February 2004
In this month's Which? magazine, there is a query about tyre life.
Q: I'm worried by something I read recently in a national newspaper. It said that the rules for tyres are being changed to make it illegal to use ones that are more than five years old. My tyres are older than this but seem to be in good condition still.
A: You can stop worrying. There's no such proposal ? and, in any case, the rules about tyres relate to wear and condition, not to age.
Tyres can deteriorate with age, however, even with low and zero mileage on the clock, because of damage caused by ozone. Tyre rubber is impregnated with a chemical, to protect them from ozone. This is released as the tyre flexes when the vehicle is moving ? so it isn't effective if the tyres aren't used much. Tyres can also deteriorate from having to constantly support the weight of the vehicle.
The Tyre Industry Council ? a non-commercial body, which promotes improved tyre safety awareness ? recommends that tyres are replaced once they are ten years old (six in the case of unused tyres). Spare tyres and tyres for caravans and trailers are particularly at risk of premature ageing. You can tell the year of manufacture from the date code on the sidewall of the tyre.
You should check tyres visually (including the spare) at least every two weeks, when you check their pressure. Look for signs of ageing (discoloration and cracks), damage (cuts and bulges), and wear (tread depth, evenness of wear, scuffs and abrasions). If in doubt, get a tyre retailer to check them.
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I guess I'd better think again about the 20-year-old unused spare in the boot of my Capri. Read more
I bought a package of this stuff, the full works, including cloths, i'll new use a chamios again compared to thier drying cloth and spent all day today cleaning the car. One word AMAZING, I haven't seen nothing like it , the car looks brand new (its a 97 R 328i). this is the best i have ever used and wont use anything else from now on. I also believe it to be relativally fairly priced, mind you looking at the out come i'd pay the extra every time.
I also washed the missus car in about five minutes with it using the mitt hey supplied she couldn't believe it just washing and rinsing it looks as if it's been highly polished from that alone.
.....oh yeah 10 minutes after finishing it rained!!!....(the water just beaded off though)
anyone else use this stuff? Read more
according to an earlier thread, the rain was ND's fault!! so blame him!!!!
i've used meguiars in the past, and found it superb, although a bit pricey. best used for when cars going to a wedding.
billy.
I was rear-ended (again)!!! What\'s my legal position and any witness?
Date: 31 Jan 2004, Saturday
Time: 20:15
Location: At the traffic lights on A4 (London-bound) at the Chisick Roundabout.
Car 1: My blue Nissan QX
Car 2: Other party\'s black BMW 320d
I was stationary at the traffic lights on A4 (London-bound) at the Chisick Roundabout. I stopped, checked my mirror that the car behind also stopped, and looked forward.
Then the car behind drove into the back of me. Three Asian got out and immediately accused me I lurked back towards them. I know I cannot lurk backwards because my car is an auto in D and I was sitting on the brakes to stop is it rolling forward.
They did not want to give me details, they were aggressive and one of them sworn and verbally assaulted me. I called 999 as I was scared and locked myself and my friend in the car.
The police arrived and took details and extracted information from other parties. It turned out that the other parties does not own the car.
There are small scratches of 5mm in length at the bottom of the bumper to the car.
However, I dislike being verbally assualted and the anti-social behaviour. I also doubt I would have got the correct details from them if I did not call the police.
What should I do now?
I believe I do not have to make a police statement as the police was at the scene. Am I correct?
Garrison
{Numberplate ID\'s deleted for legal reasons. DD}
Read more
my dad...
he being exinsurance man know his stuff.
he knows gazza will be ok.
Clairvoyant as well is he?
Hi all,
I write this post after seeing something pretty stupid. I was taking a friend home after finishing work. It was raining and dark. After turning into a residential street (his street)I saw a sign that informs you that you are leaving a 20 and now entering a 30. I had been going no more than 30 all the way so went back to see the 20mph sign I missed. I saw the sign the second time around 2 miles back. It was a 20 zone for 2 miles. They can't really expect people to abide by it can they? ANyway - the question is, does anyone know of any case whereby someone has been caught speeding in a 20mph zone? Just curious
Cheers
--
"Give Way"? Wait....I know this one...give me a minute Read more
That's the problem with most humps - they just shift the speeding elsewhere.
hi all, time to replace the "other halfs" punto she,s very keen on a ford ka, however im trying to convince her a vw polos a far better long term buy, good solid tuetonic engineering and all that, anyone care to back me up! cheers (ps have about for and half grand to spend) Read more
No Dosh - 'If its illogical it must be Citroen' should read if its irrational it must be a female......
Ducks , runs very fast indeed and hides cowering in cupboard....
Come on girls - Its a joke!
Our '96 (pre-facelift) Mondeo has recently developed an intermittent fault, which is causing some irritation!
When locking the car, the central locking motors can be heard whirring (but for a greater length of time than usual), however the car refuses to lock. This problem can be remedied by sitting in the front passenger seat and holding the passenger door locked from the inside - hey presto the car is locked, albeit with someone locked inside!
This may not be related, but the front passenger footwell has also started accumulating water. Does anyone have any experience of either of these problems? Read more
Hello.
I have a prefacelift monde (M Reg).
It sounds like something has seized and only moves with help.
I would not reccomend taking the door/s apart unless you have high mechanical experiance.
(iam not experianced)
Regards
Martin Winters
It's all my fault. I couldn't help it.
This afternoon Mrs ND and I washed our cars, gave them both the full Autoglym (resin polish and super dooper extra shiny stuff), even doing all the little bits of black plastic trim and making them all black and shiny again.
As I put the cloths and chamois away it started to rain and hasn't stopped since.
My fault, sorry.
:o( Read more
I spent yesterday afternoon at the PC and could see a bloke in the distance washing a silver 5 series in the pouring rain - you don't have a WN postcode do you ?
just 'cos I know what I'm saying doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about
Two problems here that I need help with. 1/. My daughter has a Pug 106 1.1 98 Look 2 and occasionally when it starts it ticks over really slowly and rough but has no throttle response at all. Stop the engine and restart and all is well. I have checked all connections, all sensors and all is OK, stepper motor OK, 2/. Again, occasionally the immobiliser does not recognise the key and just does not start, clearly. I have wired an LED to the Anti theft link and sure enough sometimes it does not see the key. I have checked the detector coil in the ignition key and all seems fine. Is there a sensible method of bypassing the immobilizer so she can run the car for a few weeks to pin down the problem. You may not wish to post the answer on grounds of security so email me the fix. Regards Peter Read more
Hi Luton Beds.
Now I am confused, I do not have a MAp sensor at all nor does my Haynes manual refer to one for the P& on Single point bosch injector. I have search all around the throttle body and can account for everthing. No MAP sensor and no MAF either on the 1.1 Ltr TU1M+ engine in late 97 and this car 98 but since cleaning the water temp sesor contacts and resaeting the ingition key inductive pool it has run peeeerfectly. Regards Peter.
I have a MKII 1991 1.6l Golf Driver.
Very soon after its MOT, it has started making a single clunking noise seemingly beneath the driver\'s side footwell when accelerating from a stop.
It\'s definitely when applying max torque i.e. in first gear (even when pulling away gently). I know cars can clunk when CV\'s are shot, but the steering is not a factor.
Any ideas what could be wrong?
Yours, gratefully,
jim Read more
new calipers are 100 quid a pair from the dealers (approx) when you give the old ones back to them.
Alterantively, take the old ones apart and free them up. Replace the rubber slider seals and the pvc inserts and scrape/file all teh rust out of the holes through the caliper where the slider bolts sit.
take care not to round of the allen head slider bolts when removing them, you'll need a good quality 6mm allen socket
Don't know whether it's just me or not but at the beginning of December I changed the coolant in the radiator ready for the winter. I'm sure though that since then my engine oil seems to be emulsifying much quicker than usual. I know this engine does suffer a bit from that problem but this time it seems quite rapid ! Any ideas, tips or solutions. I added 50/50 coolant water like the instructions said. It was that stuff in Asda I bought by the way. Read more
Hello
I have heard that a hotter thermostat could help for winter driving as it opens at a higher temp.
Because its winter the engine isnt as hot as it would be in summer and therefore it doesent get hot enough because the summer thermostat opens too early.
I think iam correct.
(iam not a mechanic)
Martin Winters
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There is a very easily read date code on the tyres of my ex-army trailer. It says 1954. They look OK though.