November 2004
I've just been involved in a shunt. I drove into the back of another car, going at 35 mph through some roadworks. The other party braked suddenly when they saw a police car with flashing lights waiting to emerge from a side road. My fault, driving too close.
Damage to other party (newish Peugeot 306) was dented boot. My N-reg Nissan Micra is all bashed in at the front. Damage is:
* Severely buckled bonnet, won't close.
* Broken light cover on the passenger-side headlight
* Right headlight (driver side) totally smashed, wing section mangled at front.
* Radiator seems OK, but front bar it is attached to is bent?
* Plastic front fascia and number plate smashed in.
As only one headlight would work, the police would not let me drive off. So I got Green Flag out, who effected running repairs:
* Fitted new bulb in driver side headlight, so I have 2 lights working (no reflectors, though, so its pretty dim.)
* Fastened down bonnet with a piece of rope/cable. Still got a major buckle in it!
I drove 30 miles home in it, so it rolls OK. With "serious cosmetic" damage.
Question: I have 3rd party Fire & Theft insurance. Given that it is "my fault" -- driving into the back of someone -- can I claim on my insurance to get this fixed? Or might I be better trying to get it fixed up cheaper elsewhere. Maybe by buying new headlamps from a Nissan main dealer and getting a bonnet from a scrap yard?
Advice welcomed. I will have to call the insurance people tomorrow (Direct Line) and decide whether to get their repairers involved.
Mike Read more
Now I'll make no secret of the fact I'm not Citroen's biggest fan. Unfair I suppose given the only one I've ever driven was an old Saxo but the looks don't appeal to me. Trust me - this is going somewhere.
I saw a new C5 today. Odd because I never even knew they were out yet but they must be because one was parked up in Sainsbury's driven by, sorry for not being PC but a rather "trampy" old chap. By that I mean a lumberjack shirt and string vest - honestly...ok - there was no string vest...or lumberjack shirt.
Very subtle changes - I only had a quick look at it as I was holding everyone up but the lights were what caught my attention - certainly nicer than the ....sorry SeeFive (and others) boring tailights of it's predecessor.
That is all...thank you.
--
Adam
Road Test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=149 Read more
Its the Fisher Price look I guess.
My father is moving back over here, he wants to know what is invovled in importing his current car (Ford Escape, or Maverick over here). Does it need to be modified in anyway to pass SVA test. All I can think of is headlight adjustment, being a fairly recent car it should pass emmissions??? Any advice would be gratefully accepted. Thanks in advance. Read more
If your father is coming over for good, and shipping a lot of stuff over, it might be worth while hiring a container and shipping the car as well. Have no intention of using it in the uk or putting it through SVI but selling it "as is". I bet you would get considerably more for it here than selling it in the US.
My coolant light comes on when the Air Con is operating and the engine is warm. It will then stay lit for several miles even when Air is switched off.
While coolant light is on, switching the heated seats on causes the seat switch to flash.
Starting from cold with Air on it is OK until first restart of warm engine.
Starting off with Air off while engine is warm seems to avoid coolant light coming on.
Any clues out there?? Read more
Thanks.
The MB robbers tell me it is a fault in fan control unit and quote mega to fit new part which is of course out of stock.
I will have to live with fault for time being.
I'm not interested in MPVs, and having not seen one in the flesh yet, had no idea what an FR-V looked like beyond HJ's tiny photos in the recent road test report. (HJ and Stephen: I know it uses bandwidth, but please can we have road test photos clickable to something larger, if not full size?)
Anyway, having just watched 5th Gear, where the first view of the FR-V that I clocked was from the side, I was convinced that another one of Bangle's Mangled Wagons had come to blight society with its contrived design. What a complete dead ringer for an X3 sagging under a heavy load! Read more
Off on a slight tangent, but the same sort of thing......
I saw my first Seat Altea mini MPV today. In press photos the car looked strikingly different, if not altogether pretty. However, on the road the red example looked surprisingly bland and 'Japanesy'. Its VW Touran cousin, which is supposed to be the bland one, looks much crisper.
Cheers, Sofa Spud
my laguna has a habit of stalling, not always from cold and starts again easily enough. any ideas. prefer to tinker my self or is it a trip to the garage. Read more
thanks a lot for this info. will give it a go at the weekend. have found it doesnt stall if i nock it into nuetral when coming to junctions/traffic queues. not ideal but effective. thought myself it might be a fuelling problem, possibly the ECU needed checking. tanks again. - mick
My 1999 TDDI Focus suffers from bad vibration through the body (not through the steering) on acceleration, can anyone help ? Read more
That is strange. I only ask about the rev range because mine's started doing this. Admittedly mine's a petrol and I wouldn't really call it a vibration through the body but something is definitely vibrating at higher revs.
TimmyRaa mentions the cat in my post on this:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=4&t=27...0
See the earlier posts for the vibration.
I hope someone knows more and can help you.
--
Adam
I know there are a few people on this forum lucky enough to live in the glorious midlands, so thought I'd ask for some opinions on which of these journeys would be easiest/quickest.
Bearing in mind both journeys would be done in rush hour, and I hate the Birmingham New Road with a passion only reserved for that stupid Dixons ad where she taps on the perspex doing a phone order, when Dixons don't even DO phone ordering....grrr.
Anyway...
Journey 1: Wolverhampton to Worcester, probably on the A449 through Kiddermister as we live on that side of town, and the previously mentioned hatred of the New Road to get to the M5.
Journey 2: Wolverhampton to Solihull. I'm guessing this would have to involve the M6 somewhere - would it actually be easier to go up to the M6Toll junction at Cannock (about 15 minutes away from me) and go in that way... or would that just not work at all? Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to play the coins in the bucket game again.
I know potentially both journeys could take anything up to 2 hours if traffic is bad, just wondered which would be the least painful. Read more
Why not consider the train? There is a direct service from Wolves to Solihull, journey time of just 29 minutes in the peak ! If it's for commuting you can get all sorts of season tickets, which has got to be cheaper than using the car trying to cross Birmingham in the rush hours day after day.
Going to Worcester by train might not be so much fun as you would have to change at Smethwick or Birmingham New St / Snow Hill.
I am thinking about buying a car at auction.
It is from Australia. Not registered in the UK. No V5.
Described as having "duty-paid import documentation."
Has anyone got experience of importing a car. What papers should I be looking for? What do they look like? Is the duty VAT?
Also, how easy is registering a car with DVLA? It is a 1920s vehicle, so I would be looking for an age-related numberplate.
Read more
If you are buying from an auction in the UK the car should have reg docs from Aus and customs docs(C&E 389) for UK.Usually you need an MOT,not sure about a car from the 1920s though.Then fill out a V55,send into your local VRO and they will issue a reg No.Easy enough.
It's me again with another conundrum. Just bought one of the above and when I was driving it home in heavy traffic I noticed the accelerater peddle jolts slightly (more like a slow vibration) when I'm using the clutch. Fine when normal driving but when it's stop/start it happens. Doesn't appear to move when u look at it but I can feel it with my foot. Only other way I can describe it is when my old Vectra had ABS problems and I pressed the brake peddle it used to judder as the brakes came on/off. It's like that but only a slight movement. Don't know what it is ut would like to know
If I'm making any sense pls let me know, if not shoot me and I'll get a bus-pass instead. Read more
It might be a knackered electric fan bearing? It happened to me once, felt like a shudder through the accelerator pedal...
You'll know if it's that when the shudder stops, the car overheats in traffic and you find that the fuse is blown!
El Dingo.
Browse
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>The main thing was that the front cross member had not been not bent.<
I take it you mean the main chassis bar at the bottom of the car.
Don´t think that is bent...the thinner bar at the top front of the engine which holds the radiator, headlamps, bonnet lock etc. is bent. But it can be bent back easily by hand.
Scrappy replacement is going well. I have replaced one headlamp for 20 quid. I have another scrappy headlamp (also 20 quid) but the retaining bolt is rusted on. Ideas please for removing this...saw thru with hacksaw? I do not have a blowlamp and would not feel comfortable using one in an engine compartment!
When the headlamps have gone in, its time for a scrappy bonnet. This may take some fiddling to get the lock aligned etc.
Dunno about the radiator...I have driven 100 miles since the shunt. Fluid levels OK, engine temp. indicator OK but the heater feels a bit hotter than normal! I haven´t been stood in any long traffic jams yet...maybe get a scrappy radiator replacement while I am it?
In conclusion, the car is 10 years old. I am content to use scrappy parts to get it it in roadworthy, MOT pass condition. If it looks like an old banger so be it!
Mike