November 2004
Anyone got a suggestion on an ideal first car? Read more
Does anyone know of a website that lists car and motorcycle power to weight ratios?
keep upright Read more
I am about to get my first car and i was wondering what your opinions were about the Fiat Puntos and would you suggest getting this car. also do you know roughly how much petrol it uses? Read more
As you've also posted this question in discussion, I'll lock this one so as to avoid repetition of answers.
DD. BR Moderator.
I hope in the not too distant future to spend a lot of time on the other side of the channel. I will be making frequent and probably extended returns to the UK. I will need a new, to me, car and plan on a largish diesel estate. German, Swedish or Japanese. The question is whether to purchase in France or England. I am told that second-hand car prices are higher in France. On the other hand the specification may also be higher. In the UK for example the Avensis diesel estate does not have cruise control, nor, I think, sat nav. (Though the petrol equivalent does.) Both are standard in France, where admittedly they are more use. However, the other aspect of the equation is whether it is easier/safer to use a left hand drive car in the UK than to use a right hand drive car in France. I have coped with the latter and had no problems for a good many years. Almost always with a passenger whose view of the road ahead was certainly of value at times. But the heavier traffic in England particularly on single carriageway roads must be more difficult to cope with from the left hand seat. Any views? Read more
>> Ticket barriers are easy because you can lower the electric window and lean over far enough.>>
Blimey, you must have extremely long arms.....:-)
Mr Tickle replies....
If you have the correct change / ticket ready, you can take off the seatbelt, lower the window and slide across easily (previous LHD car was just over 6ft wide!) and be through in no time.
I've seen lots of people who struggle to find the ticket, money, open the window and even then sometimes have to lean right out of the window or open the door at barriers in a right-hand-drive car! If this is you, don't get LHD!
I travel up and down the M40 every day - or at least, most of them. I have been paying attention and noticed a few things;
There are a lot of police cars pulling cars over and frequently cameras. I said this once before after I had just started travelling on the M40 (between J9 and J13 btw) and somebody else said they never saw any. Well, they're wrong. Very wrong. And I advise anybody using that bit in rush hours to watch themselves.
Travelling at 70mph is an absolute nightmare. Forever into the inside land to let something past you, getting caught behind a truck at 60mph and then waiting 2 or 3 days for someone to let you back out again. And we wonder why people "hog" the middle lane " Well, if I'm in a non-rushed mood and looking to travel between 70 & 75, that will be me in front of you in the middle lane.
There are idiots in cars. Lots of them. There are also lots of BMWs. Contrary to what is said here, they are actually different groups. The two most likely to offend are Astra and Focus. And the journey is boring enough, and I'm sad enough, that I've actually counted a number of times. BMWs are *way* down the list. And even when a BMW is a pain, its a 3 rather than a 5. Next to the Astra and Focus I think that Omegas and Audis are pretty frequent.
I use cruise control a lot - therefore I am sure that most of the time my speed is constant. A typical speed for me would be 80mph; I don't have to spend all my time in and out of the slow lane, but neither do I keep catching up with stuff or panic about police. I am amazed how other people's speed changes. They so often speed up by 2 or 3 mph just as you're going past them. I haven't really worked out why. In addition, its amazing how many people come thundering past you at one minute and then you're stuck behind them the next.
Loads, and I mean loads, of people use their mobile phones. And they are almost always driving badly or at least distractedly.
All in alll a lot of people on the motorways need to get over themselves. There is an awful lot of self-importance and selfishness. And a willingness to risk ones life to gain an extra yard.
Really, life is too short for the petty, irritable and stressed behaviour to be witnessed on the motorways. Well, certainly mine is and over the last 10 years I have changed from probably the most bad-tempered and stressed driver on the roads to one who relaxes the whole way through it, even when I'm late - mind you, 10 years of driving in South America will do that for you. Read more
Engaging and disengaging the CC has been mentioned as a way to match the varying speeds on motorways. I found that when CC was engaged, one button would give gentle acceleration to increase the CC set speed, and another would suspend the CC and allow the car to coast, slowly reducing the speed. Releasing either button re-engaged the CC at the new speed. With some anticipation, I found that it enabled easy fine speed adjustment to match the other vehicles. I'm sure all CC systems have this, but at least one other person with a CC-equipped car I mentioned this to had never realised it was possible. With a used car, the owner's manual is usually missing, so how many people never use CC because they don't know how to use it fully?
hi
i had to disconnect the battery on my audi A6 - 1998.
now reconnected the radio and everything else works fine apart from the nokia phone wont charge in the nokia cradle.
the phones doesnt even recongnise that its in the holder. ive tried another phone to no avail.
any ideas?
thanks
Read more
il try looking at the battery connections later. ive tried a friends 6230 nokia phone and that doesnt recognise it either
I know that the issue of having to provide ID to get new number plates made has been mentioned in these forums in the past 12 months, but I am obviously not driving the forum search engine correctly as combinations of 'new' 'number' 'plates' 'replacement' 'id' returns nothing that looks to be relevant.
I went to the DVLA on Friday to collect number plate retention documents for the friend who is selling her car (mentioned in another thread) and when I got to Halfords to get plates made up for the newly issued number I realised that my photo driving license was at home, attached to the paper copy, having recently taken it all overseas.
I read that if you didn't have your license with you, you would be able to provide a bank/credit card statement or utility bill, along with a travel card with photo, a foreign national card, a credit card with photo and a couple of other cards with pics on them.
Luckily I had a credit card statement in my case, and although I had none of the photo cards mentioned I did have my Royal Air Force ID card with me.
I was told that it was not acceptable. I was stunned that a bus or rail pass, which when I last had one were just a piece of card with picture attached, could be accepted as id, but a military pass, a proper plastic thing, with picture printed onto it and overlayed with security hologram, and which gets me into some of the most secure places in the country, was not.
Meanwhile, the local crims were at home making up fake plates in their garages.
Yet another law which makes the lives of the law abiding citizen more difficuly, while doing fanny adams about crime. Read more
OT but compliance (how I hate that noxious laden-with-innuendo word PC left wing word) with int'l money-laundering regulations has been forced on more and more countries in recent years with threats of sanctions absent such "compliance".
A second issue is that banks will flagrantly sit on money for 30-60 days in some cases so they can use it in the markets.
The big banks are now pretty well in line and the spotlight is now on the other vehicles, WU as mentioned, Moneygram, even FedEx.
In the example mentioned, Australia would most likely be on an "approved" list.
As for licence plates, why are they produced independently in UK from the reg process? Here you get yours from the LTO when the vehicle is reg for the first time along with all your papers.
Orlando Pirates? dribbling wizard Joseph ?Duku Duku? Makhanya had an unfortunate accident on Thursday the 18th November 2004 after attending the Development Awards held in Orlando East at the Communal Hall.
Minutes after arriving at his home, Makhanya parked his brand new red Mini Cooper S, outside his house in the South of Johannesburg.
Realizing he had left something in the car, he rushed outside to find the car rolling as he had left it in neutral. He tried to stop the car from rolling down the slope but he failed when it rolled forward bashing his knee into a pole.
The team's physiotherapist and driver rushed him to the nearest hospital where a scan revealed he had a minor fracture.
Since the knee was swollen, the Doctor decided to allow the swell to subside before putting a cast which will most probably be on Tuesday.
He is to rest for at least one month.
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He was lucky it wasn't Lucky driving it away - that
would have been More Th>n a mad chase....:-)
That's a UK TV advert, Ian, in case you're scratching your head.
Use it up : Wear it out : Make do : Do without
HDWIS (He Does What I say) aka SWMBO.
World's most bring job - Accountant.
Drives a 3 year old MINI soon to be replaced.
Only drive his beloved 5 when he's been at the Vino (but I love it and got him a good deal)
Love 4WD but hates the dreaded Defender.
His dog hates me. Look forward to posting. Read more
A gentle hint that a moderator is on the prowl....
{P} means that the poster is advertising (warning) that they have bothered to fill in at least some of their user profile for others to view.
StarGazer
i have a ford focus zectec mk2 1.6 when i turn the ignition off, the temperature and fuel guage go back to zero . with in seconds both dials go back to half way and stay there until i restart the car. when the car is restarted the dials work as normal please help.
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There is a "Gage" mode in the diagnostic mode which tests the speedo, rev counter, fuel and temp gauges by sweeping them round to maximum for a couple of seconds. You can also light up all the warning lights in "Bulb" mode. The gauge test works fine, and the gauges themselves also work accurately in use, so there's not a problem with the gauges themselves. Whatever is causing the problem only occurs when the ignition is switched off.
Incidentally, my car was parked up for two weeks when I was on holiday in the summer and started first go on my return, so whatever it is, isn't causing any significant battery drain.
Browse
"Troll responding to a 7 year old thread who can't even spell "opinion" for his name".
Possibly, or he may be confessing to being shortsighted.