December 2003
Hello folks
As some of you may be aware, I regularly return to the hinterland to see my daughters. The journey from Kent to Southport takes upwards of six hours due to my having to use the folling route:
M25/A1(M)/A14/M1/A50/A500/A51/A49/Runcorn Bridge/A5300/M57/A59
The journey home is completed much more quickly as it is late on a Saturday evening so I can use the more conventional M6/M432/M40/M25.
If you haven't already dozed off with boredom. my question is this: Do any of you enlightened people know of a better way to get from Stoke to Southport without using the M6 on a Friday afternoon than the one mentioned above? I have tried the M6 on all of my trips, but have been forced to admit defeat at varying points due to stationary traffic.
Any help would be gratefully recieved (although not as gratefully recieved as £10,000 in used fivers).
Cheers
Rob Read more
Anyone got any advice or have used a Broker to purchase a new vehicle. I'm looking for a VW Passat and there are loads of brokers dealing with this vehicle. Never used one before and was looking for feedback from people who have done so.
Spoke with one last week, told me I would be the second registered owner of the vehicle (www.drivetime.co.uk) am I right in assuming that this is an Import.
www.drivethedeal.co.uk have very competitive prices, has anyone used their services.
G Read more
My mistake. However be aware that in other countries SE models are badged Highline so make sure it's not one of those.
I have run out of REDEX Diesel treatment, can anyone advise where the cheapest place to buy this from.....
Last paid £12.99 for 1 litre (Halfords)
cheers Read more
Not sure I follow the relevance of that one.....
No Dosh
mailto:Alan_moderator@honestjohn.co.uk
Have just taken delivery of a new car and due to parking restraints there is a lot of juggling of cars in the morning and evening in my drive. Am I damaging my car by just starting and moving the car a few yards twice a day.
Read more
I know its better for the car to run the engine when its warm but i think people are going a bit over the top with this, i think engines are lot tougher than people make them out to be. My mum has had her zx for at least 5 years or so in this time she has had it, its daily journey has been almost 2 or at most 4 mile round trip, it almost never gets up to temperature and thats all it has done for last 5 years apart from the occasional long journey. The car itself is 10 years old and has 67k on the clock and it has never broken down, runs perfectly well and never fails an emission test at MOT time, as i far as i know still on the original Cat (not been changed while she's had the car anyway) now if a citreon 1.4 petrol (which shows no signs of dying anytime soon) can stand up to this sort of abuse then i really wouldn't worry about moving a car out of the garage and moving cars round on the driveway.
I am due to see an advise about self employment next week and have two ideas that I could possibly pursue individually or together.
I just wondered what the more seasoned back roomers may think of the possible earning potential of these.
I've yet to do my sums btw
The first is vehicle transport and collection. NOT recovery, though I could offer cheaper brakedown assistance.
This would be using a 4 x 4 and a trailer to transport cars (modern or classic) or unfinished projects around the west country or further afield, or to remove MOT failures and take them to the local scrap yard, who doesn't collect. The use of a 4 x 4 and a decent trailer would surely keep the overheads lower than an old AA pickup truck or such like, plus the 4 x 4 would double as our SDP vehicle.
I could diversify into small marine craft (up to 22ft) transport with the right equipment in time.
Currently it costs £25 for local pick up for MOT failures, which are taken up to 5 miles away. The chap uses an HGV with a lift. However, he also does general haulage and is not short of work. He will be paying HGV tax, which I guess would be more than the total running costs of both my car and trailer.
The other idea is to buy a small fleet of trailers for hire. I used to work for a trailer hire company and the revenue was quite remarkable. The closest trailer hire company to this area is some 20 miles away, so if you're going to hire that tipper trailer to clear your garden and take the refuse to the tip, you've got to go an extra 80 miles (2 return trips) to take the trailer there and bring it back. I live in a rural area with two towns each about 3 or 4 miles away. The only slight downside is that people do tend to be fairly resourseful when trailers need to be counjered up. Beg, borrow or convert the caravan etc - This is Cornwall after all!
As suggested earlier, the two ideas could be combined. Say 1 car transporter trailer and a towing dolly for hire to both trade and private, a couple of heavy duty 1/2 or 1 tonne tippers and maybe a box van to start.
I could then offer to tow any of these for the punter at an extra cost, so they have the choice.
Any thoughts?
Hugo
"Forever indebted to experience of others" Read more
I would think that this type of business would find difficulty in being succsessful using word of mouth only. The possible solution is advertising but this could be expensive. I hope you are succsessful if you do give it a crack.
Having just purchased a K reg (93)Auto 2.5 MX6, I trundled off very happy with my purchase. Problems occured when I tried to accelerate. When the kick down did engage, not a great deal happened. More concerning was that when reaching 3500rpm the engine cuts out completley. When travelling at 75mph the loss of brakes and power steering is disconcerting. The only evidence of a fault I could see was the HOLD light flashed on the console. The manufacturers hand book helpfully explains this is an electrical issue in the Auto transmission. Does anyone know if this is a simple sensor issue or something far more involved (and expensive!).
Thanks in advance
Dman Read more
Thanks for the feedback guys...
The brake and power steer failed, simply because the engine switched off. I don't think there is anything at fault in this area. The issue I think is, after discussion with some friends, possibly a sensor in the transmission which regulates the kickdown, because the engine cutting out occurs only under certain conditions. Today, I let her rip from 1st up and easily passed the dreaded 3500rpm with consumate ease and no blips at all.... which leaves the problem occuring when either in 4th kicking down to 3rd and accelerating or simply being in 4th and passing 3500rpm. I also failed to mention that after a period of 5 mins or so, the car would restart normally as if nothing untoward had happened !
Still confused....
Spoke to dealer and due to check in next week, will write up a post-mortem.
Regards
D
Plus I get confused when watching Top Gear / 5th Gear because I never know if they are talking to the wheels or to the flywheels. For example, this past weeks Top Gear they road test the new GTO and he says it?s 302 BHP. Well here in the USA it?s advertised as 350hp, but that # is to the flywheel, not the wheels. Are all the HP #s on those shows to the wheels? Read more
My experience trying to compare ars in the UK and Oz is that what is nominally the same car with the same engine capacity do not match.
Due to local market conditions, fuel quality, local emissions requirements the engine fitted into an otherwise identical car can vary substantially. This may be a different camshaft, or even a complete cylinder head or as simple as a different ECU mapping.
I know that Subaru put different engines in the Liberty/Legacy for different markets.
regards
Ian L.
Hi,
Need to rant and haven't been able to access the site for ages.
Yesterday we suffered a parking rage incident. Obviously parking spaces are few and far between at this time of year, but we were thrilled to find one and Rob, who was driving, had indicated and swung round to reverse park. Suddenly a car came up behind and took the space.
Now I know this was stupid, but at the time I had no reason to believe that the occupants of the other car were anything but human. So, I got out of the car and tapped on their passenger window, just wanting to do a polite 'excuse me we were just parking here' (honestly). My tapping was ignored, by which time Rob was out the car telling me to get back in. We were just about to do so, but Rob, in his own moment of stupidity, gave a gentle slap on the boot of the other car just to register his annoyance.
At which point all hell broke loose. The woman driver suddenly appeared in my face, right up close and shouting abuse and threats. Unfortunately, although I like to think that I don't get intimidated and can look after myself I plainly can't.
At the same time the male passenger had got out of the car and started raining kicks into the side of my beloved car. I wanted so much to do something about it, but Rob, who it seems is much more sensible than me in such situations insisted we got in the car and drove off.
As we did so, I dialled 999 (yes way OTT in hindsight but I was in such a state and had felt badly threatened). After spelling out the name of the road etc 8 or more times on the phone and being told the place we were at didn't exist, I gave up and decided to report the incident at the local station. (which incidentally is now not a station but an office). This was probably also OTT but I was shaking like a leaf and didn't want these people to just treat my car like that and get away with it.
Today I spoke to the police again, and asked to drop my complaint, because of fear of repercussions (these people really were the scum opf the earth). I apologised for wasting their time and they were extremely helpful, saying that they would keep details on file in case the same car was found in another incident.
Anyway, my car now has bad dents, scrapes and bootmarks along the rear driver side panel and bumper, which apparently the insurance company will treat as a write-off.
I'm very upset, as, despite its age and its notoriety, was in extremely good shape. I'm also gutted that it was my own stupid thoughtless action in the first place that caused it to happen.
I didn't realise quite how fond I am of that car until yesterday.
HF :(
PS - sincere apologies to those that I should have emailed over the last week or so. Again it must seem like I'm being rude, but we've been unable to use the internet for ages again. I will get in touch tomorrow, assuming we still access. Read more
My incident was a very long time ago now, Dalglish, but I thank you for your input.
For me, times and circumstances have changed, and I would like to think I would never be that stupid again.
Finally, Mal's comment, which I did not see before, 'The pangs of your sadness will pass as your senses will rise' is very true, and is certainly a lesson to me in many ways. Thank you, very belatedly, for that, Mal.
neone know which make of battery is best for a pug td 405p.s. motoquip is not very good, IMHO ,so dont say that please
Please watch your language, I have edited this time, but further outbursts will just be deleted. DD Read more
Costco was the cheapest by a long way for my Mondeo. It was a Bosch Silver - the standard one for a 2.0 Mondeo was about £26 incl VAT but I went for the next one up at £31.
......at a major junction, nightmare lights and a police van is approaching from behind and you know he wants the lane you are in!!??
This happened to me earlier, on my way home from work, around 4.30pm and traffic was pretty bad, as it always is in Manchester. I was at a major traffic light junction with 3 lanes, I was at the front with a couple of cars behind me, the police van had sirens and blue lights flashing.
There was no other way for him to go so I had to move. I immediately thought forwards and infront of the car next to me, so I wasnt in the way of the traffic already flowing from the left and right, but he decided to go forwards too!! I was now nearing the centre of the junction and to be honest I was scared stiff of someone crashing into me.
Anyway the police van went screaming past and I managed to reverse back a little so I could then wait for the traffic lights to turn to green, oh and to avoid a bus crunching the front of my car. All this was over in a matter of seconds but I did think what should I do? Did I do the right thing or should I have stayed where I was and waited for the lights to go green?, hard to think when all you can hear is screaming sirens and see flashing lights in your rear view mirror.
Home now but need a stiff drink :-)
The funny thing is a similar thing happened on Sunday when in a friends car - gladley I didn't stall my car as she did!!
GC Read more
I was in road works the other day there are two lanes of traffic in opposite directions with cones in the middle and cones to either side, the road goes down to a roundabout and was a nightmare this paticular evening. there was an ambulance about 2 cars back from me and im sure im not the only one who felt utterly helpless to move out the way, all the cones are roped together and there was a good half mile of traffic to go until the roundabout! We sure as hell all moved sharpish when we could though!!
Browse
Andrew-T,
I wasn't asking for sympathy or understanding - just help finding alternative routes which the other posters have been willing to give.
Cheers
Rob
PS, many thanks to those of you who have taken the time to share your 'shortcuts'. Cardew - I think that yours sounds the most wacky so I'll give that a go next time!