April 2002
There has been much made on this site of having a main dealer
service record 'to keep the warranty'. This was made illegal in Australia, now the warranty states that the car must be maintained/serviced as per the manufacturers schedule. So the owner can get whomever they like to do the servicing. Now there are specialist garages who keep all of the required equipment
for a few makes (mind you 90% of Oz cars are Ford, Holden or Toyota) and follow the manufacturers schedule exactly, stamp the book and you keep the warranty.
I may be wrong but this came about because of a Euro-court ruling that was taken up down under.
Any ideas if this is the case in Europe?
Ian L. Read more
I make no comment on this other than to confirm that this is what he told me:
My friend is a policeman in Surrey. Every week they get hundreds of requests from ?communities? for a speed trap to be set up because ?those @!#$ motorists are speeding down our street threatening our children?s live?.
The police investigate and if there seems a basis to the complaint they do set up a speed trap eventually, and guess what? 70/80% of the people caught are locals including some who requested the speed trap (they check!).
Do these people say fair cop? Do they hell, they bitch and moan and one even went ahead and said what the others were clearly thinking ?there should be an exemption for locals, what we wanted was for you to catch those other @!#$?. Read more
>A very common attitude is "Speeding is faster than me"!!!
>That's part of the cowboys bleating "the speed I drive at is reasonable".
Are you going to enjoy driving at 30mph EVERYWHERE, because some faceless idiot has decided that is all they will permit?
When we are all forced into traffic jams, are you going to be happy?
People like you are half the problem we have. Wake up, get real. Drive like you mean to get somewhere, and put some of your energy into RAISING speed limits instead of mindless compliance.
A. Driver
There has been correspondence in the past on the subject of cars being reluctant to restart after having been driven a very short distance (like out of the garage to wash it) and then switched off.
All to do with the circuitry or something in the ECU. My question is, which are the best/worst cars for this?
Donald Read more
John,
Yes, cars of this type that are used for prdominantly short trips do seem to suffer more from general starting problems, not just after the 10 - 20 sec use. I have several customers who call me in to, literally, take their car for a good run once evry so often because I have proved to them that reduces the risk of starting problems.
Regards, Adam
Has Tiffany Dell finally lost the plot completly?
He test drives the new Range Rover that is designed to be the best off roader in the world. The Land Rover magazines that I have read say that is pretty much what it is. So now at last we can see the beast in action, so what does he do? Race it around a track to show us how he can drive and then run it across a damp field!
It's no excuse to say that not meant will go off road - that is what the design spec was for and that is what it should be tested for. If I wanted (I should be so lucky to have the money!) to go fast around a track I would buy that sort of car! Read more
Is the rumour that unacceptable amounts of distortion have been found on new Range Rovers that have been used enthusiastically off road entirely false?
My 306 TD has just developed a small oil leak just after having an oil change. Any ideas as to the cause and cost of repair. Can it be that the oil was overfilled and if so will this right itself in due course.
Any ideas appreciated, Read more
Adam - I know sump washers don't cost the earth, but I suggest that only those in the trade can get them for 10p !
Yawn. Come back Top Gear, all is forgiven!
When is King Clarkson coming to BBC2? Read more
We subscribe to the CSMA ( Civil Service Motoring Association ) and receive several benefits and a monthly mag........but just listen to this month's 'Star letter'.
To quote.....
" family of four........on the A42.........northbound.......lot of traffic, heavy rain, at night, strong winds.....looking out for the M1. In the distance I could see what appeared to be a lorry travelling with barely visible hazard warning lights. My speed was 70mph. I then noticed that the lorry appeared to be slowing dramatically although it showed no brake lights. It was stationary ! I had no time to brake. I glanced in my rear view mirror and pulled out intio a stream of vehicles all of which were travelling at 80 mph or so. I made it ( just ). I've no idea what happened to the vehicles following me."
The article goes on to blame bad stretches of road with no hard shoulder, warning lights too low on lorries obscured by spray and lots of other excuses as why this brain dead moron didn't think it was necessary to perhaps back off a bit until he became more aware of the hazard which he DID see some while ago.
STAR LETTER stuff, eh ! Read more
Winter approaches here, and today was the first foggy one of the season.
Visibility varied from 50 to 150m.
But the speed limits (60, 70 or 80 km/h) were ignored, like they normally are on a sunny day...
Lovely rear-end smash at one point, with the-bloke-behind having a rare old go at the woman in front... Obviously can't have been his fault, could it?
(This clown had come blasting past me a mile back, when I was driving at 45-50 in a 60 zone, through a nasty bit of fog ...)
Oh, and guess how many people had their lights off?
Following on from the posts on the tragedy below.
I live on a narrow crescent of fifties semis. I am on a right-angled hedged blind bend, radius around 40ft. The road were designed with the Austin Seven in mind, it seems.
My upstairs office overlooks the bend. I watch comings and goings.
Along the street lives a newly-qualified girl driver who owns a Yellow Fiat Siecento sport
She daily accelerates hard along the street and charges around the blind bend, wet or dry, day or night. Yes, daily.
Also in the street are around six children under the age of six. Plus numerous OAPs and slow walkers. And a 83-year old stoke victim still qualified and tested to drive.
I can see what, God forbid, may come out of this mixture or vunerable and reckless road users. I seem to recall a similar situation recently in Scotland where exactly this happened, even after the driver was warned.
A number of residents have approached her and asked her to drive sensibly. She is abusive. She has a sticker in her rear window "How My Driving? Call 0800 Eat-****"
Any sensibile suggestions on action welcome from Backroomers.
What should we do? Will the police be in any position to caution her, and on what grounds? I would not find the response "well she hasn't committed an offence yet" acceptable. By the time she does, it may be too late for another road user.
Rob Read more
Now atlast.
Some of you anti-speed brigade actually complaining about something worthwhile. Congratulations !
This girls actions are plain stupid, and obviously needs a word.
No one who is pro-car would disagree. Just another case of "traffic cop" being better than gatso.
A. Driver
Has anyone experienced the BMW 540 (E34 model, 1993-1996) with the 4.0ltr V8 and 6 spd manual gearbox ? The engine is said to be superb (as long as you don?t have bore wear problems) and prices are well below 10K now for fBMWsh, but long legged examples. I've read loads of reviews on the auto version, they are more common as you?d expect but I have an aversion to auto boxes, but haven't got any info on the 6 spd.
I?m comparing the 540 with an early 90?s E34 M5 (3.6ltr/315bhp or 3.8ltr/340bhp straight 6 with 5spd manual) again with fBMWsh and around 100K on the clock also available for well under 10K now (Though, around this mileage the M5 may need expensive engine repairs and will also benefit from new suspension).
The M5 would beat most so called sports cars hands down for pure enjoyment and driver satisfaction ? it?s a proper sports car just with a saloon body, the 540 on the other hand will be more ?relaxed? (if you can call 286bhp and almost 300 lbft of torque relaxed !) and more flexible as it can be had in estate form. Fuel consumption is fairly similar, but M5 servicing and insurance would be higher.
I don?t know how but I?ve managed to talk SWMBO into getting these 2 into the short list along with the Land Cruiser 4.2 TD VX, and before you invoke section 28 and send the men in white coats round, I am aware that both the BMWs could prove to be financially crippling???well you only live once and all that.
Just off to re-mortgage the house, sell the wife & kids into slavery and trade a few body parts??
Chad.R Read more
DG,
Have you had the car from new? If not what checks did you do to cover yourself from the dreaded "nikasil" problems.
If the 540/M5 idea fell through I was going to consider an early 740, a great car, it's just the auto box that put me off
Chad.R
The slolen car noticeboard www.hysmc.co.uk has been up and running for a couple of months now but NO cars have been registered with it.
Does no-one want to get their car back, is the publicity inadequate, are insurance companies and the police not interested, or what? Read more
Likewise.
Browse
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There have been things on the motoring TV progs before showing the large savings to be had from franchised dealers in Calais.
Paid for the trip over - and of course you can fill up with dirt cheap diesel and fill the boot up with beer and fags on the way back!
Mad not to if you live in the south east - bit of a trek from the Midlands tho ...