June 2004
I'm pretty sure that the battery on my 2001 Passat pdi SE needs replacing. Could someone answer these questions please?
1) How do you get the battery out after removing the large plastic panel - does the other plastic panel up against the windscreen have to be removed? If so, do the wipers have to come off?
2) Are there likely to be problems with the car electrics/electronics? I know that the radio will have to be recoded but is anything else likely to be affected?
I'm reluctant to go to a VW dealer because of their ridiculous prices.
Thanks. Read more
I'd like to start by saying I am in no way complaining about HJ's rules. This is an exceedingly useful website, and whatever needs to be done to make sure it isn't shut down I am in favour of.
However, the thought occurred to me: What about journalists (including HJ himself) who slate a car? Do the car manufacturers sign a waiver as they hand the keys to the press car over giving the journos permission to write whatever they like?
Would the manufacturer ever have recourse to sueing a journo if they felt they had been libelled? Read more
>>D'you know, my other car's a space rocket? ;-)
Your assumption in this case is the same as your general conception of motoring journalists.
I write as someone with more than 40 years' experience in journalism, including 15 years as the MC for one of the UK's best selling evening newspapers.
A car is normally someone's second most expensive purchase and that's why any road test should tell it as it is.
If you are as wise and knowledgeable as you seem to believe you are, then you should have learned by now to sort out the genuine journalists from the small time operators (often employed by an advertising department to write copy that satisfies advertisers) and rely on their judgement.
It's the same philosophy with any reviews of consumer products - cars are not an exception.
I know I used to have occasional confrontations with the advertising department heads, who made it clear that car sales advertisers were sometimes unhappy about what was written about certain models and threatening to withdraw their advertising.
However I had an editor who stood up firmly for editorial freedom, backed me to the hilt and, apart from one instance, advertising was never withdrawn. Even then the advertiser was back in double quick time after realising sales had gone down as a result.
Re driving impressions. These are normally written by MCs after going on a new car's Press launch, usually held some time before the model hits the showrooms and done in pre-production or even European specification vehicles.
A manufacturer will naturally wish to gain maximum publicity when the car first goes on sale, so driving impressions are just that and published some time prior to showroom sales commencing.
They are intended as an brief appetiser and full road tests are usually published around the time of the car going on sale or shortly afterwards.
The UK's motorway services have been voted the worst in Europe by a cross european panel. The worst in the UK (and therefore in Europe) is Knutsford South M6. And quite right too an appaling place.
(they had flags in stock yesterday tho - £1.49) Read more
Oh dear - the site doesn't recognise the EURO symbol (Alt Gr. plus 4) on my PC
Roger in Spain
Anyone got any ideas?
Oxygen sensor in my 99 accord has failed. £239 for the part. £90 to fit it. £38 for the diadnostic test. £367 in total.
B*gger. Read more
I had one for an Accord from Fuel Parts last year and it was NKT branded.
Very poor of them to send s/hand unit though! Unbelievable!
Has anyone spotted this gem?
The government has announced that incompetent or dangerous drivers will be obliged to display warnings on their cars for the benefit of other road users. These shall consist of a white flag with a red cross, prominently flown so as to be visible above roof level. Severe cases to display 2 or more such flags. These warnings replace the previous requirement to wear a baseball cap back to front.
No no no no no no! Good grief.....
No Dosh
Backroom Moderator
mailto:moderators@honestjohn.co.uk
Read more
Oooo. Several of these threads have been roasted already.
As has this one. ND
One for the decrim parking junkies:-
The National Parking Adjudication Service have recently published their Annual Report for 2002/3. It contains a variety of useful information including tables comparing Council's performance and details of significant cases. Read or down load from www.parking-appeals.gov.uk/about/AnReport.asp
Mercifully this year's has been significantly compressed from the 11mb jobbie last time around. Read more
As a first time VW owner I can say I would not buy another as I have it to be unreliable and the dealer service very poor. In future I will buy Japenese. Read more
Ah, but the thread reopens tomorrow......
ND
Hi,
just a quick one.
Had an episode the other night when needing to drive - no headlights. The side lights and main beam were still working.
Not a problem i thought, must be the fuse. check fuse - its ok.
After dithering about with the switch and changing the bulbs, all to no avail, had to pull the fuse box out and check the relays.
The relay that controls the headlights was not working at all.
After realising i could do nothing else at 1 in the morning I tapped it a few times with the handle of a screwdriver - it worked! and the headlights now work!!
Question is, do relays sometimes get stuck and need a slight tap to free them, or is this the sign of it on the way out?
ta,
Dave. Read more
I believe the fuse/relay box on these cars is notoriously unreliable. On the MkIV cars it was located in the engine bay under the corner of the bonnet, on a ledge, where it got dribbled on and filled up with or sat in a pool of water. For the MkV they moved it down, above the driver's footwell, where it got kicked by anyone clumsy or with big feet.
Just saying that it might be the fuse box, rather than the relay.
Cheers,
Mark
I only ask as I went to have two nice slightly pre-owned premium-brand tyres put on my front wheels last night - £50, can't say fairer than that compared to prices in local Super-speedy-hi-speed fit tyres.
But the chap who fitted them was remarkably reluctant to take £3.50 a side from me for balancing them. Not balancing wheels must be complete false economy I should have thought? Or am I oversensitive? The only vehicle I've ever driven with unbalanced wheels was a Hilux that the weights had fallen off both front wheels, and that was a dreadful ride to go to get them redone. Read more
A recent thread covered the marking of the sidewall to indicate (I think) the 'radial light point', I had never heard of this before and since the car outside had 4 newish Firestones on it I thought I would check. Sure enough a 1cm diam Blue circle was lined up with each of the valves. (The tyres were sourced and fitted in France tho).
Always learning!
pmh (was peter)
I've just moved to North Yorkshire and have been travelling up and down the A1 around Leeming Bar a fair bit recently. I have become intrigued by an odd loooking vehicle that I have seen fairly regularly sitting by the side of the A1 and also on the surrounding side roads. It is a Transit type vehicle but with a high roof (maybe a Convoy) and has lots of orange and yellow harlequin patterns all over it. I don't think it is marked as a police vehicle, more likely to be North Yorks County Council. The really odd thing is the array on the top. It looks like a frame with about 25 large yellow inverted teacups arranged 5x5. Whenever I see it this vehicle has its doors shut so does not look like a camera van. I did wonder if it was connected to RAF Leeming since whenever I see it it is close-ish to the airfield but it is not in military colours. Last night I saw it at about 7.30pm but have also seen it at 7am.
Does anyone have any idea what it might be. Read more
Saw it parked this morning so had a good look. it belongs to the Highways Agency and the tesacups do indeed look like lamp holders so I guess it is a raod maintenance vehicle.
How dull.
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elekie
Thanks very much for that; I'm glad the battery removal seems relatively simple.