July 2004
In another thread the question of lorry fires was raised.
Here in Hereford/Worcester,as was, in the last three months there have been two major RTAs involving collisions between two heavy goods vehicles which resulted in four fatalities. There were fires in both cases.
It was suggested to me that the very high pressure diesel in modern common rail systems was as inflammable as petrol, would this be true?
Of course virtually all the newer diesel cars on the road have common rail systems but I haven't heard of any increased fire risk. Read more
In a climate of ever increasing fuel costs, what are the best ways to extract as many MPG as you can out of your cars?
Is there any truth in better MPG when you drive around with windows shut or never having a full fuel tank?
I know switching off a/c and never driving with a roof rack helps but anyone got any other tips? Read more
>>Waste heat is an energy resource, and potentially it can be harnessed to do something more useful>>
Cliff Pope has pinpointed a fact of which scientists and engineers are well aware.
My father was an engineer and I always recall, as a child, him telling me that you couldn't destroy something, only turn and/or convert it into something else e.g if you burn something you get heat and ashes.
In similar vein, my late mother-in-law used to collect the offerings from passing riding schools' horses and spread it over the garden to make things grow better, including the vegetables...:-)
A poster suggested in another thread
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=4&t=23...8
that he uses distilled water in his coolant. Is this common practice? I should have thought that the inhibitors in normal coolant would have been sufficiently powerful that - like in a central heating system - tap water is perfectly adequate for use. Read more
I ran Renaults for years and always used their own coolant (a pre-mix of antifreeze and distilled water). Never ever had to replace a radiator, heater matrix, water pump, hose etc.
My mum still runs a 1993 Clio.The last time I changed the coolant in it I used a similar product made by Comma.It's dearer than 'ordinary' anti freeze but makers claim it lasts 3 years.
On my Citroens I've just used Bluecol and (soft) tap water - changed every second year. No problems with that either.
Graeme
A mate of mine wants one of these. I can't stand them. 2 questions: 1. Are the Hilux Surf and the 4Runner the same car? Is there any advantage to having one over the other which you can think of? 2. What's their image? Read more
Thanks for the expertise, everyone! I did check the C by C index first, and found nothing for Hilux or 4Runner, hence the question.
My mate is a Design and Technology teacher in a Secondary school by day, and is renovating a Victorian house by evenings and weekends. His choice comes down to said Toyota or a Merc estate.
Which would you choose? I have to admit, I'd tend towards the Merc, but I'm happy to be persuaded different.
If he does go for the Toyota, would it be much more expensive to insure an imported Hilux Surf than a UK 4Runner?
Here's a puzzler: there are many thousands of cars on the road over 10 years old (L plate or older).
Why does one rarely see older lorries? Try it next time you're on a tedious M way journey: you rarely see them more than a few years old.
Now, I can understand that a hard worked commercial might drop to bits and reach a point where it becomes unviable more quickly than a car would. But where are these dead lorries then? I've seen one or two HGV breakers, but not as many as you'd imagine there would need to be. Are the old ones exported perhaps?
So there you go. Anyone with any facts rather than my sea of surmise? Read more
It's actually very common for haulage companies to keep the older lorries for spares etc.
I suspect that, unlike cars, the trailers would be fairly worthy as scrap as they have very few non metallic components (by weight) - no trim or plastic bumpers to strip out etc.
Behind the scenes work - I have seen so many of these! A company I used to work for had one for transporting work in pogress from one side of the site to the other. The problem is that the lorry had to cross a main road to take stuff from the press shop to the assembly lines. Now I know this thing didn't have an MOT, so what were the legalities here?
I have also seen some vehicles on abandoned quarries. A 30 tonne tipper with virtually nothing left of any value on a quarry near Princetown in Devon.
As Growler says, therw will still be a thriving 3rd world market for some of these, where labour rates are cheaper and hence maintenace is much more cost effective. I suspect there is a similar untapped market out there for cars.
Hugo
Had a spare coded key made at Timpsons for a 2001 Mazda 323.
Opens doors but will not allow engine to start.
The existing Mazda spare key will not function either.
Is there a procedure to get them working?
The Timpson's guy has refunded the £25 it cost.
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I wasna fu but just had plenty. Read more
O for the simplicity of a moggie 1000.
I have followed the threads about petrol quality and it seems a safe bet to use Texaco, Shell or Esso every now and again. It's only a couple £ a year extra and seems worth while for peace of mind. You also get a chance to frequent some of the smarter stations - food, toilets and all.
Anyway, I shall soon be the proud owner of my first diesel car and suspect I won't be using too much Teaxaco unleaded! Let's hope there's no mistake.
Is there a view / opinion / hard evidence about what brand of diesel to use. (I mean opinions on the legal stuff not red or cooking oil.) Read more
Mmmm....seems like BP or Shell then. I will report back in a couple of months.
Anyone seen one?
ruby.inq7.net/roadtrip/display.php?fld=travelgear/...p
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Saw a similar one for sale in LIDL a while back during one of their Monday / Thursday non food promotions. However it didn't have the inverter - just the jump start and compressor pump. £20, IIRC.
I keep hearing traffic reports on the radio which refer to a jam being caused by an 'overturned lorry'. There's at least one a day.
Why do they overturn with such alacrity?
Are they loaded badly so that they are top heavy or do the drivers corner at lunatic speeds?
I think we should be told. Read more
"The trick was to steer in short but slightly-snappy movements where possible in order to minimise the amount of time that the vehicle was being steered."
You would make an excellent "fail-safe" driver 8-). In my ambulance days, the ones I drove were fitted with a device known as a Fail-Safe that would register g-forces. If you accelerated, braked or cornered beyond a preset limit the box would sound a series of beeps. Low tones for lesser movement and sharp tones for the more severe. Low tones had 30 points and sharps were 50. Collect too many points in a month and your driver status was suspended. Drivers quickly learned how to drive around the box and one of the tecniques was to "square"-off corners. It was better to get one 50 beep from a sharp turn than a series of 30s from a longer, smoother turn.
Letter came today, proudly stating "Immediate action required" (Oh, yeah?) and "As a loyal customer to XXXXXXXX Motor Group, we feel you deserve an outstanding opportunity. Therefore, you are the recipient of this exclusive loyalty catalogue containing some exceptional savings on models across the Volvo range".
Odd then that it's monkey's like the S40 and V40 (ahem) Classic that are listed in the catalogue, and not good sellers like the V70 or new S40 and V50! The discounts are not that hot either, and can easily be bettered elsewhere.
Nice to know that customers aren't so much seen as loyal as mugs on which to try and dispose of old stock!
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Can't I go to my room and think about Jennie Agutter and a younger Ingrid Pitt?