August 2005
I came across this in a 1954 copy of Gadgets Annual by W. N. Shaw and thought I'd share it:
Not specifically recommended but worth a trial!
DECARBONISE WITH WATER
A TRY-ANYTHING-ONCE motorist has enormous faith in the following distinctly unorthodox method of decarbonising his car.
He first gets his engine really hot and then sets the slow-running adjustment so that the engine ticks over at the revolutions required to travel at about 20 miles per hour in top gear. He then pours ordinary tap water directly into the air intake of the carburettor and then sits down to gloat over the uneven way the engine begins to run. He contends that the said uneven running is entirely due to the action of the cold water on the hor cylinder head which causes the rapid evacuation of excess carbon through the exhaust pipe. He pours in about a pint or so of water. After this has done its task(!), he gets on with the next stage of his drastic tratment. That is to pour about a pint to a pint and a half of one of the well-known upper cylinder lubricants into the carburettor, but he shuts down the revolutions to about twice the normal rate of tick over. He injects this a little at a time, and occasionally revs up the engine. He contends - and many motorists would say quite rightly too - that this frees the valve stems and does other useful things to the engine. Want to try the plan? Alright, go ahead, but don't blame us if it doesn't work!
Has anyone else heard of any unconventional maintenance techniques? Read more
Can anyone offer advice on selling one's place on a waiting list for a new car?
Is it possible?
Is it legal?
Are there firms/brokers who can help?
Has anyone successfully done it (at a profit)?
Cheers
Read more
Was their not a the small point of a extremely large deposit to go on the waiting list paid to Aston Martin(Ford).
Dear backroom
Servicing time for Mrs Doubledime's Golf. It has covered 25,000 miles in five years. We have owned it since new.
The main dealer serviced it for the first three years. Last year a local non VW independent garage serviced the car and changed the cam belt. It took three days due to parts confusion.
This year a local VW independent is quoting £191 including VAT.
The main dealer is quoting the following on their website
Volkswagen £99 all inclusive full service ...
Offer includes:
* Oil Filter change
* Pollen Filter change
* Full inspection of vehicle which includes brakes, batteries, tyres, exhausts, electrics, hoses and cooling system
* Free replacement bulbs (except headlamps)
* All fluid levels checked and topped-up free of charge
50% off MOT with full Service
Which should I choose?
Regards
John
Read more
The 'A' part will be a non-OEM part. Go for the slightly more expensive one.
Opps, just been involved in a minor traffic accident in which police attended and gave me a producer for insurance cert, driving license, MOT.
I have just sorted through and found the MOT ran out 5 days before the producer - most upsetting. Just had the car MOT'd and it now has a valid MOT.
Does anybody no what the fine is for this? money/points etc? Is there any lenancy in this situations? Also what bearing does no MOT have on insurance?
I have done a google search and have had varied and conflicting results regarding both penalties and effect on insurance, so any personal experience would be very much appreciated?
Cheers
Joe Read more
Not too sure on the producer. You have been asked to show the police that you had all the nescessary documents on the day you were stopped, not the day you produce them.
Depends whether the police are willing to believe you have since lost the MoT certificate or whether there is a central database on which they can check. If you claim you had one and they can prove you hadn't, then you are looking at a far more serious situation.
Telling untruths is likely to lead to all sorts of grief.
Folks,
My XM 2.5 came equipped with one.
Do I beleive the hype that a properly cleaned and oiled one will catch more crud than a standard one? Or, a Citroen sage, and engineer of many years standing who suggests that the flitration element is compromised in pursuit of greater airflow, causing long term grit-blasting of bores, valves, etc?
Observations and comments welcomed.
rg Read more
Fuel preheater bypass is a "standard mod.", as its notorious for letting air into the system. Leave it disconnected!
There's lots of help online if you need it.
The 2.5 estate is a seriously long-legged long haul freighter...
I have just had to take my car in to have the rear brake discs & pads renewed due to the rear pads going down to the metal. This after my local Nissan dealership advising me a few weeks ago during a standard service that the brakes should be checked in 6 months time/ 6,000 miles and that the rear brakes were half worn!
They wouldn't pay for the disc renewal with the local garage, suggesting that I bring the parts in at which time they will assess them and pay if there is a fault.
Anyone had experience of this before and can advise me of what to do/watch out for ?
Thanks
Matthew Read more
Thanks for the follow up.
Your 3 points are sensible and given that we have (1), (2) has been confirmed by the garage and we have retained the pads and (3) the vehicle has only done 1,000 miles since service, they should have no issues in reimbursing parts + labour.
Failing that, as a long-established local dealer that relies on reputation, I am sure I can kick up some fuss!
Thanks again.
Matthew
I bought a fiesta 1.8 diesel last week for 500 quid it came with a full service history. However first trip out and the cam belt snapped. I'm now being told that the engine will need to be stripped to check for damage and its going to cost around 450 to fix. There was no big bang or noise i just lost complete power and rolled to a halt (with the clutch in). Does anyone know what the chances are that i have knacked the car. If i have i think i'll just right the car off as the last fiesta i had was nothing but a pile of problems - but it was petrol and i was told i wouldn't have any problems with a diesel - but its not looking that way so far.
Any help and advice welcomed on anything cost, garages, mechanics - preferably mobile i'm in the Warrington area.
Thanks
Pam Read more
Thanks guys. Bought it from a friend of the family so no cover i'm afraid. I have opened the cylinder head and the cam shaft has broke (but i was on the motorway when it went so its nothing i wasn't expecting) i'm now looking to replace it. If you know whether all 1.8 ford diesel engines are the same or not i'd appricate you letting me know.
A question to those in the know, firstly, has anyone seen the new V6 diesel Jag S-type's with manuals (so that's basic or S spec) in things like the Top Car auctions? If so, what kind of price are they fetching at a year old? Mum's getting restless with the 140000 mile Celica, and we both think the Jag would make a decent replacement (she's think's its classy, fast AND practical)...but she doesn't want to spend anymore than £21k...dealers all seem to have them at £25k+, which I found surprising, considering Jag's usually suffer quite vicious depreciation in their first year? Dad likes auctions, but none of us really know what they're trading at. Read more
Some Chav stole my front number plate yesterday, are there any special docs I need to buy a replacement and how much are they? Read more
it did it again ... But how come when Avant types f o n t s i z e, it does not pick up?
My engine management light has come on my Mercedes E200, the handbook says it can one of three things Kat,injector or fuel as the car is running perfectly returning the same mpg I am inclined to go for faulty electrics.Has anybody had this problem any advice greatly received.Andy
Read more
Virtually impossible to speculate. You really need to get the fault code(s) read.
Browse
.jpg)
Added a picture to
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
which shows the head I refered to above.
The only "photoshop" treatment was to lift the black level a bit, as the cheap camera seems to black crush.