October 2003
My Golf 2.0 petrol has just had it's 20K service. The dealer has filled it up with Shell Helix Plus oil. I have looked at the Shell website to check the viscosity of the oil and I *think* the picture rates it as 15/50. I can't find any other info on it. My concern is that, approaching winter, I would be better with a 10/40 oil. Can any oil expert out there confirm that Shell Helix Plus is in fact 15/50 and if this is a decent quality/spec oil for the car.
Thanks, Carl.
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Hi
I have a VW Golf Mk2 1300.
My current timing belt has done 50,000 miles over 8 years!
According to the VW dealer this timing belt should only have to be replaced after 80,000 miles.
Should I replace the belt knowing that it has been there for 8 years?
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madf, my house is well insured - false analogy.
oil and filter neglect, also false analogy.
226,000 obtained by 10,000m oil and filter change [leave for an hour with car tilted slightly to ensure complete drainage] - cheapish Comma semi-synthetic 10-40, approx £9 for 5l. It now uses 1 litre per 900m and passed its MoT 2/52 ago!
I have a ford fiesta 18d m reg... last week or so it has been a pig to start..battery and starter motor replaced 6 months ago..when i do get it going it is fine for the rest of the day...it just hates mornings for some reason..can anybody point me in the right direction Read more
Common rail engine engines are a completely different kettle of fish, the first thing to do is have the codes read. You possibly have a faulty sensor or low fuel prerssure.
Back to the 1.8 Ford engine. My son has one in a P100 pick up which has always been difficult to start and whil a new battery and glow plugs improved it the problem is still there so I did a further investigation the other day....
I have received a NIP this morning - which was expected. I was clocked south of Coventry (A46 dual carrigeway) on Sunday doing 82mph in 50 mph roadworks. No excuse I know. I don't for one moment think I'll get away with a £60 + 3 points. Will I get a short ban?
Thanks in advance for any info'.
Andy. Read more
Front page Telegraph today.
The Tories put forward an idea that only some speeding fines should carry points, those that relate to speeding in 'dangerous' zones and Labour have said that they think the idea has merit. Fines will naturally still apply.
Is it me or is this not an admission by the government that this whole thing is a scam.
Aren't ALL scameras supposed to be ONLY located in 'dangerous' areas? Plus isn't ALL speeding in any situation supposed to be double deadly dangerous? So should not any persistent offender be banned?
I'm sorry but for me they've just publically admitted this is just another tax on motoring.
Hi, I've tried searching the BR but nothing exactly matches. I'm trying to find out what the legal defintion of hands-free will be when the law changes on Dec 1st. Holding the phone to your ear clearly isn't, but if you've got an ear-piece and you've received a call by pressing any button answer is that no-go? What is you've pressed re-dial to make a call whilst using an earpiece? Are dangling ear-pieces going to be outlawed and only fixed dashboard/thru the radio systems going to be allowed?
I'm not after a debate on the rights and wrongs of mobile use behind the wheel, simply a definiton in layman's terms of what the law will say.
Thanks in advance Read more
On the M6 at 0230 on Saturday, and then on the M56 the matrix signs were all saying "Don't Phone/While Driving" and those that had 3 lines had a "Think" on the first line.
Noticed it on the M61, M60 and M6 later in the day.
The battery in my Seat is apparently "maintenance free". I have noticed that with the onset of the cold weather the starter is cranking a little more slowly,leading me to believe that the battery power is down. I took the covers off the elements, expecting to be able to see the fluid levels, but couldn't see any fluid.
Are you supposed to top up these types of batteries with distilled water? Read more
Just a *gentle* reminder that this is Technical Matters. Discussion is on the other side of the fence. Should you wish to this thread be moved across to there, then it can be arranged.
Hi, I was driving my wife's Cavalier the other day when it seemed not to want to go into second but fourth all the time and was pumping lots of smoke out the back when doing doing this.
At first I put it down to me not being used to it having driven an auto for the last year. My wife when were in it today mentioned this happens to her also.
Any ideas? my first thought was low gbox oil but have no idea where or how to check this and if I'm even right!
btw It's overdue for a service altho I can't see that this would affect the gbox anyway. Read more
Heard a lot about these. Are they actually any good? do they really increase power? They seem very expensive any idea how long they last? Read more
Like any add-on, it is a compromise. It does allow better air flow, but slightly less filtration and greater induction noise. To gain any performance increase, you must adjust the mixture accordingly (needs to be slightly richer due to the increased in air entering the engine).
Regular every year just as the clock changes.
Colchester traffic wardens quadrupled tickets to 18,000 parking fines since council took over. Only 42 incidents of abuse reported. Council expecting financial surplus in 2006/07 after paying off all startup costs. Read more
Sorry actually two different things. I did see that fancy twin camera detector and van nearby with large board with some text relating to car tax disc check.
Also just shocked to see news item on same day, how efficient council is in getting parking fines compared with old police controlled system. Not sure what the startup costs were for the council. After all, the traffic warden only needs a book of tickets or perhaps a PDA that could print them. Perhaps as the surplus has to be used on transport the buses might become almost free....dreams!
Hi All,
I have just picked up my new Primara SVE with cream leather, taken my wife and daughter for a ride. Daughter found a pen in my jacket pocket and scribbled on the back of my seat.
So the question is what is good at getting pen out of leather!! I have tried water as a first attempt with no luck. It was just a normal ink rollerball pen.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Jlo Read more
my 2 year old drew biro all over my cream leather.. i washed with soapy water first and then beleive it or not used V05 extreme style freeze spray gel and it just dissolved it straight away all gone and no damage to leather.. i tried white spirit also first as a upholstery company told me to try this and it done nada.. nothing at all.. best of luck all..
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Yes, indeed oil gets warm some time after the engine has wormed up. It is the pathways coolant and oil follow inside the engine that makes this difference, as well as the distinct roles the two have. Coolant is there to take the heat away, and until it reaches some temperature, it doesn't get to the radiator. Oil is there to primarily lubricate and secondarily cool down. The coolant travels through the hottest parts of the head, the oil only lubricates the moving parts.
BTW, oil consumption by means of burning it in the cylinder, only happens when the oil's viscousity is low enough for the seals to not be able to keep it, which only happens with the oil (and engine) hot.
But with the engine cold, the oil is rather viscous enough for the seals to be able to keep it from going in the cylinder. So, I'd conclude that oil consumption (burning it) happens only with the engine hot. So, it doesn't matter if you use '0w' or '10w'.
Just my thoughts, BTW.
Vagelis.