May 2005
Just had a thought - what's going to happen to the electric car (should it ever materialise in the next 50 years) in winter?
Switching on the heater would draw another 1000W from the car's batteries, which would mean you grind to a halt about half a mile up the road.
I imagine this is just another (of many) reasons why the whole "electric car" scenario is never going to work. Read more
Can someone tell me if it is ok to use copper grease on the brake shoe assembly...ie. pivots points,self adjuster threads etc. cheers. Read more
What is the difference between a lubricant and an anti-sieze substance?
number_cruncher
Had a forum search but couldn't find this question ...
What actually makes a car handle well ? Super-stiff lowered suspension & huge section-tyres ? Some good handling cars, like the little Lotus Elise, don't seem to have such a hard ride, and don't run on 20" tyres.... Read more
Fundamentally it's about a wide footprint and weight distribution.
With products bought by the disabled, VAT is not charged. If a disabled person was to buy a car, would it be possible to claim back (or not pay) the VAT on this.
I know that there is Motability. Read more
You have to be a full time wheelchair user and the car has to be adapted to enable you to enter, leave or drive the vehicle.
You do not have to be the driver but the car can only be used for your benefit.
In my case the adaption consists of a "grab handle" in front of the passenger seat so I can pull myself along my sliding board from the wheelchair into the passenger seat.
The cost of adaption was only a couple of hundred quid but I could not use the car without it.
My wife was sent an NIP asking for who was driving etc etc but as I was driving I filled in my details and sent off (doing 81 in a 70 on the big downhill bit of the A303 on the approach to Salisbury r'bout).
However this was about 3 weeks ago and I have not been sent anything.
How long does this all usually take? Read more
I think it depends on the Force. Some are quick, others not. Then again you might be really unlucky and get a Summons to Court? Hope not since that is certainly in FPN territory. Failing that give 'em a call?
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Im not plain stupid, just a special kind of stoopid.
Now you never need get out of your car again.....
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4578895.stm
Must admit it'll be handy if your stuck in one of those "12 hour" m'way jams..... Read more
that might make the paperwork a little dificult.
As long as you complete both sides!.
WTM
BTW, from the article
"Perhaps the most far-flung and unusual order came from a man in Australia who wanted to buy an Indipod for his wife's birthday. "
Who says romance is dead?
Just heard that there's been another warning by several motoring organisations that we're facing gridlock unless major action is taken.
Presumably this means building more roads or extending existing ones.
Is this practical though? Even if they added 2 extra lanes to the M25 (which in itself would probably take several years) what about the surrounding road network which feeds it? RF's thread on the M40 fire is evidence of just how everything in a wide area can snarl up when there's a serious accident on a motorway. Just how much worse would things be if we had a 5-7 lane M25 with the inevitable increase in traffic volumes? Does more cars necessarily = more/bigger accidents and greater disruption when this happens or when we have serious bad weather for example?
Is it really feasible to go down this route and if not what are we going to do to avoid gridlock? Whatever it is, I can't help thinking it has to be done sooner rather than later. Read more
Superb! :)
Hello.
What is the average price for regassing etc for a Fiesta and or a Mondeo.
They dont seem to be pumping out really cold air anymore.
And the Fiesta keeps switching on and off even when the ambient temp is high.
The Mondeo is just not cold at all.
All help greatly appreciated.
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(iam not a mechanic)
Martin Winters Read more
Hello.
thankyou for the replies.
I will get both cars booked in for tests and i will let you know what happens.
If the Mondeo needs a new condesor it shall have one.
The Fiesta air con still works so it cant have a bad leak i suspect its because i have not switched it on all the time and its all leaked out as the gas has lubricant in it i think.
After todays weather i think i will get them booked in asap.
--
(iam not a mechanic)
Martin Winters
Filled up with Shell diesel today and noticed a drop ( from Tuesday) of 3p per litre...down to 85.9 from 88.9. Has the barrel price of oil dropped or are market forces at work? Long may it continue..
Read more
and the dollar has strengthened against the £ (and everything else for that matter) so the $ per barrel could stand still and the price will still go up.
John
Just had delivered a new Primera today. uk car discount, as seen on this web site, came up with such a good cost to change I had no option than to swap in my recently purchased two and a half year old Primera for a new one.
The process has been absolutely hassle free. The car was built to order, was ready one week earlier than expected. The car was delivered to my door on a transporter by lunchtime as promised, despite having to come from the North East of England to Surrey. The transporter driver set off at 5 am. My Part/ex was collected an hour or so later to be taken back to Manchester.
All staff at uk car discount have been reassuring, helpful and honest throughout the whole process. Everything has happened when and as they said. Just like clockwork.
Despite having spent some money I somehow feel better off.
I would not hesitate to use them again.
Don't be afraid to use them. Read more
There have been 3 new cars in my household and every time the V5 has arrived a day or so before delivery in the correct name.
Have you got the V5 Vario? Are you 100% sure its in your name?
I was told by the company themselves that certain makes (Renault) are registered in the name of a fleet company for three months and the V5 held by them during this time. This was last October. Maybe things are different now?
I was going to buy the car until this glitch, because the service was good, they take credit cards for deposit, and the price was excellent.
In the end I went elsewhere on net and paid £1000 more for my car - for which I got the V5 immednaitely and in my name.
Although i haven't done all the maths, electric cars are not necessarily all that cheap to run, or environmentally friendly.
say you get an average hundred mile range from your electric car. Those 58kWh will have costed you c.5.50 sterling, i.e 5.5p/mile.
a small diesel supermini nowadays gets around 60mpg and has a longer range. Fuel costs here, c.6.4p/mile.
So running costs are marginally cheaper - this isnt including purchasing cost, of course.
Environmentally, im not totally aware of supermini emissions, but the point is that whilst you are driving on electricity, causing 'no pollution', that electricity has almost certainly been produced in a great big dirty power station. For each kW of power output, 550g of CO2 is produced, along will not insignificant amounts of sulphur compounds and other harmful substances.
I'd be dubious whether electric cars are ALL that great for the environment.