September 2004
Before I change the antifreeze on a 2000 Alfa 2 litre Spider. I was wondering if there are any unforseen problems that could occur? In the past I have heard horror story,s with regard to Citroen cylinder heads so I am somewhat apprehensive to do this job without a bit of research.
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Rather than put this in the emotive '4 police cars crashing' thread I thought it would merit a separate thread.
Midlifecrisis wrote:
"However that 'faffing' about with coloured sticks and theodolytes, along with skid tests, revealed that the other driver involved in the collision was travelling at 52mph (30mph limit.) They also revealed that if he had been travelling at 30, he would have stopped 9 meters before the point of impact."
There was a programme on TV recently where measured skid marks(of the motoring variety) were the basis of calculating the EXACT speed of the offending vehicle.
This raises two questions:
Firstly a high percentage of cars now have ABS. Is there any police method of calculating speed before application of brakes?
Secondly there are so many factors that can determine the length of skid marks. Type of tyre, its pressure and temperature. Type, condition(ie how worn) and temperature of road surface. Car weight, suspension etc.
In the latter case is it really possible to give such an exact estimate that would stand up in court to rigorous challenge by the defending lawyer backed by an 'independent' expert?
I use the term "independent" advisably as I was once heavily involved in the defence of someone accused of a very serious motoring offence. Because of the insurance implications, the high powered defence team brought along a highly qualified motoring expert. Without going into detail this expert's sole employment was to give evidence for the defence and challenge police evidence.
I think he would have field day challenging such an exact estimation of speed.
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I would be very grateful if any of you VW Experts out there can help .
I need to replace the thermostat housing on daughters 97 Polo 1.4 . So I also need to drain down the coolant in order to do this job.
The cooling system is currently filled with G12 (red)fluid and the replacement fluid that I have is G12 Plus which is purple in colour. the replacement fluid is the genuine VW article by the way. I have been assured that its ok to mix this fluid with the red G12 stuff so if any red stuff remains in the system after drain down no harm should be done if I refill with the purple G12 plus fluid.
Can anyone confirm that this is actually true?
Apologies for the longish question but bearing in mind the dire warnings in the Haynes and the car handbook about the consequences of mixing coolant fluids I would like to be absolutely sure I have got it right before I start.
Many Thanks in advance,
SeanO Read more
Joe,
Thanks again. I will definitely try that. DL Thanks for the reply, I did buy this G12+ from my local GSF, they don't stock the red G12 any more and assured me that its ok to mix . Unusually for GSF they didn't strike me as being too sure about that so I thought that it would be prudent to seek a second opinion.
Sean
Is my understanding correct that by law a trader must provide a 3-month warranty for every used car they sell?
If so, what then is the case when a trader sells a car through eBay? Do they still need to provide the same level of backup, or is it classed as a private sale??
I'm considering bidding on a car being sold by a trader on eBay and the only reference he makes to any warranty is "Warranty available at extra cost." Read more
Someone may correct me on this but IIRC then the only obligation a dealer has when he or she sells a car is that it must be fit for its intended purpose and should be free of significant faults at the time of sale with the exception of any that are pointed out to the punter.
In addition any faults that manifest themselves in a 6 month period must be seen to if they were present on the vehicle at the time of purchase. For example, if the diff goes and the initial fault was within the vehicle at the time of purchase, then MUI the dealer must rectify this.
The trader is probably offering to buy a warranty from one of these companies and pass on the cost to the buyer.
Again, please correct me on this if I am wrong.
H
I would be grateful for any thoughts?
I have owned since new (Aug 1977) a Volvo V40 2.0, base model but with aircon, leather seats, elec sunroof and a few other extras. By and large I have been very happy with it, and, as a motorway car especially, I find it comfortable. I have done about 101,000 miles (probably well over half on motorways), and it has always been serviced by Volvo dealers (3 good dealers (as far as I could tell), but one awful one). It had a number of early minor niggles, all fixed under guarantee, and I had to replace some exhaust parts recently. Otherwise, less the service parts (incl timing belt), tyres etc, everything else is still original. The paintwork has had a few scratches, which I have always touched up asap. Finally, I have used synthetic oil only since 10,000 miles.
My question is this ? by and large I am fairly happy with the car. It meets my needs, and is probably not loosing much value per year any more (whilst probably not being worth more than a couple of thousand). I wouldn?t want anything smaller, but with the occasional use of a roofbox I can fit everything in that the family needs. However I have the feeling that it is perhaps approaching a time when repair costs are likely to rise rapidly. The engine makes more noise now than it used to, and the exhaust repairs were not cheap. Does any one have any idea whether the car is getting to a stage where parts are going to start failing with increasing rapidity? Am I likely to be faced with huge maintenance bills in the next few year? Should I get rid of it now while I can still honestly sell it as free of problems, and maybe replace it with a 2 to 3 year old similar sized, or slightly larger, estate or small-MPV? I have never owned a car beyond 90,000 miles before, and am really not sure what to expect.
Thanks for any advice!!
James
"Archie" Read more
I have had Volvos for years. If properly maintained mileage is almost a non issue. Take a few moments to check the Volvo owners club website high mileage section and there are cars on there which have done 2 million miles. One mechanic said to me most Volos would outlast their owners.
I am planning to order my car through this website & wondered if anybody has experience of them? Read more
No contractual problem with it, although it is highly unusual.
It doesn't absolve them of their responsibility to supply the car: in the end, cash is consideration, i.e., a matching promise and no more and no less than that. If they don't supply the car, they're in breach of contract and owe you the money paid plus potentially any losses incurred as a result of their breach, just as you would be in breach if you didn't pay.
Can anyone suggest an independent garage which has the diagnostic kit etc that could service a Seat Ibiza S (99 V reg). It has the VW 1.4 MPI engine so it could be a VW independent. I'm just fed up with getting ripped off by dealerships - oh and I live in North London. Thanks, Damaged. Read more
As many back roomers will know, I sold my beloved Volvo S80 to buy a new Hyundai Trajet for SWMBO who has just produced Espada Child #3.
I have taken over her CR-V which is 2001 2.0 Auto. Its OK. I'm not really that comfortable (after a Volvo who is?) and there are fewer creature comforts. However I do like sitting a little higher, especially as I am in and out of the car all day because of my role as a valuation surveyor. Its far easier to get in and out of a car with higher seats. The thing that bugs me is the fuel economy. It's awful. I think I'm getting no more than 21mpg. No better than the Volvo which was a 3.0litre. The Volvo would go for about 300 miles, but because of the smaller tank i'm filling up every 200 miles. Its driving me mad.
So..if I change the car, I would still want auto and to sit higher (4x4 is unnecessary), but would like a car that soes at least 35mpg which would save me about £1000pa in fuel bills.
Am I crazy to change; should I simply hang on or if I did replace it, what would you recommend.
The CR-V is about 3 years and four months old, has done only 11,500 miles so I reckon is worth on a private sale about £11,000. Any recommendations/suggestions/advice.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive? Read more
Sorry E - confused you with another contributor. Too much red again - I blame the capacity of the Berlingo to transport vast amounts back from France!
Any advice welcome. I did post a few weeks back but now I have a short list
Having not wanted to go for a MPV 7 seater, SWMBO has laid down the rules and told me to look for one. We don't particularly want a huge one and the 7 seats will be used infrequently (and yes 7 are preferable to 5 or 6). The only pre-requisite is to have 3 seats (individual ones) across the middle.
I have been looking at:
VW Touran (too expensive?, bad dealers)
Renault Grand Scenic (reliability?)
Toyota Corolla Verso (size?)
Toyota Avensis Verso (?)
Mitsubishi Grandis (too big?)
Honda Stream (only 6 seats?)
not sure if I have left off any that should be there so would welcome any practicle experience so that i can narrow down the fild. Read more
(snip) ...because Euro legislation has outlawed the centre rear seat with only a lap strap. I say apparently because I've been told but have not confirmed this. (snip)
I've seen this in a few magazines now, and it is also the reason why the 3-person bench seat has disappeared from the rearmost row in things like the 807/C8 and Previa reducing them from 8 seats maximum to "just" 7 seats.
There must be some truth in it!
My GP has just advised me that because of my advancing years, (cheeky git!) I ought to have a flu vaccination. I've heard that some people have a bad reaction to this and actually get some sort of flu symptoms from it. Has anyone had any first-hand experience of this?
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L'escargot by name, but not by nature. Read more
>> Thanks for tip on the return journey. I'm planning
on
>> getting away at lunchtime on Fridays.
Part timer ;o)
Once I've put in 40 hours or so and delivered on what the client needs of me.
Steve,
There is just a little bit more to it than that.
A free rolling wheel has 0% slip.
A fully locked wheel has 100% slip.
Tyres generate maximum traction or braking forces at about 20% slip. This optimum slip is what ABS aims to acheive.
So, under a heavy stop, with ABS active, you would find rubber on the road - although not as much as a fully locked wheel.
number_cruncher