December 2005
In yesterdays ST there was an article about the DVLA taking 18000 people a month to court for non payment of excise duty ,the reason it was 18000 was that it had reached an agreement with the courts for this figure but it was not enough and a backlog was building up.This amount is mind bending does anybody actually pay anymore? Read more
What's the worst bodge up you've ever come accross when woking on a car or what's the worst bodge up have you ever performed
A couple i've come accross
About 20 years ago i used to help a 1 man band mechanic friend, when i was home on leave from the merchant navy. Someone had dropped off a failed MOT Austin Maxi saying it had failed on the sills and reqired 2 new sills. We started to remove the old sill and found news paper stuffed in and painted over with underseal. Not a unusual bodge but we removed most of the paper and found the date was the week previous!...A nice attempt to try and fake the MOT tester.
Or the customer who had just purchased a Land rover with a almost dead engine which sounded like rock crusher we found that the oil light had been connected to the ignition light so went out when started
Plenty more where these came from! Read more
Common flawed logic-'if it can take 240v it must be alright for 12v'.
Looking for car insurance quotes recently, they all asked for occupation. Click on their list & I go to Drivers (me being a truckie), then I click on professional driver, which I'm led to believe I am, due to length of training, amount of time spent on the road etc. NOT according to insurance companies I'm not, although a taxi driver is, a chaffeur is & the one that I don't get is >>> A BLOOMING PIZZA/DELIVERY DRIVER. How on earth can a spotty faced pizza delivery driver be more professional than me? What training have they had? How can someone who delivers pizza for about 4hrs per night in quiet traffic in a car/moped be deemed more professional than someone who has had 40hrs intense training & spends at least 9hrs on the road daily in control of a 45ft long 44tonne 15ft high vehicle. I know us truck drivers are looked down upon by the public & car drivers in general & it seems by insurance companies also. Surely an HGV Driver should be in that list & at the top of it or am I getting all hot n bothered over nothing. Anyone any opinions?
Sorry for the rant, jus' wanted to get it off me chest :-} Read more
I know quite a few of you in here don't look down on truck drivers, but here's a little test to try. The next time you meet someone who doesn't know you and they ask what you do, tell them you drive a large truck & watch the look on their face.
Myself personally if people ask what I do I just say I'm a Mobile Logistics Technician
Perhaps the idea is not new, but what do readers of the Backroom think of the idea of re-testing all drivers after a ban?
My logic is simply that a ban means a breach of the Highway Code, so it seems logical to compel a re-test so as to be sure that the offender has re-learned what what they should have been practicing all along.
All bans, not just drink-driving, or speeding and make it an extended test, not just the simple 'beginners' version.
The scheme would be self financing from the test fees and so would not cost Her Majesty's Government a bean.
What do you think, any support, or would it be just another niggling motoring restriction? Read more
What should we set out to achieve with retesting?
IMO to try to make them better drivers, because if they want to get back on the road, they will, either legally or illegally.
How should the retesting work?
Personally I am not in favour of a draconian test for the sake of it. I would see that as a waste of resources. Far better to have training and retesting focused towards the offences for which the drivers were banned in the first place.
For example, speeding - simulator work involving accident avoidance followed by education of consequences of speeding.
Drink Driving/DUI - Counselling programme during period of ban coupled with DD awareness.
Dangerous driving/causing death etc.... - As well as training and re testing focusing on the route cause of the accident (sudden lane change etc) A programme similar to that operated by Japan - time to reflect and counselling. The Japanese authorities reported some 4% reoffending rates.
Hi,
I've been given a small compressor and air tools but they don't seem to be anything like as powerful as I'd thought. The main problem is lack of torque from the impact wrench. It couldn't even undo the wheel nuts I'd tightened with a standard wheel brace. The compressor (2hp 50ltr) seems to fit the requirements of the impact wrench (90psi 4cfm 230ft/lbs) so what am I missing? The bore of the hose and regulator output seem reasonable. I've noticed that some garages connect straight to the tank instead of through the regulator, is this to get the necessary airflow? Seems a bit risky to me though.
I've searched the web but found nothing in the way of advice. I'm sure some backroomers must have practical experience, any advice would be gratefully received.
Thanks.
Steve Read more
I bought a DeVilbiss air impact wrench in the US mainly because it was about half the price of the same tool here.It works well when you have sufficient airflow-the people with "toy" compressors would probably be better off with the wheel nut remover that clips to the battery.What I have noticed is that my wrench also appears in Machine-Mart,Draper,Clarke,Screwfix,Snap-on and probably a few other suppliers catalogues,identical even to the patterning on the grip-only difference is the lable.Looks like they're all from the same factory-China???
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Top Gear episode - 4th Dec
Wow - 10/10 for this one. It was all fantastic, especially James May racing the guy on the downhill bike, and Ellen Macarther.
Also liked the whole Italian supercar thing, though think it was a tad irresponsible for Clarkson to drive knowing he had no brakes. Read more
where would the jimmy fit though?i reckon it was an "a" series with 40"s and a straight cut box.
Could be wrong mind: (
I have just used the last of the litre of Castrol SLX that was provided with my new Passat TDi two years ago for topping up. I wondered whether it is safe to use an unopened 4lt can of Mobil "1" which was given to me three years or so ago. The spec seems the same but does oil deteriorate?
Any thoughts would be welcome.
Read more
i have cans of mobil 1,in my garage that are over 7 years old.No problem.
Disclaimer: not intended to 'have-a-go' at the company concerned, just a winter's tale for amusement on a dark Sunday evening.
A couple of weeks ago I flew off for a week in The Gambia from a provincial airport. (this will be the only clue!) For convenience I booked the special executive indoor parking, not that my 20yo Volvo 740 is special or needs to be indoors, but simply that this building is located at the rear of departures, about a minutes walk, and I knew at that time in the morning time would be of the essence, as indeed it was.
On arrival I could barely access the building as the forecourt and approach road were cluttered with very many heavily frosted cars, so like the other early arrivals I had to abandon my car in the remaining clear single track, register and run for the check-in desks. Unsurprisingly, on my return, the Volvo was waiting in much the same area as I were I had left it, only facing the exit, not frosted admittedly, but then it was a frost-free night!
As I mentioned, I'm not complaining, I wasn't after undercover parking, just the convenience of proximity to the terminal, the company is simply a victim of it's own success, they had space for about 60 cars in the building and 200 customers, and I am just happy that they didn't turn me away with "sorry, full up mate". As all their customers are safely out of the country they are unlikely to be rumbled, I would have thought nothing of it were it not for the heavy frost when I arrived.
However, when I use them again, I will suggest that I don?t mind being parked outside in return for a discount!!!
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One mans junk is another mans treasure Read more
My 1997 Diesel Escort 90,000 has taken to droning. Its related to wheel speed, not engine speed. There's no knocking sound?
Wheel bearings seem likely anything else?
Read more
wheel bearings are usually directional ie you can hear which wheel the noise is coming from.but could be diff noise
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Steve
Went over a pot-hole today. When I arrived home, checking the car over revealed one of the wheels has suffered rim damage but because its an alloy it will need replacement.
Since the damage was caused on a public road and I went back out with the camera and took a picture of the damaged road.
Would I now have a claim against the roads department or council?
Cheers
Rob Read more
This thread will be of interest
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=35837
Browse
All strength to them. The absence of car tax seems to be a good indicator of other absences too -- insurance, for example. And you can't tax a car without valid insurance, of course. Nail the irresponsible cheats.