March 2005
Coming home on the M8 last night, just as I approach harthill Services I see lots of flashing orange beacons on vehicles coming out from services.
Turns out it is two lorries carrying extra wide loads, the load is literally taking over almost 2 lanes of motorway. Escort Vehicle is sitting behind it in outside lane with beacons flashing (glad to see we no longer waste police time and money on this).
Anyway, convoy then speeds away in front of me and reaches speeds of 70 mph! Certainly no signs of 56mph limiters here!A lorry 2 lanes wide doing 70 mph as it passes bridges etc is quite a sight!I was first vehicle behind it and I was just sitting in the inside lane matching it for speed from a distance. Then traffic started to try to overtake it! A 2 lane motorway, a lorry carrying something 2 lanes wide, a vehicle behind escorting it and someone is practically on the bumper of the convoy vehicle trying to get past!
There are times that you just look at your fellow drivers and wonder what, if anything, is going through their mind as they are sitting behind the wheel. Is there any sort of thinking going on that has any relevance to driving?
Sorry rant over, and I never got to find what exactly the load was! Read more
what the!didnt even know it had one!battery went flat now the alarm????seems to have armed itself.setting off the horn beep beep beep.havent ever had a handset fob.is there any way of disarming it or disabling it.please help before i put a match to it!
thanks, bunny
Read more
They have the kit to program in a new plip? That's rare!
--
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
having insured daughter for £60 per month (on top of the normal premium) to learn to drive in our little corsa to find she never bothered driving it we decided to cancel and save soem money. I rang up and was told that we would get a refund. Great! How much? £6-50. That's not much considering we were paying £60 extra a month. Thats not a month sir that's until the end of the policy in July. What? So I'm actually getting just £1-50 a month back for cancelling a policy that's costing £60 a month with 4 months to run? Er yes there's an admin charge of £15 plus other factors which the computer system takes into account.
Any insurers care to comment? Read more
- the car sold with a drive.
Was that tarmac or block paving? :)
I have been looking for a 626 coupe 90-91 for some time. These cars seem to be pretty rare at the moment.
I did see an outrageousley expensive one on Auto Trader today but in general none for sale.
Question is, anyone seem them latley or know of one for sale? Read more
These were the Mark1 MX6.
check out www.mx6.com for more enthusiasts.
Picked up my new model A4 2.0 TDi S-line 2,500 miles ago. Already have problems with the gearbox (obstructive and crunching into 2nd gear, sometimes can't get first at all!) and suspension like a bouncy castle (I think the front dampers are faulty) so much so that I bounce out of the driver's seat on some B roads.
I also have trouble getting comfortable - I get left leg aches and now back problems - I think that the foot rest next to the clutch is too high or at the wrong angle. Audi only say that I have to keep adjusting the seat until I get comfortable, but by then the seat is so far back I can't fully depress the clutch!Anyone else get this problem, and has anyone found an answer?
El Dingo. Read more
I don't like the foot rest. Unfortunately it seems to be a hatchet job to remove it as the plastic part is screwed to a substantial welded bracket. Mine is an auto, and I would love to stretch out my left leg, but it then rests under the huge brake pedal. I would love to saw the brake pedal in half but haven't had the courage to do it. If I had an accident I see loads of problems.
There is also a problem if you sit too far back, when a glance over your right shoulder gives you a view of a door pillar and not much else.
I have no problem at all with back ache as I have the lumbar support option and it solved any back problems I have had in the past.
No problem with suspension - I have 15" wheels fitted for comfort rather than the more usual 16". Steering is not so sharp but at a certain age comfort overcomes boy racer instincts.
Hi,
I've got a Y reg (Apr 2000)Astra 1.7 DTI with the Isuzu 16 valve engine. The problem I encounter is that the engine from time to time will not run smoothly. The engine does not appear to have a flat spot as this fault seems to occur at any rev setting except idle. The fault seems to be more apparent in cold weather. I use shell diesel but have also used BP Ultimate and ussually use millers diesel plus. The fuel filter has been replaced and there has never been any water visible in the fuel filter housing when replacing the filter. The Car has done 125 000 miles the engine had a replacement Cylinder Head at 117 000 miles. There is no coolant loss and other than the Kangaroo juice the car runs well.
Read more
Sorry, this is probably way too late for you, but may be of some use to someone still running one. We had the same problems with kangaroo fuel on long motorway journeys. Never any water in fuel. We came to the conclusion that it was dirty injectors, so have been using diesel fuel cleaners ever since, which sorted the problem as long as we only use cheap supermarket fuel. It doesn't like any of the branded fuels. The latest time we used Redex fuel cleaner which so far has lasted the longest. Current mileage around 218K.
I am continuously fed up with bad service, disinterest and general incompetence and lack of care from Ford dealers. This is not just one but several. Last year I had a Mondeo serviced by a local dealer who overfilled the oil and damaged the car while replacing the pollen filter.
The scuttle cover and pollen filter cover had screwdriver marks and after a meeting with the service manager it was agreed that the damaged parts would be replaced FOC. When they drained the excess oil out they removed far too much but rather than go back I just topped it up myself with 5w30 oil. I also noted that they used Shell Helix oil, which is API SJ. Fords own oil is API SL, no doubt this is down to cost cutting but it would be nice if the third party oil were the same spec.
This year the same car went in to a different Ford main dealer for an annual service this time things were a little better the oil was not overfilled however the car came back with an oil stain on the drivers seat. While replacing a bulb and presumably removing the light cluster they have also scratched the bumper and failed to fit the light seal back properly. I have reported these issues to the service manager and they are going to inspect the vehicle later this week.
I find this catalogue of errors ridiculous considering the local Ford dealers charge labour rates that are almost on a par with BMW and Mercedes dealers located nearby. I am curious as to if anyone else has had any Ford dealer problems or am I just unlucky?
Read more
When I've had my car serviced I regularly receive a questionnaire
from both the dealer and from a market research company acting
on behalf of the manufacturer.
I'm not sure if all Toyota dealers do but our customers get a follow up questionnaire after they've had a service done.
Also when you buy a new Toyota you get a follow up from Toyota asking you about the purchase process
I've tried the advert board on here, and the local paper, without success. It's a good car, and nothing wrong with it, but I've not had any form of contact whatsoever. I thought the price was fair, though I would cut it a bit if necessary. I know what the "Black book" trade in price is though, and we're not too far off that.
Next stop Ebay, though I am wary about the whole auction thing, and want to steer a happy line between getting the car sold and getting rid of it for pennies. There's no point me selling it for sixpence.
Am I asking too much, or is it jsut that no-one wants to buy a cheap car any more?
O Read more
Glad to hear that Orson. I was beginning to feel sorry for you!
--
Adam
My A4 leaks water when it rains. Water collects in the area in front of the windscreen under the brake servo and battery ---sounds simple must be blocked drain --- but I can?t find a drain. Help where is the drain on a 98 A4
Read more
I think we've found your problem, on both accounts!
--
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
Can anyone help?
I have a 1988 Volvo Automatic 2.3 Estate which has been with my mechanic (who I have known for over 30 years) since the beginning of February because it keeps stalling.
He has done everything to get it running including change two petrol pumps, renewed the distributor and wiring etc.
There is a good flow of petrol and a good spark but it will not run for more than a minute.
We are at our wits end. Please can you help?
(My mechanic says it knew it was going to be sold and has died in protest).
Many thanks.
Jim Wilson.
Read more
I assume you are refering to a 240 series. Q is the problem only whilst ticking over, i.e. it runs fine when you are driving around but fails at tick over or just it just die after one minute. The later is down to the Ign Amp lack of thermal contact or a duff unit, remove, clean and use new compound to refit. Regards Peter
Browse
Okay 56mph should have been its maximum limited speed but if you are refering to a lower speed because of its abnormal size then you will find it is to do with the weight rather than sheer size of the load that theoretically restricts its top speed.
I bet if it had been travelling at 40mph and no-one could get past it then people would have been saying how inconsiderate it was to move the load at that time of day, holding everyone up.