January 2003
What happened really was that we had a few inches of snowfall, and all Back Rommers should have seen the antics of the drivers attempting to cope with the hill either side of my house (I live in a dip).
'Maximum revs failing giving loads of wheelspin but no forward motion' was a common strategy. Led to at least one flat tyre and I wonder how many other knackered tyres and clutches.
Amazing that cars still attempted to follow up the hill at one car length separation. Then, after an enforced stop, the attempts to re-start up the hill were really worth seeing.
Do these guys (and sorry, gals too) really not think ahead?
Local residents were manning the grit shovels and a couple of 4wd's were giving tows, but really, have any lessons been learned?
Oz (as was) Read more
On my way to work there's a Mk I Golf been spun and is now suspended on central reservation - well, wedged between a couple of shrubs actually!
Anyway, it looks pretty well abandoned to me (I guess it was stolen and joy-ridden (for want of a more accurate term) there and there is a sticker on the windscreen "Council Aware".
Previously, I've seen "Police Aware" stickers. Is it the new EU environmental regs that place the onus on Councils to tidy up after these people - am I to assume the police are no longer interested in this sort of incident?
Terry Read more
There was a Ford Orion dumped on the A14 recently, right on the edge of the carriageway. I saw it there and thought, 'won't be long before something hits that'. Sure enough, while the authorities were pursuing their multi-agency approach, affixing notices etc, it got run into very hard, and is now about a foot narrower than it was. It's still in the same place though, and it won't surprise me at all if it gets hit again.
Last year the crumpled, heavily stripped rolling shell of a Fiesta appeared overnight on an unlit road on the edge of Ipswich. It sat there for a week, unlit, unmarked (light units had been removed), all jagged edges and stealth black paint, before finally being towed away.
Surely the regulations allow for a vehicle to be shifted immediately, if it is a danger to other road users? Doesn't seem to be happening, at least around here.
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
Is it anyone who know what keeps up
the windows on doors. My problem is
that the window at drivers door will
go slowly down a couple of milli-
meters, the window will then be a
little noise.
Roland
Read more
On an old Fiat Punto ihad when the window was totally up the handle was able to drop by gravity (ie to lower the window you wound the handle downwards) Fiat solved that by taking the handle off, and turning it so that the natural "fall" of the winder handle meant that it was pushing the window up instead of down.
Oh dear, i havent explained that too well. Read it 4 times, if it makes no sense then, email me!
Tony J500ANT@blueyonder.co.uk
www.barryboys.co.uk
For anybody who thinks a vauxhall nova is a supercar
(couldn't find the link posted before) Read more
of course the last sentence would have made more sense if I hadn't typed "my" instead of "by"
I will shortly be buying an R- plate Power van 2.4 diesel LWB.This van will replace my worn out Hi-ace and will be my work van for my mobile business. I have serviced this since it came out of warranty @ approx 60000 miles , it has now done 108,000. It has been regularly serviced and well looked after by its owner ( a builder ). The clutch is beginning to slip and the sliding door has a cosmetic dent in it. What should I pay for it ? I have the figure of £2000 in my head although I don't do buying and selling so I have no real clue as to its value. Help gratefully received. Read more
Hmmm? R-Reg. 108,000 miles. Clutch slipping. Cosmetic dent in door. £2000 sounds an awful lot of money for something that needs some work doing to it. What you need to ask yourself is how much will the clutch and dent cost to fix, and then deduct that from the true value of the van. As Mark suggests, look in the Trader to find similar age and mileage, and then haggle the price to allow for the repairs.
Out of interest, when and who would you expect to recieve a courtesy car from? Main dealers or independants during servicing,accident damage repairs or mechanical break downs?
I ponder this because our VW dealer is not keen on offering a courtesy car even though the car has mechanical problems covered by warranty.
What is the usual practice if there is such a thing?
Thanks
Stuart
Read more
All the independent Alfa specialists I've used over the last 15 years have offered loan cars provided you book in advance. Admittedly some of the loan cars have been dogs, but so what. If one not available, they often provide a pick-up or taxi service. All free of charge too.
Son just called to land the latest problem with his car on my lap.
The drivers window which has been taking longer to close lately would not fully close leaving a gap big enough to allow a thiefs arm in.
As it was the drivers window I was not very confident of fixing it as the car is 14 years old and must have been operated 1000's of times.
I thought of using a light oil on the guides but considered this might be a bit messy, then I found a can of spray silicon oil which is not like oil as it seems to evaporate. So out we went and sprayed it down the guides. The result was amazing and now all windows are working perfectly especialy the drivers which is now much faster.
It is called "slide easy" bought from a Lidl store last year.
P.S. they only have products on sale on a weekly basis so don't know when they will have it again, could be a similar product elsewhere.
Mal. Read more
Best bet is to clean all the gunge out of the channels first with a toothbrush and soapy water, then put your silicon spray on. I speak from experience with this when my old mondeo passengers front window was sticking in the front channel. I just sprayed silicon spray on initally but it didn't last long (2 weeks) before it was sticking again. So I cleaned the channels, as above, then sprayed with silicon spray. That was 2 years ago and it hasn't stuck since.
Dear All, Went through some of this a few months ago, but now the time has arrived, oh! Dear. Daughter going for driving lessons and I wish to source wheels soon (ish).
requirements are.
> abs. (No compromise)
> Diesel, (if poss)
> A/C (would be nice)
> Group 6 or lower insurance
> 4K ish to spend
I know this money etc gets me into quite late middle mileage mondeo territory but the 1.8 at group 9 is a bit on the high side. All sensible inputs would be greatly appreciated.
Regards. Read more
Some ABS systems are more intrusive than others. For example, the ABS on my mark 1 Xsara vibrates the pedal more than the newer ones with elecronic brake force distribution and brake assist. But both work well, far better than normal brakes.
Find an empty car park (big and empty) ideally when slightly damp to save tyre wear, and have a few practises. Get used to the feeling of the vibrating pedal and steering at the same time.
It may be easier for a learner to get used to ABS braking and steering at the same time than somebody who has driven conventionally braked cars for a long time.
Winter driving has some advantages on non-abs cars, but the benefits of abs outweigh the drawbacks.
Ben
Trevor,
I am on a skid pan in a few days time - any suggestions to help keep the embarrasment to the minimum?
Regards,
Matt35. Read more
Im doing a day on skid pan near York with my local ROSPA-ROADA group in March. It looks like I will have a great day. And its only 20 quid.
Bill
Knowing how keen HJ is on regular oil and filter changes, I thought I'd mention a gizmo which hand pumps oil out through the dipstick hole. It costs £59.99 from an outfit called www.NorthernToolUK.com or 0800 1692266. I have no connection with this company. Read more
read the luddite thread.... :)
Wouldn't even know how to get the bonnet open (hang on, aren't they designing them without bonnets that open?)
The 123 must be the pinnacle of automotive engineering. [waxes lyrical and begins to ramble & repeat himself]
Browse
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I can well imagine. Might be a cure for certain metabolic disorders though (or the cause of others) ... ;-)
Oz (as was)