September 2004
Strange thing on our local coverage the other day... every time the red cars came in, there was an overhead camera shot showing the mechanics hard at work changing tyres, refuelling etc...
However, the CENTRE of the car, where the driver is, seemed to be 'fuzzed out' on the picture...
You know the technique - they use it on the news to cover important people's number plates, and criminals' faces.
I can only assume TWO things.
1) There is some form of advertising (Tobacco) on the area ahead of the driver, and this constitutes a part of the tobacco advertising ban in Italy?
2) There are exchanges of info in sign language between the drivers and crew, and this is a means of preventing other teams form 'reading' the game plan?
Any thoughts?
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This is something I posted on a local site. Thought it may come in useful at some stage....
Was out and about this weekend, and noticed the starter was getting progressively more 'tired' each time...
Thought I'd get away with it until today, but no. Went out this morning, the starter didn't even want to engage. I tried the windows, and they were very sluggish ...
So, off across the road to local battery/exhaust/tyre place. Explain situation, he says no problem, we jump in his car with toolbox and new battery and back home. He disconnects battery, connects a quick charger to it, and we open the top. dead cell.
I suppose 4 and a half years at least isn't bad for the old battery!
Being an auto, I can't take chances, so fit new battery, A-for-away! Ok, small matter of $$$ for a new one, but what the hell, i'll let the bank manager worry about that one!
BUT en route to work, discover the 'one touch' facility on the windows no longer works!
Now I have to hold the button down to make the windows work! Nothing in Haynes about this!
Any ideas?
REPLY
The VWs & Audi's you have to re-program... this means closing the drivers window fully (I'd do this with ignition in ON position (but not started)) let go of the switch. Again pull to close and hold for 4-5 secs... One touch re-enabled..
It worked. Hopefully this will help somebody in the future.
Thnx Read more
Oops, sorry - I should have stated that my car is an Opel!
BTW, a lot of folk round here 'rebadge' their Opels as Vauxhalls. Why???!!!!????
Dear All,
I've been offered a met. black VW Bora (52 2002 plate) Sport TDi 150, for £12,700, with £8500 as partex value for my Ford Focus TDCi 115bhp Zetec (it's an import, 52 plate 2002, 13k miles, with climate, reflex packs + ford spoiler, towbar).
Can anyone provide feedback and let me know if this is a good deal? I am trying to avoid depreciation on my Focus (and get what I can for it) when the new Focus comes out. However I have also heard that VW are bringing out a new Bora....
Any advice would be great!
Kind Regards, Rob Read more
not many engines better than the 150 tdi
you would have owned a beauty.
Tyres are rated for load and speed, i.e. take a 205/50-17 91W, the \"91\" applies to the load rating, in this case 615kg and the \"W\" to the speed rating, in this case 168mph.
What is the legal position if one should fit for instance \"89V\" rated tyres to a car that was supplied with \"91W\" rated tyres (\"89\" = 580kg and \"V\" = 149mph) if this rating is within the weight/performance chareteristics of the car?
Also what about insurance?
Thanks. Read more
Nothing at all to do with the question but just as a matter of interest. Have been using Toyo (Japanese) tyres for the last few years and there is a local agent near me.
Had two fitted yesterday to the Vectra and was chatting with the fitter as he changed them. I noticed that he didn't use a lubricant to get the initial seal even though there was a tub alongside him. Asked him why and he said they never used it with Toyos as they were a tyre which didn't need it as they were so flexible. Sure enough the tyre gripped the rim as soon as he applied the air gun.
I recently am in touch with a guy from Dragon Performance (www.mrhoot.com) and he's kindly given me lots of information on his tuning box (£249 incl VAT & delivery) which he claims to be able to improve my current 90ps to 116ps and torque improvements from 245Nm to 295Nm. It is a simple plug-in tuning box that is plugged to the back of the fuel pump, where we have to unplug the connector and plug in the tuning box in between.
How it works? It remaps the A/F ratio, apparently saving up mpgs on normal driving as the car will become more responsive and less gear changes, hence lower RPM. Also, it will instruct the ECU to inject more fuel during hard driving, consuming more mpgs, hence overall will be balanced out.
Anyone has any experience on this product? Any problems associated with it? Engine integrities due to strain on fuel pump possible?
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Sorry no experiences, however the basic engine, gearbox etc will be the same as the TDDi 115 and, probably the TDCi 130 (330nm) in most respects so should not suffer from the extra torque, I guess only question is the turbo which will be required to produce more boost, chance is though the turbo is also the same as the 115.
Regards.
Nice looking cars and well rated by HJ,so why are there so few around? Don't fleet companies like them for some reason? A 40 mile radius search on Autotrader only came up with half a dozen or so, mostly 2.3litre engines. Read more
The official line is that saloons are not as popular as hatchbacks these days.. but having said that.. Leon's are not exactly plentiful.
Probably a "lack of dealers" issue. Around these parts there's very few Seat dealers.
I've got a 2002 mondeo LX with steel wheels and wheel trims. The wheel trims over a short period of time rotate on the wheel and bend the valve over.
My local Ford dealer said it was due to the combination of rimless wheels used on the new Mondeos and the particular tyres fitted from new - Continental Premium Contact. They replaced the front tyres with Continental Sport Contact 2's under warranty but that didn't solve the problem.
I've seen other Mondeos with wheel trims out of alignment with the valve, so I know I'm not alone in having this problem.
Has anyone else had this problem and have you successfully solved it, if so how?
Cheers,
AndyB
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Hello
The car my friend has is an lx with those large wheel covers they snap easily.
Two thin cables ties is my answer.
His Wife has a Lx that has alloy wheels now they are a real pain to keep clean she would rather have steels.
--
(iam not a mechanic)
Martin Winters
My wife has a Lexus ES300 here in the US. (It's basically a Camry). From new, I have been amazed by how gutless and slow it is.
Another post on this board got me thinking, is it to do with the petrol over here? They have three grades, 89, 91, and 93. I seem to remember in the UK the grade is 98. Someone mentioned the RON measure used in the UK versus that in the US.
Does the lower grade petrol over here at least partly account for why practically every car I've driven over here, foreign or local, seems slow and unresponsive? Read more
The problem you see with fuel ratings is that US cars dont need a high RON grade fuel to operate at optimum unlike Euro cars. Japanese cars for example can run on both types of fuels with no visible difference. So types of fuels dont really matter.
Large engines with relativeley low power output are simply designed for the motoring culture ie. comfortable cruising (unresponsive perception). Big blocks gives you the flexibility when overtaking on the high way without having to rev it like a mototrcycle. Also helps when coming off the line as evident by the non-neccessity of having a lot of gears.
I checked the air cleaner on a friend's 97 VW Jetta (small engine manual transmission), and removed the electrical connector and forgot and left it off for a week. It is also possible that I reversed the two identical vacuum hoses on the side (OK, I know I really goofed this one up). Every since then, the check engine light has remained on. Can anyone help me get it to turn off or help me trouble-shoot the problem? I tried disconnecting the battery for 15 minutes, and the light is still on.
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You can take it to a dealer or find someone locally who has a vag-com to reset the error code.
Rgds
What does everyone think of the following:
BP OFFERING PAYOUTS FOR DRIVERS WHO FILL UP WITH THE WRONG TYPE OF PETROL
BP is to offer compensation to drivers who wreck their cars by filling up with the wrong type of fuel at its pumps. The move, which could cost the company tens of thousands of pounds, means motorists who accidentally put unleaded petrol into diesel cars, or vice versa, will be able to claim for the full cost of damage done to their engine. The company announced the unprecedented step after scores of drivers became confused by Ultimate, the firm's latest range of unleaded fuel.
Express 11/09/04 p47
I haven't seen Ultimate for sale yet- I assume the hose/ trigger is black like diesel normally is??
Isn't this carte blanche for anyone with a dodgy engine to go to BP and fill up with the wrong fuel and claim for a new engine? Could cost BP more than they think. Read more
I haven't seen Ultimate for sale yet- I assume the hose/
trigger is black like diesel normally is??
The ultimate diesel head is/was blue. A different blue to the unleaded head, granted but you really do have to concentrate!
I've stopped buying ultimate diesel as they introduced it with just a small price premium but have gradually put it up. And they never advertise the price on the big price boards, of course!
I think it was a smear on the lens. If you want to see inside the cockpit, there was (maybe still is) a full-size "replica" of the F2003 GA in the Shell Building in London - had a week off in August and went up to London; was surprised to see this red F1 Ferrari in their building but the ladies on reception had no problem with people wandering in off the street and taking photos, so long as they didn't touch the car!