June 2004
I am going to be doing one of those rally experience thingummys soon and in the information pack it says all participants will have to sign a waiver saying they will not hold the organisers responsible for any injury or death that occurs while they are participating. I know motorsport is dangerous and I accept that risk but I thought it was not possible to sign away your legal rights? Health and safety rules would still apply and people would still have the right to sue if injury resulted from negligence of the organisers rather than just a normal motorsport style accident eg if safety checks were not carried out on the vehicles and an item failed which could have reasonably been noticed on a safety check had it been carried out.
As it is motorsport does it actually absolve the organisers from *any* responsibility and the waiver is just confirming a particpants understanding of this or do some health and safety rules still apply and the waiver is trying to (legally or illegally) trying to get round them?
teabelly Read more
Following on from distance and cost, howabout time?
My 100 mile round trip from Southport to Chester mean that I spend 29,120 minutes on the road each year, even taking into account holidays.
That's 20 days!
My average speed over a year would be 46mph..... Read more
I am a (dare I say it )born again cyclist and commute to work by bike most days and cover some 55 miles a day.It took some time to get to a level of fitness to do this,but over 16months I have lost 5 and a half stone in weight and reduced my cars fuel costs to a very small amount.The down side is the cost of bike wear ,the bikes themself and tyres.Although a much healthier way to commute (sometimes) I not so sure about the cost savings.
We have a Mk3 Golf which we've been very pleased with. But it's starting to look a bit long in the tooth now, particularly as modern cars have come on in leaps and bounds in terms of powerful turbo-diesels and standard safety features.
The Mk5 is out of our price range, so what of the Mk4? I know it has had a luke-warm reception, perhaps criticised for not being as big an improvement as it could've been. But compared to it's class equals, is it a bad car? Read more
On the occasions I've driven VW and other marques in South Africa which have also been built in the country, the difference between European and SA versions is apparent; the latter don't quite manage the same high levels.
If you want to check your VIN number out FOC and find out where your car was built (surprise, surprise my Bora comes from Wolfsburg, yet is named as a Golf!) go to:
www.autobaza.pl/ab/en/web/productaa0100
I\'ve never quite got to grips with understanding of this and never quite understood the passion for rear wheel drive.
I had a 3 series beemer and got caught in heavy snow at Matlock watching the RAC Rally some years ago. The snow fell fast and stuck and the BM became almost useless. I had to be pushed up a hill bumper to bumper by a Land Rover at one point. Good job it was a company car.
Since then I\'ve preferred front wheel drive and I\'ve had a couple of Passats and now a Megane. Am I missing out on something? Can someone explain to me like I\'m a 3 year old the advantages and disadvantes of both? What is understeer and oversteer? What driving teqhniques should be applied to get the best out of both?
Thanks, I hope this will clear up a long term gap in my knowledge.
Malcolm
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I think someone had better remove that link--it doesn't seem like the kind of thing that would do much good for this site any more.
Morning,
I'm starting to think that XJS prices can fall no further and am looking to buy a late model 4 litre with FSH in good order. Research suggests a price of around £6k should get me what I want. Can the 4 litre take high mileages (100k +) or do I need to look for lower? Apart from the bodywork issues which I know about, are the mechanics generally good (my impression is the later facelift model is much more reliable than the earlier)? People I have talked to about this fall into 2 distinct camps (great idea/crazy idea) - what do you guys think? Car would be used for max 4,000 miles a year.
Stoozguy
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I had a 5.4 V12, with performance mods by TWR (engine, transmission, exhausts, suspension, brakes etc) and it was a lovely ride (two people only). Felt really special, but obviously drank petrol, and cost big money to fix (often). Maybe check out the owners club.
The new Astra. Am I the only one to think that it looks like the bonnet hasn't been shut properly? Read more
No, you're not, ND. My thought exactly the first time I saw one!
went with partner to see one today.
She didnt get a chance to test drive.
In its favour...
the car felt well built more so inside with plastics you can use each day.
Also, decent stereo and finally a kia with a decent ariel.
Impressed, particulary with price, spec and headroom. One of the few small cars i can fit into.
Against - tiny boot which rivals the mini, also no spare tyre!
She tends to keep cars for 6 years, and while she aint in a rush to sell her current car, she does need something a little more reliable.
Just wondering anyone elses opinion on what they have seen?
Will they still be screwed together in five years time?
What are they like to drive?
cheers.
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The first time I saw the pictures I thought it was based on the Atoz/Amica but apparently its based on a Getz chassis, the small model Hyundai sell in India is baded on the Amica . Kia is improving with every model, and this it perhaps the best value car on sale today (if you count the spec).
Whats also worth looking at is the Getz because this is slightly larger, can be had for £5999 at many dealers and includes 3 years servicing which makes it the same sort of price as the Picanto (less MPG however and only 3 doors for the cheapest model).
HJ refers to the Nissan automatic gearbox on the X-Trail as a torque converter CVT in the CCBD.Can anyone explain the difference between this type of gearbox and the Audi Multitronic, which is also a CVT?
The Audi automatics are very economical. Is the Nissan less economical because of the torque converter?
Any suggestions on what large automatic estate to go for which is particularly economical - eg Audi A6 Multitronic 2.5 diesel.
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My old Sierra uses LRP.
Off the motorways, Shell, BP and recently Esso stopped stocking LRP in my area.
Tesco & Sainsbury then became my main source of supplies.
I called in Tesco this evening and filled up without thinking too much about price cos Tesco always seems about the cheapest.
It was 86.9p, SIX pence a litre more than basic unleaded!
Normally it is only 2 or 3 pence more.
Is this a hint that LRP is now in very limited supply and they can charge what the like?
I have, to date, not used unleaded plus an additive as the cost was marginal and I guess I was too idle to bother with dosing a tank.
Is this price change happening elsewhere other than in the Kingston, Surrey region?
I am in the process of switching to a Mondeo Mk2 and scrapping the Sierra, even though it is still a runner, so my timing seems to be spot on with these new prices. Read more
I've been using Super Unleaded + Valvemaster for about 5 years now. For the last month in a high compression Rover V8, before that a '72 3500S (I need to change my name here). No need for a timing change. Works out about 2p/litre on top of the Optimax which I must say does exactly what it say on the tin.
No pinking, no fuss, I prefer Valvemaster, it's easy to dose the tank, reliable, well established and no nasty odours. Seems powerful enough.
I'd pay good money for a tank of Bayford Thrust leaded petrol though.
I have a friend visiting from China soon and i wonder if any one knows if a Full China driving license is valid in the Uk or will they need to take a UK test ? Thanks for any replies Read more
We have a number of "students" of chinese extraction coming here, and also have the 12-month rule for foreign licences. A couple of years ago, there was a lot of trouble with such drivers, so the A.A. investigated. They reported that, in China, ALL instruction was undertaken on test tracks, and the first time that a driver actually met real live traffic was AFTER receiving his full licence. It showed !
Browse
Been there and done it and I can't for the life of me remember the exact wording of the waiver but it was pretty much exactly what the letter said, ie all of one sentence!
The people running it seemed sensible and they said they had not had any injuries in all the time they had been doing it (over a decade). The stage was on an airfield and you could see all the cars on it at the same time. They made sure there was plenty of time between cars going onto the stage so you didn't have to worry about others catching you up.
teabelly