March 2002
There's been some discussion recently of reducing the school run traffic by introducing US style yellow school buses which would give a safe and convenient neighbourhood service.
Great idea, but the other part of the US scheme doesn't seem ever to be mentioned and it's an important part.
When a US school bus stops, traffic in both directions must stop as well - no vehice must drive past the bus.
Can our drivers cope with that? Read more
Hello ive just bought some new springs and shockers to make my car wobble less. R there any specialists out there in the Watford area than I can trust to fit them and get the camber etc done properly.
thkx Read more
Um, dunno but a word of advice.
If you can afford to, get the main or all the suspension bushes replaced if your car is getting on a bit, especially the top strut mounts. No point in having decent susp if the main contact parts "wobble".
I have owned a couple of lowered Golfs - always done properly of course, and have always suffered from bush failures (MOT) until I replaced them with decent polyurethane jobbies. You will get more road noise but you won't get any MOT failures or any hint of "wobble".
Very few "specialists" take the time to re-correct the camber unless you ask for it!
Further to the thread dated 13/3 on potholes, I'm repeating my reply in the hope that others can give me some advice.
I just drove into one (a pothole) this evening on an industrial estate in Iver, Bucks.
It's broken the engine under-tray and valence under the bumper (and goodness know what else).
Anyone ever had this experience? Can I bill the highways agency - local council - industrial estate owner???
Advice much appreciated.
Since posting this, I have found out that the road is not 'adopted' and belongs to the Industrial Estate owner, who has recently resurfaced 90% of the road. Aparrently, the junction at the end of the road is having traffic lights fitted and so they have not finished the resurfacing job. The street lights were also non-functioning, and the hole hidden in a dip. BTW the hole measures 1200mm x 700mm x 250mm deep and no warning in sight.
So far we plan to present the owner with a pro-forma invoice for the damage (fortunately only the under-tray and valence) and see what happens...
Martin. Read more
Further to my 'instant camera' photos (taken at the time, in the dark with a disposable camera), I went back today armed with a proper camera and took some photos. Watched by man in yellow jacket sat in car nearby.
Later, with a colleague, went back to take some photos with the car wheel in the hole (to get some scale). Surprise! Hole filled in with concrete aggregate mix...
The story gets, somehow, more boring... I hope I'll get recompensed....
Thanks anyhow for your input - Andy, John, DVD and Mike H.
Martin.
Hi,
Ive read the very useful Car by car breakdown but would like to canvas a few opinions... Ive been offerd a tidy P reg Rover 214i with the basic 1.4 8-valve K series engine. Its done about 50kmiles and its most recent owner was an elderly gent who won't have driven it hard. Its just passed an mot and starts/drives nicely but seems to have a slight judder occasionally when pulling away - feels like clutch judder. Also, very occasionally when pulling in a higher gear (3rd up) below 2000rpm it will appear to missfire for a few seconds.
Does the point about re-torquing the head bolts apply to these old 8valve K series engines as well as the 16v's? If so how often should this be done? It if should have been done by this age is it now too late - will the damage have been done!? Ive been offered the car for £4000...
Any comments gratefully recieved! Read more
So who's right here then - Andrew who says the bolts 'NEVER' need re-torquing, or HJ (and a mech. Ive spoken to) who say they need re-torquing regularly!
HELP! I'm at a loss what to do!...
Over the past few months I?ve been posting various queries and requests to the Backroom in an attempt to keep my t(rusty) B Reg. 294k miles Pug. 305 estate on the road until I retire in four months time.(Hopefully to acquire an Accord)
It has recently developed faults such as cracked windscreen, loss of synchro on 1st. and 2nd. gear, broken speedo..etc. With the MOT looming I was getting worried. Then yesterday I went out to the car to find that someone had parked next to my car with an E Reg Pug. 305 GTX estate, 1.9 L 123k miles, with a ?For Sale? notice. The owner had put a card under my wiper asking if I would be interested in buying it - £250 ono or £350 ono with 9 months R.F.L. and MOT.( I?ve seen the car about the town for the past few years and noticed how well-kept it looked.)
I test drove it today, and have bought it for £325. with new tyres, new windscreen, stainless steel exhaust and fsh. No rust visible anywhere. It?s the same colour as my present car, so I won?t lose it in car parks!
So, a result! A ?new? car for the price of a new speedo. head and windscreen, and I?m a happy bunny.. Long live Bangernomics!
Peter. Read more
Dear Dogbreath-
No, I'm still going to be looking for an Accord Aerodeck towards the end of the year, it just gives me a little less worry about breakdowns whilst I look. If I get the Accord my son(double-bass player)will probably take over the Pug.
I am quite looking forward to owning a car with power steering and electric windows..luxury!
Regards,
Peter.
The remote central locking on my Renault Clio 1.2RN (1998) has failed whilst in use. The light on the key fob still pulses but nothing happens when it's pointed at the car's sensor.
Renewing the batteries made no difference.
Any solutions?
Dave Gordon. Read more
I had a BMW that used to do this. The only way to release it was to open the boot with a key. Apparantly not uncommon but never did find out why.
My 1991 750 bmw has developed a fault. The central locking has stopped working and so has the sun roof and the windows, presumably because they are on the same circuit for closing up when the key is turned in the drivers door. All fuses seem ok and the relays, as far as I can check the, are ok. Any advice would be helpful. or a contact for a switched on auto electrician in south coast area. My regular service guy, who is terrific, by his own admission is useless on electrice. Any help? Read more
Just to let you all know, I picked up my new Toyota Yaris D-4D on Friday.
What a terrific little car. The engine is so smooth and quiet it is unbelievable.
There is absolutely no engine vibration at all coming into the cabin.
It has plenty of power on tap and is a real pleasure to drive after my rather
agricultural Escort diesel. (Which never ever let me down).
I am not absolutely certain, but the Toyota dealership did say that they thought
my car was the first Yaris D-4D to be sold in this country. I am deeeeeelighted.
I will update you with my progress if necessary. Read more
Spud, please do keep us informed. I haven't driven one of these cars and don't know anyone who has, so you are ahead of the game here.
HJ
Slightly different to jump start thread & to a thread from early Jan 2002.
I've had to fit a new battery last week & as usual radio code & electric windows lost their programming. That was all, as the car is a '93 model Carlton & has none of the later electronics as fitted to more modern cars.
A friend later told me of a gadget that you plug into the cigarette lighter which has 2 leads coming from it, one is marked positive the other negative, these are connected to a 12 volt supply. By doing this this codes & memories are retained while you change the battery. I have gone through the circuit diagram for the carlton & it would put power back to the ignition switch.
Obviously, if you have a completely flat battery they have gone anyway but batteries usually lose 1 cell first, not enough volts/amps to start a motor but enough to retain memories.
Having covered myself by that paragraph, anybody ever seen the plug gadget & where do I buy it. Read more
On a Toyota Previa the cigar lighter is only connected to the rest of the system when the ignition key is at position one. On a BMW the lighter is "live" all the time.
You can achieve the same effect by connecting your spare battery to the battery terminals before removing the offending battery. NOT WITH A DRY CELL PP9!!!!
A good race today but there are some serious questions to be asked about the continuing bias shown towards the Ferrari team.
What did Montoya do exactly which resulted in a drive-thru penalty ? To me it was M schumacher who carried to much speed into that corner and ran into Montoya.
If you go back to 1997 when Jacques Villeneuve was challenging M Schumacher for the champiomship the stewards bannes JV for the suzuka GP because he did not slow for a yellow flag in practice thus giving MS the chance to score points and take the championship to Jerez.
1999 Irvine/Hakkinen at Malaysia . The Ferrari's had illegal barge boards but the decision went in Ferrari's favour allowing the championship to go to Suzuka.
Even Ron Dennis has questioned the bias shown towardds Ferrari on many occasions.
I'm a big Ferrari/Schumacher and Montoya fan but want to see fair racing -its not happening.
BTW shame about Jenson really deserved that podium. Read more
Nothing in the world would be as entertaining as a car sideways on a track with car coming on at 200mph.
To (mis)quote Tony Curtis "The best show since the Impresario of the Coliseum put the Christians and Lions on the same bill...".
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Crazed , indeed,
a dead child and followed by a very wealthy Attorney.
Seriously
They would have to change the law in the UK. In all honesty I can see that HMG
would see this as a logical step.