April 2005
Having witnessed another accident a couple of weeks ago, I have come up with the theory that a cause of rear-end shunts in slow moving traffic in the outside lane is that where the outside lane is moving more slowly than the inside lane, that goes against the natural assumption that the inside lane is the slower.
Therefore drivers in the outside lane tend to judge their speed by reference to the traffic in the inside lane, maintaining a few miles per hour advantage, and whilst looking at the traffic on the inside tend to overlook the fact that the traffic in front of them is now moving more slowly than the inside lane.
They then appreciate that fact too late to match their speed to their own lane and end up in the boot of the car in front. Read more
hello
im driving from palma airport in Majorca to a resort about 40 miles away, the holiday is in May and im planning to pick the car up from the airport then return it when i fly back.
can anyone advise on a good website to advise on travel directions. ive tried multimap but as i dont no the actual road the airport is on then it wont work.
thanks
dave
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many thanks
dave
From your Lagos correspondant.
Heavy rains overnight meant it was big 4 wheels only on all but the main roads from 6am to around 10 am when the water started to subside to a more manageable level.
This did not stop the foolhardy and the guy in the new Mercedes 500 stuck in a big puddle on Akin Olugbade Street is in for a big bill.
Luckily I had the office Landcruiser with the upswept exhaust so we swaned in down the flooded streets, water at points up to the door handles, whilst lesser vehicles sat and sweated.
Traffic in to Victoria Island was at a complete standstill but as we were heading out to Lekki office we had a pretty clear run of it.
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Rich v. poor in Nigeria, too true - I have a number of good friends (and a Godson) out there (in Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Port Harcourt) dating back from college days. All are well qualified and most comparitively poor. One is however now very rich indeed via the oil industry and increasingly active in politics.
There might be a mulitude of tribal and religious differences between Nigerians but they all seem to love cars. IIRC Toyotas used to be king - my mint condition 1974 Corolla auto ended up there (quite legitimately I should add). What's at the top of the league out there now?
I saw this twin-pack so called "Engine Cleaner" and "Engine Detailer" in Halfords at the weekend, it was £8. Apparently all you have to do is warm the engine, spray on the cleaner, leave it for 20mins, rinse it off then spray on the Detailer giving it a protective & clean finish. Does anyone know if this stuff is good for the engine? Is it worth it? Or can it cause damage by possibly removing the protective coating on some engine surfaces?? Read more
Was once trying to sell a Rover 827 Sterling and dithered over whether to clean the engine compartment, which really was pretty clean anyway. Decided not to, in case it upset something, and buyers might think I was trying to hide something.
First potential buyer rejected it, apparently because I "hadn't bothered" to clean the engine bay... Different strokes for different folks I guess.
My 52 plate Corsa (1.2 16v SXi) has a cam-chain apparently. Vauxhall advised generally that cambelts on their cars should be changed every 40,000 miles. Should cam-chains be changed? If so how often, and how much does this cost??? Read more
Recent article in HJ Telegraph article about a camchain tensioner failing in a VX Vectra 2.2 ( camchain engine)that was put down to extended service intervals leading to blockage of the oilway pressuring the tensioner. Obviously when the pipe blocked, the tensioner failed with associated jumping of the chain and major engine damage.
Whilst i whole heartedly agree with the advantage of chains, 20K service intervals will probably wreck the engine before the chain breaks.
Just back from the USA. I saw that Kia dealers are offering a 10 year warranty on their new cars. With the cars costing around $12000, it makes you realise how much it costs to do business in the UK compared to the US. Read more
It's not just Kia, but mainstream manufacturers like Ford and VW constantly offer [finance] incentives to potential buyers. Recently VW USA had a 'Drivers Wanted' ad. campaighn where someone who ahd never owned a car before could get something stupid finance over an equally stupid length of time (0% @ 60 months) - USA is the place for car buying/selling.
People get stiffed everywhere else in the world - why? We subsidise the Americans. This isn't a rant - I've lived out in the States and enjoyed car ownership there - here its jsut paypaypay hand over fist and evne then it's not enough.
quick question.
what would you do.
get an old bmw coupe like a y reg or 51 plate for around £10K
or a new model one that is an 03 plate, (its got a different front bumper and tiny changes to suspension and also will have 1 years warrenty left) for around £17K
?????????????????????
im in a quandrum ;0)
i only have to keep it 1 year.
factors i guess are....
how much do i stand to lose in 1 years time.
repair bills
what other factors do i need to take into consideration?
ta. Read more
Get a third party warranty with the money you saved. At least its a Beemer, enjoy...
Well, I've entered the Plymouth-Banjul challenge! 3700 miles and 3 weeks of driving a LHD car that's supposed to cost less than £100. Fortunately that rule isn't so strict and we've managed to pick up a H reg VW 1.8 Golf for £300. Anyone done this before or know someone that has ?
www.plymouth-dakar.co.uk
:o)
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> Good luck! (Even though you are a cheating rotter)
Finest British tradition Old Bean, always room for a Cad what?
Once again i have another problem with my megane 1.6. Past few days the car has been cutting out while driving but the igntion light on dash staying on and the car would start back up again. Tonight when i was driving it cut out again and would not restart. the engine turns over but just wont fire up. Anybody got any idea what could be up with it? It was recently in the body shop getting a new bonnet and hinges put on. Could this maybe have disturbed any wiring or vacuum pipes? Any information would be great as this megane is giving me a migraine. Many thanks. Read more
Hi,
Some of you may remember my tales of woe regarding my mark 4 X-reg (2000) Fiesta with 57k and a noisy engine - it now uses about a litre of oil every 4-500 miles!
I have had it from new and it has full S/H although was starved of oil once and is consequently now in need of new engine. It has a 2-3 minor dents.
Having recently got a pay rise I am considering treating myself to a 4-5 year old BMW 323ci coupe which I have yearned after for many years, and was wondering if you guys had any tips (hopefully not too sarcastic!) about how best to get rid of the Fiesta and what I could hope to get for it in sale / px. Parker's ranges from 1800 (private poor) to 1950 (trade) to 3k (private good).
Also, if you have any tips about what I should look for when buying the 323 I'd be more than gratefull.
Looking forward to your replys,
Ben Read more
with regards the bmw
service history or regular oil changes
check the suspension especially track control rods,,but also any rubber bush's that you can see from underneath
also check the rear suspension mounts,, look for the welding being ripped off from the body work
check the heating make sure it works and that all the digital bits on the control work,,,
check for any warning lights oil is obvious but also the abs light and coolant level,,make sure they go out within 2 seconds
put it in reverse when the engine is warm it should not clunk
put it in 1st and listen for a transmission clunk,,you dont want it
also drive the car in a straight line,,make sure the steering wheel dont oscilate(worn discs)
brake the car hard make sure there is no vibration(worn bush's)
cant think of anything else yet :)
--
www.storme.co.uk
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I've just returned from Germany where there are many restrictions on lorries overtaking, especially on uphills. The result is a long chain of lorries obeying the law, and quite civilised behaviour with car drivers in the other two lanes.
However I personally think that lorries are not the menace that others do, especially their "tailgating" one another. I see far far fewer lorry accidents than car accidents from that cause. OK, you might be worse off if squashed between lorrires, but IMO the likelihood is far less than between two cars.
Another most common cause of third lane congestion is, IMO, people's willingness and desire to drive at excessive speed, and not have anyone else in front of them, and to a smaller degree, other people trying to police the speed of others. And of course those that simply aren't concentrating, dawdling along in the middle lane when lane 1 is empty.
In fact, on the E40 through Belgium yesterday I got caught behind a police convoy which travelling at the speed limit from Liege to Brussels (maybe 20 - 30 miles?). The build up of cars behind, waiting to exceed the speed limit, was considerable, and led to bunching in itself.