March 2005
Is there an age restriction on pillion riders on motorbikes ?
Saw what looked like a young child (under 10 ?) on the back of a bike - albeit kitted out in full leathers and helmet.
Steve Read more
Hi
We purchased a pre-reg MB in Dec 2004 on the 54 plate.
We knew that soon it would look old with the 05 plate on the market, but purchased the car nevertheless.
are there any plates out there that can be bought relatively cheapely that makes on believe the car is 05 reg
EG: L105 VCY actually reads, lima, 1 , 0 , 5 VCY
or anything similar that reads as the years reg with 105 following it and the three alapbetical numbers
Thanks in advance
Lucian
PS: We know it costs around the 150 for transfer fees, and we don,t want any silly comments - just helpful ones please!!!! Read more
I have occasionally been fooled, i.e. X505ABC can look like XS05ABC, I guess this is what Lucian is thinking, however he would be much better off with a £499 X5ABC or similar from the DVLA.
Hi Room
I am considering taking up the company car option with my new job. I havent had a company car since the law was changed basing it on price & co2. I am expecting to cover 20,000 miles per year and will also have a fuel card.
Question ; I need to do my homework to ensure the extra tax I will pay will still be less than the reidual value loss and other costs associated with owning my own car. Does anyone know of any good web sites or guides I can use to calculate the best options based on my personal circumstances?
Thanks Read more
Business mileage comes into the equation when deciding on whether you take the car or the allowance. If you take the money then you can claim back tax on the money you get per mile vs. what the tax man actually allows.
If I recall correctly, Inland Revenue would allow 40p for first 10,000 miles and 25p thereafter. So if you only get say 12p a mile and do 25,000 business miles and are higher rate tax payer:
1. You claim back tax for 28p x 10,000 miles
2. You claim back tax for 13p x 15,000 miles
Which comes close to £2000 per annum! Think I've got this right.
Any one else struggle with the Vauxhall Indicators as fitted to the latest Vectra.
SWMBO has recently been provided with a company Vectra which has these indicators where the stalk always remains in its parked position but indicators flash a just few times when stalk is pressed or stay on a bit longer sometimes. Also they are difficult to cancel, often results in opposite indicator being activated.
An accident waiting to happen if you ask me, "standard" indicators much easier and safer to use.
Anyone else think this should be the subject of a factory recall? Read more
The acid test would be whether Vauxhall's system would be accepted within the aircraft industry for an essential system. You would probably find that the answer might be yes initially but if it either led to, was suspected of, or was contributary to an "incident" it would be replaced with a good old fashioned intuative switch.
I'm thinking of buying a Mondeo Ghia X through Ford Direct, and I read on here that a lot of the upper spec ICE units get nicked as they're easy upgrades for lower spec units.
1) Does this still happen on the later, Sony, units?
2) Is this also an issue with Ford's Sat Nav?
I've had a car in the past where the radio got nicked twice and I ended up having to remove it every night. That's not a practical proposition with the large Ford units these days. I also really fancy the Sat Nav, but not if it's going to get nicked. Read more
The Sony upgrade - still gets stolen according to a friend at fords. This sytem is normally found in the top spec c-max ghias which have an alarm sensor, but still get stolen.
My BMW project is going for its MoT tomorrow. It started up and ran this afternoon (like a good 'un). I don't expect a faliure on anything major. It is untaxed and uninsured but don't worry its back on its trailer !! Read more
Wheels went in for a re-furb today - no point doing them prior to an MoT. SWMBO has authorized keeping it - for the time being.
I used diesel plus with my vw tdi and was pleased with it - seemed to run better and a small price to pay for the cleaning/lubrication properties.
Now have a 306 hdi. Someone told me that there's no point putting it in the hdi engine.
Seems rather odd to me.
Any thoughts? Read more
I'm going back a few years now but Lubrizol were our major competitor.
The additive we suplied was added at the point of delivery. So for ordinary fuels the brand difference was the additives package.
I have a couple of issues that I would like some advice with.
Firstly, the engine management light randomly comes on and goes off again. Sometimes just for seconds, other times for a minute or so.
Another issue that may well be linked is that it sometimes feels like I am taking my foot on and off the accelerator, but I'm not. Also the idling can be a little eratic at times.
Second, the traction control light never turns off.
Lastly, the temperature guage never moves, if you touch the wires together it will move.
Many thanks,
JB Read more
The car took a turn for the worse this evening, and completly conked out. The battery light just stays on when I try to turn it over, could be the alternator I guess.
Jason.
My neighbour some years ago paid our local council to provide a concrete ramp from the road to her rear garden intending to replace the fence with a gate and park her car off road. She never did this, but the ramp is still there.
Her son in law parked his van on the concrete ramp prior to taking his family to Australia for a year, having completed a SORN notice and intending to return and continue his carpentry business using the van.
DVLA clamped the van and after three days seized it, forcing entry by breaking the drivers door window. The driver removing the van told me it was being removed at the request of the DVLA.
His family are trying to retrieve the van which has been accumulating a £12 per day storage fee.
Is the concrete ramp part of the road, if it is why are ramps not marked with yellow or red lines when in a restricted road. The stock answer by police to any vehicle obstructing these ramps is "they are private property and we have no powers.So who is right the police or DVLA. Read more
I would appeal but think you are on a sticky wicket.
Being a law abiding sort I have only ever received three parking tickets in thirty odd years of driving and one was almost identical to the circumstances described.
I parked well off the road ( double yellows ) on the concreted entrance road to a warehouse which had been demolished.The gates to where the factory had been were padlocked and I was not causing any obstruction.
I was ticketed by a warden and as I was within a quarter mile of the local police station I queried it with the desk sergeant who gave the same explanation as received by Cockle , ie the highway stretches over the full width from property boundary to boundary, verges and entrance road included. I paid up.
I did get away with another ticket where I had crossed the pavement to park on waste ground along with around fifty others.
Once again I queried with the local desk sergeantwho was very helpful.
He pointed out that as at the time the ticket was issued I could prove that I was miles away and that no proof was available of my having actually driven over the pavement I should appeal.
The ticket was cancelled.
Good Luck.
They had an item on ways to cut deaths and accidents on rural roads on Countryfile today.
Brilliantly started off with the presenter walking on a narrow country road with no verges, and she was walking with the flow of traffic intead of against it!
First fundamental rule - walk on the right - broken. Read more
I agree with quizman, seen a drastic change in my rural bit in the last 7 years. All my neighbours work in the nearby towns, some are living in converted barns and ex-farmhouses, houseprices are beyond the means of local kids e.g. a terraced house in my one horse village on the market this week for £200k (unrestored) - where will it end. By the way we are officially a several horse town now with the new gentry moving in.
Browse
My first and only ever experience on the back of a bike was on a Honda CB750 and it was one of the most frightening things I'd ever done. Just the other day I saw some twerp with a very young child on the back of his superbike. Whilst he was fully kitted out like Barry Sheene she was wearing school clothes and a helmet which was far too big to be of any use at all. I think there should be an age limit for pillion passengers especially in relation to the more powerful bikes the forces produced by which under rapid acceleration are enormous and could easily cause a child to lose their grip.