August 2004
Why do we need to produce insurance certificates in order to tax a vehicle?
Surely the DVLA can look at the database to see who is insured.
When the MOTs are put on a database, we would in theory have enough data to enable tax discs to be bought by phone/net without needing to send documents.
Also, why does the relicencing form need to have so many colours on it. I cannot see any forgery prevention in the paper, so why not save some money and just print in black and white?
Come on guys, lets save some money and make the process more efficient. But I suppose, by needing to find documents etc it increases the chance of someone paying late, oops thats another fine for you sir? Stealth taxes from motorists? No way, we are just a piggy bank. Read more
This might be of interest(and it wasn't done on April 1st):
motortrend.com/features/news/112_news38/index.html Read more
Will they make a Kevin-the-teenager version?
Just bought a 3 year old Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec and am mightily impressed. Got it looking like new but it has big yellow stickers on the two front windows imforming everybody that the car is alarmed etc which are refusing to come off. Any ideas on how to removed them ? Read more
I've always thought that the black windscreen border with the dotted edge is there to hide where it is actually fitted to the car, otherwise you'd be able to see the bonding and car bodywork through it?
PP
I have a 2001 C5 HDI it has done 40000 miles. At about 38k miles i started to experience a vibtration through the pedals, me local dealers relpaced the clutch. This has not solved the problem. I have replaced all tyres now pirelli p6000 and the wheel have been balanced twice and i have had it confirmed the balance is correct by third garage.
Now the dealership blame my tyres. The shudder starts around 50mph and gets worse the faster you go. It is unbearable at 75mph. You feel the shudder through the whole car.
Has anyone else suffered this problem?
Thanks Read more
Lots of reported issues with respect to problems balancing P6000 tyres
The car is a '98 2.5 Litre V6 that has little power when cold and when hot the power dies at 5000 rpm. There is also some exhaust popping.
The garage is saying they can change up to four sensors but there is no guarantee of a cure -- just lots of money to them for the changes, no doubt.
Is this vehicle prone to certain sensor faults?
Help appreciated.
Read more
Just to complete the story on this car, the fault was found to be the airflow metering. £175 for a new one plus garage time. They did let the local garage handle it, in the end. But they got a 'free' O2 sensor when it turned out not to be the fault.
Have just bought a 1996 Megane 1.4. The local garage replaced the rear pipe & box for the MOT. A day later, exhaust starts banging. I discover what looks to be the most inefficient and ludicrous silencer box mounting I've come across - do the two prongs forming a V-shape attached to the rear of the box really just push in to the rubber mounts with absolutely no retention, or is there something missing?? I've cobbled up a bit of wire to hold it in place for the time being. If it really is as ludicrous as it looks, has anyone else fabricated something to hold it in place - my thoughts were just a couple of jubilee clips on each end of the V-rods after they pass through the mounts. Read more
Forgot to mention it's an aftermarket unit - and is alignment of the exhaust critical?
I have 306 SRtd M REG. the problem is if I lock the passenger door.
The central locking will lock all doors. If I leave the passenger door unlocked.The remote will not lock the doors.
Also, some times one or both indicator stops on when locking or unlocking the car.
Anybody got any ideas. Thanks.
Read more
Try this link. Not the solution but maybe a cure!
www.preloved.co.uk/fuseaction-forums.showdiscussio...l
Please would anyone out there, comment whether there is a minor problem with my 2003 Focus 1.6. ?
Even after a long run the exhaust tailpipe shows a very black appearence inside, and on certain occasions when pull away the engine can \'pink\' slightly.
The performance is reasonable (In line with HJ\'s Car by Car-description) and the car produces 36 mpg. In all other respects the car drives perfectly.
My local Ford dealer thought the performance to be in line with other 1.6 Focus\'s but I believe they only did a cursory check.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Andrew Read more
Partly true;upto Stage III emissions there was a let-out clause that engines were allowed to run open-loop at WOT if required to protect the engine;all manufacturers took advantage of this in some way-some running totally open-loop at WOT but most delaying the re-introduction of closed-loop fuelling for upto 30 seconds.Stage IV emissions require closed-loop at WOT(wide open throttle)all the time.
Hi Everyone,
Could someone please explain why a set of traffic lights will change from green to red in the direction you're travelling - only for no-one to actually emerge from the crossing road?!!
AFAIK, all lights have sensors bedded into the tarmac to inform the control box that a vehicle is present, so why the change? Is it a timed change just in case anything has 'slipped through unnoticed' - like that one-in-a-thousand pedal cyclist who has obediently stopped for the red light!
It's happened often enough to me to become (only mildly) irritating!!
Cheers. Read more
And there was me, thinking I was the only one being targeted by 'The Conspiracy Theory'.
HF ;)
I own a '94 Audi Coupe 2.0 16v which has developed a leak somewhere in the hydraulic system. The car loses hydraulic fluid regularly and at first I believed it to be an air bubble in the system, as the level would rise and fall. Now the level just falls and my local garage, who have always been excellent up to now, can't seem to find the problem. They have replaced all the hoses on the system and I have bled the system but now it's leaking even more. This doesn't seem to be connected to the braking system however, it only affects the level of tension in the power steering and on one occasion locked the steering completely. I'm afarid that the hydraulic system is going to pack in completely.
Any ideas?
Read more
Martin,
Glad to hear it's fixed. After rebuilding the p/s pump mine is a lot better, but still loses residual pressure over 48 hours or so. I just have to remember that there's little assistance on the brakes for the first 30 seconds.
For reference, the p/s pump seal kit is 035 198 049A. A puller is needed to dismantle, and a hydraulic press to re-assemble.
Ian.
Browse
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The usual sequence of events with any government-run scheme is:
1) we have an old pen and ink system for year that works well but finally can't cope with life in the modern world.
2) they move to a slightly more modern, but already out of date, system, using a lot of coloured bits of paper, tear-off strips, forms, back-up forms, etc. It is operated through the Post Office, so needless to say is inefficient, involves endless queuing, and is staffed by people who like to say no.
That is where we are now with road tax.
3) they make a sudden jump to the most complicated computerised system in the world. They pay far too much to a slick-talking computer company, but try to run it themselves with a lot of clods who don't understand it. After much delay the scheme is finally wheeled out, and crashes. It becomes impossible to pay pensions, benefits, tax your car, etc, so they introduce emergency (ie old pen and ink technology) to try to clear the backlog. They grant a tax amnesty so that the nation can carry on getting to work.
About a year and billions of wasted pounds later the new system finally works, after a fashion.
4) An enquiry severely critices the whole scheme.
5) they look for the next thing to repeat the fisaco with.