August 2005
A friend of a friend (honest, it's true) left his car with a mechanic for repair. Whilst the mechanic was road testing the car, a speeding stolen vehicle crashed into the friends friends car and wrote it off. The stolen car driver ran off.
Question is.....who will be coughing up? The mechanics insurance? the stolen car owners insurance? or the friends friends insurance? Read more
My Vectra now has 111,000 miles on it . Its a new shape Vectra and has gradually seemed to be very unstable at speed and cornering . I have replaced the rear shocks and thats all .I want to spend a few pounds replacing items , but where to start 1st . Im guessing springs and shocks ? Any other items that should be changed as a matter of course ?
{Subject header amended to make less vague. DD} Read more
I suppose. When you break it down it doesn't sound like much. It's just when you hear the whole figure.
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Adam
please excuse my ignorance but can anyone tell me where the thermostat housing is on my new shape rover 216. im having overheating problems and im gona remove the thermostat Read more
If you are losing water, you have probably got the dreaded Head Gasket problem..
And overheating is a sympton.
And removing the thermostat won't solve it.
madf
No really. This isn't me in the market for one - an opportunity has presented itself.
I've been offered a Navigon PNA 150 GPS system. I know nothing about it other than it "in cracking condition" the accuracy of which I believe.
So, simply put - try and talk me out of it....again.
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Adam Read more
If it wasn't so funny I'd be insulting you right about now.
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Adam
can anyone advise how to wax polish a black car with the usual halfords cheesecloth material without leaving a trail of white powder,it seems to stick with static,the only solution I can find it to wash the car afterwards Read more
Put the polish on with a damp cloth, and use don't use too much.
PP
Hi,
Hubby has '93 Corsa diesel, which suffered intermittant cutting out problem last year. It would be fine for a couple of weeks (he does 30 miles daily 'round trip to work), then suddenly stop at low revs and refuse to start again for several minutes. After visit from auto-electrics guy, who ruled out electrical problem, we guessed it may be fuel starvation and as experienced on a previous car, fitted a push in temporary fuel cap as a "quick fix". Car has been fine ever since, which we assume means fuel tank breather is blocked causing vacuum.
MOT this week, and of course, temporary caps are a no-no, so we want to solve it once and for all. How easy is it to change/clean tank breather? Would you consider it is a job for a fairly capable DIY mechanic, or best left to garage?
Thanks, Lesley Read more
It is not unknown for the fuel tank breather pipes to perish and become blocked.
Another possibility is that the petrol Corsas all vented via the carbon cannister to the engine, while the diesel had an open fuel system.
I don't know if this was acheived by making the diesel's fuel cap vented, or via other means, but I was thinking that if there has been a mix up, and incorrect components, from a petrol Corsa had been fitted, the venting might not work correctly.
Number_Cruncher
I was asked to look over a boat trailer and do a "nuts and bolts" inspection.
Trailer constructed of mild steel box section, ten years old, used for sea launching. Poor design, no drain holes, no jockey wheel hence the nose was always allowed to sit down at the front.
I thought that the tow hitch didn't look to be sitting right and had a look.
i12.photobucket.com/albums/a239/stan_deezy/hitchbo...g
The photo shows the bolts as they came out with a similar sized bolt sitting beside for comparison. One bolt had sheared completely, the other fell apart on being touched by the socket wrench.
The scary thing was that the trailer itself looked okay until "prodded" with a chipping hammer......
When was the last time you checked your tow hitch bolts???
I've never seen damage this bad in hurpmh years of working around boats!!! Read more
Yes Hugo: it was salt water corrosion, just incredible that a trailer used so little over a ten year period was able to rust away so quickly.
I've posted the pictures on a few other (boat-related) sites and there are a few people coming back to say that they have now checked their bolts and found similar. I guess that at least it got a few people thinking about the hidden bits of the trailer.
I'd agree that an MOT test might be a good way forward for trailers in the future (just not one of mine lol!) but perhaps a bit more education could go a long way for example:
How many trailer drivers know:
1. Speed limit is 60mph on a motorway
2. Speed limit is 50mph on all other roads (unless otherwise indicated)
3. Trailers are not allowed in the outside lane of a motorway.
I'm constantly amazed by the number of trailers that overtake me on the motorways and dual carriageways when I'm sticking to the speed limit. I'm also amazed at the number of caravans and trailers that use the outside lane of the motorway!
I discussed this with a traffic officer a while ago and he said "we don't really bother about enforcing the speed limits for trailers. Our job is more to keep the traffic flowing freely. If the trailer was involved in an accident then we'd look closely at speeds involved and would probably look at charging the trailer driver regardless of fault"....!!!!!
(as an interesting aside I also, coincidentally, spoke to a couple of local bobbies and they didn't have a clue about trailer speed limits!
OK so this time I nearly got badly hurt and next time it might well happen.
.*******
OK I'd rather have a ticket than dead so next time I'll probably just stay with the traffic flow speed but these signs will kill someone soon if they haven't already. Read more
Sorry Dave lost the detail when I logged out.
Anyway bottom line. M25 anti-clock just beyond where M3 joins. On motorbike. All signs ahead 60 as usual but 1 said 40 for no reason. Next on within sight said 'clear' (70). Moved in to inside land and slowed to 40 to pass under camera and dopey car driver nearly killed me.
That was it.
Hi,
wonder if you can help or advise?
I've recently purchased a Passat 1.8T (99 plate) and have noticed whilst driving and with the windows down a clicking noise from the front left wheel when I travel over any bumps (one click each time I travel over a bump). I plan to take this to a garge to get this checked out by wondered if any of you might now what this could be?? And more worryingly if this could be somethinig major (fingers crossed)??
Rgds
Chris Read more
"However, there is a known problem on Passats where the suspension joints wear which can cause a light knock when the suspension is compressed"
go to Honest John's car by car breakdown its x ref there also.
K2
Can anyone clarify how I can convert Zenon headlights for driving in France. I have a headlamp conversion kit from Halfords and I think I know where they go. I would like to know if anyone else has done this, where they put them, so I can go away happy. Read more
Its a Galaxy Ghia, registered Jan 05, 1.9 TDI, 130 PS, with Zenons!
{Partially added to subject header. DD}
Browse
The mechanic will probably have traders insurance but might be reluctant to put in a claim on it.He could only claim if his cover is comprehensive.He would probably lose his NCD.
If I were your friend I would contact the Motor Insurers Bureau in Milton Keynes to make a claim against them if the stolen car is uninsured( or the owner of the stolen car's insurance policy if it was insured )The MIB will tell you which company insured the stolen car.
If the above fails all is not lost.Most private car comprehensive policies cover damage whilst the car is in the hands of a garage even if the driving is restricted to the owner only.A check of the wording will tell your friend if this is the case.Claiming might well involve loss of NCD.
The position is not that straightforward to deal with and the above only gives the basic points but I hope this helps.