February 2005
In a previous recent thread......
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=29...7
....I put forward the argument that the government would sneak in satellite tracking by adding it to motoring offenders cars and then rolling it out to other people as either a carrot (offenders)or a stick (discounts on insurance), then soon everyone would have to have it.
Well I almost fell of my chair this morning, less than a week later, when LBC Radio news said that the government was proposing "tracking repeat speeding offenders cars".
Us motorists, should get together to resist moves like this, as our rights are being gradually eroded as we sleep walk to complete control of our motoring lives.
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Just to settle a 'debate' between me and my brother:
If a car that was worth £20k in 1999, and was insured fully comp, was stolen...how much would the insurance company pay out? What the car was worth new? or what it was worth just before it was nicked?
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If at first you do succeed, try not to look astonished Read more
As simply as possible, the replacement cost of the car, i.e., what you would expect to pay, after allowing for a little haggling and the value of any repairs, additional warranty, etc., for a similar car in similar condition from a dealer's forecourt.
That would be slightly more than the car's trade in value but less than the full asking price from the dealer.
So a £20k car in 1999 would now probably be worth between £3k (Mondeo 2.0 Ghia) and £7,500 (BMW 318i), for instance.
I asked a local garage to investigate fixing the lock on the rear door of our car. The lock had failed leaving the door unable to open. Despite claiming he could do it without damaging the door card, he actually systematically wrecked the door pull leaving it dangerously sharp and not something I'd want my six year old to get anywhere near. Obviously, this was not something I'd agreed to.
He'd phoned me earlier to discuss the option of going through the card as he couldn't get through to the lock. He quoted a big number and I said I'd get back to him. Within 20mins I told him not to bother - I'd collect the car and pay for his time. The receipt does disclose that the "inner door handle trim broken in process of trying to gain access" but I only discovered this when my wife pointed it out (in v small font) when I got home. The garage had said nothing in either phone conversation nor when I collected the car.
Apart from the receipt, nothing is in writing. I am naturally disappointed with the garage and will discuss it with them tomorrow.
In the meantime I would welcome any backroomers' advice. What would you do?
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Sorry folks but this seems like a great deal of unnecessary strife!
It looks as if the lock cannot be reached without damaging the door lining - either by this garage or another.
Bearing this in mind, a good secondhand trim would seem an economical and satisfactory solution.
Have a chat with the garage. Suggest sourcing a secondhand trim and splitting the cost - or you paying for the trim and them fitting it for free.
With the 'new' trim available it would be a doddle to get stuck in to the lock and have everything back 'as new' in no time.
Remember, you could have gone straight to another garage who might have said from the outset - 'sorry, we can't do it without replacing the trim'- which is where you are now anyway!
You could almost argue that this garage were trying hard to save you this cost and their best intentions didn't work out. We're all human!
I'd go for a compromise - less hassle in the end.
Graeme
Hi all,
I have purchased some original motorcraft brake discs and pads for my ford fiesta xr2i 1.6.
However in the box with the brake disc is a leaflet stating that before installation of the disc 'the anti corrosion material/film needs to be throughly washed off in an alkalie bath'.
Has anyone come across this before and can i not just install the discs from new ie straight from the box? As I cannot see, visually, any film on the disc and don't recall kwik fit doing this when i had them changed about 4 years ago I watched the technician take them from the box and fit them on my car.
Thanks as always.
Steveo Read more
Your mail suggest that you had the discs changed four months ago at Kwikfit so why change the discs again. Are you sure you should be doing this safety related job. ??? Regards Peter
I was stationery in the middle of a crossroads waiting for a gap. The cars in the opposite direction stopped when the red light came on. Rather than wait in the middle of the crossroads, I carefully drove on, only to see 2 flashes in my rear view mirror.
Now, will they look at the pictures and realise I was going at crawling pace when flashed, and couldn't possibly be an "amber gambler", or am I in trouble?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Ben Read more
SeeFive,
I wouldn't worry. I'm not an expert (all the info I've found about them has been from here!) but a red light camera superimposes how long the lights were on red for, time etc..
You never crossed the stop line when the light was on red and so, no offence has been committed. Besides which, the loops are usually close to the stop line so are you positive it was you who triggered it?
All in all, don't worry. If they decide to go ahead with it(which I doubt) I'd think you could easily prove your innoncence.
Somemone else may have some other thoughts...
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Adam
Just bought a second hand P Reg mondeo 2L. When the engine is running and I'm stationary if I very faintly touch the accelerator pedal it vibrates like a foot massager....lol. I've never experienced this before in any other car. Anyone got any idea what is going on? Many thanks in advance. Dave Read more
Thanks for the info. No, no missfire. Just this funny little vibration on the pedal. Once my foots on it and i'm driving I cant feel it. It's just when your sitting there and faintly touch it.
As stated in another thread, my BiL bought a new Modus today. His 18 year old son is learning to drive and his daughter has just turned 17.
He got 2 quotes, one for him, wife and son. The other for all 4 of them. It actually worked out £100 cheaper to insure all 4 than it did just the three!!
I assume that the ins companies must look at the youngest driver to rate the risk, and a 17 year old girl is deemed to be safer than an 18 year old boy?
Is that the case? Read more
Often I have had cheaper quotes for the wife as an additional driver rather than just me.
H
Not exactly 4 wheel, but definately automotive related. I have been given a Optimate Battery charger to charge the battery on my CBR1000F. It has additional features to diagnose plate sulphation and automatically semi discharge/ recharge to keep the battery at 100% capacity if it is kept connected to the charger.
At present the battery is out and connected to the charger which is outputing 14 Volts (about the same as the alternator).
I have seen advertisd permenent wiring harnesses that enable the fitment of a plocket to the fairing for quick connection, that avoid the hastle of getting the battery out,
The question is, can i keep the battery connected to the bike whilst charging or is this likely to blow the regulator/ rectifier?
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The question is, can i keep the battery connected to the
bike whilst charging or is this likely to blow the regulator/
rectifier?
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That's the point, they are supposed to be left connected doing some clever electronic nurturing to the battery while attached.
In the cheapskate Hawkeye household, my battery charger is set to 2 amps and runs on a timer to give half an hour a week charge. The croc. clips attach to a rear bungee hook and a live nipple I fitted through the battery box.
My bike fired up second try after 5 months inaction.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
I have got a droneing sound coming from my car that is driving me nuts,i have had both front wheel bearings replaced & both rear hub bearings replaced.But still the noise is there,it seems to be there most of the time & is most notable above 40 mph,it also increases in noise/drone when on a smooth tarmac road,the vehicle has also being tracked & has had new front tyres.The car drives great otherwise with no vibration from the steering or car in general,just this awful drone,which does appear to be comeing from the rear drivers side area,any advice would be greatly appreciated to this costly headache££££££££.
many thanks in advance
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The trick in identifying tyre noise is that it is usually independent of load, and only dependent on speed. Bearings and couplings and gears tend to make a noise which varies in sympathy with the load on them.
tinyurl.com/3mdhu
Oh dear it was only a matter of time !
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Breathe easy!
This is probably referring to the news that JHU and RSA Security cracked the security of Texas Instruments' transponder chips used in car keys and US petrol cards last week.
Kevin...
Browse
>>id rather you explain your views on..........
And I would rather that you did not.
This is a thread about speeding in a forum about Motoring. Any further non-motoring stuff will be removed.
Thank you.