May 2003
Went to the trendy bar in town after a hard week at work tonight.
Had a couple of shandys and noticed how drunk all the little idiot estate agent types were getting.
When I left at 7.30 a couple of them walked out in front of me and I followed them down the road and watched in amazement as they stumbled into a Porsche Boxster. I asked the driver if he was really going to drive in his condition to which he replied \"what has it got to do with you\".
I informed him that if he started the car I would remove the keys and ring the Police.
He went mental and the pair of them started swearing like a couple of hedge monkeys and then proceded to wheelspin off down the high street.
I rang the police and gave them the registration No. but I can\'t understand that in this day and age and with the education we get people still drink and drive putting everyones life in danger.
Luckily for me I know where they work so on Monday morning I will pay them a visit and get an apology providing the driver has not been arrested. Read more
My friend has just bought a W reg Vauxhall Astra, it looks pretty worn for the 26000 on the clock, the sevice book has never had any information stamped in it with reference to this specific car. I suggested the mileage was wrong but when he took it back to the dealer (not main agent) he was told it was impossible to change the reading on a digital mileage display.
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Not sure about the clutch and box... they'll wear in proportion to mileage, all things being equal, but a car that only ever changes gear on the way to and from the motorway junction and sits in fifth for 90% of its journeys will have much less wear in this area than one that sits in traffic all the time, even if the town car has a fifth of the mileage.
Steering and suspension components... again, the motorways are smooth and straight, so if it's been driven gently within the speed limits there's no reason to expect them to wear out in proportion to mileage, i.e., at the same rate as on an 'average mileage' car.
Okay, the car will get loads more stone chips but a spray gun, £100 and a Friday afternoon in the body shop will sort that. Sure, the seats get a bit more worn but no one is bouncing up and down on them like you do when you get in the car, so I'm not sure that even seat wear is proportional.
No, not another topic on over-moderation :)
Does anyone know:
1) Where I can purchase thread lock for the aerial on my car?
2) Is it any good? Ie. will it stop people removing the aerial without tools?
3) Will I be able to get the aerial off myself in the future? If not, I'll just superglue the damn thing!
Thanks. Read more
Check the Loctite website first to see which grade you want.
I wonder if anyone can tell me if the roof aerial on a 98 Xsara can be removed by unscrewing . The owner just wanted to take the car to a car wash but was not sure if the aerial could be removed or not.
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Thanks Graeme for sending another problem to me.
Although my Xsara or any other car I have owned has never seen a car wash, you can unscrew the aerial, it may be rather tight if it hasn't been undone recently.
The rubber outside does seem to twist seperately to the inside when it has seised. You can twist the rubber aside so that you can get a pair of pliers on the metal underneath.
Once you remove the aerial, give it a squirt of WD40 and a wipe of copper grease, it will be easier to remove next time.
The same applies to the C5 aerial, I have looked.
The copper grease does improve radio reception, also changing for the newer style shorter aerial. (£15)
Ben
On my 3rd Citroen. Saxo, Xsara, C5.
Although speed bumps now seem to be part of our daily commute and a growing nuisance they still need to be tackled. How do you approach yours?
Are you:
A Stradler? Wheels either side of the hump for a smooth passage.
50/50? One side of the car on the flat while the other takes the rough.
An Off Roader? Approaching the hump at an angle to ensure at least two wheels have drive at all time.
A Freestyler? (Motorbikes & Push Bikes only) The maximum amount of air is obtained on each hump and possibly a quick mid air wave or table top achieved.
An Eco Destroyer. Braking sharply metres before the hump then accelerating to warp speed before slamming all on for the next.
Nip 'N Tuck. Driving between widely spaced humps.
What Hump? Usually heard inside large offroaders transporting offspring to an from educational establishments.
Hump Master. approaching and clearing the humps as fast as you dare to get the agonising clunk, bang ooohh over with.
Thats all I can come up with. Any further additions? Check out which you are on your way home.
Hurman
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My company car, Citreon Picasso, use to go over speed bumps quicker than my privately owned Subaru! Strange that? The brake pads also use to wear out quicker on the Picasso than on the Subaru as well. No idea why.
My Passat TDi 115 , 68000mls, 3 year old, has a sound like a blowing exhaust manifold but the noise only occurs after a longish (50 mile plus) run. When it occurs it has a regular beat and in the car has a very low base sound. The garage has heard it but when it went in for the last service (a week ago) there was no noise (but they only took it 10 miles) and they do not appear to have any idea.
Comments please.
ps Like many other Passats the cam belt went at 50000 (in the fast lane of the M66) and required new cylinder head etc.
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No specific knowledge but suggest you look around either end of the exhaust manifold for a leak which opens up when everything is fully heat soaked. I imagine something was disturbed when the cylinder head was removed.
I'm interested at the 50000 mls cambelt failure. Your engine would be an early PD 115PS example. My golf handbook (for a December 2000 PD 115PS build) states 60000km belt change interval. This is 40000 mls. I changed mine then, but on inspecting the removed parts, inc tensioner pulley, I would have given it another 10000 mls easily.
Was the car serviced by a VW main dealer?
Hi,
Just wondering, because the last few dealers I've spoken to havn't knocked the price down at all when offered cash.
Is it just my wonderful bargining skills, or do dealers just prefer to get people on finance packages these days?
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It's true that dealers are often more keen to get you into their own finance packages, as they get a healthy commission. But, as has been said previously, there are other factors involved such as how long the car's been in stock, what the car is, whether it's the end of the month and if the particular salesman has made his target.
My parents recently decided to replace their cars, both had cash (banker's draft) and no part-ex and were buying from (different) Honda dealers, but the difference in response to haggling was interesting. In both cases cash and no swapper mentioned up front.
Car 1 (three-year-old Accord auto) got £400 off, plus free road tax. Young salesman willing to "do deal", middle of month, new dealership.
Car 2 (two-year Logo CVT) got nothing off at all, just free tank of petrol! Salesman for Car 2 much "harder" character, kept quoting about JD Power survey, just after end of month. Mum smitten with car so she paid up.
Hi all. Today should have been a good day for me as I should be driving around in my new Passat TDI. Unfortunately, when the dealer went to collect the car from the holding pound for me to collect, the cam belt broke while attempting to start the car. The car is a 1.9 TDI PD (115) with 81,000 miles and full service history. I had negotiated a good price (£7995) for the car and it is everything that I ever wanted. The test drive was a dream and the engine purred. Unfortunately, I can drive cars, but no nothing at ALL about the mechanics of them. I am aware that cam belt breakage is major although I am hoping that as the car wasn't running at the time, damage may be minimal. the car is to come with a comprehensive 12 month warranty. I would very much appreciate peoples views on whether I should walk away from the deal or continue to purchase my dream car. Also, what signs should I look for on my next test drive to ensure that all is well? Thanks to you all in advance for your assistance. Read more
The VAG TDi cambelt tensioner is a far more sturdy affair than the GM GF50 jobs....good thing too!
Wish I'd replaced mine 3 yrs ago when I replaced the belt on my A4 TDi......didn't think did I!?
Anyone out there know about Subaru Imprezas? I have a 2.0 GL P reg with 70K on the clock. Superb car and ultra reliable. Just recently it has developed a slight stutter when accelerating from low revs, approx 1500rpm in second gear, and then clearing to accelerate as normal.
Although this doesn't affect the car too much I would like to know what is going on and if there is a known problem. I have visited some of the Subaru owners club websites but most of their problems involve a turbo and this is not the case with mine.
Any input would be most helpful
Hurman
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Jonathon
Thanks for the idea. I think it might be something to do with the fuel as well. I will get myself a can of the old carb cleaner tonight along with the new front brake pads I need. If I can find the petrol filter I might have a look at that as well.
Hurman
Just did a quick search and couldn't find anything about this, so here goes.
Last year, as I was doing my IAM training around Stoke, me and my observer noticed that induction loops were appearing on certain roads, accompanied by small grey boxes on 2 foot poles at the side of the road.
I then noticed that the same loop patterns seem to be in place every 1/3rd mile (without fail) on each lane of the M6 between J20 and J15 (and quite possibly outside those junctions) both North & Southbound.
OK, so I could imagine that on the M6 they may be there for traffic flow monitoring, and the fact that there are very frequent matrix signs now would re-enforce that idea, but the ones around Stoke don't make sense as they are on both main routes, and not so main routes, and don't seem to be evenly spaced.
In the thread about GPS speed limiting it mentions the use of induction loops to control speed. For what other purposes are they used (other than traffic lights and cameras)? Read more
Many a true word spoken in jest.
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You're a braver man than I, Marcos but please don't push it too far by visiting them again. Anyone stupid enough to drink and drive may be also lacking judgement in other areas and if he has been nicked, the impending loss of his licence may provoke him to try to gain revenge. Don't endanger yourself - you've already done more than most.