I've just done a trip down the M6, from the Lakes to Lancashire, in heavy rain. The main hazard was the impenetrable banks of spray put up by the HGVs.

This got me wondering. Wasn't there, at one time at least, a requirement for heavies to be fitted with 'skirts' or curtains alongside the wheels to reduce spray? Whatever happened to that? Nothing I encountered today appeared to have any such measure in place, and the levels of spray were unbelievable.

Or is my senile decay getting senilier? Read more

Hi
Following the breakdown of my marriage with the ex getting custody of the car, I now find myself looking for a car, but not knowing where to start.

I'm not bothered about makes, but there's a few things which may narrow the search a little.

I've £5000 to spend
Safe - got two kids
large boot
easy to maintain - not mechanically minded!
low insurance group - never had my own insurance, only ever been named second driver.
to mainly use around the town but with 2 or 3 150 mile round trips a month
around 2 - 3 years old
cd player/sun roof would be nice but not vital

I think that's about it - does such a car exist or am i hoping for too much?

I do wonder about the insurance. Would my years of being a named driver with a clean driving record have any influence on the insurance, or would i be starting from scratch?

Your advice and suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks Read more

I've had a problem with my Accord i-CTDI Tourer for over twelve months now. (I mentioned it here and it was moved to the technical forum where it met with a nil response.) Briefly, the fuse that protects the horn and brake lights has blown twenty-three times. It first started in May last year, when the car was less than three months old, and has been back to the dealer twice and on the back of a lorry to the Honda agent in Brive, France. None could find a problem and the French dealer merely replaced the fuse - again.

I 'phoned Honda when I returned from France and complained, and the car went in this morning. The fault was found to be a wire in the loom of the tailgate that had chafed, and was shorting out against a rough piece of interior bodywork in the tailgate.

The glow plug warning light started flashing every time the fuse blew and this had me confused. According to the mechanic, this happens if ever there is an electrical problem as it sends a signal to the internal computer.

I thought this may be of interest to other owners of an Accord Tourer.


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Afternoon all,

Does anyone has experiences of the Garmin Streetpilot 2610 Satnav unit?

I've got the chance of buying one second hand - with all the latest maps etc...

Any opinions of this model would be great.

Thanks,

DB Read more

Hi all,
I will shortly be selling my trusty Pug 405 TD estate and to make it even more of a bargain I am thinking of getting a new 12 month ticket on it (current one expires early August). A certain well known fast fit outfit is offering MOTs at £25 when booking online which seems a bit of a bargain...but I am unsure if they are more likely to find "faults" to get the retest fee, extra work etc than a "proper" MOT garage.

Does anyone have any experience of using these places for MOTs, or am I being overly supsicious?

cheers all,
Mark Read more