October 2001
My girlfriend's 97 Clio has had 2 new wheel bearings fail on O/S front and is on its third in 8 months, has anyone else had similar problems? They've all been replaced and work carried out under guarantee so it hasn't cost us anything since the original bearing was replaced back in February. The only explanation we've had is that the bearing's simply collapsed! Read more
I'm taking delivery of a brand new (new shape) Astra. 1.6 SXI
Has anybody had any problems that could have been avoided with a bit of pre-warning.
eg reading in Honest Johns column that the Renault Scenics have their Air Con pumps near the front skirt vents, ie right in line for flying stones to smash the casing. Someone rectified this by putting mesh at the rear of the vent.
You get my drift??
Cheers All,
As a reward... my bestest joke,
There was this woman who goes to the Doc's.
Says Doctor I have terrible problem with wind.
doc says. mmmm??
She says, the saving grace, is that they dont smell, and the are silent.
Doc; mmm??
She says in fact Doctor, i'll let you into a little secret, I must have passed wind 20- 25 times since I've been sat in your surgery.
Doc; mmm? take these tablets and come back in a week,
She obliges and goes back, says Doctor all those tablets seem to have done is make them smell terrible,
Doctor Says, well that's the sinuses sorted, now lets work on the deafness.
Ha Ha.... Read more
At what point does a car go from being a used car to being a banger? Is it age, mileage, value or a combination of all three? Is my H reg Audi Coupe 20V (132k, cost £2,600) a banger? Read more
My cars descended into banger terroritory when I stopped washing them, getting fed up cutting myself on sharp metal exposed by rust!
Colin
Went to Bruges for the weekend via the Channel Tunnel, wonderful journey until I got back to M20/M25 junc Sunday night but that's another story.
While waiting at the check-in for the Shuttle I noticed that LPG fuelled vehicles appear to be banned from using the Tunnel, at least I assume that's what the sign with a car with LPG written on it and a big red line through it means. Seemed to mean banned for things like guns etc.anyway. Thought crossed my mind as to why? Is LPG fuel that much more volatile?
Another thought was if enough people are convinced by the cost factor to convert to LPG then will they become accepted through the Tunnel or will they just have no customers and end up having to put a cork in the end? Read more
The r100 and theR101 both worked.
It was just that the R101 suffered from crass political pressures and flew without a valid certificate of airworthiness.
its crash was largely due to pilot error,its engines were idling and its elevators were probably not doing that for which they were designed.
I do not share many peoples high opinion of Lord Thompson,i think he was weak and politically expedient in his judgement.
In the light of the "Clocked or not?" thread below, I would really appreciate feedback on the suggestion below:
Maybe, when selling cars, owners should be offered the opportunity to leave a contact telephone number on the V5 to help potential future buyers. They would have no financial interest in the car anymore so could, I feel, offer an honest appraisal of the car's value as well as confirm the last known mileage.
Yours
Andy Read more
Nick Ireland wrote:
>
> I think there might be some Data Protection Act Implications
> about putting phone numbers on V5s - like Swansea might not
> be allowed to do it. Why not leave a card in the service
> handbook, offering your details to a potential buyer?
But if the previous owners name and address is on the V5
what's to stop the new/prospective owner from dialling 192?
Or even writing a letter?
/John
is there a way, indeed, is there a kind of underground movement, of bypassing the scourge of modern driving that is the cat converter, then reconnecting it for the MOT... when they need replacing half the time it is uneconomical and the car is thrown away... welll ok not half the time, rarely in fact, but still, most people when you look at the true facts without a lot of bleating emotionalism will realise that cats are a total waste of time and money, n'est pas gentlemen? Read more
Also, lean burn technology is more economical on fuel than using a cat - so that's why the oil company lobby were so active in the Euro Parliament - oh, and the Germans owned most of the mineral sources ( Rhodium etc) needed for making the ....... things. It's a naughty world out there.
Needing a cheap load carrier I spent the weekend on the trail of three nearly identical Citroen BX estates. The odd one out was a 60K mile 19RD diesel which probably shifted off the forecourt five minutes after the local paper hit the streets. That left me two white 1.9 petrol estates, both with trade sellers. No 1 had 80k with a reasonable service history from new and was being sold on a forecourt run by a reasonable imitation of a retired Sex Pistol with a nice line in gunning the engine to warm it up. The accumulator was ticking away every two seconds but the interior looked good. Stone chips were in line with the mileage.
No 2 was on a smarter forecourt (still no suits tho') keeping company with higher priced stock it had been part ex'd against. It had an equally good interior, the clean engine settled down quickly, it drove nicely with the slightest touch of firmness, and everything seemed to work. The thing is it showed what I have always taken to be classic symptoms of clocking: apparently less than 4K miles a year from new, a wonderfully wavy line of numbers on the odometer and no service history earlier than the last MOT 1500 miles previously. On the plus side, the paintwork and engine bay were very clean, and the pedals were not unduly worn. Somebody must have cared for it at some time because they'd fitted the plastic headlamp protectors I always advocate friends to fork out for.
All in all it looked and felt worth the extra £350 over the other so I took the plunge, reasoning it is on the edge of throwaway territory anyway. Am I being too cynical and BXs tend to have wonky odometers and absent-minded owners who mislay the service book? These are 10-year-old vehicles but do we now assume that anything more than two-years-old has probably had something in its history faked? My old company Fiesta RS1800 went into auction looking immaculate after I put 73K on it in 15 months. I wonder what N467 GGC is showing today? Read more
David
I certainly will be joining the CCC for the first time (previous Citroens:2CV, 3CV van (trans-Sahara in that one), Dyane 4, Dyane 6 (new), GS estate) since I recognise the value of short-cutting problems now that models tend to be quickly forgotten by mechanics.
I am sure you are right about the clocking but it was the best car I'd come across (I checked out a CX estate and a Renault Espace the previous week) and I thought worth a punt. Sitting around a cold auction for a few weeks doesn't appeal even if I knew where there was one within a reasonable distance.
These low-milers do turn up though. The Visa recently acquired for my daughter had 57K recorded and one owner (really two), admittedly with the service book stamped up to 48K only. My wife's 1986 Honda Prelude that the BX will probably replace had under 70K and one little old lady owner (75) when bought four years ago. "The back seat has never been used, mate, trust me."
Properly amazing was the 1984 Toyota Corolla advertised privately in one of the local papers last month with just 4000 (4K) miles recorded from new. If you could stand the bland shape and repercussions from lack of use, maybe a snip at £300 for someone.
Thanks for your comments.
David
Sorry for the repeat, but I think the following got lost in the old messages -
Robin wrote:
'Thing one: time wears cars out more than mileage these days,like aeroplanes.'
Interesting point - Do the people who repair cars when they wear out agree? Read more
Andy,
Perhaps you've just found my new login name for when the forum is updated, haven't been called that since I was 10!
Will reply about your car tonight, just doing some paperwork for today's Daewoo service but must get under it again.
David
I notice how many of the contributors have owned or still own motorcycles. I am getting on but I still have 3 myself.
It has been said, and I would agree, that drivers who began their motoring lives on bikes have far better skills for appreciating road surface quality, anticipating events, understanding weather conditions as they relate to speed and distance, and their observation skills are generally superior to those who leap into a repmobile or the school run after 8 hours with BSM.
Motorcycle riders being vastly more vulnerable, their need for sharper awareness is blindingly obvious, but I have always felt I am a better driver as a result of what I learn on my bike(s), and after each session in the saddle feel I do a better job next time I get behind the wheel.
So far so good, and of course I would add that everyone on a bike should take a rider training course.
Now we come to the new brigade -- the scooterists. Many of the recent twist n go brigade are car drivers quite reasonably hoping to beat jams, save fuel and time etc. However I frequently notice they have little or no apreciation of the things I consider when riding and many are downright dangerous. Modern 2 wheel tires etc are more forgiving than they used to be but I still see some real idiots on scooters doing things I would never consider on my bike, and I've been riding for 45 years. It seems to me there's a gap in the system somewhere that allows card rivers to hurl their leg over (should I say 'step-thru?) a scooter and weave madly through the traffic? I would hate to be a trucker with these things whizzing around me.
What do others think?
Maybe everyone should be compelled to ride a m/c as part of their driver training? and in particular scooter riders new to the game and coming from cars should get more training. Read more
I agree entirely. As often stated training is the key. Do you think Mo ( BBC, Driving School. Lada driver ( Are they really cool ? ) would have ever passed her test. I think not.
When I start my car first thing in the morning it runs very unevenly until it's warmed up - I can feel the whole car shaking. It also hesitates when I try to accelerate. It's fine one it's warmed up and this only happens when starting in the morning.
A friend has suugested some overnight damp may be getting into the distributor leads - is this likely?
What can I do to fix this - it's only started happening since it got damp and cold overnight.
cheers Read more
Ahhhh, sighed the future heroin addict, 20 quid to feel this good isn't a bad deal.
Be prepared to have the bonnet open every morning once the real damp weather begins next month.
Chris
Browse
Thanks to both of you for your help. I've now got a new question to ask them if the bearing fails again!