October 2004
Hi,
I took my car for an MOT saturday and it failed as the rear seat belt webbing has a tear in it.!
The MOT guy has told me that if I cut the seat belt it will be able to pass as it can\'t be used as a seat belt!?? Can someone clarify this?
I was told that I could buy a new one (from Honda) its going to be at least £100 labour on top!
I don\'t really want to cut the seat belt, so can they be fixed with a patch or something or will I need a new one?
Thanks
Skyblue Read more
i\'m trying to unscrew track rod end to replace the steering wheel gaiter on my vw passat, but its well seized.
i\'ve spayed with wd40 over last 2days, managed to strip the nut moulding on the track rod, refiled to tightly fit a pair of twelve mm spanners encased in a stationary metal pole. 12 adustable spanner on track rod end (anticlockwise) only resulted in a broken 12mm spanner.
Should i wait for the oil to penetrated or use some heat or what?
Any ideas much appreciated.
Malc Read more
>>
Is it essential to have a locking nut?
Absolutely essential:
although the bits you removed were corroded solid, new parts will tend to unscrew.
At the very least you'll scrub the tyres off.
If it undoes completely, you're on your own:
the insurers will wash their hands of you,
the police will have a field day with "construction and use".
Following HJ's recommendation in the Telegraph, I was considering buying a car from the massive Car Giant supermarket in North London. However, I was staggered at the part-ex offer they made on my existing car, which I take to mean they simply don't want part-ex cars.
My existing car is an 1998 Audi A6 estate 2.5 TDI SE with 166,000 miles in reasonable condition. Car Giant offered me £4,000 as its part-ex value.
According to both What Car? and Parkers, the mileage adjusted trade-in value of this car is around £7,000, with a dealer retail of £8,800. In addition, a nationwide search of Autotrader has shown that asking prices for this model also start at £7k (apart from a single car with 275,000 miles at £6k).
Am I being unrealistic in my expections?
Read more
I think that low p/x values go with the territory when you buy from a car supermarket. The price to change is the most important factor. If you can, for example, get £1000 more for your p/x from a main dealer, but the car that you are buying costs £2000 more, then clearly you would be spending more. Its probably worth looking at a similar car to the one you are considering at a main dealer, then seeing what p/x you are offered. This would be a good indication if the Car Giant deal is a good one.
Do I have to use Peugeot's recommended anti-freeze (PROCOR 3000)
in the above car, I imagine it has a price adjustment because of it's name? Read more
The new hose seems to have fixed the leak. Couldn't find the drain plug by feel or strong light and mirror but didn't actually get in a position where I could look directly at the back of the block. Settled for the Halfords coolant. Hose was about 9 quid inc. vat. Plastic bottle blue-tacked into filler cap for a header worked like a charm - thanks for that.
Next monday night.
5th gear.
Jenson\'s F1 BAR, a bike (no idea what), and a formula 1 powerboat.
Which will win?
I have no idea, beyond predicting the bike to initially beat the car, which will then start to reel it in (but is 1/4 mile too short to make any difference?), and that the powerboat is probably a pretty good dark horse.
{subject header amended} Read more
But if you won the car, you would become PorscheGirl and suffer from dual identity angst.
I'm not entering because too many of my colleagues who have bought a Porsche have run off with younger women at a moment of midlife crisis causing marital mayhem. Safer to stick with a VW for the sake of the family ;-)
I can't find a manual for the Yaris 998 and need to know a) does it have belt or chain camshaft drive b) what's the change interval for the belt/chain?
I'd appreciate any help. Read more
Thanks very much for your help. I do change the oil between services, so hopefully the camchain will last. Looks like it will be a very cheap motor to keep on the road!
A short while ago I posted that I thought there was a possibility of an electrical problem with the Passat (1999 TDi Sport). Now I know for sure that something's wrong, but can only think of two possible causes.
What's happened is that many of the lights are out, front and rear - mostly on the nearside. If I switch on sidelights only, I get nothing at the front and one light at the rear on the driver's side. Dipped headlight works on the driver's side only, not the nearside. The car isn't fitted with front foglights, but only the driver's side rear foglight works. Full beam works ok on both sides, as do the brake lights and reversing lights.
Recently I replaced the rear lightbulb (the one that should come on and stay on as soon as you switch on sidelights) and it did work for a short while, maybe three or four weeks. The same bulb was replaced last year as well.
So - I think it's either a wiring problem or a fuse problem. I reached the limits of my electrical know-how when I replaced the rear lightbulb, so any suggestions or solutions will have to be very step-by-step! Thanks in advance.
--
andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ... Read more
Thanks for the electronic pint! Glad it's sorted.
On Monday I have to get to Regents park.
As I'm currently "between jobs" I don't want to spend more than I have to, so my plan is to drive from Luton into North London, park the car somewhere where there is reasonable free parking and then cycle the rest of the way. up to five miles of cycling is my limiit as I'm not as fit as I used ot be.
So where is the best place to park that hasn't got resident parking restrictions, is outside the congestion zone and will be safe(ish) for my old Cavalier?
--
I read often, only post occasionally Read more
Thanks RF - definately in the 'thinking mans crumpet' league!
(her, not you)
P junior rides for a KIDS motorcycle display team and we cart all the gear (Jump ramps, bikes, spares) around in a 7.5t IVECO, trouble is this is rapidly approaching the end of its useful life and becoming v expensive to run Repairs/Insurance/Diesel etc etc, plus its not very popular on the driving rota ! Therefore we have thought about downsizing to a 3.5t van which if we make the Mums and Dads tow the larger bikes should be plenty large enough and hopefully cheaper to run, easier to find and a bit more popular to drive - Mums too.
The club is not particularly flush as any surplus funds are donated to kids charities each year, so we are looking for a cheap, mechanically sound van, which would give the club several years good use, bearing in mind that we do very limited mileage <5k pa. Obviously there are the Commercial Vehicle Ads but I wondered if there are any sources that it might be worth trying?
Thanks in advance for any ideas or suggestions. Read more
Sorry I'm late getting in here!
What about the same as I suggested a week or 3 back, for the backroomer, wanting to shift his band around?
An ex Police personel carrier. You'll have a well maintained, not TOO scruffy van, with extra seating & a good loadspace.
Check www.woma.co.uk they even publish ACTUAL achieved selling prices, prom the previous entries!!
VB
A recent report recommends that traffic in villages and some urban areas could be slowed down, thus reducing accidents, by making the roads more confusing. So white lines, pavements, traffic lights etc would go, replaced by cobble stones and plant tubs.
Up to now, haven't all efforts on traffic planning been directed towards making the roads safer and easier for all to use? Will this new thinking spread to car design? Remove seatbelts and airbags, reduce braking efficiency by 50% and design steering mechanisms with an inbuilt wandering tendency and you have a more dangerous car. Naturally drivers will drive these death traps more cautiously, leading to fewer accidents!
My preferred term for these proposed schemes is 'muddle zone'.
To be serious, I can see muddle zones have a limited application, i.e. where there is an alternative route so that they need only be used by local access traffic, as a next-best-thing aolution where full pedestrianisation is not viable.
Cheers, Sofa Spud Read more
In some places there is a surplus of information. Some traffic systems are confusing, even to familiar users. A prime example is multi-lane roundabouts with traffic lights on. Maybe you think you're in the correct lane for going straight ahead, but what if the taxi driver next to you thinks he's in the correct lane for straight ahead too? Two into one won't go!
What worries me is that muddle zones will be applied in inappropriate places under pressure from the anti-car lobby, rural and civic preservationists and trendy traffic planners.
My solution here would be to give such zones a separate legal status to normal roads and there would be special traffic signs to identify them. In a muddle zone all road users would have equal priority, whether on foot, cycles or in vehicles. There would be a speed limit of 20 mph at most. In pedestrian injury accidents, motorists and cyclists would automaticaly be held responsible unless they could prove otherwise. For example if a drunk deliberately pushed someone under their car without warning.
Cheers, SS
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Stupid reply! Obviously I meant a specialist in your particular car. I must have had \"Saab\" in my mind from another thread.