January 2006
After much deliberation, I've decided to post this in discussion as I'll probably get posts on the merits of each tyre. However, feel free to move it mods if it isn't relevant.
I'm sure you remember ages ago I was saying how my car was losing grip and should I change the tyres as one was especially worn. I followed your advice and left it for a while. However, due to a combination of things, namely the front right tyre wearing more than I like, driving past a Police checkpoint more days than not, and this strange problem whereby if you dab or brake normally at high speeds, the wheel will shake violently (don't think it's the discs - it only does it at 80+) I've decided to replace both the fronts sometime this week.
Now the place I normally go to is this little backstreet place who have seen me right in the past but only sell Firestones. However, Mum is a member of Costco who I believe deal only in Michelin and I'm thinking it might be time for a change.
So, which would you get? The tyre size is 195/55/R15 and all factors will be taken into consideration!
Thanks for any help,
Adam
Read more
What are the main factors affecting how long a cambelt will last? Obviously, how well it is made will be one factor, and luck may be another - but what about such things as driving style, frequency of oil changes, etc? Read more
Well - a lot of topics have been covered in this thread - but can I just say 'thanks' to those who responded to my original question.
My mother is considering a Rover Streetwise 1.4 SE (stop sniggering at the back there!).
The particular car that has caught her fancy is 04 reg with 20,000 miles, and CHEAP.
it does have the 1.4 K series, but i don't know whether it's SOHC or DOHC or the power output.
My main concern is that bargain or not, is that it has a K series engine. So my question is:
Is the 1.4 K series OK and is it just the 1.8's that have the HGF problems? Or are they all rubbish? I've done a forum search, and noted the advice to check the coolant etc.
TIA Read more
To wrap this one up, Mum didn't bother, she was put off by the HGF issue (phew!).
The car went for £4,001. I can't make up my mind whether that's a bargain or not. It doesn't have a real USP over and above other 3 door hatches of a similar age does it?
My 4 year-old Passat was factory-fitted with VW "Donnington" alloys. These are 14-spoke split-rim jobs and the rim is seriously discoloured due to, or accompanied by, blistering of the lacquer.
I also discovered today that one of the wheels, where I've had what I assumed was a slow puncture for a few months, is actually corroded on the inside such that the airtight seal failed. The corroded part is actually the same piece of metal as the external rim, moulded around the edge of the wheel.
4 years seems a bit short for the wheels to start rusting. Have I got a case here to beat up VW? The car has only done 64k and has been regularly cleaned. Other than the rims, the rest of the wheel in each case is in sound condition. (I've got some photos, but unfortunately I know of no means of publishing them to the web). Read more
>> Past Toyotas seem very variable in respect of their alloys. >>
The problems seem to be over the last four or five years.
Pace drivers for motorway (lifted from www.autotrader.co.uk)
23 January 2006
Pace drivers for motorway by Alex Eckford
Road chiefs are recruiting "pace" drivers to make sure motorists stick to speed limits.
The trial scheme will see volunteers employed to keep a steady speed of 70mph or less in the third lane of the motorway.
More than 30 motorists have already applied to be Community Pace Drivers in Doncaster, Yorks.
The town's metropolitan borough council claims accidents which occur at lower speeds result in less severe injuries.
However it has come under fire from road safety gear suppliers Speedsafe, who have branded the scheme foolhardy and incompetent.
Speedsafe spokesman Paul Smith said: "Imagine the chaos caused by a pace car at 70mph in lane three of a motorway."
"This level of incompetence is breathtaking - safety depends on drivers adjusting speed to the environment." Read more
I'm not sure about the basic model at work here
-- does an increase in speed necessarily reduce congestion? Congestion
is partly a function of the time gap between vehicles, which
doesn't alter if they all speed up by the same amount.
At higher speeds the time gap is usually increased for
safety, which is why for example the M25 has variable speed
limits to slow drivers down when there is congestion -- at
lower speeds, you can fit more vehicles on the road.
In theory if everyone maintains the same gap in time rather than disyance, then that will determine the capacity of the road in vehicles per hour - e.g with a 2 second gap, and ignoring the space actually occupied by vehicles, the capacity would be 1800 vehicles per hour. This is not speed related, but of course everybody would get there quicker.
Speed is one of those causes. And it also exacerbates
the consequences of accidents.
Agreed, other things being equal. But clearly there is a trade-off between reasonable speed and risk. You appear to think 70 is the right trade-off for motorways - the consensus appears to be nearer 80.
In the 1960s 60mph in many cars was a reckless speed. In the 1970s the front of a Mk3 Cortina would lift worryingly at 80mph. Cars are on the whole much more capable now. Unfortunately driver behaviour has not improved, and neither of course will the human reaction time. I would settle for 80-85 as a reasonable trade-off - actaully the de facto limit now for about 50%? of cars. Separate the 56mph trucks and it could be higher.
A mate of mine is in the market for a soft roader. He's narrowed down his search to either a Nissan X-Trail or Hyundai Tucson. He could possibly stretch to a new Tucson, and is impressed with the Hyundai warranty package. If an X-Trail, it would be second hand. I think he prefers the looks of the X-Trail, but has read a few horror stories on other forums about reliability and customer care. Any thoughts people?
--
let me be the last to let you down.... Read more
Santa Fe is being replaced in Europe and USA right now by an updated version (Santa Fe Grand??) but nothing inherently wrong with the old one. Will tow more than the Tucson and on a par with the X-Trail. Depreciation only worry if it is not a longer term purchase so hard negotiations downwards on current stock recommended. I think sat nav may be one euro in France on the old model.
And, worth checking where the air intake is on the Santa Fe if any trips to Morocco are planned. On the similar Sorento from Hyundai's subsidiary Kia, the air intake is in the air flow behind one of the front wheels which is hardly a good idea for an off-roader which might (just) be used in muddy or sandy and dusty conditions. No deserts in Korea for the designers to think about, presumably.
More useless information: the Tucson is the top selling SUV in Belgium. I don't know what that tells us about the Tucson which seemed perfectly OK until I read that.
These any good? Read more
Yes, basically GM's Delphi spin-off bought out Lockheed brake co. Lockheed are one of the best names in the business. I have used many of their discs with no problems at all.
from Wiki...
With the decline of the British Motor Industry, and increased competition from manufacturers in Europe, AP saw its sales shrink. The Leamington Spa site was gradually reduced, until the business was broken up, and its mainstream automotive division was sold in 2000 to Delphi Automotive Systems. The braking division, The Lockheed Hydraulic Braking Company, was sold to an Indian multi-national, who supplies brake systems under the name Caparo AP Braking. [3]
Blue's unfortunate experience last night reminded me of this. My dad always had a one-bulb parking light that clipped on to the driver's window (in the days of dynamos it probably didn't do to leave your sidelights on too long). I've had several cars in the past that allowed you to put the lights on on one side only, but that doesn't seem to be universal by any means.
Maybe the market has disappeared because nobody seems to pay much attention now to the rules on parking and lights - i.e. you MUST park facing the 'right' way and use parking lights unless in a 30 (or lower) speed limit and at least 10m from a junction (HC rules 222-224)
If I have to leave my car on the road overnight I will turn it round if necessary to face the right way - I take the possibly over-cautious view that if anybody does run into it through their own incompetence, I don't want to give them an excuse to blame me.
Has anybody actually beeen taken to task over these regulations?
Read more
I meant to say this was in the car park at Twyford station, in case it looked as if I was following him!
Hi - Am hunting for a good W124 estate in the Glasgow area. Read over HJ's advice and am a bit stuck for what to look for on the self levelling suspension? Seen a couple of cars, on promising 94 280 that went before I could get it checked by my mechanic, and a tired but cheap 1990 230 that had an obvious thump from the back left. Seller pointed out a reservoir in the the engine bay that he said ran fluid to it. Anyway, left that one alone. To test, is it as simple as getting a friend to climb in the boot and see it the car comes back up, and is it essential that the s/l works? (thought the clunk on the 230 could be a solved by changing the shock a'?)Any general advice on the cars very much appreciated - I know there are people here that are big fans. Frustrated as there are few around and wild price variations. Thanks! Read more
Well done and I hope you enjoy the car as much as all the other owners seem to.
Perhaps you will join the MB Club and keep us posted about your experience.
I would get your wiring harness checked. It's not the M104 engine but the problem reported above affected engines other than the 104. There's a long thread and a secondary one running on the MB Club forum right now, with some good explanations and photographs.
I have an old Samsung N500 but I cant find the charger for it.
I have looked for a cheap one on you know where and cant find one (there is one person selling them but the feedback is very poor,plus the chargers they sell seem to get them alot of negs so I wouldnt buy from them)
Anyone know what other samsung charger would fit this phone? Read more
I'm served by Sefton Council - it supplies refuse bin bags and garden waste bags free, along with two big green containers for recycling bottles and tins, plus blue bags for recycling newspapers, magazines etc.
The collections are made on time every week and, if there's a public holiday, the lads get back on track within a week by working on a Saturday to catch up.
The only problem with all these bags is that many people don't always put them out properly, causing problems for drivers trying to park or get into their drives (motoring link!)
On top of that Sefton has provided a free travel pass for senior citizens (including men from the age of 60 from 2002 onwards) for many years - it covers an area taking in the whole of Merseyside as well as including as far as Chester and is applicable for buses, trains and ferries.
It does mean that motorists can leave their cars at home if they are just going into the town centre, at least where I live, as the bus services are excellent. There's one every 10 minutes on my particular route.
So Gordon Brown's free travel offer last year for pensioners didn't cut much ice on Merseyside - even more so as from April Scottish pensioners will be able to travel anywhere in Scotland for nothing....:-)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
Browse
.jpg)
I think (but dont know) that the long life of rear tyres on ZXs (and 306s) is probably related to the passive rear wheel steer that they both have minimising scrub on the tyre in fast cornering.