March 2002
Please could someone tell me the correct paint thickness (in microns) on a VW Golf 1999 spec bonnet (metallic paint)
I am in dispute with VW as the lacqer on my bonnet is chipping off and I need the correct answer.
One VW source says 70 microns
Another says 98-130.
Mine has been measured at 140 and they are implying that I have had it resprayed (not so)
No guesses please! Read more
I knew this fellow had been done for Dangerous Driving (and quite indefensible)
what got me was the irony of being caught by his own camera, seeing as we spend most of our time avoiding HMG's cameras.
A large poster advertising some Toyota or other has popped up in town recently, pictured is the aforementioned Toyota (can't remeber the model) parked by a Gatso being photographed, wonderful ironic advertising I thought. Read more
"Toyota Corolla: a car to be proud of": One of the best car campaigns for years. The guy standing with his Corolla in front of the camera while a bike whacks past is hilarious. But it's been up on the hoardings since mid Jan, so isn't new.
HJ
After reading an article on todays' newspaper about car kits(cobra) I have decided to try to build one myself.
can anybody help me with some different car kits sites on the net? thankx. Read more
Andrew,
No choice but to issue one. It just met the requirements as far as calculated brake effort was concerned, and there was no apparent fault with the braking system. I only took it for a road test out of curiosity. I suppose a couple of bags of sand on each front corner would have restored front braking effort, don't know what this would have done for the handling though.
Steve.
drive a galent vr4, great car with one problem. in snow the braks tend to juger, as if snow was getting between the disk. can anyone throw any light on the problem? Read more
A Galent VR4?
Zantia, Zara, Alpha, Pewgeot, Ordi. It's a tough life at the DVLA these days.
HJ
Anyone who wishes to see what our government has to say about painting speed cameras in bright colours, see here.
www.number-10.gov.uk/news.asp?NewsId=2447
It seems John Spellar was not informed of the true trial results or he would not be saying these things.
Anyone not interested in the subject, please don't read or complain.
Bon chance Read more
I've seen some!
On the North Circular Road at Walthamstow there are road works for 7 weeks with a 30 mph speed limit backed up by a couple of cameras.
AND THEY ARE YELLOW, but a muddy yellow (cheap yellow over grey), but yellow all the same.
My 18000 mile, 1 yr old Xantia Hdi 110 sometimes makes a strange gruff 'buzzing' noise once its run a few miles (10 plus). The noise is not engine speed related - and is not either of the cooling/air con fans. (Yes I've checked the fans physically - I know the aircon comes on on 'demist' even if its not on at the switch!) Its definitely an electrical component, in my opinion - though I may be wrong. It definitely doesn't vary with vehicle sped, engine load etc and is best heard stationary at idle , when it is intrusive. The noise goes off a couple of seconds after the engine is turned off - if the key is turned slowly, it is clear that the noise goes off at the same stage the stop solenoid comes in. If the engine is re-started immediately, the noise is gone, though later recurs.
Citroen dealer I use agrees the noise is there, but can't locate it - neither they nor I can make it do it on command, so I have sympathy with the,.
Any thoughts? Could this be the EGR valve? I've heard of another Hdi engine that was described as having a noise like a bee in a bottle, which was a faulty EGR valve?
Thanks Read more
I think VSX models had a 6 sphere set up as per the XM, 1 on each wheel and and extra one on each "axle". The suspension computer would determine whether you needed extra firmness and cut out the two middle spheres. This helped in cornering and braking.
Circa 1972 I recall waiting at the Patcham traffic lights on the A23 outside Brighton when Fiona Richmond (soft-porn star of the day, for you striplings out there) pulled up beside me in a yellow E-Type convertible and flashed me a gorgeous smile. I told all my pals about this and the reg. no of her Jag - FU 2. Nobody would believe me despite my protestations
Well after 30 years I'm vindicated. Just been watching The Car's The Star on BBC World, and there's Fiona, complete with Jag, complete with that great number.
Feel much better now. Read more
"I did add an explanation for the striplings....."
Thanks! Can I sit on your lap while you tell me about the war? ;-)
I have a problem with an \'R\' reg Frontera Turbo Diesel (fitted with the Italian VM engine). There was a substantial amount of oil in the cooling system. The cylinder heads (there are 4 separate heads on this engine) have been removed and there is no evidence of head gasket failure or coolant leakage into the cylinders. The heads have been sent to a specialist for pressure testing as these are a known weak point but have checked out ok and they are sure these have not caused the problem. Neither the oil cooler or turbo are water cooled and the radiator has no link to the oil system. It would appear that the fault lies within the block but a replacement engine is £3000 . Has anyone got any theories on this or suffered a similar fault on this model? Read more
And not even up to much as a boat engine,either.
I hear the tightening down sequence for the heads goes on for days.
I suppose being owned by Detroit Diesels for years cant have helped development,as they would have been seen as sporty enough already by US standards.
Pity they didnt design it as a horizontally opposed job,it might have been more useful,especially in boats.
As no one has posted about the spot on caravanners mentioned in last night's news, here goes.
It seems that caravanners are the mainstay of the tourist industry according to the Thursday 10 o'clock news. Wherever we land, the locals are much the richer for our visit. We arrive, we spend some dosh, we depart. The caravanner is happy visiting previously undiscovered corners of Britain. The locals are happy having wealth distributed among them. Seems the only unhappy ones are those who are being held up.
Maybe it's time for a change of law to allow caravans to travel at the same speed as other traffic. Most modern outfits are capable of a sustained 70 on motorways and 60 on main roads. Those that can't will self-destruct anyway in a kind of Darwinian survival of the fittest manner.
Easter is coming, there will be more white boxes on the road, like it or not. Until Mr Byers in his last 20 minutes of holding office makes caravan towing illegal during daylight, you will come across ever increasing numbers of caravans. Keep your cool, live and let live. If you are in the car 4 or 5 minutes longer than you anticipated over a 20 mile journey through travelling at 50 rather than 60, is it really that important? If it is, change your car for something with more poke so you can overtake, or leave earlier.
Read more
What really puzzles me is the wilful selection of the least suitable vehicle to do the towing.
I notice that caravans are amazingly cheap,and compared to the awful motorhomes,almost free.
this leaves plenty of budget for a suitable tow vehicle,and there are plenty around,so why are these sodding great Wendy houses being dragged up shallow gradients,at 30mph, behind 1'6 mondeos?
Because one cannot obtain a motorhome with anything like a safe power to weight ratio,i have been taking a minor interest in caravans.My local man has some excellent jobs,almost too big for two of us,for 2 grand.That is really,really,stupid cheap.He also thinks my Van Aackened 405td will tow it easily,we'll see about that,but it drags a biggish boat well enough.
Limiting caravans to 50 is just plain stupid,if properly rigged,with the correct nose weights,and on the correct vehicle then no restriction of any sort is necessary.The caravan Club told me that 30 years ago when I sold them a Maxi.
I suppose i shall have an excuse to buy something with self levelling rear end and seriously butch diesel.i rather fancy one of those trucks with a four man cab,and truckman back,ithink mazda(?) do one.
are they any good?will they respond to chipping?
will you remind nme of all the rude things I've said about 4wd owners?
is the pope a catholic?
There I was, after a long hard week (Wednesday in Birmingham, Thursday in Bradford, Friday in Watford), cooking up a 'Kofta Bhuna', when the wife (some call them SWMBO, but I don't know what this means - is it Short Wife Might Bale Out? *having an amphibious car?*) called up to say that the car had broken down.
Well, I put the cat out, put the lid on the cooking and went to investigate. A quick check with a key stuffed up a plug lead showed no spark. The engine turns over beautifully and (paranoia in charge) I even prised over the cam belt cover and *yes!* it's still there! Fuel seems to be there (singed hair).
This car has a distributor on cam 1 and a rotor arm, from a mini coil (I've never seen one so small - perhaps they should contact family planning).
I'll have to go out in the morning and fix it roadsides....
Martin. Read more
Hooray!
Car is fixed, thanks to the helpful scrappy at High Heavens (near High Wycombe).
The Hall sensor was to blame, and I got a similar one out of another VAG distributor (the guy searched through the pile of distributors until he found a similar looking sensor).
Interesting to see the discussion about 'Hall Effect'. The unit in my distributor has three wires, +, - and signal. The 'encoder' is basically four cut-outs in the 'cap' under the rotor arm (leaving four square teeth).
I discovered that the quick way to test the unit in the car is to use a diode tester (or digital multi-meter with that function) across + and signal wires with the power stage socket removed - then spin the engine on the starter.
Thanks for the help and input!
Martin.
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Thanks Mike. I'd thought of that one and knowing that the car had come on a dealer transfer, I checked with the supplying dealer and the one I ordered it through. Neither of them painted it. The only explanation is the 'hospital' line at the factory. I really would like to know the paint thickness though.