July 2003
For some reason we in the UK have been left behind compared to the rest of Europe when it comes to car sharing
All over Europe there are organisations which you can join as a traveller, wether you are a driver or passenger.
For a small fee they match drivers and passengers according to desired dates and destinations. The passengers pay an agreed amount towards the drivers costs.
For years I have travelled all over Europe in this way as a driver and have saved a tidy sum against my costs
You need to be a bit flexible and happy to be in the company of strangers during your journeys.
In Germany they are called Mitfahrzentrale
In France its Allostop or Provoya
Holland: Lift Centre
Belgium: Taxistop
In UK you can do it through SMS at www.sms.ac/clubpage.asp?club=CL217001011000906756
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The Government appear to be considering a £35 surcharge on all fixed penalty offences, to fund a shortfall in the cash available to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. Why a speeding motorist or overstaying parker should pay for a person who has his nose broken in a drunken melee is a bit hard to follow! The Government has a record of randomly introduced 'initiatives' and this, (if it is brought in) will not be one of the clever ones. What we need is an initiative to collect outstanding and unpaid fines which in some parts of the country are nearly 50% of those imposed. Many people's respect for the law is in decline and measures which surcharge those who can be caught to redress the losses from those who can't be or who aren't pursued for their debts will further lower people's perceptions of British justice. Read more
eMBe. Thank you. I realise that I may have gone further down a political line than was appropriate in a motoring forum and I appreciate the points that you are making.
I looked at the air filter in my very old car and it seems quite dirty from the top but clean from the side (i.e. white).
I think it is a paper one and wondering how do I know when it needs changing. Are there any pages showing what condition they should be in.
Also, when should fuel filters be changed and what does failure to change them do to the engine?
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Details of which particular car you're talking about will help, as every manufacturer has its own set of guidelines to as when filters chould be changed, and it's also dependant on the model/engine size of car as well.
Connected to my other post.
I have been wondering what cars can carry onto high miles in the petrol range (2 litre) with little work done to them. What are the highest mileage cars people have seen? Also, can any owners tell me the MPG of 2.0 litre cars (any make) in town and motorway with high and low mileages.
Finally, what advise can be given for a petrol to last a long time and use the same amount of fuel even with high mileages.
Responses will be appreciated>
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The old reliability/cost of fixing thing is one that makes our particular period in economic history distinctive. The world economy has divided into two main types of business: those that can improve productivity without sacrificing quality and those that can't. Car manufacturing is in the first sector, while car repairs, medical care, education, and so on are in the second. So while cars have become cheaper to buy as a result of productivity gains they have become more expensive to fix, a problem that is compounded by the fact that while increased complexity helps makers improve productivity it makes cars more of a problem when they break down.
The only way to make the fixing business more productive is for mechanics to fix more cars in the same amount of time: quality always suffers when that happens, just as it does with doctors, teachers, social workers and so on. Technology helps in diagnostics of course but it also increases the cost. So in order to attract customers at the higher prices these businesses have to charge to survive they have to offer value-added features. In the case of car repairs that's cups of coffee, courtesy cars, soft chairs etc. etc. Big deal, right?
A postscript to this is that government-run businesses/services tend to be in the second sector where productivity gains are almost impossible to achieve without affecting the service provided.
Chris
I am thinking of buying a second hand car. I have a budget of £2-3000 and in return demand reliability and comfort. I do not want a car that sits in the garage all the time, or that is expensive. Furthermore, I want good fuel economy and a simple engine that I can work on myself.
I was thinking of the Toyota Carina E 2.0i. Is this a good car and what fuel economy do current owners get from such a car? I have seen 50,000 mile fsh Carina's for around my price bracket. What other alternatives are there?
Any thoughts will be appreciated.
Gregory Read more
Not strange really. The UK ones were built in Japan and the US ones by Ford in Detroit! The reliability went out of the window and seems to have upset the america punters. They must have lost a lot of business in the States. The www is covered in complaints from angry motorists.
Regarding previous comments; I also think that you have your heart set on the Carina so, since it is a perfectly reasonable car, I concur. You should buy it and be happy.
Can any1 recommend a vauxhall repair centre local to waltham cross. I have a vectra 2.0 Diesel hatchback. 97 (P).
When driving normally round town there seems to be no problem. When i try to get a bit of speed out of it. It has no go. On hills that i used to have no problem going up in 4th gear now requires me to change down to 3rd & needs loads of stick.
I took it to my local Vauxhall dealer in waltham cross to have it repaired. Took it in Friday for a tech test & they found 3 faults on there computer, but didn't know whats wrong with it. Took it back the following FRIDAY for them to repair the faults. After they had the car "ALL DAY" (although no charge made) They still cant find whats wrong?
Can any shed any light here or recommend a decent vauxhall repair centre.
Cheers ... Read more
Look here, someone else has simlar probs....
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=4&t=14...5
I recently saw reviewed in one of the broadsheet papers a device which enabled you to store 300 Cd's onto a hard disk which could then be linked to your existing car radio/CD player. In effect, it acted as a CD changer but held hundreds of CD's rather than a handful.
You record the CDs via a USB connection on your computer directly onto the hard disk. The hard disk would then be fitted into car in the same way as a CD changer.
I think the article quoted a cost of £450 but I can't be sure. Did anybody else see it and can they point me in the right direction as to where to get it?
Many thanks,
Mark. Read more
There is another means of connecting an iPod to a car
player: tinyurl.com/i86f I've no idea whether there's a UK
supplier of this gadget...
Looks as if this method of connecting isn't going to be an option:
www.theregister.co.uk/content/39/32098.html
Alf, at least on two separate occasions I\'ve asked you to watch your language when posting. it\'s also been pointed out to you that there is no point trying to defeat the swear filter by swapping characters in the swear words. I simply cannot be bothered editing you post with several \"pink fluffy dice\" comments.
If you cannot write without using explicit language, then please don\'t bother at all.
D.D.
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It's not too critical, Hootie. Most dipsticks have an indication of the amount required to raise the level from the bottom to the top setting, so you only have to reach the lower line and then add the stated amount, or proportion thereof. Anywhere between the two should be safe, although IIRC, early BL 1800's (the Land Crab) were produced with a dipstick that was too long, which cause premature engine failure in a few...
Hi
Second attempt, as first appears to have disappeared into the ether
Any idea where I could get a service manual for the above (except Fiat). Haynes don't do one and do not intend to. I have looked at the web, and can't find one.
Just simple info, like plug types and tightening torques.
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Yes
I have the Punto manual from Haynes, but it does not cover the GT thingie
Just changed a brake hose on my mk2 golf. I've come to bleed the system but can't open the bleed valve as the nut is rusted. I've tried some penetrating fluid but it does not budge. The nut is begining to become rounded so that a spanner will soon have no grip on it. If I can't open the nut what are my options? Will I have to change the caliper? Read more
Clear all the rust.
Hit the screw end-on fairly sharply with a hammer, about hard enough to start to compress the end, but no more.
Find an old ring spanner that is a bit too small, and force it on by tapping a larger socket over it.
Apply the tiniest of anticlockwise force, JUST enough to move the screw, not enough to shear it (easier said than done !).
If it won't move, hit it again while the strain is on.
If you can get it to move the merest fraction, apply more Plus-gas and then leave it for a few hours.
Go back and RETIGHTEN it, then undo it again. Gradually work it backwards and forwards.
It is not guaranteed, but has worked for me on about 7 out of 10 ocasions.
Browse
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Although there is no MFZ or other lift centre here in the UK I have set up an SMS/online alternative. First you join www.sms.ac and then go to my club \"Travel Europe vehicle sharing. Drivers andPassengers\" at www.sms.ac/clubpage.asp?club=CL217001011000906756 .. There are currently over 800 members.
When you send a message to the club everyone in the club will receive it on their mobile phone and/or email. If they are interested in your lift offer or are a driver responding to your lift request they can message you back individually.
A message to the club costs 1 credit and you get 8 free credits a day so it doesnt have to cost a penny. You dont need to have a mobile to join but it helps