February 2005
Hi. I have a P reg 2.0L Zetec Mondeo. Whenever I start it up There is a high pitch whinning/whistling (like wind blowing through a gap) sound coming from the engine. It only last while I start it up. As soon as I start to move the car it goes away.
Anyone any idea what this odd sound might be?
Many thanks in advance.
Dave Read more
Nearly fell off my chair when I saw this:
www.zdouk.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=2
£5820......but it is refillable for life. Bet they hope they don't sell any to Hertz. Read more
When I was just a boy, I once couldn't find any dishwashing liquid, so used some laundry detergent instead to wash the car. Hmm, one very streaky result. Never did that again. I don't use diswashing liquid now either, as it either froths up too much or not enough. Toothpaste is quite good at getting off the oily film that builds up on windscreens. I seem to have to use it on the bathroom mirror every time I stay in a hotel, and actually want to see which part of my face I'm shaving.
Story in my local rag yesterday:
Lorry driver who turned his vehicle over on a bend whilst speeding, crushed a car coming the other way and killed the old chap driving it.
He already had nine points for speeding offences, and the investigation into this crash found that he'd tampered with the limiter.
He got 3 points and therefore a 28-day ban under the totting-up procedure.
Any ideas why the sentence was so light? Read more
Notwithstanding any fine, the report is difficult to believe. The allocation of points was for what, speeding, or killing the other driver? Many people, in similar circumstances, could plead hardship from loss of job.
I have just renewed my road tax online, what a fantastic feature, about time to. It was easy to use and I will get my disc in 5 working days. Read more
Unfortunately, the village PO doesn't tax vehicles and it's a five mile journey to the nearest sub-post office; find somewhere to park; and then wait in one of those winding lanes they have. So, it's a ten mile round trip instead of a few minutes on-line - if it works.
Went to a scrapyard yesterday to get a jack for mate.
1st time I have been to one for 20 odd years and was totally amazed.
They told me on the phone I would have to look through the cars to find one, so went expecting to clamber over piles of scrappers.....only to find rows and rows of cars neatly stacked on cradles, all with the wheels removed and neatly put in boot.
Dealt with by a polite set of blokes and no alsations in sight.
Probably old news to lots of you, but I was very impressed.
I won't give the name, but if you are looking a a scrapyard, the one in Hollybush Lane Aldershot is worth a look and had a very wide variety of cars.
Finally, seems to me the car most likely to be scrapped due to accident damage (and frequently in some style) is a lightly modded Peugeot 106. Read more
I remember the one in Loughborough, near Morris Cranes IIRC??
H
HJ column on right of this page says £7500 discount on a Rover 75 so they are under £12K new.
Errr desperate or what? Read more
Some of Rover's problems in the 1990s, apart from the fact
that it needed fresh models, arose because it was pricing its
new cars at a level that would have bought the class
above from another marque, for instance Mondeo money for an Escort/Focus
sized model.
The majority of private car buyers wouldn't bite.
I quite agree, I remember going to look at a Rover 214 (would that be right in 1994/5?), taking a test drive in it and saying to the salesman that it was OK, but not worth the £12k, or thereabouts, that they wanted for it. It takes some believing that they were asking that kind of money for one, over 10 years ago.
I was just watching an old Car Wars. There was a pursuit where the scrote was driving on the wrong side of a dual carriageway. A motorist went to pull in front of him (to stop him) then thought better of it.
If you aided the apprehension of a criminal by blocking his car, and it resulted in damage to yours, who would pay for your damage? Presume someone would...but what if only 3rd party? Would you lose no claims etc?
Or should one sit back and not get involved? Read more
>>>Did the BM blow up or run out of petrol<<<
I think it blew up. All in all a superb chase and makes its own case for improved pursuit training over here.
My other all time favourite chase has to be the Swedish Police after a Lotus Carlton. They are following him with lights and sirens off, and he pulls out to overtake somebody, floors it, and you have never seen anything accelerate as fast. In a matter of seconds it has just disappeared.
We are thinking of swapping our Honda CRV petrol auto, for a Skoda Octavia Diesel auto or the C Max diesel auto. Has anyone got any opinions?
Must be automatic and preferbly a diesel due to annual mileage of 20K.
Also any feedback on which Octavia to look at? Old or New?
Thanks
Anne Read more
Have driven friends 1.9TDi Octavia is a nice drive. fairly quiet and smooth. I'd go with that, best bet would be to test drive one of each and see what you prefer.
--
Im a student ive got time!!!
I was prompted to look at short term contract hire deals following HJ's response to one of the queries in his Telegraph column last Saturday.
A bit of quick searching found a 1 year contract on a new Renault Scenic 1.5dci Dynamique for £139 per month!
My wife's current Scenic is getting a bit long in the tooth and I've got a fair bit of spending to do coming up....new tyres, timing belt, MOT, tax etc etc...
The above deal (as I'm not VAT registered) works out at about £190 per month to fund a brand new car for a year....I've done the sums and I couldn't borrow the money for those sorts of rates.
Anyway, just to say thanks for the tip!
Paul Read more
Actually Cardew it is legal. Is it ethical?
blah blah blah. Rest of quoted text from DavidHM's original post deleted by DD.
Thanks David - I had no idea about that statutory right. I must have led a sheltered life!
According to the car magazines few cars are worth more than 50% of their list price after 3 years even with average mileage. Some cars like large Alfas and Saabs much less than this.
I am unsure what your last paragraph means. If you bought a new car used it as a taxi and put starship mileage on it - 300K - what happens at 'hand back' time. Can you be sued for - what?
On a slightly different tack. My computer cost me £1,000 when new. Like all new PCs it was worth about £100 after a year. Had I bought it on HP would I be able to hand it back as soon as I had paid back 50%? Without any recrimination?
C
PS
Can ethics be flexible?
Recently I have been working on a property that is on the main Road, and I mean bang on the main road, just before some traffic lights going into the village of Gunnislake from Tavistock.
There is no garden. The only outside area for this property is the walkway outside its front door. There is abolutely no undeveloped land to this property at all.
So, unloading and loading is a bit of a lottery with traffic etc. I have to pull up on the other side of the road opposite the property and run the gauntlet of light controlled traffic.
I have to say I am amazed at the patience shown by the drivers. Drivers of goods vehicles of all shapes and sizes are the most helpful but car drivers without exception on this job have been courtious. They have left me plenty of room to carry materials into and out of the van safely. A chap even waved me on when traffic had slowed because of a lorry.
Again, a big thanks to all for helping to make my job easier.
H Read more
Frazer, I think you're right!
Sir Hiss, you're also right about the summer traffic.
When I was working on the same property last year I had only one beligerant driver who insisted on blocking my access to the drivers door of the van. She took great delight in having done this, much to the embarresment of her passenger. I suppose she just felt I had no right to exist as I was driving a scruffy van and was onviously up to no good.
Some of it may be due to having the new van. I don't know.
PU, that's a great Idea ;)
H
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If it does come back, check the tension of the belt. WD40 is a lubricant, you may have encouraged the belt to slip but not make a noise doing it. If the belt is in good condition, and the tension is ok, use a belt dressing to make it grip with no noise.