June 2004
Taken from a respected local dealer's advert for their air conditioning service ..."It is the accepted industry standard that your air conditioning is 80% efficient after one year's use and only 60% after two...". In Backroomer's experience is there any accuracy in this statement or is it purely sales hype ? Read more
Another morbid topic.
I regularly drive on a Red Route (A631/A46) and hence am regularly reminded of the deaths that have occured on that route. Unfortunately I don't know how long the route is so the figures tend to lose a bit of their impact. Wouldn't it be better if the figures were quoted as deaths per mile as well as total deaths?
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L'escargot by name, but not by nature. Read more
Didn't they also say "if you want a job done well, do it yourself"?
I think they did, but I'd hate to make men think they were completely useless ;-)
[sorry, tic again!]
Mind you, one of my schoolteachers used to say "if it's worth doing at all, its worth doing badly". Very wise words: don't faff around waiting for perfection
Sat in an Audi A8 the other day. Quite nice, but made me think 'Why would anyone want a car this big?'
Cars like the A8, 7 series, S-class, etc use loads of fuel and are unwieldy. One-up, it's like sitting in an empty concert hall; hardly involving. More rear leg room? Who for, and do they really need it? OK for top execs being chauffeur-driven maybe. Big boot? Get a medium-sized estate - and more practical anyway. Big family? Need an MPV. Obese? The seats are pretty much the same size - and the A8's are short on thigh support.
So it's an ego trip then. Read more
Only 5 to 10 mpg difference on a run? Not if your are comparing a big car with the likes of a small diesel hatch, say like a Citroen C3, which will return 60 to 70 mpg.
I won't go into the environmental arguments about why we should be trying to cut down on oil consumption, as I reckon more than a few of us will be forced to reconsider our car choice, if the current state of affairs with oil prices continues.
I like a comfortable car myself, with plenty of room inside. However, it is possible to get a good ride in a smaller car. I once had Citroen ZX and the ride in that was excellent
Saw one for the first time on Monday. Looked more than rather nice. The best looking of all the big luxo-barges? Read more
Seen a few but the best was a mule for a four door Bentley Continental a few months ago... Looked okay until you realised the grill was a disguised Bentley's and the tail pipes were straight off a Bentley Continental GT.
Couldn't take a picture because of location.... in Crewe. Fine cars they make there. Could eat your lunch off the factory floor.
Also saw a nice DB9 there and even an MG SVR!
Does anyone in the back room have any experience of short term car leasing? (ideally 18 months or less). I am looking for a car for pleasure use, preferably sports. Has anyone used a company they would recommend?
If this has already been covered, please accept my apologies.
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My car tax was due today. Insurance expired on 29th May but I have a renewal notice which does state it can be used if the police need to see my insurance and provides me with the legal limited amount of insurance required to drive. With the bank holiday and the incompetent mail system I haven't received my new insurance certificate yet.
The post office are refusing to accept the renewal notice as proof of insurance and I am now untaxed and 'illegal'. I have been in two post offices today, the people I saw were rude and unhelpful, and I am more than a little frustrated that this notice is apparently good enough for the police but not good enough for the GPO. I have my money in my hand and I WANT TO PAY.
I know I should have been more organised and bought the tax before my insurance certificate ran out but I kind of resent giving the government the money until I really have to!
I have spoken to Tesco's who insure the car and they said the certificate was sent on Saturday, but we have the postal vote here and I'm concerned mail may be delayed because of that (they also said some post offices do accept the renewal notice and it's down to luck!).
Does anybody know if the post office can accept the renewal notice?
Thanks
~Louise~ Read more
I've just got my renewal notice a moment ago and it does come with a 15 day cover note. But I notice that it says at the bottom:-
It cannot be used in order to obtain or renew a vehicle road fund licence
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...1
Apparently this is Richard Hammond's porsche. I thought Pologirl might like to bid then she can go meet the adorable munchkin himself :-) Hopefully she'll behave and won't end up on the front page of the tabloids......
teabelly Read more
My goodness, the lad discovers good taste at last :)
ISTR an episode where he drove the GT3 and said he was going to go home and rip all the excess weight out of his own 911 (presumably that one), to which Jezza replied 'but you still won't have a GT3, just an upturned bathtub with no seats'. Maybe that's the catch? ;)
Set off on Friday to see my eldest who lives near Nottingham. Having failed to slow down sufficiently for a rather aggressive speed bump, driver, passengers and bystanders were rewarded with the full-throated vintage roar and keen whistle that is characteristic of a turbo-diesel engine with an exhaust snapped for'ard of the first silencer. With a tonne of caravan to pull back to Yorkshire and consequent requirements for full throttle so as not to hold up my fellow road users, it was obvious that some bodgeing was required to protect the hearing of the car occupants and passers-by.
A can of mushy peas (bought specially for the purpose) provided a sleeve to fit inside the silencer and partly support the front pipe, and a packet of resin-coated silencer bandage sealed the gap between pipe and box. An old Jubilee clip held the ends of the bandage on and the whole nasty mess lasted in relative silence until a mile or two from home.
It's now 35 years since I started cobbling stuff together to keep my cars (and those of my mates) on the road and still I enjoy the challenge. The exhaust centre section is on order and will arrive tomorrow. More supine therapy ahead; I can hardly wait.
Anyone else out there still enjoy the odd motoring bodge, or have you forsaken such innocent pastimes for the thrill of console games or gardening?
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land Read more
I tried towing a Renault 18 belonging to a friend of mine.
I tied my end to a rear towing eye
The silly idiot had tied his end of the tow rope to the front bumper!
Honestly, there was so much junk on the front of that thing that he could have tied it to.
This lasted about 200 yards.... and yes he did need a new bumper.
To this day he still blames me for the incident!
I heard of a tale from someone who used to buy and sell Austin Cambridges and Morris Oxfords (Farina style). Apparently he was given a large commercial trailer that would normally be towed by a truck or similar, but he needed to remove it from the premesis. He took the boot off a Cambridge and simply placed the front of the trailer in the boot space and got on with it. The weight of the trailer apparently was enough to keep the front in place.
H
Sorry if this has been asked before, I've done a search and couldn't find anything relevant.
Looking in the cbcb HJ mentions high death rates and low death rates for certain cars, but doesn't provide a reference. My car has a "high 8 point death rate". What does this mean?
Regards
Jonathan Read more
what are the death rates for the mk3 cavalier and a 98 primera
I would've thought that the majority of owners of these vehicles are likely to be "kids" who want something with a reasonable turn of speed to thrash around in. They don't cost much to buy, insurance won't be too high (relatively) for a 20 year-old, they won't care if they bend it or scratch it, mechanically simple, and they might try to go round a few corners too fast.
In which case, potential deaths in such models are likely to higher than in, for example, a recent Lexus
i have just had the old best fail its mot for the rear load valve and have been told that its a main dealer only part, is this true and if so why?
and if its not can someone please tell me where i can cat the job done in the southants area for less than £210
any help will be usefull Read more
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I concur.
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L'escargot by name, but not by nature.