Apologies if this has been already discussed. What is the accuracy of the trip computers many cars now have, especially in regard to mpg? I once asked HJ this, and he fired back an email on how to work out mpg by brimming the tank etc. But that is not really my question. I wonder if anyone has ever researched the general accuracy of these gadgets, otherwise what is to stop manufacturers setting them to give us the impression that their cars are doing better mpg on screen than in reality? Read more

I have just bought a 1996 Toyota Celica Cabriolet, with a 2Litre twin cam 16 valve, automatic, she is a grey import, and I am trying to identify the exact model, is there any way that I can find this detail, for example from the VIN?
I have tried searching your archive for this but couldn't see anything
any help would be gratefully recieved
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I've jut started to notice people are starting to tint not only the rear windows, but the drivers door window too with dark "celeb" tint.

I don't know about everyone else, but if someone wants to come out of a side road, then unless I can get eye contact, there's no way I'm going to wait for them - they could be staring at the clouds, eating pies, anything. I wonder if they'll realise after a while that no-one's letting them out?

It must be worse for cyclists - you rely on eye contact to confirm that you've been seen.

only a matter of time before they tint the front windscreen and finish the job.

John of Rotherham Read more

I am happy that exteme views have been aired and individuals have vented their various spleens, and I have been keeping an eye on this thread to see where it went.

Well the initial reation to this news has passed, and now is the time for measured and productive discussion. Hence some of these posts have been heavily edited/deleted in their entirety, as I do feel their times are up. Those that posted them have had their chance for "free speech", and I ask them and everyone else to comply. I don't want to have to delete this thread.

Thanks in advance

Hugo - BR Moderator

"A 13-year-old who became one of the youngest drink-drivers in the UK was given a four month custodial sentence yesterday after driving a stolen car at 70mph without lights in a 30mph residential area.
Jon Smee, of Salford, who at 4ft 10in tall can barely reach the steering wheel of a car , was caught by police after he lost control of a Ford Mondeo at a roundabout near Manchester centre in November.
At Salford magistrates court, District Judge Jonathon Finestein said it as "a miracle" that Smee escaped the crash without seriously injuring or killing himself or other people.
Police were alerted last October when the owner of the K-reg car realised it had been stolen. Just after midnight the following day, an officer saw Smee speeding along Queensway in Salford. The car was going the wrong way and narrowly missed a pedestrian who was so close to the car that he felt the draught as it sped past him, the court heard.
District Judge Finestein took the unusual step of allowing Smee to be identified to send a warning to other youngsters who behave in anti-social, dangerous and unacceptable ways. "This is an exceptional case of a boy of 13 guilty of a catalogue of offences. It is difficult to underestimate the risks you have posed, not just to your life, but also to other people's lives - you had no ability to control a car."
The judge sentenced Smee to a four-month detention and training order. He was also disqualified from driving for four years - a ban which only comes into force when he is legally old enough to drive at 17. Tests showed he had 50 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35 microgrammes.
Pam Johal, prosecuting, said: "The pedestrian heard a screech of tyres and saw the car driving over 30mph on the wrong side of the road. He felt the draught from the speed the vehicle and was forced to take a step back."
Smee continued to drive on the wrong side of the road, reaching speeds of up to 70mph. As he approached a roundabout, his front wheel hit a kerb, a tyre burst and he lost control of the car."
The court heard that the teenager rarely attended school and was looked after by his elder sister at night as both his parents - described as an industrious couple - went to work. He spent time with older boys and had been arrested for a number of car-related crimes.
He committed the offences only five weeks after he had been released by a youth court with a supervision order and he is also the subject of an anti-social behaviour order.
Last month, at Salford youth court, he pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol, aggravated vehicle-taking and driving with no insurance.
He had already had been caught twice for driving without qualification and also admitted breaching an anti-social behaviour order imposed last June.
Smee and his friends had also been banned from their local McDonald's restaurant in Broughton for threatening staff, shouting racist abuse and throwing a bicycle through a window. He now holds the dubious record for the youngest drink-drive conviction with another 13-year-old caught in Littlehampton, West Sussex, two years ago.
His solicitor Mike Gee, said: "He feels he has let himself and his family down and there has been no offending since the last matter."
Chief Inspector David Bleackley, of Greater Manchester Police's traffic network section said: "It is appalling to think that this youngster was driving round the streets whilst under the influence of alcohol."


I wonder if John Smee will accept that he cannot drive a car again until he is 21!
Just what can society do with youngsters like this?



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Am going to have a crack at replacing a CV boot tomorrow on my 1999 Passat TDi.

Anyone got any tips for dealing with the suspension, more specifically with regard to the balljoints?

All advice much appreciated. Read more