August 2003
I have tried to find information about this for some time and have had no success.
I want to add safety and presence to my car and motorcycle and wondered if anyone could give information about where I can get part of my car fitted with the reflective material you see on all police cars.
I have looked in shops, but they sell poor quality reflective materials which fail to give the presence that police cars give.
Any information in the south of england area would be appreciated. Also, can any expert in this give information of how they remove this material, as it is I assume not just removed. Read more
As some of the more committed members of the backroom might know, I'm an Omega driver (and not ashamed of it). I drive a 1999 2.5V6 CDX. It's used on a variety of journeys, though mainly for long motorway trips.
In the unlikely event that you're interested, I've kept a running total of bills, etc, over the past two and a half years, which you're about to hear about, like it or not.
Bought at 26,614 miles, it's now done 79,112, so I've travelled a grand total of 52,498 miles.
In that time I've spent £1,761 on servicing and repairs. Oil change every 5K, service every 10K, cambelt every 40K. That cost is a little understated, as I'm just 900 miles short of a cambelt change & service (last time £400), so let's add that in and call the servicing £2,161. (£464 of this is tyres, £167 is a repair rather than routine servicing)
Since my wife gave the car a damned good clear out, I lost a raft of petrol receipts, so all I know is the volume, which I note separately; 1693.1 gallons. This comes out at a rather exact 31 mpg. Every mile has been aircon on, not really sparing the horses. If petrol were always at this morning's price of 73.9ppl, this would come to £5,688 on fuel. I suspect this understates a little.
Then, of course, there's depreciation. The car cost me £9,250. What's it worth now? £4,250 perhaps? Dunno, but I'm open to suggestions. Am I overstating or understating it?
So, it seems to me like I've got a total running cost of £12,849, or 25.5p per mile. I think that's pretty good value for the old beast, and not bad for a big cruiser that has been reliable bar the camshaft sensor going.
According to my computer in the car, I've spent 1,227 hours with the engine running (33 working weeks!) at an average speed of 43mph.
Strangest servicing fact? At my first oil change at 27K miles, I asked the garage to look at the brake pads, which they estimated to be 6,000 miles from the knacker's yard. Still going strong.
Even now, when I go out of my house in the morning with a long drive ahead, *every single time* I look forward to getting behind the wheel. Odd.
V
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That now bumps mine up to 88p :-(
In last Saturdays HJ page in the Daily Telegraph, there was a letter concerning the fetish of Peugeot 406s to incinerate themselves. It was suggested that the fault maybe due to something called the "Wiring Matrix".
Could someone explain what this is please? Read more
Looked on Google (why didn't I do this before?) and saw that Scorpio's had Multiplex wiring several years ago as well as the new Avensis and also saw this included in a bit about a new coach made by Dennis of Guildford.........
"The electrics on the R-series have been simplified with the adoption of multiplex wiring. This incorporates a diagnostic facility. "Electrical faults can be hard to trace," continues Richard Norman, "and it is not unusual for even the most skilled of electricians to spend more time looking for the fault than it takes to fix it. Multiplex systems not only offer improved reliability, but when faults do occur, the diagnostic system makes them much easier to identify."
The words CAN BUS and VAN BUS were liberally dotted about too, as per Edwards earlier comments. This terms seems to refer to items of electronic wizardry.
So there we have it - a new coach fitted with VAN BUS (or was that CAN BUS?). It's perfectly obvious that buses and coaches with CAN BUS can and some vans fitted with VAN BUS can also. Hope that clears it up for you.
KB.
This P reg Xantia that I have now got through the MOT after having a replacement engine and a few other bits done, has had different registration plates on for up to 2 years I think. I've only had the car for a few months.
The difference between them is very subtle and easy to miss or get confused. But the incorrect replacement front plate was put on my (or at least made for) a Citroen Dealer! It bears their name on the bottom. A check with the V5 confirmed that the rear plate was the correct one.
Phoned them up and told a little white lie, said I'd been stopped by the police, who had pointed this out and given me 7 days to sort it.
"No problem sir - We'll do the new one in half and hour at no cost to you" Despite that I've only got the old one as "Proof of Purchase".
I've known one other instance of this happening on a Mk 2 astra delivered new on an H plate. I and a colleague delivered it. The owner contacted us to alert us of the problem and I was despatched on a 3 hour drive each way with the new plate and a screwdriver to save the dealer any more embarresment!
****Signature? - Ideas on a postcard please anyone!****
****We never stop learning****
Hugo Read more
3 years without noticing that number plates are not the same???? And they let these people DRIVE?????
I am speechless.......
RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
Whilst browsing the Ebay auction site, I noticed that on offer were tuning devices giving up to 20bhp. The narrative states that these adjust the air/petrol ratio and slightly increases the timing. They were also easy to fit/remove and comparable to very much dearer ECU tuning. I assume these alter the signal from the air mass meter to enrich the mixture. Although these seem to be going for less than £10, are they worth it? Does anyone have any experience of these devices? Although tempted at such a cheap price, do you only get what you pay for? Read more
Seen similar on Ebay.
My understanding is that they make the car run richer for more power.
I would suspect the cat wouldn't last very long and the ECU would be battling against the Lambda sensor telling it to lean the mixture.
Charles
Well it's too hot to do any thinking at the moment, so I have played with the profile view on this site to include some stats for users which you may find useful.
Matt can tidy up the look when he is back from hols.
I think Dynamic Dave is the winner of most posts. This is not scientific as I have not done a query to validate this. It's just that I can't believe anyone else would have over 2500 posts to date!
Is there anything else you would find interesting about a user?
Have fun
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Stephen Khoo
www.khoosys.net Read more
"I cannot see any averages or no. of posts figures!"
It's OK, eMBe - we can! :-)
So can I, NOW. !!
Anyone know when the V8 rear drive ZT is due out? I thought it was supposed to be this summer. My money is burning a hole in my pocket. Read more
Well... goes back to what I said earlier... chacun a son gout, or something like that! You think the ZT is 'hardcore and uncompromising' - I think its a dog, albeit one with an occasionally interesting bark. I've sampled one back to back with the S60 over a range of roads I'm very familiar with - and I'm still convinced both the ST 220 (also 'hardcore'!) and the S60 - which is comfortable and gives the impression of being less 'focused' (Mondeo'd??!) are far more agile and able than the 75. Oops, ZT.
Neil
Right you lot! A couple of questions:
Anyone got an X-Trail?
I'm looking for best new price as all of the second hand one's I've seen ARE at "new" prices. Best priced 2.5SVE petrol so far is £18850 inc RFL/registration/delivery. I want one of those or the 2.2TD SVE
Any of you got one and have any comments? Read more
Longdriver,
I've had an X-Trail 2.2 diesel Sport for a few months now and I think it's great. Lovely to drive, practical to live with and it gives a real feeling of being a 'good buy'.
Not at all flashy but it impresses everyone who rides in it - this including some 'exec' style friends with their company BM's and Audis.
I moved from a Passat Tdi and was worried about the performance but the X-Trail is a far better drive, solid, sure-footed and a great mid-range punch. When fully loaded there is no difference to the performance (due to the high torque ?).
Slight doubts about the longevity of the metallic-style trim (seems to scratch quite easily), but apart from absolutely no problems in 8, 000 miles. Averaging around 38mpg.
Can't comment on the petrol version though.
JD
Can anyone explain what the load index of a tyre represents? I am looking for some new tyres and the ones I want come in two load indeces - 91 and 95. I know it has something to do with the load they can carry at the speed indicated by the speed rating (in this case, H) but what does that mean in the real world? The 95 tyres are slightly more expensive than the 91, so I guess what I'm really getting at is, is it worth spending the extra for the 95s? Read more
Thanks Trev.
Hi all!
Is there a real benefit in changing the original brake disks with "upgraded" disks of the same diameter? I mean do the extra line patterns and holes make any difference?
I know that patterns are supposed to take the pad-powder away, and holes help cooling down the disk. But do they make a measurable difference?
Having asked some friends, I can't get to a clear conclusion.
Thanks! Read more
Much opinion around for this one!
The scientific reasons are straight forward. The grooves serve to primarily remove vapour formed when the friction material reaches very high temperatures. Otherwise this can form a cushion between the pad and the disk. Secondary benefits are to remove brake dust and excess water.
There is no measurable benefit to having holes drilled in the disk. It offers no additional cooling other than looking cool! It may serve to offer the above vapour benefits if no grooves are present, but grooves are better! There is engineering evidence to suggest that holes can act as stress points and I have, on cheaper after market disks, seen crazing formed around holes that were just drilled through and not properly chamfered etc.
You get what you pay for, I guess. A well designed, grooved disk made from very high quality material will probably last better, be more resistant to warping and perform slightly better than a standard disk under extreme conditions. Anything designed more for show than performance is less effective than an original manufacturers disk.
Bigger and thicker, as with so many things in life, are where real benefits can be felt. Replacement calipers offering superior rigidity and better heat dissipation are where the big benefits lie. Even the latest brake fluid will vaporise under extreme conditions and taking the heat away from the pads while keeping it from the fluid is as critical as cooling the disks. Pad material is another important area for discussion... but I wont start that one unless someone asks!
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To quote John Candy in a film whose title I can't recall:-
"Sometimes its good to be a Cop"