June 2004
Just got the following email from a friend, and I have a few questions
-- Start --
P was driving in outside lane of m40 doing about 85 mph in my car when a guy in the slow lane pulled into the middle lane without warning.
A 4x4 then swerved into side of us forcing P nearly into central
reservation
Lost control of car and went into a spin was terrifying thought we wd b hit by oncoming traffic
P managed to pump breaks and car came to halt without turning over across slow lane facing central reservation
It stalled and cdnt start engine which was awful as lorries having to swerve to avoid us
P was amazingly calm ... I was shaking, crying etc
We r so lucky to b alive today
-- and here is what her bf emailed her --
its a beautiful day to be alive !!
You must say I was driving I think the claim has to be dealt with by your insurance co Im fully comprehensively insured but that means I only get 3rd party fire and theft cover when driving another car
TW (driver of 4x4) rang last night. Wants insurance details
embrace the day xx
-- end --
So does my friend, who was a passenger in her own car, have to make the claim, or does her boyfriend, the driver, have to make the claim. I have told her that I think both must inform their own insurance companies.
No comments about the speed they were travelling at please. Haven\'t a clue why P had to pump the brakes given the car has ABS. Perhaps his own doesn\'t. You wouldn\'t believe from her grammar (I cut and pasted) that she is an author!
Apologies if the codes I have used to make the text bold are wrong!! Read more
Can anyone settle an arguement my wife and I were having yesterday. Is it true that repeatedly driving the car when the fuel light is on and there is not much petrol in the tank is bad for the car. She has heard that all sorts of sludge gathers in the bottom of the tank and can damage the engine if it gets in. I think this is a myth for many reasons: surely any sludge will be mixed with the fuel in the tank as a result of the car's motion; there should not be much sludge in the fuel anyway and there is a fuel filter somewhere in the fuel line to stop any muck getting in. Read more
Systems can't be totally sealed - as a full tank gets used, air has to be drawn in from outside to fill the space. That air will contain water vapour, and if the inside of the tank is cooler than the air drawn in, then the vapour will condense.
I don't know the water goes though - it doesn't normally seem to be a problem.
I'm considering buying a Piaggio Ape van as a delivery van for a small florist's shop (the shop's small, not the florist...). Check out:
www.reliantpartsworld.com/version_1.3_ape/van.htm
Cheap to run, easy round town, good advertising tool etc. are the appealing bits. Don't need a proper van cause flowers ain't heavy! Very cheap secondhand. What do you think? Read more
When I was 10 years old, my parents moved to a small island off the coast of Sardinia. We had a 2 mile drive (dirt track) to the dirt road down to the village. (Read MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS) We had a couple working for us. Trentina, who cooked, and Angelo who was supposed to mend stuff (though my father thought he was a potential child molester, and as a result he was constantly on road repair duty as dad could thus keep an eye on him). My parents bought Angelo a Piaggio Ape 3 wheeler to do the shopping etc. They did'nt have a cab then. A telegramme was sent to a friend in the UK who was coming out to visit, ending with "...Angelo will meet you with the ape." This caused some mirth.
Car crime could be about to rocket again - and it's all because special squads set up to bring it down are facing the axe.
Six years ago, ministers pledged to cut vehicle offences by 30 per cent by 2004. To achieve that, they launched the Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team (VCRAT), in a bid to boost public awareness about security, tighten registration procedures and crack down on thieves.
According to one insurance expert - is that the police will now concentrate on "other matters", leaving car criminals free to wreak havoc again.
Phil Swift, boss of Kent-based Claims Management and Adjusting, told us: "There's a good chance VCRAT will be disbanded. This, along with the fact that police resources will be allocated elsewhere, could see offences rise again."
The Home Office said VCRAT's future is uncertain after July 2005. "That's when the final crime figures for 2004 will be published, and the completion of a target period is a good time to review whether VCRAT should continue," explained a spokeswoman.
She added individual police forces set their own targets and were free to choose how to achieve them. Meanwhile, if your car is stolen, there's less chance than ever of it being recovered. The latest British Crime Statistics reveal an estimated 60 per cent of the 315,000 vehicles taken in 2001 were returned to their owners.
But 4,000 more cars remained missing in 2002, and Swift reckons recovery rates will fall further. "This is because a larger proportion of models are being taken by professional thieves," he said.
-------------------
It seems like it has been crossed off the list of crimes, just like shed burglaries and graffiti etc.... Read more
Hang on! I agree with the driving test comment but under-25s? It's very easy to generalise and target a group that you aren't part of! I'm not going to commit hypocrasy by insinuating my personal "worst age-group at driving" but it is not the under 25s.
Apparently GM are stopping selling Daewoos in Australia. Reason being that the market is too competitive.
carsguide.news.com.au/news/story_page/0,8269,97424...l
If they can't manage to sell in Australia I would be surprised if they find things less competitive in the UK. Read more
Ah yes, as Chevy's all American branding in its commercials...
Chevy Aveo (= Daewoo Kalos)
Chevy Malibu (= slightly rehashed Vectra)
I have a 96 pug td with 141,000mls, had the car about 6 wks, the car is very sluggish you have to put your foot to the floor to get any real response, you can feel the turbo coming in so l dont feel thats at fault, l've just replaced the cambelt so the timing is o.k, could the problem be injectors blocked? or the pump, any advice please.
Duggie Read more
Duggie
The EGR valve is mounted on the back of the cylinder head towards the bulkhead...should be a convuluted stainless steel pipe between the valve and a take off on the intake manifold (on the right side as you look into the engine bay). Some earlier 405's dont have EGR fitted.
Don't remove the steel EGR pipe connector unless you have the right tools to get them back on again.
Hi - Any help would be much appreciated,
I have a 91 Polo GT 1.3 and about 800 miles ago changed the timing belt and fan belt and since then the car has picked up a problem. It has picked up a vibration - You can feel it about 50mph - If you go round a right bend it vibrates more - I would presume this is the left wheel bearing - Am I correct? Could this be to do with having the car on a single axle stand on the right while doing the timing belt? - This was due to the fact that I have got nervous with the passenger side as when you jack it up/put it on an axle stand the door becomes very stiff!!! Also when driving at between 60 and 70mph if you move the steering wheel slightly left or right there is a slight vibration - Only when you are moving the wheel though - If you hold it in that position it stops. Also I dont know if it is connected BUT the steering rack seems to have picked up a loud squeek occasionally when moving slowly (And turning) especially when parking. Do all the simptons point to the wheel bearing or that and the rack? Should I be very worried about the door becoming stiff when jacked up? And finally has any of this got anything to do with me changing the timing belt?
Anyway if you get through all that and have any ideas please let me know - It would be much appreciated.
Cheers
Stuart
Read more
I jacked up all four corners last night and checked for rumbling - The front right is silent when you spin it and there is no play, the front left is not silent but it sounds like the disc catches occasionally and there is no play. There was no play in the back wheels but I could not spin them because it was just jacked up and I thought it would be dangerous to release the handbrake.
I was reading in the Haynes manual that the bushes and ball joints cause vibrations if they are going on the front suspension and steering components. How do I fully check them - I must admit they do not look in good condition from the ones I had a brief look at but I dont really know what I am looking at - (I will put it on axle stands and have a good look at the weekend). Also the haynes manual seems to suggest that bushes going can cause the steering to stiffen up which could point towards the groaning which is going on from the rack.
Which bushes are most likely to do this and what exactly do I look for?
Thanks for any more help,
Stuart
i have just recently bought a zx furio (m plate). i started it the other day and the radio started, stopped, started and then asked for the code. it is the original fit unit, but nothing i have done has helped. the radio just sits there asking for some unknown code.
can anyone help?
ps - the code number i was given didn't work! Read more
Email Graeme Davidson at www.davidsonelectronics.co.uk He'll sort it out for you no bother.
Graeme (another one!)
There seem to be some great deals for the Ulysse, poverty spec 2.0 petrol for a bit over £13k new. Ever since Fifth gear did the crash test between new/old Espace's where the old one ended as a mess but new one just needed a t-cut I have fancied a NCAP 5 star car for the family. Would running a Ulysse for 5 years plus confirm my previous doubts about Fiat or could it be safe and reasonably cheap motoring?
Ps New to the site, I have searched for previous similar questions but please excuse me if this is a commonly repeated one! Read more
We have a C8 2.2HDi on our fleet at work. Build quality is pretty good and its been perfectly reliable.
Its not a bad car to drive, and its a lovely car to be a passenger in.
hi,
i saw a thread not too long ago regarding people buying from auctions and selling on for a profit.
has anyone had experience of this and was there much to be made?
im considering buying a couple of cars, low end of the sector (£2k - 3k)
any advice would be appreciated
thanks
dave Read more
Unless you're a glutton for grief and punishment, forget it.....!
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pdc, just to double check, your friend's bf definitely wasn't on your friend's insurance as a named driver?
As if they were, and your friend was fully comp herself, the bf would also be, and then (i believe) it would be her insurance dealing with it on a fully comp assumption.