March 2003
Today has seen my first foray into the world of Internet Auctions. I am trying to buy an otherwise impossible to get video for my son (The Jungle Book) on ebay. Whilst having a scoot around the ebay site I noticed they sell cars. Lots of cars. A typical one is a Range Rover 4.6 HSE auto with 79,000 miles and a new engine. No date given. Current bid is £8000 but the reserve has not been met. If you bid 10,000 it is yours now. (NO - this is nothing to do with me. I just picked this an example)
There is a note on all the eBay descriptions to the effect that \"Your bid is a contract - Place a bid only if you\'re serious about buying the item. If you are the winning bidder, you will enter into a legally binding contract to purchase the item from the seller\"
Now, who in their right mind would buy a car like this? There is not much information given about the car so you don\'t know what you are getting. You cannot have a look-see before you bid or anything like that. You can ask the seller questions - big deal. I wonder what come-back you have if all is not as it seems? One thing that amused me is that the seller will deliver at cost once payment is received!
These cars must be at serious discounts in order for it to be worth the risk. Read more
Quick query:
Is the keypad immobiliser in the 306 XSi thatcham approved?
If not can anyone recommend a decent/cheap approved immobiliser and how much should I look at spending to have it fitted? Read more
Not to be out done by the Which Petrol thread....
Is one brand of Diesal as good as the next?
Does one offer
better performance
better economy
better cold starts
cleaner for the environment
cleaner engine
better for engine life?
Better for the MOT smoke test?
or less frothy when you come to use the Disal pumps at the garage?
any comments?
Durelli Read more
When you find out, let me know! In the meantime, I'm off to buy a field of rapeseed and a blinking great mill to get the oil out.....
The standard alloy (widish) wheels on my wife's Astra estate wobble from about 60 - 75mph. The tyres are not that old and were balanced on fitting.
Are there different types of balancing machines ie not so good and very good and who has them or what should I ask for when looking around? Read more
Well, I finally got round to taking it in 2 day. National Tyres, stood around with them and chatted it through. Balanced on both sides, perfect. They didn't even charge me, said didn't have time to raise invoice - guess where I'll be getting my next set of tyres!
Does anyone here know where i can get hold of a set of original quality HT leads for this car. Volvo main dealers are quoting me £78 inc vat, and i dont want to pay this much unless i have to.
Ben Read more
Magnacor will make a set of 'custom'leads for any car. I paid less than you've quoted for a set of their KV85 leads for my Rover Turbo. I would recommend them to anyone - they are very very good (and come with a ten year guarantee!).
Has anyone had any experience of the Superchip Bluefin, this is a small device similar to the diagnostic kits that plug into your ECU and give you a view of whatever error it might have.
The difference in that case is that (as well as doing the above), it will also change the settings on your ECU to increase performance etc (A DIY chip upgrade).
The nice thing about this particular widget is that it also reads off your current settings so that you can at any point revert to 'normal'.
Its only available for post-'96 Fords at the moment, I just wondered if anyone had any experience of it..?
Here's the link for anyone who's interested...
www.superchips.co.uk/bluefin/why.htm
Please, if you're tempted spare me the 'speed limit'/'engine wear' arguments, I'm not asking whether its 'good to chip', cos personally I'm in favour of it.... I just wanted to sound out peoples opinions....
Thanks,
Pilgrim. Read more
Pilgrim, these devices would probably useful as a diagnostic tool, ie tracking down rogue sensors, turning off service interval indicators, etc. but that would be it. See www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=11...0 for previous discussions on superchips. Basically in a N/A engine you won't see any power increase from changing ECU settings unless you seriously modify the engine to increase its ability to breath (this doesn't mean simply fitting a 'performance' induction kit!). My comment about Audi in this thread perhaps doesn't apply to Ford - a bloke in his shed probably would do a better job of calibrating the ECU!
I was chatting with my dad on the phone last night as I come from just outside Birmingham and he was saying that a friend had just lost his job at Midland Gears.
The hyperlink is at the bottom, the short story is Midland Gears is a BMW subsidiary and makes the gearboxes for the new Mini but also the Rover 25, 45, MG ZR and ZS. MGR wanted to extend the deal but BMW hiked the prices by 30% !!!! So MGR re-sourced its gearboxes from Getrag that supplies the 75 and ZT gearbox.
BMW's response was try to blame MGR and then close the factory, 300 jobs are to be lost.
It's hoped that MGR steps in and buys the gearbox plant. The workers are that miffed there are rumours of sabotage of Mini gearboxes. BMW are moving to Getrag for the Mini in 2004.
It might also explain something to do with the reason for production changes at Longbridge keeping the factory closed for five days.
Personally, where do BMW get off? This kind of behaviour is absolutely irreprehensible especially when the Mini has sold 150,000 since launch and that's not enough to keep 300 gearbox manufacturers employed?
I'll never own a BMW, the Rover fiasco was enough for me, I'm amazed that BMW can actually find the corners of the car to put the wheels on. I only hope any BMW driver reading this next time they get misty-eyed when Beckham scores a winning goal for England remembers who his money is really backing and the job losses that he's indirectly encouraging.
I'd also steer well clear of a BMW MINI for a while as well.
icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnew...2 Read more
Actually, come to think of it, what might work is a Polish built Indicar. A modern design, cheap to build, "Europeanised" by Rover might well work for those markets if its cheap enough.
Why are Vauxhall cruise controls on the left of the steering wheel?
I've become very used to them being on the right on my 318 and find it very comfortable driving with my right arm resting on the door and tapping the cruise up and down as necessary.
I think the majority of drivers in this country when cruising with one hand would have their right hand on the wheel.
Sadly, the BM has to go and I'll be getting a Vauxhall in a few weeks time. I'm a real fan of cruise control, but I'm so concerned that the cruise just won't be as convenient on the left that I'm considering not ordering it (it's an extra on the vehicle I'm buying). Anyone else have experience of using both and care to comment?
Is it on the left on Vauxhalls because they can't be bothered to move it for RHD? Read more
>"try driving with both hands on the wheel. It's great."
>
>I knew someone would comment on that.
>Do you honestly drive with both hands on the wheel all the time?
Nope, not all the time; I let go when I need to flick through a map while holding a mobile phone, taking notes and eating a sandwich (I'm a salesman). Only kidding. About the driving, that is, I really AM a salesman.
The rest of the time, yes, I do sit with both hands on the wheel. The reason is that I truly do believe that my life is better held in two hand rather than one. And what's more, I don't have anything important to do with the other hand (though suggestions are welcome).
V
Time for my boss Big G. to register his Honda. Actually he's one month late so has to pay fine. Register your car or bike here can take a whole day, so many people and long lines. You have to bring your vehicle and nowhere to park unless you pay one of the cruising traffic cops to stay away from it. Maybe 2-300 people. It's all out in the open so no air-con. Smoke test first, then buy your mandatory insurance, then inspector stencils engine and frame number on your form and he's supposed to check about 30 things on the list. G he's always laughing about this.
Examples:
Steering: Normal? Stiff? Unsafe?
Headlights: Fitted? Working? Glaring?
Foot Break: Good? Defective? Loose?
Appearance: Neat? Fair? Unsightly?
Seats: Neat? Fair? Worn out?
Horn: Fitted? Working? Offensive?
Then you pay up and wait for your number to be called. If you have a driver or housemaid to wait in line for you so you can go home its OK but today it's 37 C and no fun. If you get there 8 a.m. when they open, can be 3 or 4 p.m. when you get out. You can hire a fixer to do it for you but you can't trust him, maybe he pockets your money and he's gone.
But Big G knows the guy at the Traffic Office so he gives him a call. They sometimes drink and eat BBQ together, make bola-bola, this is the best way in the Philippines, very male-oriented culture. You befriend an official and life is much easier. He is your friend and therefore he has a big obligation in our culture to help you. So the big cheese he says OK I email you the form, you stencil your frame and engine number and send your messenger over with the registration papers and 2000 pesos and you can pick up new 2003 stickers tomorrow.
But you don't want to check the bike? No, I know you,man, I know you look after your bikes. How about the smoke test? Ah you don't wanna go to the testing station, too hot over there and too many people. How old's your bike anyway? 1998. No need for smoke test then.
Of course you never pay anything for this. That would be embarrassing. Some money for the kid's graduation or a bottle of Chivas at Christmas, and very important you make a note of his birthday and send him something. Not so bad, huh? :=)
G he says in UK they fail your car on purpose so they can charge you to fix it. True or not?
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Bola-bola means men sitting around talking talking, drinking beer, telling jokes, you know, man stuff. Women we do the same but it's called tsismis (gossip). We talk about men, they talk about cars! So they say...
|/\/\/\/\---SCHOOL---KEEP---CLEAR---/\/\/\/\|
(sorry about the graphics)
These are bright yellow, painted on road right outside the school gates.
Easy to see and understand, (assuming they can actually see & read).
Why don't these 'loving parents' who stop in this Zone to drop off (& collect) their offspring realise they are not only causing congestion, breaking rules/laws, demontsrating a bad example to their children, but also endangering the lives of other children with their selfish behaviour?
The young mother I pointed this out to this morning looked at me as if I was talking Outer Mongolian... her slackjawed responce was "Wottttt"?
I dispair, I really do, at the lack of resopnsibility and common sense shown by these people.
What can be done?
Is it lack of driver education or is there too little enforcement?
The Highway Code is not really clear about these markings, I quote,
" Keep entrance clear of stationary vehicles, even if picking up or setting down children "
It would have been better worded if it said,
' Keep entrance clear of stationary vehicles, NO PICKING UP OR SETTING DOWN IN THIS ZONE '
(Maybe I'm wrong and these zones do allow pick ups, DVD can you clarify?)
(Victor Meldrew-ish rant mode off.)
John R Read more
HF - for the real regulars, nothing short of (minor) damage to their vehicles, I suspect.
Browse
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True, but in cases where a seller has backed out, I wonder what the success rate is? (I assume these things would go to the small claims court).
I agree with your point, but what I was trying to say was the seller had good integrity in that he realised the auction had legal binding, and didn't try to pull out and sell the car to someone else. It's highly likely that no amount of legal wrangling will actually get the specific car you bid on back, although obviously you may be compensated, moneywise.