March 2005
From an article in today`s press, it seems that according to Ford, Mondeo Man`s days are numbered, as they plan to switch the emphasis in future design & production away from the family saloon to Mini People Carriers.
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Jermaine was jailed for 3 months last week after a drink-driving offence in Aylesbury.
It struck me that he presumably had expensive lawyers on the case ,if so he doesn't seem to have got much for his money.
He was allegedly driving to see his girlfriend in Bristol , having left his home in Barnet at 0430 after a night clubbing , during which he drank 4 glasses of wine , which seems a modest amount for such a long session.
Anyway he was driving while already disqualified ( I suppose it's easy to forget ) and using someone else's car without permission , so uninsured anyway ( well, we've all done that some time haven't we) .
But the next bit for me was that he blamed the satnav for being in Aylesbury .Although his girlfriend lives in Bristol he apparently needed help in getting there from his home in Barnet. The satnav directed him through Aylesbury .
I don't have satnav , tho to get to Bristol I don't miss it as unless it's changed it is, as far as I can remember , in the M4/M5 corner . But if I do ever get satnav I must remember not to buy the one that sends you to Aylesbury first . Read more
Clearly not Mark - however given his wealth, resources and profile he has far less excuses for what he did than someone much less fortunate and without the advice and numerous options open to him. As I recently said in another thread the outcome is the same whoever's at the wheel - for me it would however be just a bit easier to bear if the offender at least had some understandable explanation for his/her actions.
I have not used jump leads for 15 yrs and am not too sure of how to do it safely, so I would be ever so grateful if you could give me a step-by-step explanation on how to do it with plenty of precisions as I am not mechanically aware ! Thanks Read more
I don't think so, battery is one side of the boot, the aerial is the other, he isn't quite that clumsy, or is he? I wasn't there, can't say for certain. What I think happened was a coincidence. The battery was the original, 7 years old, cried enough. The temperature was about -3, heavy frost after damp night. Aerial mast frozen, car is started, son turns on radio, starts playing cd, so no idea if aerial is going up or not. I stripped the aerial down and the motor and surroundings were well burned and melted. Good job fuse went, really.
Thanks for the tip about the coils, I will pass it on to son and heir and remind him at intervals! At least he isn't a fiddler with the car, that must help.
Apparently 7 .......
Saw a classic at the petrol station last night. Car pulls up, middle aged woman gets out to re-fuel. Out of the passenger door comes a girl who looks no more than 15 years of age but is wearing less clothing than nightclub dancer. Thought it was odd how she managed to get out the car with another girl still sitting in the front seat, but just thought they had somehow flipped the seat down and she climbed over.
Five mins later she returns with a packet of ciggies only to return to her seat in the car which turned out to be the front passenger footwell!! I check the back seat and there are already 4 other teenage girls sitting there.
I could understand the total stupidity of this act if there had been a teenage girl driving the car, but the woman was well into her 40s and I can only presume was the mother of one of them.
What an example to set to your offspring .... not to mention the fact there is little chance of anyone surviving an accident in that car. Read more
I'm surprised we haven't had PoloGirl in on this thread yet - where are you? We're missing you.
Last heard of mounting a kerb because there was nowhere else to park and doing something unfortunate to your suspension (sorry, the car's). How many were in the Polo at the time I wonder....
Can anyone out there help please. In my younger days, Lucas distributors were identified inside as to how much mechanical advance was available. I now want to use a Bosch distributor on a modified pinto engine but don't know how to determine the advance before going to a rolling road/tuning specialist. Unfortunately I do not know what engine this distributor came from. Thank you. Read more
Thank you. It is stamped 0231170330 and below 80HF12100DA. Regards.
My wife ordered a new Zafira Breeze. The list price is £14995 for the 1.6 and she added the protection pack, metalic paint and a few other bits.
The price to pay is £12015 with discounts.
Now she ordered star silver. The dealer got silver lightening which is much darker.
Out of all the colours silver lightening is the one she did not want because it is the same colour as my Vectra!
The dealer has said take it or leave it with no discount for the wrong colour.
We are in need of a replacement though as she sold her car and she can't use mine as I need it for work.
We have already paid out for gap insurance - not refundable - and will need to hire a car for 6 weeks whilst waiting for a new car.
Will we be able to charge this back to the dealer? Any other thoughts?
Your help and advice appreciated.
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I would go back to the dealer and demand a fax to be sent to the dealer by GM finance acknowledging cancellation of the finance agreement. I would sit and wait at the dealer until the fax arrives. I'm sure the business manager would not want an irate customer distracting potential customers!
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306 2.0 SE Cabriolet
Non-bikers may click on by.....
Read today's DT Motoring section as I always do on a Saturday and noted that Harley-Davidson UK is launching a competition to find the best customized HD. Well of course I can't enter it 'cos I don't live there, but I thought my lovely 2000 Softail would make the grade if asked, so I read the feature with interest.
Then I found out the prize was a new V-Rod! Talk about flushing 102 years of hard won heritage (pun for Hog owners) down the pan. Impossible riding position (where are the cruiser pegs to keep the knees in the breeze?), a puny engine only 1300-something cc's. designed in Germany Lord preserve us and water-cooled at that and with troublesome electronics so bad that my HD tech hates working on them.........what's more there's nothing to tear off and customize like a proper Harley...I mean it's positively un-American. I want something with a vast simple engine bored out oversize, with a proper carburetor, none of this new-fangled electronic nonsense, an air-brushed paint job, and which never goes wrong and if it ever did you could fix it by the side of the road with a Swiss Army knife, a 3lb hammer, several cans of beer and a great deal of bad language. Plus I won't get laughed at down the local pub and have my personal orientation called into question in sniggering asides.
You can put your noise and emission regulations where the sun don't shine ;+)
Worse than one of those Kawazukihonda things or whatever they're called......
For shame........
I'm going to Milwaukee to visit the factory next year and I will have strong words with Willie G. Davidson about this. I may even sell my shares in the HD Motor Co. which have actually done rather well these last years.
(Growlette says stop being grumpy and come and eat your breakfast. It's not my fault your stupid old Mustang won't start, I rode 300km with you yesterday on your blasted bike, it was 34 C, look at what it did to my skin --which being translated means give me 500 Pesos for the beauty parlour--, my bum still hurts and I'm not in the mood for you being cranky.....or words to that effect delivered in the local dialect with a face like a prune. I'd better not say why didn't she make the bacon as crispy as usual the way I like it.......discretion being the better part of valour etc).
+
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On our roads unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, given the standards of driving here!) a sportsbike can't be used to its full potential so doesn't make a lot of sense. Although we do have a number of fine racing circuits where you can find out how good you are (or aren't) on track days.
Cruisers are thus very popular here because of the immense kick you get when you wind 'em up and leave the plebs struggling behind at the lights. Also we have the weather for it of course.
Did I mention we can also out-run the cops as well? Not that I personally would of course ;+)
But that V-Rod really is an aberration. Have you noticed how the Japs are copying it now as well? Sacré nom d'un chien.....
Hi,
My wife's '94 1.0 Micra is showing signs of poor idling etc. as discussed on earlier posts. The main culprit seems to be the throttle body and a suggested fix was to re-solder 3 connectors. Doing that isn't a problem, but I was wondering if anyone tried it and solved the issue before getting my soldering iron out.
Any help much appreciated. Read more
Neil, thanks very much, very keen to find a fix as I have so many units on cars faulty.
Regards
Big Davey.
What's your favourite factory fitted radio? Are you after quality of sound or ease of use?
My favourite for ease of use is a Ford 7000 as fitted to Mondeos 96-99 and Scorpios indeed any Ford radios of this era are an absolute doddle to master, very user friendly. A lot of thought went into this series but they don't quite have the same sound quality as VW/Seat's current crop. Mercedes have a very hollow sound on MW, although FM and CD sound quality excellent.
Most awkward to use? Renault with the tuner list nonsense. Very difficult use and to tune radio to your favourite station. Not user friendly at all. Also current Mondeo and Focus radios have lost the edge they used to have. on/off switch is recessed and volume up or down difficult to use. Read more
i like the one on my avensis,02 reg, got the sat nav thing on it gives a very good sound only complaint is those steering wheel buttons, a cheap after thought they rattle and will end up going out the window its a matter of time as they are annoying me, only had the car a week...cheers...keo.
I follow HJ's auction reports with interest and the low prices for almost new cars are a revelation.
Well, as daughter wants a new car, I took the plunge and visited a car auction a long way from Blackbushe. I was hoping to get a smallish Nissan/Toyota or similar up to a year old.
What a disappointment! Many of the cars were in the sub-banger category and were selling for between £30 and £150. An Audi 100 similar to one I once owned new went for £70.
Last time I went to an auction some 20 years ago, everyone who bid without exception wore a sheepskin jacket - it apparently was mandatory for dealers!! Those bidding this time all seemed to have oil stained hands with a tatty anorak over their overalls.
One guy appeared to bid for every banger and bought 6 cars(I think) and it couldn't have cost him a thousand pounds in total. I don't think he works for Jack Barclay in Berkley Square.
I was amazed there is a market for this automotive junk.
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Well, which auction was it, why didn't you name it? A lot of auctions sell bangers, its a way for the owner to get rid of a car without scrapping it, and make a few bob, nothing wrong with that! Several years ago, I wanted a car to tide me over for a few months, I bought this Passat for £110 from Leominster, which I kept for 30k miles in the end as it was so good!
Browse
That's better than nothing I suppose!
I am quite looking forward to the new saloon it must be said.
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Adam