February 2002
Just a general query!
I often talk (perhaps excessively) about my enthusiasm for motoring, car maintainance etc to my other half. Now whilst she sometimes sounds interested i get the impression that women (depending of course on each individual) have a fairly low tolerence level for such topics. Does anyone know the level of general acceptance, beyond which point most women begin to get irate?
If anyone has any anaecdotes then please put them forward, it will no doubt draw a good laugh! Read more
Hi All
I have had a Car battery charger since the year dot, and have used it so infrequently I threw it out when the enclosure was damaged after a fall from the bench in my shed recently. However, today I find myself in need of a battery charger DOH! and whilst the geek in me really wants a nice fancy one >£50 with past experience and the new way of thinking that, if a battery starts to act up just replace it, prevents me from splashing out and I think I am just going to go for a cheap £17.99 from index (310524) /www.littlewoods-index.com Garden/diy/security > car > Car accesories
> item 47.
In short is this as cheap as I am going to get? Read more
Notice the tyneside expert has been conspicuous by his absence of late?
Think he's given up? (Or am I tempting fate by posting this?)
I have a 1992 Peugeot 405 1.8td which has covered 109000 miles and it is not a happy bunny . Cold starting is a problem at the moment . It starts first time and idles for about 10 seconds and then dies . ( if you rev it , it also dies ) . After nearly flattening the battery , waking the neighbours up and reving the gonads off of it ( wild rage!! ) , it runs ok when it is warm ( maybe not as well as it used to ) and starts first time . I have changed the glow plugs but that has made no difference . I don't know when the injectors were last replaced but they look pretty old , they are no 1 suspect in my mind . Is there anyway of checking or is it a case illimination .
This is my first turbo diesel 405 and the injectors look like a bit of a job to get to , any hints and tips will be most appreciated ,
cheers Ben B Read more
Ben - Search for the long thread on Escort 1600 Diesel as it ran to many pages and diagnosed and cured every cold-start fault on a diesel (a later thread focused on my love-life but the less said about that the better)
Hope this helps.
My Volvo 850 GLT is now approaching ten years of age this September. It has full Volvo service history, is very clean and has only covered 39000 miles.
How much is it worth on the private market. I have been offered £2600. Is this a fair price. Is replacing it with aNissan 1.5 Almera a good idea, or should I keep the volvo for another 2/3 years and then change.
Help please. Read more
I assume its a saloon,since the market has never liked them.
But what a bargain!
If I could manage with a saloon I'd be out there after one already.As it is ,the estate has one of the stupidest boots available.
Doesnt mean I would not be a bidder for a good T5 with aircon/leather.Have to gas it,but a rechip should sort that.
From today's paper:
Born a Gemini? Watch out on the roads and get insurance.
Better still, have a Capricorn drive your car.
A study released on Monday by Australian financial services group Suncorp Metway that ranked car accident claimants by star sign found the most accident-prone were Geminis, closely followed by Taureans and then Pisceans.
"Geminis, typically described as restless, easily bored and frustrated by things moving slowly, had more car accidents than any other sign," said Warren Duke, Suncorp's national manager of personal insurance.
Taureans were thought to be obstinate and inflexible, while Pisceans could be risk-takers and dare devils, he said.
Capricorns were the safest behind the wheel due to their patience and careful driving.
The light-hearted study was based on 160 000 car accident insurance claims received over the past three years.
Suncorp Metway said it had no intention to alter its premiums according to a person's star sign.
The company listed car accident claims by star sign as follows, with the most accident-prone at the top:
1. Gemini, May 21-June 21
2. Taurus, April 20-May 20
3. Pisces, February 19-March 20
4. Virgo, August 23-September 22
5. Cancer, June 22-July 22
6. Aquarius, January 20-February 18
7. Aries, March 21-April 19
8. Leo, July 23-August 22
9. Libra, September 23-October 22
10. Sagittarius, November 22-December 21
11. Scorpio, October 23-November 21
12. Capricorn, December 22-January 19 Read more
No hints for the Year of The Horse just about to begin?
Was wondering whether these engine de-mucking products which you add just prior to an oil change are worth while. I need to change engine oil and would like to give show care towards the engine generally anyway. Halfords have a few on offer for diesels. Any thoughts?
thanks Read more
I will fully respect anyone who is at odds with this but......
Not keen on these flushing additives myself, unless they are used to try and cure a specific problem. If I want to "flush" an older engine I will just change the oil for a reasonable 10/30 and run that for about a week before changing again for whatever suits the car.
I do think this will bring out as much of the deposits as you want to see shifted mid-life.
My theory is that this oil is in such a short time it picks up some of the contamination but doesn't get dirty enough to start re-depositing crud. Even if I'm completely wrong it keeps me happy and doesn't cost a fortune.
David
What is the difference between the BMW 530d with 184bhp (pre Nov 2001) and the 193bhp currently available? Read more
nothing when they sell it to you and about 5 grand when you try to px it
Can anyone advise whether the flashing speed signs on motorway central reservations are advisory or mandatory? Read more
They are advisory, they are only mandatory if they are equipped with red lights ie, m25. I know for a fact that when the police test the signals on the motoway systems they frequently forget to switch them off!
It's Monday morning and another weekend spent checking out the sub-£1000s for brother-in-law who wants something smart which can sit on the drive for a few days in between the odd 40-50 miles paid excursion for work, plus the usual weekend visiting in-laws. The last 5-cylinder Audi Coupe I found him, lasted 4-5 years.
Sunday I looked over an outwardly smart 1988 Honda Legend 2.7 coupe at £995 (dropped to £850 because I was the third of the weekend to look at it). All the electrical bits work (AC/sunroof, cruise control, seats, mirrors etc) and it is outwardly a smart silver car with a few minor bumper scuffs. Service history with Honda to 50K and local garage thereafter to present 93K with a 75K timing belt change. Front tyres are mismatched Kleber and Michelin MX which isn't so good and there are a couple of windscreen nicks but not to MOT fail size.
The main thing worrying me about an otherwise heavily loaded fast coupe is that the bulkhead on the right hand side has rusted through on the forward edge, apparently from water running off the windscreen and being trapped under a plastic cover. There is about six inches breadth of complete rot on the fold. Just underneath is the windscreen wiper motor and the bulkhead seems solid there but it is impossible to see under the plastic cover without a lot of unscrewing and removal. Does anyone know if this is a common fault on Legends and is the rust under the cover likely to extend as far back as the windscreen base?
I will probably pass on this car but will probably continue to look for a Legend coupe so any hints appreciated.
David Read more
As a general rule, Hondas are very reliable, but when something does go wrong it can get very expensive, very quickly (especially with the fancy ones like the Legend). (I know from experience with a 1989 Prelude).
Sorry I can't offer any specific advice on that car (there aren't that many around), but if you're buying a car of that age, personally, I'd go for something that isn't going to be such a drain on resources to fix as and when bits start going wrong.
Alex.
Euro IV emission regs which are present on most mainstream petrols now and will be enforced in a couple of years time contain the helpful little addition of throttle damping.
Personally I find it hard to see how this helps exhaust emissions but what it certainly does is affect the way you expect a car to respond.
My 2.2 Vectra is Euro IV compliant and the minor delay is almost a quirk and simply means in pulling say, into another motorway lane which is quite tight, I simply need to blip the throttle a little sooner rather than later. But having driven several Corsas recently, one Euro III, one Euro IV the difference is appalling. The delay in the car responding to a sharp press on the throttle on the new regs on a car with a small engine is nothing short of frightening - By the end of my day with the Corsa I was frightened to pull out into traffic as the car would just not pick up for a second. The older Corsa was quite nippy.
Chatting with a mate of mine who has just changed his Astra for a newer one with Euro IV (gone to 1.8 16v from a 1.6 16v) and whilst there's no denying once the car's on the move it's peppy and a brilliant drive, as you press the throttle from idling you get absolutely nothing for half a second.
Is it just me or is messing with the way a car responds, or at least you expect it it, not a particularly safe thing to be doing? Read more
Well, the 2 Euro IV cars I have driven (both new type but well run-in) - a Corsa 1.2 16v and Astra 1.6 8v have been strange - its especially noticable when pulling off - either no revs or lots! The Astra also felt very obviously drive-by-wire when crusing (totally different to the largely similar old 1.6 8v with single point injection) although it did feel a little more torquey at low revs when it had actually decided I wanted to go! Thats probably due to the multipoint injection though...
Browse
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Re: To what extant do women appreciate motor talk?
Author: Rita (---.cache.pol.co.uk)
Date: 13-02-02 18:43
Dave, et al
re my remarks that my mechanic ALWAYS listens to me when I have a problem with the car. What I was trying to say was that he always does me the courtesy of listening to what I have to say and then asks me precise questions to which he expects accurate answers as these may assist him in his diagnoses.
It has been pointed out to me that capital letters are the equivalent of SHOUTING and should NEVER be used on the net. Apologies to you all.
At this point I must say that I have an ongoing problem with my Volvo 740 GL.
(cutting out). When I posted this site asking for information/solutions I was surprised at the response that I received from yourselves or maybe others for which I was and am extremely grateful.
You're not a bad bunch of guys, just a touch hysterical at times!
'bye now, Rita
Just checking to see whether the posts continued on this topic. Seems I got the last word, as usual. Is this a good thing or not in this case.