January 2004
There seems to be quite a lot of confusion about the recent bus fare price increases in London and what seems like a massive increase. It is true that the basic 70p fare has increased to £1.00 for any single journey, however by buying a book of 6 pre-paid tickets @ £4.20 the price remains at just 70p. Also, children now can travel free on production of a simple photocard. Aside from the price issue, I think the move away from cash fares can only speed up the bus service (making it more attractive to use) and, thereby hopefully, reducing the delays caused to motorists at/around bus stops particularly. Read more
Hi pie u replied to my call regarding pug alarm systems.. Your email address is not in ur profile and i need help..
Can u read the reply i put in my thread about the alarm or just email me please. my address is in my profile.. Cheers pal Read more
Firstly, may I extend a thanks to HJ for his invaluable CBC breakdown which pointed to distributor cap misery in my Girlf's Volvo 340. Saved me many hours.
I've changed the cap and I'm now looking to waterproof it. HJ mentions a special sleeve but initial inquiries have turned up nowt. It's so old now (the car not the Girlf) that I doubt I'll find one.
The bloke in the local car parts place gave me a rubber glove of the type surgeons and customs officers wear - any good?
Any views welcome. Read more
Holts makes an aerosol caled 'Damp Start' which I've used on many cars over the years - spray forms a plastic coating over distributor, plug leads, elec. units etc. Available from most motor factors.
Driving to work this morning, and just as I was part way around a roundabout, I heard a loud warning 'bing' followed by the multifunction indicator displaying in half inch high red letters the message "STOP", followed by a break warning indicator, followed by the message "Break Fault".
My first thought was "how do I stop if the breaks have gone"?
My second thought was "have the breaks gone?"
Fortunately the breaks were working, and as there was no traffic infront of me on the long straight road I could have stopped using the gears. The break fluid was low and the movement on the roundabout had obviously caused the sensor to trigger the warning.
But what a sense of humour the Germans have eh, "STOP, break failure" Read more
look we've got to make fuels of ourselves somehow......
This is probably one for Dynamic Dave, I've had a 1.8 Vectra for nearly 3 yrs and its been a good reliable car, but I'm thinking of updating to the 2.2 and I fancy an auto, but I was wondering about the trouble they've had with the camchain, and when would you change it and how much would it cost. Also how many miles before the autobox would give problems. Is it easy enough to change the gearbox fluid. Thanks in advance. Read more
Thanks all for your comments, a few trips up to the auctions is in order.
I have a Mondeo Ghia estate, one of the last old shape versions (2000-X).
I lifted the floor mat on the drivers side of the car to discover that the carpet is saturated. It only appears to be the footwell that is affected; there is no sign of water or damp on the sides of the footwell. The passenger side is completely dry. The car has air conditioning (which is on virtually all of the time), and it does leave the usual pools of water under the car after it has been used.
Does anybody have any idea what could be causing the footwell to become so wet? Is it likely to be an expensive air-con fault?
your help would be appreciated...
many thanks
Ian Read more
Ian,
What's going on...I havent owned a Ford in years (see profile)
Ian L.
These cars are almost never mentioned here.
I wonder if anyone has experience of the V6 TDi version?
M.M Read more
>>Don't do it - I beg you.......
If only I had the dosh to be thinking of it for myself!! No it's in an advising capacity.
Yes they are expensive but if the money wasn't an issue I get the impression one would be nice, really really nice.
JBJ... As you might guess I've been self levelling the elegant way for more than 25yrs now.
Still be very interested if anyone looking in has one so they can share their experiences. (Have found the forum for them by the way).
M.M
Having swapped my steel wheels for alloys on my Saab 9-5, I still have the steels. I was thinking about getting some winter tyres to go on them. Can anyone suggest a source of cheap winter tyres here in the UK - having just come back from Austria, where everyone has a set of spare wheels with winter tyres, it was very tempting to buy a spare set there, but didn't have any room in the car. It was incredible to see the sort of conditions they could drive in with proper snow tyres. I was also thinking of really wet as well as snowy conditions.
Anyone any ideas? Read more
Both good weapons in the fight for the best seats on the train!
No hard feelings. Us southerners are thick skinned.
Has anyone experience of the current Jazz ride. I understand prior to May '03 it was apalling but serious work has been done and current cars are much better.
But how much better? Improved from apalling to just acceptable...or actually quite good for its class?
Thanks,
M.M Read more
It sticks to the road and you can throw it around.
Sounds like fun ... especially if there there is a tall, dark stranger throwing me around ;-)
Claire
HJ writes, in the car-by-car breakdown, about certain Mercedes Benzes: Listen for timing chain rattle, signifying infrequent oil changes. Don't want to hear any ... rumbles from the wheel bearings. ... Remember, these cars only go on forever if frequently and expensively maintained. Cut back on the maintenance and they will break, leaving you with bills for more than the value of the car.
Guess what? My father has one of these beasts - a 380, with over 300 000kms on the clock. Over the festive season, he gave it an oil change - long overdue, I must add. filled up with 20W60 (Shell helix - 'for older engines'), and replaced front wheel bearings.
The inevitable happened, on Monday, he went out for the day, piled on a few kms. Fortunately nothing occured, BUT yesterday, at the local shopping centre carpark, timing chain went, shattering the top of the casing, and causing god-knows-what-else damage. I suspect a new motor car is called for.
Oh, and I HAD given him the HJ page a while back... Read more
Not just the UK, then! I can see that if rust starts in a warm climate, then the heat will accelerate it. If dry, then the dust will get you...
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Die dulci fruere!
Browse
Likewise TFL are pushing the use of the Oyster cards for the tube. If you use these you can purchase single fares at last year's price. Again, a move towards speeding the throughflow of passengers (although they insist on calling us "customers").
Oyster card is a new ticketing system where you pay a deposit of £3 and are given a smart card that can then be credited with the appropriate ticket/journey/travelcard details. You don't have to put it through the slot on the gate, just have it in a pocket that will allow the inductive coil in the card to talk to the gate (much like a ski-pass). Speeds things up no end!