January 2002
I have a 1990 Golf GTI.
My rear door handle has broken, specifically the bit that you hook your finger round and pull activate the mechanism if you get my drift. I've got a replacement - how easy is it to replace the old one with the new one, and does anyone have any handy hints for making it easier ?
It looks relatively straightforward in the Haynes but I just know that I'm going to lose several of the little screws that hold the door trim on.
Thanks in advance. Read more
Picture it... pouring with rain and howling winds. Stuck on an A road somewhere near Ely, bogged down to 6 inches in some really goopy mud.
A huge thanks to the 2 Landrover owners that stopped and coordinated a quick and painless exit.
A huge thumbsdown to the impatient drivers of regular cars who couldn't wait the 2 minutes for us to pull the car out.....
Nick. Read more
the horse was on its side and wouldnt get up, it had been on its side for about six hours before the vet arrived.
p.s i emailed my mate (his name is rick), and he said that the lada didnt make it out the field, so he had to rescue both the lada and the tractor pulling the horse.
Is there an insurance company that will cover my MX5, PUNTO & MOTORHOME on one policy and give a discount considering that I can only drive one vehicle at a time? Read more
I have 3 vehicles between my wife and myself and considered going down the multiple vehicle 1 policy route but discovered not only can you get cheaper cover seperately (and suprisingly enough by having the wife coveredon all vehicles instead of driver only on my old Land Rover that she never drives), but
you can build up seperate no claims bonuses. Hence loose some bonus on the most expensive cover and swop the vehicles so that the cheapest car is on the policy with the least bonus etc.
From the official government website on driving tests...TEN THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT SPEED
ON THE ROAD
In 1997 3,599 people were killed and 32,3945 injured (42,967 seriously) in road traffic accidents.
By far the biggest single cause was driving too fast for the conditions.
When asked what drivers can do to avoid accidents, 70% of survey respondents say drive more slowly.
When asked what they personally could do, only 30% admit they could drive more slowly themselves.
Two thirds of all accidents in which people are injured happen in urban roads with a maximum speed limit of 30mph.
70% of people break the speed limit on these roads.
The difference between 30mph and 35mph is an extra stopping distance of six and a half metres, longer than two Minis.
If a car is dropped nose down from the height of a two storey building, it will be travelling at around 30mph when it hits the ground.
The impact of a vehicle travelling at 35mph is 36% harder.
At 35mph you are twice as likely to kill someone as you are at 30mph.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Few debateable points to discuss....
Surely to avoid accidents, driving safer would be better than driving slower, being more observant?
Of course more accidents happen in residential areas.....thats where people live, and where people walk infront of cars [eg. my brother], funny how only fast enough vehicles can drive on motorways,and they are the safest roads......
Can someone explain the "If a car is dropped nose down from the height of a two storey building, it will be travelling at around 30mph when it hits the ground." surely the force of a car dropping on you is more than the force being hit sideways by a car? Or am I missing something, again, [Lesie!! ;-)]
Also, explain the "The impact of a vehicle travelling at 35mph is 36% harder. " harder than what speed? No speed? Thats not suprising.
O, and finally, hitting a stray walker due to not paying attention has 100% chance of hurting the person to some degree.
avoid people [if in car], avoid vehicles [if not]
Kev Read more
Peep at this and then tell us the Third World driver is safer than the UK variety.
www.bast.de/htdocs/fachthemen/irtad//english/we2.h...l
My girlfriend has a 2000 X Fiesta Zetec with 25,000 mls on it. The brakes have always felt quite spongy but have always stopped well. She had to perform an emergency stop the other day and only just made it, she says that the brakes have been getting poorer. I took it out last night on a bit of deserted road and did lots of hard braking. It was slightly damp but for the first four or five attempts it wouldn't even lock up and took an age to stop. However the next one after that seemed to work and stopped much quicker and this dust flew up from the front. After that it was much better and I could feel the front end digging in. The pads are fine because the first 20k were motorway, but recently her journey to work has been stop start in town. Am I right in thinking that the braking was being affected by crap building up because the brakes aren't being used heavily? If so is the best thing to carry on doing is to mash the brakes reguarly? Or should there be cleaning of anything involved? Also is the spongy feel just to be put up with or is there anything that can be done?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Cheers
Mike Read more
Hi
I have been previously told that light braking will 'polish' the brake pads so that when you do brake sharply they appear not to be working properly.
After driving round town or 'light braking' for a couple of weeks or so I used to brake hard a few times from motorway type speeds. You will soon notice that the brakes are working better.
The other half's AX 1.0 litre has been playing up - she can't get the revs up enough to get out of 2nd making for a top speed of around 30mph. Engine just bogs down in 3rd.
Any ideas re likely causes? Blocked air filter? Dirt in carb? Faulty autochoke?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Read more
Thanks for info - car is a '94L - I was going on what the guy from Green Flag said when called out - not very reassuring when they can't tell the difference between fuel injection and a carb.!
I am pondering whether to specify my new car (a BMW 3 series) in white or with metallic paint. Is it worth getting metallic paint since it will cost me £400 more. Will I get a reasonable proportion of this back when I sell the car in 3 or 4 years time? Furthermore, I understand that it is much harder to re-touch metallic paint so it may even be a liability if I want to keep the car looking good. Read more
Only comment I can make on the colour white is that when I had a white Cresta many, many years ago, the glare of the sun would bounce of the bonnet and cause one's eyes to water and make things difficult to see if one wasn't wearing sun glasses. This was effect was worsened when the sun was low in the sky. Never had the same problem with the two metallic silver Volvos that I have driven over the years.
Rita
Nice one to start the week. I live in a private sub division outside Manila which has recently been opened to through traffic by order of the City Mayor to reduce congestion on the main thoroughfares. One intersection has thus become very busy. Formerly this was policed by an armed security guard, one of the sub-division's private cops, who directed the traffic during busy hours (otherwise it just forces its way through (there are no stop or give way signs and even if there were they would be ignored).
SO, yesterday, Sunday, a gang of chaps in a cherry picker mounted one of those nice big four way traffic light boxes suspended across the junction from heavy cables (anyone who has driven in the US will know the thing). At 5 p.m. I saw them pack up and go happily on their way. This morning 0800, another gang arrives at 0600 to connect lights and make them work before rush hour.
But lights have gone, nicked in the night! Head scratching ensues.
Prevailing theory in the local pub: the security guards saw this as a threat to their job security, so stole the lights. Since the likely culprits will also carry out the investigation into the disappearance, we can expect a traffic light free zone for a while yet.
........tactic could perhaps be extended to UK Gatsos? Read more
Growler - You're a brave lad - because of the trip I mean - not the FJ. Nice car, maybe it's now the one sometimes seen in UK on a certain Aussie soap I sometimes see - accidentally of course.
So far as the plate is concerned, maybe the Wals thought it stood for Unpleasant Grey Holden. Still, they probably don't get too much to laugh at along that route.
Got to go now - I have to load the dishwasher!
Best wishes.
Ronnie
I'm going to look at a car from a Vauxhall dealer tomorrow. The car will be covered by Network Q, and has had 114 point check. Should I still pay out to have it inspected. Read more
sorry, should read "brought it home after buying it"
Jag XKR and Aston Martin on new Bond set I hear
Would Bond Bug not be the ideal car for 007 ?
Small enough to hide in a pen {make a change from a tear-gas filled device},
Would not be seen by badie's radar,
British Engineering at its best {safe Rover 75},
Nice colour,
BOND BUG on the side - double Product Placement,
Reliant need a boost now no more Del Boy.
Alex. Read more
I had a Bond Bug 700ES back in 1973/4 (Ahhh, the good old days...) and at the time did not consider it to be small untill I saw it parked behind to the the Mayors Rolls Royce Limo.
Yes they were small, but I had loads of fun in it and could drive it on a full M/cycle licence. I was sad when I had to sell it due to being posted overseas.
JR
Browse
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And make sure you fit the armoured door plates to both front and rear doors, i see many 5 door golfs with just plates on the front! Without these plates you can break into a mk.2 in seconds with a screw driver.
Regarding the plates themselves. ECp and german and swedish and french do carry them. I have the ECP ones on my car but they are fairly crap. They require one to file the hole in the door where the main handle goes. Additionaly, when they are done up tight, they do warp the door skin very slightly. Nothing serious, and it all goes back to normal if you remove them, though it is perceptable. I think this will only worry you if you are really fussy about the look of your car.
if you fit them remember to paint over the exposed metal. I also sprayed a load of waxoyl in there to prevent rusting.
I think the "Armour" door plates sold by Volkspares are better, though more expensive- i would have bought them if i had the money.
Ben