one point it tried this particular little trick less than 1 yard from a 2000ft drop, fortunately it was chained to the Dodge at the time, although I might have overdone the throttle a little given the comments from the Freelander driver - about 15 minutes later when he got power of speach back.
Even other than that quite trying moment, its 4wd just isn't very good and certainly not sure-footed.
It desperately needs a lower ratio, several times the engine just stalled because it simply couldn't get up things that steep even when it had tons of grip. I suppose the larger engines must be better.
Mind you, because its got a toy engine, they've obviously tried to keep its weight down - this lack of weight was a frequent problem in the traction stakes.
Even if the thing didn't stall through lack of power, it kept grounding out and getting stuck on stuff.
Its very "plasticky" inside, and whilst we didn't actually break any of the fittings, it looked like it wouldn't cope with much abuse. Particularly since there isn't much in the car to brace yourself against at difficult moments, and therefore sooner or later you're gonna grab something which will snap off.
It had a very strange "bendy" feel to the gear stick. Almost like the stick itself was flexing. It didn't affect anything, but it was a strange feeling.
Horrible car and we actually abandoned it half way up and collected it on the way back down. And I was all for missing out on the "collect it on the way down" part. And we should have done because that "oh so smart, go down hill safely yellow button is a waste of time. Even the dogs got bored, jumped out and ran on ahead.
All in all, its a bloody awful off-road car, and I would have thought as an ordinary "on-road" car, there were many better options since even on the freeway its noisy and gutless.
Finally was the 4-Runner. This car is what every part-time on-road/off-road car should be. Very well equipped for freeway driving, and its quiet and comfortable for very long trips and high speeds, but is startlingly capable off-road.
Loads of ground clearance, several OF handles, loads of space, very good visibility and very easy to drive. Plenty of power and its traction in 4-wheel-low was impressive.
I had to be a little careful since it belongs to SWMBO, but it got put through its paces. At one point the snow was uparound the windows and it still kept going through. Loved it. I'd recommend a 4-Runner in the UK wihtout hesitation.
M.
p.s. The Dodge has off-road tyres, the others all have "combination" tyre. We did take chains for the Freelander, but they didn't help, it was still crap. Read more
I've been meaning to bring this one up with the forum for ages but keep getting sidetracked...
About 4 years ago I noticed something strange appear on a road I frequented (fast dual carriageway), it was like a blue lamppost but on the top had something that looked like a blue plastic shoebox with the end cut off and some kind of sensor inside it, the end of the "box" facing the oncoming traffic. I initially thought it might have been checking speeds but hadn't heard anything on the 'grapevine' and I slowly forgot about it and ignored it. Over the last couple of years, however, these things have started springing up absolutely everywhere and usually always look like I described above though I have seen ones on shorter poles and some on narrow roads have a box facing each way. I have seen them just off roundabout exits, on the side of busy main roads, even in some country lanes (and this in London, Surrey, Cheshire, Manchester, Devon etc). To add to the mystery, motorways have long had some kind of sensor that is attached to nearly every single bridge you drive under (honestly, have a look at the front of the bridge as you approach it!), presumably to monitor traffic flow. These now seem to be being replaced by these said blue things which are attached right by them on the front of m'way bridges and face the oncoming traffic.
These things are in many places where they could be checking speeds and also many where they wouldn't be (ie. roundabout junctions) - I find this very disturbing and want to know what the hell they are. I've scoured the net for information but have found none and nothing is mentioned on Speed Trap UK about them. Can they read number plates? Does this mean someone somewhere knows where every single car is once it has passed one of these things? Will it be timing people over distance to send out automated speeding tickets? Given the random location of many of these it all seems a little big brother - Whatever they are there for something tells me it isn't so the government can improve our "driving experience" on the roads.
Can anyone out there shed any light on these strange blue things?! Read more
The only way you can accurately measure traffic flow is to use the same car, measured over a set distance. Just measuring the number of cars passing a certain point won't give you that information, because it won't tell you how fast they're moving.
Andy
Does anyone know how to remove the paper oil filter element, which has replaced the cartridge type on a Peugeot 206?
I have removed the plastic oil filter housing and in trying to extract the paper element from the housing find that it will withdraw about an inch then appears to hit some form of restriction. I am reluctant to force the element any further in case the plastic body is damaged in some way.
This type of filter must be fairly new (the car is one year old), as it is not covered in the Haynes manual, which has just come out this year for the 206.
Bob Read more
Austin Cambridge paper filter was a swine to put back I remember, the sqare section seal NEVER went back correctly and always leaked. I gave up on mine and never replaced that bit once I had got it right.
The Citroen DS filters came out with half a dozen bolts from the bottom of the sump, there it was looking at you, dead easy.
Our cat, who is an ancient spinster cat, finds this subject offensive.
On the other hand, as an automotive fan, I think ALL automotive cats should be stuffed.
I have all the numerous variants of anti-motorists in mind.
(DON'T sit down, Prescott, for instance!)
Regards to all in favour. Read more
my ageing,but spry spinster cat,and the other,which is a trollop,are both outraged to discover that the new HDi engined cat shelter has a catalyst.
They thought they were safe under diesels.
When will this insane nonsense end?
Dear John
M.reg. panda 1000 c.c. manual box. This car has very little power when reaching normal running temperiture, but up to reaching normal temperiture runs like a little rocket. At 30m.p.h. in fourth gear there is no power at the accelerater, you have to change down to third to get any responce at all. It has been in Fiat main dealers on two accasions the last time for three days. they know there is a problem but they cant find what it is!! It has been on thier diagnostic machine twice and it is saying everthing is o.k. although they know there is a problem. After this I took it to another garage who said it was valves. On paying a large bill to get my car back I find the problem is still there!!!!!!! If you can offer me any help I will be eternally gratfull as I am at the end of my tether with this car.
In anticipation Lew Read more
OK so Fiat say the O2 sensor is fine, so be it. The other possibility is a fouled injector. Whilst the engine is warming up the mixture is richened (enrichened?)gradually leaning off as temp and O2 sensor dictate. If the injector is fouled it will not be able to deliver the correct fuel mixture especially under load and acceleration. Do you use supermarket fuel? If so a change to branded fuel may alleviate the problem. Where are you based?
Hi all,
After adding another nice little dink to my car bodywork courtesy of a Scottish fence post with Klingon cloaking device l have decided to get that and all the other stone chips and scratches and some older minor damage fixed.
My query is double prong-like:
1)Can anyone recommend a Norfolk car body shop that does: stone chip and scratch, superficial rust and small dent repairs.
2)If l decide to get the car resprayed (like completely) for whatever reason l need another recommendation if relevant and l would also like to know how this will affect the future rust resistance of the bodywork.
i.e. Is a thirdparty strip and respray of reasonable quality as good as the full manufacturing treatment as far as anti-corrosion goes? I don't want to spend x pounds getting my car done in a nice metallic pink colour only to find it rusting like an old fiesta 12 months later.
Any responses would be lovely,
Dan Read more
Hi Dan,
I have just been looking in Yellow Pages for Lincs. & found one or two new
scratch/chip,ding repairers.Should be similar for Norfolk,if you want to vet them for workmanship try phoning a couple of franchised dealerships service advisers, they generally know.
It is my opinion that a full respray from a quality bodyshop(I mean top quality) will/can match that of the original factory. Concours resprays that cost serious
money. If you go for anything less, the quality will be reflected in the amount that you spend.
By the way, beware of the current waterbased clear over base finish, it is unquestionably poor quality on current cars.
Simon
Anyone tried using easydyno? (easydyno.com) look at their site first.
This looks like one of those ideas that is so simple it must work! The electronics and recording mechanism is very basic but would appear to capture the necessary data. Some experimenting would appear to be necessary to set up the PC in the first place. I would guess that it is important that the tape recorder records and plays back at the same speed (ie use the same device).
If you have access to a straight flat piece of road with no head/ tail wind it looks as tho you should be able to achieve repeatable results.
However everything is dependent on the rigorousness that has been applied to the mathematical theory and software development. If the software behind the displays is as polished as the display interface it should be good. But maybe he is a graphic designer.... Read more
It is not going to work with an automatic?
Sorry if this wrong forum but recently badly damaged my exhaust on a sleeping policeman. Have botched it at a nearby garage whose owner said 'pity you didn't come in last year - I scrapped a few stainless Dolomite systems 'cos nobody wanted them'. Is anyone else considering doing this? I live in Sheffield and my system has a central silencer box and a back box which is located at right angles to the carside. The back box is supplied from the exhaust pipe which loops over the backaxle. Read more
A couple of years ago I managed to destroy the exhaust on a Dolomite belonging to a complete stranger. I saw the car parked up in a layby - cream coloured Dolomite 1850 with a blown head gasket. I was heading for home with a flatbed trailer in tow, and offered to trailer the Dolomite to the owner's house as it wasn't far off my route. I had winched the car about half way on when there was a scraping sound followed by a loud bang. The (brand new) exhaust centre box had caught on the back edge of the trailer, which had cut a hole in the box, before one of the joints gave way and the whole exhaust fell off. For an old fashioned upright saloon, it's amazing how little ground clearance a Dolomite has.
Hi,
I've got an excellent Renault Megane 1.6 16v RT 2000 W - the new shape ones, which is very good apart from the fact the remote locking won't work! At first the 2 keys worked but only when a fair distance from the car! As you got nearer they wouldnt work! Re-programing the keys (as stated in the owners manual) fixed this for 2 days - but now neither key works! I have replaced both batteries in the remotes and reprogrammed them again - but still neither will open or lock the car. Help!
Anyone else experienced this? Read more
Dear all
I am looking at purchasing a Xantia as a second car. (Big smiles on DW's face). I will be using it to drive to and from work every day and the occassional load moving session. Can anyone advise me on what to look out for, which spec is best (I've taken a good look at the cbc breakdown and taken that into account).
I want to get a TDi, as the main reason for buying another car would be to make substantial savings on fuel which would hopefully pay for the car in a year. (I commute 70 miles a day round trip).
So - which spec should I look to buy?
Is it worth spending the extra on an estate?
What is the best time of year to get one, I would like it now, but can wait until the new year.
What are the main things to check/watch out for.
Many thanks in anticipation
Jonathan Read more
Jonathan,
A few years ago I was in the same situation looking for a 2nd car that would act as a economical workhorse (my other car's a 1991 BMW 535i sport).
I bought a N(96) 1.9TD Xantia estate base model with 110K on the clock but with full Citroen dealer history from "Dial" for £3000. I bought it mainly due to the price and the full history (which showed that it had had a new clutch fitted). I've never had a french car before let alone a Citroen so I was completely unbiased about their quality/character.
The car so far has been great and I have put on around 25K in 18 months. I frequently drive from London to Inverness and back with my family to see the in-laws. It's great to be able to do 600 miles on 1 tank full - when I went in the 535 I sometimes had to stop twice for fuel! At 75-80mph it's doing around 42mpg and if you're patient enough to keep to around 55-60mph you can get over 50mpg. I suppose that's not quite up with the VW TDi's but you have to take the purchase price and overall running costs into consideration.
The ride is great and the estate can swallow any amount of luggage thrown at it - the self-levelling feature comes into it's own when fully loaded. All it has needed is servicing at the recommended intervals which is done very reasonably by Louis Barber of Great Missenden - independent Citroen specialists.
The base model doesn't have any of the creature comforts such as electric windows, aircon, sunroof etc nor the added safety of ABS - I suppose not having all that means less to go wrong, but the seats are comfy even after 10 hours driving (I can vouch for that!), the brakes are always strong and the standard Michlelin tyres (15inch) have good grip and seem to wear rather well too. The only thing looking back at the history is that my car seems to like rear pads/discs quite regularly - every 15K or so and they need replacing soon, when I'll have the cambelt changed too. The engine is still sweet and there's always enough torque available to get you out of trouble. I don't know why people criticise the handling, it seems fine for a car that makes no sporting pretentions, if anything IMO it's better than some cars that do!
Anyway that probably enough of me ranting on........ maybe I was lucky in finding a good example but I have nothing but praise for the Xantia 1.9TD.
Good Luck - hope you find a good one.
Chad R
Browse
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> Are you a motor industry type (with motor industry job)?
> (this isn't meant to be twenty questions....just
> interested....)
Telecommunications, usually.
All I know about cars is that they break a lot and its never my fault.