Wasting time I came upon a site on the Net which alleges that if your purchase their formula then you can make diesel fuel at about half the cost of that current at the pumps.

Surely this cannot be right both in economics or legality.

www.ukmd.co.uk/mecatech/index.htm

David.W - have you heard of it? I suspect a scam somewhere and those into Trading laws does trades description acts apply to the internet?

A perplexed DWD Read more

Two things recently have made me think about flood driving recently. The Land Rover I'm working on has been driven in water for far too long and the effects on the drivetrain are clear to see. Also was chatting to a chap who needed to have "flood capability" and we were wondering what was the best option.

Went round the yard with a tape and confirmed what is obvious I suppose, conventional vehicles and floods shouldn't mix. People do confuse the issues with driving through floods. There is a huge difference between what any vehicle might do in a dire emergency and what will be good for it long term. I have two land Rovers at present, one is ex-farm and 40yrs old the other 20yrs old and ex-off road enthusiast owned.

Just doing the wheel bearings and brakes on both. The off-road trialling one is absolutely wrecked in every respect when you look at the drivetrain and brakes, far too much time spent in deep muddy water. The farm track one thought is excellent because they were relying on it so they never went looking for trouble.

With a normal hatchback car in 11" of water the wheel bearings, lower suspension balljoints and brakes (ABS bits as well!) are going under. Just a few inches more and you are risking water ingress to the engine, gearbox and many more expensive bits. Even my Xantia on high will start to drag the bottom of the running gear under 18" of water.

The Land Rover will go in 14" of water before the hubs/brakes are wet, 20" sees the crank pulley dipping in water and spraying it around the engine compartment, 22" sees the first danger of water getting in the engine via the main seals and the starter is going under from 24". A diesel will continue running into very deep water with correct driving methods. The air intake on the old series models is very sensibly placed at 44" so close to that might be a lucky maximum in an emergency. The water would then be to your shirt inside and after leaving the floods you should stop the thing and drain/re-fill the engine/gearbox/transfer box/axles x2/steering swivels to remove the danger of water in those various oils. The latter part is something people rarely do but it is in the Land Rover books.

With my tractor (ignoring the front hubs because they are cheap, run at low speed and there are no front brakes to seize) you can go into 26" of water before it comes to the bottom of the engine, 33" sees it with the fan pulley throwing water about and the starter also getting wet. Again in a dire emergency this will go in 50" before the engine air intake is near water...very impressive. Put a simple three ton trailer on the back and you have a better emergency rescue vehicle than most purpose built machines.

Oddly because the Fens are flat they don't suffer the same flash flooding as river valley situations but when the water does cover a road it does so for a long way. There is a location near here on a rural commuter route where a long run in flood water is needed several times a year to avoid an annoying long detour. It is amazing the risks you see taken with normal cars just to "get through". With a medium TD hatchback there is a real chance of sucking up enough water to trash the engine, never mind the long term effects on all the running gear.

David Read more

Any stories? Read more

Here's a tricky one. Just had a phone call from the guy who bought my old Polo last month. He's broken off the key in the door lock, and doesn't have a spare (that's why he rang me, in the hope that I had one). Any suggestions? Do VW keep records of key patterns for ancient Polos? I suspect it has the original locks - one key fits all. Read more

Dan J brough this up in another thread. It has been mooted in the past, but may be worth a mention again.

"Just out of interest and so as not to take up a new thread with it, what is the likelihood of a "backroomers" meet-up (suggested by Mark (Brazil)!)? If it could be pulled off it'd be great to meet all who frequent this establishment over a beer - Be difficult due to the spread of where people live I suppose - any suggestions?"

Perhaps regional groups would be more convenient, I believe that there are quite a few other Cheshire set people, so that would suit me.

Jonathan Read more