April 2004
Thought I would get the oil changed on my car on Good Friday, so rang National to make sure they are open. Yes they are but apparently the one at Durham will not do an oil change because if anything goes wrong they won't be able to get the parts then.
I rang other branches who will do an oil change no problem. Doesn't instill confidence in the Durham branch if they think a simple oil change will go wrong! Read more
Hello,
I have been offered my parent\'s 1997 Mercedes C250 turbodiesel auto. It has a towing capacity of 1500kg.
How do Mercedes estimate towing capacity? Is it based on a hill start? How steep is the hill?
I only want to recover a heavy boat up a pier with it, and tow 2 miles. Am aware of the fact that you shouldn\'t normally tow a trailer exceeding 85% of the vehicle\'s weight.
Regards,
Tim Read more
I'd certainly try it somewhere safe first. I wouldn't want to be stuck at the bottom of a slipway with the tide coming in and the wheels spinning helplessly!
Anyone got any ideas where to start with this one? A friend has an AX 1.0 'K' plate. It broke down and had to be towed-the fault is this (this info is second hand from the AA man to her to me so apologies for the vagueness). The car will idle but apparently when the throttle is pressed the engine won't run properly, it chugs and misfires making it undriveable. The AA man apparently said something to do with some switch or something in the throttle. I don't know much about AX's and I haven't even had a look at the car. I don't even know if it is carbed or injected although if we are talking about throttle position switches or whatver then it must be injected.
Any ideas?
Once again apologies for the poor info, it's not much to go on I know! Thanks. Read more
I need to replace our second car. The choice is limited because I have a Britax Isofix car seat which has only been tested for use in certain cars, like our current second car, an '02 SEAT Ibiza diesel (it's a three door hatchback and the prospect of trying to get two kids into the back of it is not a nice one). So, I would like to continue to attach the car seat to Isofix points and will probably get another seat the same when our second one needs it. Our other car is a Skoda Octavia which the car seat fits and it's just handy to be able to swap the seat between cars as required. What I don't really want to do is spend any money to change.
From the list of approved cars - www.britax.co.uk/isofix/isofix_vcg_2.htm - I have identified the following as possibilities (the Bentley Continental being just outside the budget) based largely on my own prejudices (I don't want another Octavia for example) and spending time on here :
Nissan Almera or Primera
Seat Leon, another Ibiza (we wouldn't be getting rid of it if we'd bought a 5 door to start with), Cordoba Vario (few and far between).
Mazda 323
Can anyone see anything else from the Britax list which might meet the critera ?
1. I don't want to have to use the additional tether that is required with some cars (we'd only end up losing it)
2. I don't want to have spend any money so it must be worth no more than I'll get for the SEAT - early '02 plate, 100 bhp TDi S, 10,000 miles, full history.
3. I'd like something that is at least mildly interesting to drive & reliable.
4. Doesn't have to be a diesel.
I know that the sensible answer is to have my wife cart the kids around in the Skoda, equipped with two car seats while I go to work in something that never has a car seat in it and it might yet come to that, but it would be good if it didn't have to.
Thanks
Matthew Kelly
No, not that one. Read more
It's more that the Seat is a three door & putting a second child in the back will be difficult. Bad planning I know but we bought a three door when we had one child & now we're expecting another three door car plus two small kids = back pain.
Matthew Kelly
No, not that one.
I remember Lady Thatcher once saying that she likes Jaguars as they're the only car where you can see the end of your bonnet.
I'd add the MB W123 to that list. But my 'new' audi 100/(A6 shape) I've no idea whatsoever where the corners might be. Anybody else have similar problems with their cars? Read more
you can't see the corners??
that'll be the Volkswagen Beetle.
Saw an interesting combination on the dual carriageway yesterday. Horsebox, to which was attached a (very) large caravan, to which in turn was attached a standard sized caravan.
How do you *reverse* a combination like that? My mind can't even begin to work out which way the wheel would have to go!
Is such a thing legal anyway? Read more
Thanks DVD. So although a heavy motor car could technically pull 2 trailers, one would be very unlikely to encounter anything like that because cars are not designed to have any weight resting on them, cf the front bit of an artic?
I suppose some bits of agricultural or industrial equipment might come into that category, where the weight rests as much on the towing point as on the wheels. I've seen LandRovers moving balers with trailers attached, and a mobile pump with its pipes etc in a little trailer behind.
Not normal car stuff though, even though my ex-army trailer does have a hook on the back for coupling on another!
Very awkward siuation the other day. Had a lift in a car with girlfriend's sister's fiancé and was appalled at his standard of driving. Hogging the right hand lane with no other traffic about, little indication, tailgating, driving at up to an indicated 120mph, you name it he did it! How can you politely tell somebody their driving is so bad when they are kind enough to be giving you a lift?
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I think people owe it to themselves, to their lousy chauffeurs and to any others that might have to endure being driven dangerously to point out what's wrong.
People are pretty much totally convinced of the adequacy of their own driving standards, however, so any advice or intervention is unlikely to change someone's habits in the longer term. But it just MIGHT make them think, especially if someone else has said the same before.
I wouldn't hesitate to say if I were frightened by someone's driving, and nor would I hesitate to say "Stop and let me out. I'll make my own way." I'd rather experience great inconvenience than seriously risk injury - or worse.
Can anyone tell me what sidelights are for on modern cars? Their presence allows misguided drivers to use them in fog and rain when dipped headlights would be better. I haven't used my sidelights alone in all the time I've owned my current transport (7 years)Why do we have them? Read more
The highway code says you should drive on sidelights with certain exceptions...then dipped should be used.
Lighting requirements
93. You MUST
use headlights at night, except on restricted roads (those with street lights not more than 185 metres (600 feet) apart and which are generally subject to a speed limit of 30 mph
use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 201).
ensure all sidelights and rear registration plate lights are lit at night.
Laws RVLR regs 24 & 25 & RV(R&L)R reg 19
94. You MUST NOT
use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users
use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves to avoid dazzling other road users.
Law RVLR reg 27
95. You should also
use dipped headlights, or dim-dip if fitted, at night in built-up areas and in dull daytime weather, to ensure that you can be seen
keep your headlights dipped when overtaking until you are level with the other vehicle and then change to main beam if necessary, unless this would dazzle oncoming traffic
slow down, and if necessary stop, if you are dazzled by oncoming headlights.
Cavalier 3. Runs ok but I think one of the spark plug threads is crossed or stripped (not by me!), it\'s fairly tight but feels as if it\'d turn forever. I\'ve read an archive on helicoiling but I think that thread-locking cement might do the trick.
So the question is:
Which cement? The car accessory shops will sell you anything, I would have thought that it would be critical to use the right one given the temperature it\'ll be exposed to. Obviously it will need to come out ocasionally.
Thanks in advance.
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Richard,I hope this doesn't sound daft. Have you tried cleaning the threads first with a plug chaser? The threads may be bunged up with carbon. I would do that before thinking of helicoils.MJ
I have been offered a pug 1.9 205 gti thay is a non cat version, that the current owner uses with high octane petrol.
From various pug websites it seems that only the later 1.9's fitted with catalytic converters will run on 95 ron unleaded petrol (and have a lower BHP), where the one'a prior to about 1992 will only run 98 ron fuel.
Can the older 1.9 pugs be converted to run on normal 95 ron unleaded or will I be doomed to forever fill up this car with super unleaded or fuel additive.
If you know of a web link or a garage that could convert (and a rough estimate of the price involved) then please let me know.
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Hi mate, I am a pgac member and think you may possibly get an answer to your question on our forum from a 205 expert!!
have a look and try (you will need to register first)
www.peugeot-gti.net
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I'd imagine they're more concerned with the car's ability to cope with an oil change than their own ability to perform one. I can happily change a car's oil myself, but it doesn't mean there haven't been occasions when I've found myself shearing the edges off a sump-plug on a somewhat neglected car where it's siezed.
Personally, I'd be more confident of taking my car to the Durham branch than the other branches after that. At least they've had the foresight to predict a potential problem, rather than performing the oil change and keeping the car in all Easter-weekend if it goes wrong.