January 2005
Considering buying a 2004 Hyundai Coupe, test-driven a couple & thought it was pretty good - anyone got one or have any opinions / experience of them ???
(for info I'm changing from a Ford Puma)
thanks
simon
(Road test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=126)
Read more
I'm wondering whether to get the cambelt changed on my passat. I was looking through some old receipts for the car (not long before I bought it), and saw one listing the following:
Tension Roller V Belt - £75.00
Drive Belt - 4 pK 850 - £5.00
Timing Belt - £17.00
Labour - £80.00
Are 'timing belt' and cambelt the same thing? If so, I thought they were a lot more expensive than £17.00. So I'm not sure whether this receipt refers to a cambelt change or something else? Read more
Sorry -- my mistook. Now where are my glasses . . .
I am intending to sell my 5 year old BMW 5 Series privately in the near future. It will need 4 new tyres for the MOT and I've been quoted around £600 to replace the Continentals.
However seeing as I am sellin the car it is unlikely this outlay will be reflected in the selling price so has anyone any experience/ideas of cheaper tyres with a relatively well known brand name.
I wouldnt consider fitting a budget tyre but I have found Hankooks that can be fitted all-in for £280. Are these tyres any good though and would they be likely to put off a potential purchaser?
Best regards Read more
Has anyone ever bought tyres from mytyres.co.uk - this seems to be a good site, offering Pirelli P6000s for £80.
Any experiences of this company greatly appreciated
I have an old 1300 golf mk 2 (170 k miles) with a Pierburg 2E3 carb. It has always been excellent but now has an annoying problem.
It starts fine and runs well on the automatic choke for about 3 to 5 minutes. Then when you stop at lights you hear the engine speed drop and it tends to stall at idling. When the engine is warmed up (i.e a few minutes later) it idles very well. The stalling only occurs at ideling speed during the few minutes after the choke has come off and before the engine is warm. It seems the choke comes off too early or the ideling speed at that time is too low.
VW main dealer replaced the pull down unit but have now pretty much run out of ideas and they havent fixed it!
Any ideas for a fix welcome. Read more
Sory I should read more carefully! This guide is for 2E2, altho some of the comments apply to both. Worth reading.
I hope link is clickable this time.
www.clubgti.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46724&PN...1
--
pmh (was peter)
Can anyone offer advice on wishbone problems for an A4? I have heard a creaking as per a noted fault on the Honest John review, but am not sure exactly where it is coming from. Are there any other tests I could do to check for this? Also, how would the problem manifest itself and is it potentially dangerous?
Thanks
Read more
Thanks Aprilia, will do. Is it likely to be dangerous to drive?
Anyone own or driven the new Citreon C4?
How did you get on with that steering wheel?
An ergonomic masterpiece or a gimmick?
Read more
hi, I assume you can't tell from the position of the steering wheel which way your pointing? There was no problems with the Alegro!!!!!
clive.
Or rather those who cycle around with no lights. Nearly got hit by one of these as I was reversing out of a carpark the other night. No lights (back or front), dark clothing and impossible to see head on. Only caught a glimpse of him once I'd completed the manouvere, a couple of seconds later then it could have been nasty. What worries me is that if you hit one, they normally come off the worst and it'll be your fault - even if they could not be seen. About time the local plods cracked down on this. Read more
Those of us who are both drivers and cyclists, like myself, are probably acutely aware of the dangers some cyclists put themselves in.
Having said that, I have no need to cycle at night at present, so I haven't got any lights!
cheers, Sofa Spud
There was a long thread about scameras coming to France on this site just before Xmas. Well, I and dozens of others were caught yesterday by a load of gendarmes on the motorway...
Yes, I was speeding and I'm not going to excuse my bad behaviour. But "foreigners" only get a cash fine of 90 Euros - no points, no follow-ups (unlike the French motorists).
The policeman told me that you have to be doing more than 40km/h over the limit in France before the French police will get tough. (According to their reading I was doing 175, but they take off 9km/h to allow for radar tolerances etc.)
At the speed I was doing I'd be up before a judge back in the UK, facing a fine of hundreds of pounds and a temporary loss of licence.
So a lucky escape, and food for thought. But the fact is a lot of "foreign" motorists can roam the French autoroutes at around 100mph, risking a relatively small fine and no other repercussions. If I were French I'd be furious!
Surely if a French car was clocked on the M6 at 100mph the driver would be in a lot more hot water than I was? Read more
>>He argued that a lengthy ban would have prevented him from
meeting his racing obligations.
It was because he was alo running safety courses for motorcyclists
(!) and would have to close down if he could not
ride himself. It reminds me of the guy who was
on trial for murdering his parents and pleaded for clemency on
the grounds that he was an orphan.
I don't have much sympathy for cases like this one, as it wasn't a marginal speeding offence, or anywhere near the sort of speed that is commonplace on our roads. The A46 is nowhere near motorway standard on some of the stretches where it is dual carriageway and a speed of that order would have been dangerous, as motorists just wouldn't be expecting anyone to be going past them at that rate. If a person's business depends on keeping a driving licence, then they should act a little more responsibly.
- Woken up this morning to find that some urchin has pinched the Volvo logo from the grille of my S60. I thought this little game had died out about 12 years ago? Or is it in vogue again? The again, I am in France, maybe "fashion" takes longer to reach here...
I s'pose the Volvo dealer will charge me 40-odd quid plus VAT for a replacement badge too... Didn't VW replace all theirs free in the 80s, to foster brand loyalty etc?! Read more
And I thought Cape Town was such a civilised place. Friend just back from there was effusive about it, especially how cheap the good wine was.
Oz (as was)
Living in Montpellier in France, i want to splash out soonish and get a reliable motor, something extremely economic and cheap to run. Diesel is a must. But want to avoid garrage bills and costly servicing. Was thinking either about a credit option or saving up and paying cash on a used or cheapish new motor. Plan on keeping the motor for quite some years, between 5 and 10.
Can anyone reccommend something that meets these criteria. Not bothered by mod cons, but safety very important.
thanks
Read more
Not bothered
by mod cons......
Avoid "mod cons" like the plague ~ I wouldn't buy anything from any of them! ;-)
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
Browse
Agreed!
Thats why I said 'Good Value', but as with most vehicles, the mid range engine, quite often prooves the best, or most sensible option, when you come down to owning.
VB