January 2004
A zebra crossing has just been installed in a nearby road (a vanity project by the town mayor). The residents of nearby houses are continuing to park where they alsways have, except that they are now parked on top of the zigzag lines.
How long before there is a letter to the local paper moaning about how not only have they been fined, but have been given points on their licence.
What is most amusing about the whole situation is that the only cars parked in the road, were those parked on the zigzags. The rest of the street was empty. Read more
Anyone know if the stiff, rear torsion suspension bars from a Pug 206 GTI will fit a Citroen ZX.
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The 206 rear suspension, whilst similar in 'type' to the ZX (eg rear trailing arm) is completely different to the ZX. You would be better off looking for another ZX (the Volcane or 16V probably has the stiffest rear) or a sporty 306.
Thinking about buying a Peugeot 405 executive . Can you all give me some advice as to weather these cars are good value ? One problem I have found on the car upon inspection is the air con. doesnt work , i cant even here it clicking on under the bonnet when the switch is on ? the car is a petrol 2.0i automatic , on an "N" plate 1996 I think the year is . Read more
Don't pay over the odds for it; there are nicer petrol estates around.
Yup, the a/c can be troublesome, with age. Leaks etc etc often end up costing more than the car is worth.
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
Hi Guys,
Yes, a different fault from my earlier post on a different PUG 309D.
Just picked up an H plate Pug 309D for £15! It has a tank that?s ¾ full, plus 6 weeks tax left on it, so that alone has to be worth the money.
Not surprisingly, it has been neglected and to describe it as ?tatty? would be a gross understatement. Still, it started (eventually) and managed the 7 miles back to my place - well, almost.
The first of what I suspect of many, many faults is with the cooling system. When the car warmed up, after starting it up for the first time in 6 weeks, steam quickly poured out of the filler cap, with a high speed whistle. Feeling the feed pipe to the rad. was like gripping a metal pipe; the pressure in there was really high.
The heater worked fine in the car, so I guess the water pump was working. The radiator also got hot, showing the thermostat must have opened. I had to stop once on the way home to top up the expansion tank. The pressure released when undoing it was impressive, but I was prepared, so no nasty face wash with boiling rusty water!
Also, with the filler cap off and the engine running, water & steam gushes up and out the tank on a cyclic basis like a mini geyser!
Any ideas what would cause such a massive pressure to build up and open the pressure release of the filler cap?
Many thanks in advance for any help.
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Thanksfor the reply PG.
Couldn't really say about the state of the expansion bottle before I started it up, but with the top off to fill it up (whilst engine running) just caused the lovely rust coloured water to gurgle up and out.
Once switched off, I still didn't see any oily gunk (or white foam) around the top of the expansion bottle neck. But I guess with it's 'hot geyser clean' it could have been washed away. The expansion tank certainly couldn't be described as clean though.
Out of morbid interest, I'll whip the head off and have a look at the horrors within.....
Thanks for taking the time to reply guys - very much appreciated.
We've taken the plunge and taken advantage of some £0.52 air tickets in February...(yes, silly isn't it? Total cost for each of us with tax & everything is £21 return. It would cost more to take a train to any UK destination...)
But I digress. Has anyone any experience of car hire companies? Which ones do you recommend? What things should I be looking out for - insurance/penalty clauses etc.?
Any help much appreciated. Apologies if I've missed previous threads on this topic.
Splodgeface Read more
I tend to agree with Cardew on this one. I'd prefer to rent from the likes of Avis/Europcar/Hertz as it's easier to sort out any problems when you get back.
Ryanair has a fly-drive deal with Hertz (there's a link on the
Ryanair website). It's worth checking out the rate.
Yes, Ryanair doesn't make any money on fares like this. It makes money by having a very low cost structure and utilising clever "yield management" where the price charged for some flights subsidises others. Try booking a return flight to Stansted-Forli this coming weekend (out Jan 16 ; back Jan 18) and the Ryanair website quotes a return fare of £181.
Also, Ryanair isn't the only one trying to "shift the blame on others" by adding taxes and fees to the basic seat price.
Practically every other airline in Europe does this as well.
Alex
An article in today's Observer confirms what many here have been saying for some time.
See tinyurl.com/38hcw
The article argues that lack of enforcement is leading to more deaths and an increase in drink driving.
One notable statistic is that the number of dedicated traffic officers in 2001-02 was just under 6,500 but 8,900 ten years before.
(Not added to the speeding or speed camera threads because it touches on issues wider than that.) Read more
If they say the Essex coastline is unspoilt, then they might
as well call it the longest....
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Well, goes to prove that you can't believe everything you read, I'll give way to Cornwall on length, Essex coastline is 341 miles. My source for Essex having the longest coastline is the CPRE website which actually says as much, thought I could trust the CPRE! As for the unspoilt it certainly is, at least the vast majority of it anyway, and the more of the population that believes otherwise, the better, so we locals can enjoy it in peace.
The survey findings I referred to about 66% wanting more beat officers was actually an item on BBC Essex Monday morning but I can't find any reference to it as yet on the police website.
Back to the point of the thread, as far as I'm concerned an officer on the beat can be either on foot around the streets or patrolling the roads, it's a question of a meaningful presence.
Our motorcycle officers used to fulfil a very useful function in that they were respected by the biker fraternity in a way that no officer in a car ever will be and were able to educate as well as police because of that respect. I think there can be little better evidence than the marked increase in fatal motorbike accidents over the last few years since the motorcycle section was disbanded. Also they were a continual presence on the roads and were very good at popping up in the most unexpected places, a function that can't be fulfilled by a very garish police car. IMHO the disbanding of this section was totally counter productive and should be reinstated ASAP.
Cockle
I\'ve got a very slow, but steady drip, from somewhere near where the radiator return hose enters the engine block. But it doesn\'t appear to be where ther hosde actually connects to the engine.
Due to the near impossibility of actually being able to see exactly where the leak is comming from - even when the car is on wheel ramps & cam belt cover off - I\'m suspecting perhaps the water pump seal has finally gone and I\'m getting a very small leak somewhere round it. This seems to flow it\'s away around and drip off the lower part of the engine.
All hoses are fairly new and show no sigh of cracks etc.
So I\'m intending to have a go at removing the water pump and fit a new gasket.
Q: Can the water pump actually be removed and re-fitted with the engine in place?? It looks a bit of a job!
Also, is there any merit in fitting a new pump? (they\'re only about £16)
Car is a 1988 Pug 309 GLD (XUD engine - water pump drven by cam belt)
Any advice greatly appreciated.
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It could well be the coolant housing on the rear of the engine....
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
When driving on the straight a loud low pitch whining sound occures but not immediately. The sound is temporarily remedied by pulling up and turning the steering wheel on full lock. After doing that the sound dissappears for a while. It only does it on a straight journey never around town. The noise also goes if I take it out of gear and coast but as soon as I put it back in gear it returns.
If it was a driveshaft or CV joint why would the noise stop when coasting out of gear. If it was a gearbox problem why would turning the steering wheel sharply or driving round town stop it?
This has been an increasing problem for the last 9 months. Is it gearbox or a driveshaft?
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was going to say power steering as well,sometimes you get a
horrible sounds when the pump goes esp if the pulley is
wearing loose as they do in pugs,if its going,change it
quick .
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No there is no power steering, I wish there was. Turning the wheels with a 1.9 lump under the bonnet is not for little old ladies.
Hello,
Does anyone have any experience or view on how long the Turbo lasts on the 1.8T Audi A6.
I am looking at a few, but not sure if I should be considering the price of Turbo replacement in purchase price.
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Thanks Guys, that was teh response I was hoping for.
My wheels are now around 3 years old. I drive it as if it\'s an extension of my own self.
Now, I\'m sensitive about my own health (I have to be, at my age).
So what this means is, my car gets driven \'sympathetically\', looked after, pampered, etc.
My car rewards me with 100% reliability, and low costs. Great.
My worry is: have I become an old bloke before my time?
Oz (as was) Read more
>>instead of "an old emission of wind", why not use "an old eructation?"<<
That would be an old burp - if the nanny device allows it!
Browse
Put your foot on one in Manila and traffic actually speeds up and aims right at you.