March 2002
Now I shall get the BMW afficianadi dribbling in fury over their bockwurst.
Local mall has a 4wd/truck event this week, with all the glittering favorites on display parked at funny angles with the tire black still wet, and young things with absolutely no product knowledge handing out brochures, but who cares they look so nice in those short skirts. We note as expected the serious stuff like the Dodges, Fords, big Toyotas, Nissans etc. And then we come to the BMW. Or what I took at first sight to be a restored 1996 Kia Sportage till I saw the badge and the price. Is it a 4WD? Well it says so, but the Honda CR-V looks more the part and I wouldn't call that a proper 4WD. Is it a people carrier (whatever that means, I thought all cars carried people)? Well if it is the locally made Isuzu Hi-Lander is more up to the job for the average size Filipino family. Mre room, better paint job and nicer to look at. Is it a car?
If so it's a bulky and ugly one. Is it well made? Well, it should be with that badge and that price.....but hey...hon, what ABOUT that red Dodge Dakota over there for my birthday...(dragged off by the arm by Growlette).
I have often pondered what the Blair Third Way means. I think I understand now after seeing this BMW. It sort of "is", but isn't really, but you can't say it "isn't" because it isn't that either. Something and nothing in other words. A marketing team's belated catch-up with the market is what it looks to me.
I don't doubt it's excellently engineered but so is everything these days for a lot less money.
As one Filipino said to me "it's just an expensive badge, that's all".
(Stands, arms akimbo, ready to turn and run). Read more
Can anyone help with this problem please?
Poor starting led me to suspect air in the fuel, replaced a section of pipe with clear fuel line and added a rubber priming bulb for good measure. Also replaced the fuel filter housing.
The problem persists and I can now see globs of air running to the fuel pump, even bigger ones when ever I squeeze the priming bulb.
Am I correct in ruling out air leaks at the injector/leak off valve area due to direction of airflow if so what specifically needs checking up the way?
TVM Read more
Any help is appreciated Alvin, unfortunately, the garage and I are still scratching our collective heads!
Give me rocket science any day!
A colleague of mine has got a 3 year old T reg Passat TDi 110 estate which has got persisitent poor radio reception. Th dealer has under warranty changed the aerial, coax cable and Gamma radio (for a recon one) but reception in still rubbish, he mainly listens to radio 4. The dealer seems to acknowledge there is a problem but claims there is no solution and later Passats were OK, but refuses to fit a radio from a later Passat. Has anybody else had problems and found a solution?? Read more
I think there were similar problems discussed on vwvortex.com (b5 forum) and clubb5.com
Interesting article in Car magazine about a new sports car Lotus are developing:
1.2-litre 16V turbodiesel
0-62mph in 6.2 secs
140mph top speed
100mpg
Continuously variable transmission
NO CAM BELT - valves operated by electromagnets
Composite plastic body made from recyclable plastics
Series-coupled motor/generator a la Honda Insight
CO2 emissions of just 75g/km
Can't wait!!!!
Andy Read more
LOTUS:-
Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious!
LP Gas conversions on toyota camry. Has anyone experience of the overall consumption and reliability on these conversions? I am considering buying one in the near future.
DS Read more
Eh?
The *cheapest* tanks are the small toroidal tanks fitted in the spare wheel well as they are only 30litres max. The most expensive tanks are those that are 80 litres and over (such as mine) with the quick-fill lines. The top range tanks are combined petrol/LPG tanks.
No the outlet does not have to be at the bottom - the outlet from my 80ltr tank is at the top as are all the other installations I have seen.
Economy is roughly 10% down on petrol. Performance indifferent but smoother on LPG.
There have been comments ref converting more modern engines and ending up wth horrendous over-consumption of LPG versus petrol. My conversion is on a 10yr old car.
Best you can do is search the forum for this subject as it has been discussed many times.
Oh, btw, the price of LPG has stayed steady at 35p/L while other fuels have gone up 2-4p/L in the past week. At Sainsbury's, I get 4p/L off my fuel due to my weekly shop which makes it 31p/L.
I have a 2000 Vectra DI (28K miles) and recently the engine management light comes on occasionally for about 2-3 seconds and then goes off again. However, the light only appears to come on when the car is doing about 75-76 mph. It does not ever illuminate at any other speed. The car drives fine and returns about 49mpg. Today though, on the motorway, the light came on whilst the car was travelling at 76 mph and stayed on for about 15 seconds. I put my foot down and normally at this speed the car pulls quite well, but there was nothing there! I backed off a bit to about 70mph and the light went off and all has been well for the last 15 miles home. Any ideas? Why would it only come on at this speed?! I asked a local mechanic who said it may not be long until the light comes on and stays on permanently and said it could be the (I think) 'camshaft position sensor' or something similar. Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Richard Read more
Sorry about this, forgot changed ISP! and have been away for a few days
A letter in a a local paper tells us that North Wales police have sunk to a new low in motorist hounding by checking worshippers leaving a chapel on Anglesey last Sunday to ensure they were wearing seat belts.
In the same paper, there is a two page spread reporting on at least 1600 out-of-control yobs who are making the lives of North Wales citizens miserable.
Go figure. Read more
Situation A passenger/driver has horrendous injuries or dies from not wearing a seatbelt which could have been prevented by simply clicking the belt.
Who is affected. Pesron who is injured/dies> there family but also
Emergency services rushing about (Increased risk of further accidents)
Hospital staff (increased burden on NHS) meaning "Nanny need to take even more of our pocket money.
Increased insurance claims ect
Cost of "a life" something like £500,000 plus cost to society.
All for something preventable or reducable. If this isn't plain sense what is?
It might be free choice not to wear one but there are costs to society in not doing so.
Local newspaper reports...
City traffic officials ordered to serve at least eight warrants of arrest on a colleague claimed they could not find him - although he works in the same building, in the licensing section.
Two of the cases against the traffic department employee, who has been stationed at Green Point for 20 years, have been closed because "the accused is untraceable". The other six case are still "pending". Read more
(1)...............sergeant
(2)......................that
Joe Lucas, 'Prince of Darkness' .............You will understand
understand
> Here's some basic electrical information to help anyone with problems:
>
> Automobile Electrical Theory
> - or -
> A Treatise on the Importance of Smoke
> - by -
> Joseph Lucas
>
> Positive ground depends on proper circuit functioning, which is the
> transmission of negative ions by retention of the visible spectral
> manifestation known as "smoke". Smoke is the thing that makes
> electrical circuits work. We know this to be true because every time one
> lets the smoke out of an electrical circuit, it stops working. This can
> be verified repeatedly through empirical testing. For example, if one
> places a copper bar across the terminals of a battery, prodigious
> quantities of smoke are liberated and the battery shortly ceases to
> function. In addition, if one observes smoke escaping from an electrical
> component such as a Lucas voltage regulator, it will also be observed
> that the component no longer functions. The logic is elementary and
> inescapable!
>
> The function of the wiring harness is to conduct the smoke from one
> device to another. When the wiring springs a leak and lets all the smoke
> out of the system, nothing works afterward.
>
> Starter motors were considered unsuitable for British motorcycles for
> some time largely because they consumed large quantities of smoke,
> requiring very unsightly large wires.
>
> It has been reported that Lucas electrical components are possibly
> more prone to electrical leakage than their Bosch, Japanese or American
> counterparts. Experts point out that this is because Lucas is British,
> and all things British leak. British engines leak oil, British shock
> absorbers, hydraulic forks and disk brake systems leak fluid, British
> tires leak air and British Intelligence leaks national defense secrets.
> Therefore, it follows that British electrical systems must leak smoke.
> Once again, the logic is clear and inescapable.
>
> In conclusion, the basic concept of transmission of electrical energy
> in the form of smoke provides a logical explanation of the mysteries of
> electrical components - especially British units manufactured by
> Joseph Lucas, Ltd.
>
> "A gentleman does not motor about after dark."
>
> Joseph Lucas (1842 - 1903)
> Read more
Reminds me of an article by (possibly) Keith Waterhouse back in the early 70's. In it, he was trying to fathom the workings of a domestic electrical system. He came to the conclusion that nothing electrical could work without an 'earth'.
Aeroplanes, he concluded, 'obviously make their own arrangements'.
It still makes me chuckle!
I know there is a lot of talk about it going on, but does anyone have a concrete example of this devious technique? TV programmes go on about it and everyone says watch out for it, but it seems pretty hard to get the dash of my VW and start turing back the dials, or is it?
Paranoia or realistic concern? Read more
I used to audit a car transport company.
The main methods of shifting cars from factory to dealer were:
1. Train
2. Transporter
3. Plates
1. often requred a respray and windows, radios, spare wheels, etc. replaced
2. could require dents repaired and roofs/bonnets resprayed if the top car leaked
3. often required accident damage repaired and arrived with thrashed engines
I saw foreign cars parked on the dock with salt water lashing over them.
The only safe way to get a new car is to pick it up from the factory yourself!
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Growlette like me is a Leo, it has to be red orange or yellow. But if it's a hairy muscle vehicle of some sort, I always feel red is appropriate......I mean a beige TransAm?....er.......not really. Lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. Not in yer face enough.