May 2004
came out of work last night and car (405td) wouldn\'t start, seemed like the battery was flat (6mths old) when you turn the key all the dash lights go out, had the car jump started and started to drive home, the heater fan kept coming on even though it was switched off, at the same time abs warning light would also come on, headlights would flicker, also noticed that when going over uneven roads the abs light would again come on. When l got home l turned car off and tried starting again, same as before, turning key just faded the dash lights, when l tried the central locking/immobiliser there was a continuous clicking noise coming from a small grey relay type unit under the glove box, l\'ll try a new battery today but this seems more than a dead battery problem, any ideas? lm at work until midday, so l\'ll have a few hours this afternoon to explore. Any advice please.
Duggie Read more
Apologies for asking this again, but it got moved the last time I wrote it, and no-one answered me....Mods: please could it stay outside the speeding thread, at least until someone answers? Thanks!
I've had something through from Hertz, with regard to a traffic offence. The German word is "Ordnungswidrigkeit" which means administrative offence. Assuming I was speeding (safe bet), what are the penalties in Germany for an offence committed in March?
I have no idea how fast I was going (didn't see a camera, and was unaware of a speed limit on that bit of motorway). To date, I've been charged 23 euros, which I suspect is just Hertz's admin fee for telling me I've been a naughty boy.
Anyone else been done like this?
Thanks,
O Read more
Holding an approximate speed isn't so difficult if the car is under proper control - if someone is so scared of drifting from 29 to 31 (even though there's no evidence to suggest that 31 would be generally enforced anyway) would it really be such a trial for them to try 28 instead of 29.....? What difference is that going to make to an overall journey time? It's a limit after all, not a target.
It is illegal for speedos to under-read, so most over-read to compensate, sometimes by up to 10%. Very few are completely accurate.
My mums ancient - but utterly reliable Fiesta Classic Quartz has developed a fault whereby the key unlocks the door it wont turn the ignition on. Gradually it has got worse so the steering wheel has to be turned to allow the key to turn but now it wont do anything! Any ideas?? Thanks Read more
"They are affordable and are potential in their in their work."
Why is it that spammers are frequently borderline-illiterate?...
Here's a bit of a motoring-related oddity from today's Telegraph
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/
"Dissent at 80p gallon"
"80p gallon brings calls for Brown to freeze duty
By Paul Marston, Transport Correspondent
(Filed: 08/05/2004)
Petrol prices rose to their highest level for almost four years yesterday, prompting calls for the Government to cancel an increase in duty scheduled for September.
As increasing tensions in the Middle East continued to drive up oil prices, the average British price of unleaded reached 80.2p, the first time it has exceeded 80p since December 2000, shortly after the fuel protests....."
(that'll be 80p a litre then...:) )
and here's what I wrote to Mr Paul Marston, tongue firmly in cheek:
"Dear Mr Marston
May I suggest an interesting business venture?
I agree an 80p gallon is extremely expensive, particularly when you reflect that is 16 shillings a gallon whereas it was more like 7/6 at decimalisation.
Still, if you send the name of the garage which sells petrol at that price I propose to drive straight over from Germany and selflessly fill a tanker with it.
I would buy you a pint for the information.
Best regards and looking forward to doing business,
(I should add that here petrol retails for ?1.249 / litre, which equates to just about 3 guineas a gallon! so I shall be helping Mr Brown and myself too!)
Read more
Whats this extraordinary level of the pound/dollar?
Its only $1.79 to the pound & the cost of the fuel only works out to be a small part of what you pay at the pump. It might cost 83p if the rate was worse but it wouldn't be anywhere near 95p.
At about 7.00 this evening my two children and I were waiting in a take away in Callington, Cornwall for our meal when we heard a screech of wheels spinning and then a THUMP!
The take away, busy on a Saturday evening emptied and we were all treated to the scene of a fiesta impaled onto a post just in front of the church. The driver staggered (and I mean staggered) out of the car. He was very incapable of driving, let alone seeing if his passenger was OK. Another lad helped him out of the car and the passenger was also drunk.
some 15 minuites later the police turned up when the passenger and his helper decided to leave the scene too. Fortunately, one officer was pointed in the right direction and went running to grab both relevent collars. He duly brought them back to start establishing who was driving at the time of the accident. It is then you realise how a professional PC gets answeres!
Callington is a small community and a number of traders and residents have long complained about the growing yob culture in the town centre. The ironic thing was that it seemed to be one of their own that was hurt and about 10 lads all crowded round to see the results of a peer's antics.
Will it make the blindest bit of difference? I think not! Though there is now a hunt to establish the identity (shouldn't be too difficult since a load of locals saw him), and the whereabouts of the driver.
I'm just glad no one else was hurt.
Hugo Read more
People came out for a driving lesson drugged up?!?
My gf is a teacher at an Essex school. You would be surprised at the number of kids that turn up for school under the influence of drugs these days and in this caring sharing PC society of ours how little they can do about it.
When she is on the violent end of a mood swing, the only way to resolve the problem is to threaten the parents with police involvement. Unfortunately many of the kids who are using drugs don't seem to have parents that are that bothered about the actions of their offspring.
Extremely frustrating, bring back six of the best!
Does anyone know the address of the website which tells you the type of oil that should be used for cars please? Read more
As Bertj says, the US sites have drawbacks. Nevertheless, some interesting material, not least for psychiatrists conferences, on Bobistheoilguy: theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi
For the really sad ones amongst us Discovery Home & Leisure on channel 133 are running repeats of aforesaid programme ALL day!
Another chance to lust over VB-H, chuckle at Quentin Willson and think you can do better tham Tiff Needell!
Roger. Read more
been up all night watching, getting tired now listening to Tiff droning on about... ahhhhhhh..!! i can't take anymore!!
For those fortunate enough to be buying a new car, what are typical delays for a new car built to order, ie not in stock at a dealer? I'm a bit puzzled for instance that for a Volvo XC90, local dealer is quoting about 9 months yet Autocar, What Car and Auto Express all have one as a long-term test vehicle, and Volvo are still avertising the XC90 quite heavily. Same sort of position with BMW X5, dealer again quoting about 9 months for delivery but there is extensive advertising....and should the marketing bods responsible for these cars get the chop for getting the production versus sales demand figures so far out? Read more
RF,
Absolutely correct.
A big mistake Mercedes and Rolls Royce made was to expand capacity to meet demand. Both sold for a big premium in UK when they were scarce.
Do you remember the TV programme where Morgan were advised by that Management Guru to expand capacity. The boss - I think it was Charles Morgan - refused to take the advice and has proved his point with high prices and long waiting lists. Few would buy a new Morgan if they were available from stock.
C
Radio 4 next Tuesday (11th May) at 9.30am :
Routemasters:
"A celebration of some of our most familiar, yet unrecognised, design classics: the road sign, the white line, the roundabout, the green man, and the traffic calmer.
Joe Kerr meets the woman who was one half of the team that in the 1960s came up with the distinctive look of British road signs.
It is hard to imagine now, but the nation was outraged when lower-case letters were introduced on our road signs."
Might be worth a listen.
Read more
It's a classic UK problem.
The basic design of our road furniture is superb - a model of clarity. Then we leave the specific implementation to local councils.
Mind you, try the alternative...
www.manaszk.it.pl/zarty/sign10.jpg
www.manaszk.it.pl/zarty/sign12.jpg
www.manaszk.it.pl/zarty/one_way.jpg
There have been a number of posts on this forum relating to Mondeo TDCi 130 ECU issues and also slow warming up.
My May 02 Ghia X (72k) did not previously suffer from any of these issues however recently I experinced a sudden loss of power and the glowplug light started to flash. The car was still drivable so I took it to the Ford dealer who re programmed the ECU and updated the software, the technicians comment was that it will probably be have a smoother responce and the refinement will improve.
However the opposite is true, while it still performs well it now exhibits a typical diesel rattle at light throttle openings, particularly when cold, it uses more fuel to the tune of 3-4 mpg and takes a lot longer to warm up.
I had come to the view that it was approx end 2002 to end 2003 models that were worst effected by the ECU issues, and that earlier and later cars were OK. I wonder if I should ask the dealer to reinstall the earlier ECU software?
Does anyone else have a similar experience?
Regards. Read more
My Mondeo is an 04 130 bhp, when the warming up problem first began I did the normal thing and changed the thermostat - no different but eventually found in some blog that there is a second thermostat fitted to the oil cooler. Cost about £20 from Ford, plus fitting, job done heater now works super.
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Hi
Dont get a 406 unless you have a large wallet, the repairs cost a fortune!
a 406 cant touch a 405, even a base spec 405 for handling, Had a 405, traded it for a 406 that I kept for 6 months & couldnt live with the rubbish drive it offered, so that got traded for one of the last 405s made & enjoy ever corner in front of me. lol