April 2003
After yet another night of bother and drunken idiots on my bus last night I am seriously thinking of packing it in and considering private hire work. Could any taxi drivers out there inform me of the various pros/cons and any rules/regs you will have to meet.
I already own a suitable low mileage Mondeo so vehicle costs (other than running) are not an issue. I know I will probably have to take a drop in income but it will be worth it for a eas(ier) life. Before anyone says I will get more trouble I have no intention of working late weekends unless absolutely necessary!
Thanks in advance for any replies.
I'm a loser, baby....so why don't you kill me?! Read more
Hi there,
My saxo airbag light is flashing (again!). I know this is a very common problem in saxos, caused by a dodgey connection under the drivers seat.
Anyone know how I could fix it?
Many thanks. Read more
I have no idea- I would assume not otherwise there would be a need for the vehicles to be recalled on safety grounds. I tried all ways to avoid the inevitable of cutting out the plugs ( I am a lazy technician when it comes to my car) but all to no avail. As I said it was quite simple to do and I've had no further problems since. Coincidentaly, a friend of mine recently bought a 406 saloon V6 from a guy who had been plagued with the same problem. An hour or so with cutters, Soldering iron and tape and the problem was solved.
Hope this helps!!
I get the opportunity to drive quite a variety of new cars and recently drove a new Ford Mondeo 2.0LX.
It a very long time since I last drove a Mondeo and to say I was impressed is an understatement. It was in the same week that I drove a new BMW320 and a new Mercedes C200 and I have to say the Mondeo is a match for either. The Ford engine (designed by Mazda, I gather!) is actually a lot better than the Mercedes engine - I say this as a 15+ year owner of Mercedes cars.
In the light of this experience I am now considering buying a 6-month old Mondeo 1.8 or 2.0 - they can be had for £9000 with 12k miles on the clock, which seems quite a bargain when you think that a C-class would cost a least twice that.
The 'BUT' is that I've never owned a Ford before and have concerns about quality and reliability. What is the general experience with the Duratec HE engine? There must surely now be some that have covered high mileages. Is there anything to check for on these cars other than the items listed in 'car-by-car breakdown'?
A final query - does anyone know if it is possible to get a discount for 'no p/ex' off the Ford Direct prices, or are they pretty much 'fixed' like 'car supermarket' prices? Read more
That's interesting. Archers of Ashby are just a few miles from me!
From this week's local paper:
A1 number plate search
A historic car number plate once owned by a former Earl Russell has gone missing.
The 'A1' plate was the first London number plate and is worth half a million pounds.
'A1' was registered in 1903 and the earl was its first owner using it on his Napier car.
Now the Retail Motor Industry Federation wants to find it for this year's centenary celebrations of UK car registrations.
The Federation, along with the Cherished Number Dealers Association (CNDA), would like to display it at a centenary rally to be held at Woburn Abbey on May 18.
Federation spokesman Alistair Manson said: "No-one knows exactly what has happened to 'A1'.
"Its last known owner was Dunlop Holdings Ltd. Since the company was taken over the registration seems to have fallen between the cracks, and disappeared.
"If anyone knows what has happened to 'A1', they should get in contact with the Cherished Number Dealers Association on 01788 538301.
Alternatively, they could bring it to the CNDA centenary rally at Woburn Abbey in May."
www.seriousaboutnews.com/cgi/xtranews/viewnews.cgi...0, Read more
Entering A1 as a registration number of a car for sale , on autotrader ,produced the following details ,could it be correct ?
2001 MERCEDES-BENZ CL CL55 2dr Auto Amg Coupe
Just had my gearbox oil changed with EP 80w-90. The gearbox initially it was very difficult to engage 1st gear and subsequently change gear. This improved as the engine warmed up.
I have not had a chance yet to try the box from cold again.
My Merc dealer advises that some of the manual gearboxes use ATF for manual gearboxes. Does anyone know what the correct grade should be? Read more
Thanks for all your help. There doesn't seem to be an Elf agent
in Hull. Esso technical did some digging around and found that type D ATF would be suitable. I have today tried this fluid and it seems to be fine.
Mercedes technical never got back to me however a Vito dealer did.
They use castrol synergear (which they sell in 5L tubs at £7 a litre)
I've just been stopped for speeding in a 30mph zone. Now before you all start on about there being no excuse for this the road is very wide, large 8ft wall runs the whole length down one side and is nowhere near any residential areas. The policeman jumped out from behind a tree like a salmon and zapped me. Now when I looked at my speedo it was reading 35mph or possibly just under so I braked and thought that there was no way he was going to pull me over for that speed. He did of course and informed me that I was actually travelling at 42mph! I informed him that my speedo was reading about 35mph but he said his speed gun was correct and my speedo was probably mis-reading.
I asked him for the calibration certificate which he couldn't provide and told me it was probably down at the station. As I don't know the area I asked if I would be able to look at the certificate or a copy at my local police station which he said they may be able to fax a copy.
My question is that if they cannot provide a calibration certificate what should my next move be. Read more
The leaping salmon is actually a red herring (or maybe a brown kipper) cos the salmon is going to say he didn't leap at all and there ain't nowt your going to be able to do to prove otherwise. The gun should be calibrated however and if it isn't you'll be having poached salmon for tea.
I have the number plate P111 LWM and I have placed a black fixing bolt inbetween the first 2 1's to give the impression of it being the letter H. However the 1's are correctly spaced and the bolt cover doesn't actually touch either of the 1's and therefore only looks like an H from a distance. My questeion is, is this illegal and what should I say when pulled over by the Police? I had had the L next to the 1's to make it look like it spelled PHIL, but have now rectified that as I knew that to be illegal. Read more
I recall that Vauxhall cars used to come from factory with a pack containing the number plate screws (large but not coloured in any way) and some foam to go behind the numberplate to stop it rattling (how sweet).
If you look at a lot of hire cars (ie cars prepared to a minimum standard on PDI) they use the manufacturers standard metal screws, not a fancy white/yellow/black sort. Surely if you had these then there could be no argument as to illegality?
Tony
I am doing some "surgery" on my alfa 156 2L TS year 1999 in particular possible crank regrind, but I need 20 undersize bearings, has anybody actually found a supplier. Obviously we are operating outside the realm of main dealers on this particular project!!.
all help appreciated
There is a lesson here, always check the oil!
Read more
Don\'t know where you are, but there\'s a small outfit near Gatwick that prepares and races Alfas. They\'re Bianco Auto Developments, Tel 01293 821843. Failing that, try the Alfa Owners Club web site, www.aroc-uk.com. There\'s a section there on Links which lists a whole bunch of Alfa specialists, you\'ll have to scroll down a fair way to get to them.
HTH
Test driving a dreaded Laguna this weekend, but given several people's negative feelings what else should I consider (although the dealer lady I spoke to did admit they'd had problems in the past, but reckons they're sorted now - but I s'pose she would, wouldn't she?).
I can probably get most things in the £18-24k band (and a bit above), but lease costs are obviously higher for stuff like audis/beemers/mercs etc.
I know I can get a Mondeo diesel Ghia X for the same outlay s the renault, but I don't think it looks as good, and I'm not keen on the look of the passat either. You just seem to get a far better equipped car for your money with the renault (and i admit it - I like toys!)
I want a good diesel engine, estate/hatch, reasonably comfy (air con, Cd etc) - any ideas?
Cheers
andy Read more
Audi A4 lease is quite high on our co. list -
not as much as beemers and merc but still fairly high
9and very few bells and whistles) - can't have nearly new
- but C5 is reasonably low cost. No mazdas on
the list - one of the few makes not there apart
from Italians.
Do they do a diesel accord?
March 2004
I have a Mk 2 VW Golf 1300 81,000 miles.
After 5 mins into a car journey (i.e. when engine has warmed up)there is a high pitch noise that sounds like a cricket.
The noise is intermitent and comes from the front of the car. The noise is far louder if I wind down the window.
I believe it is not wheel bearings as going around corners has no effect.
Is this due to a bearing in the engine? Any suggestions please?
Andrew
Read more
I had a similar problem on my 95(N)Rover 214. I drove the car for three years with a similar noise. It died out after 5-10 mins, so I never thought anything of it.
When the alternator died. The noise dissapeared!
Browse
.jpg)
I'm late again, aren't I? ;-)
I've been working nights this week, early finish tonight because I'm out at 8am tomorrow...
Anyway. Miller - Contrary to what a couple of people have said, I wouldn't advocate you changing to my job. The drunks are going to be just as bad in a cab as in a bus. Coach/ exec hire/ train driving would be a much better option! My eyesight isn't good enough to get an LGV/ PCV licence[1] otherwise I'd be doing that instead.
I love the flexibility of my job, the hours are fine for me, and I don't seem to be able to get enough of the driving, but the few annoying punters really do take the shine off it. Saying that, today I've been to Eastbourne with a Heathrow on the way back, then back for another Heathrow afterwards! Roll on tomorrow.
[1] "Lazy eye", doesn't affect me at all apart from when trying to watch those 3D films with red & green glasses! Never had any problems judging speed or distance on the road. The LGV/ PCV licence requires a minimum visual acuity standard of 9 in each eye though, and while one eye rates something like 25, the other only rates 7. :-(