February 2006
I have a mate who has had a provisional driving license (bike entitlement) since 'years ago'.
He has recently bought a new bike after being off the road for some years and has not taken a CBT test, he says that as he had his license so long ago and for such a long time he does not need to take CBT.
Can someone clarify please as I think that he requires CBT ticket before riding?
Thanks Read more
One of today's letters to HJ asks for advice on a replacement car after the current car was written off in a car park. Now, just back up a minute. Never mind the advice - how did it get written off? How on earth do you write off a car in a car park? You tease HJ! We want to know the facts.
In the absence of facts let's speculate!
JH
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Friend came back to her old but servicable BMW in a car park to find it damaged (which resulted in it being written off). Attached was note asking owner to contact local constabulary. Assuming that they had witnesses as to who had done it, it turned out that a panda car (do they still call them that?) had hit it whilst chasing local low-life...
My Vauxhall Astra requires a new diesel pump, (cost, about £200), but apparently this is part of the security system and the pump needs to be reprogrammed by a main dealer.
The dealer has estimated this will cost £2000, (the car's value is about £3000).
Is there any way around this? Is it possible to remove the immobiliser? Read more
Yep; it's definitely a £2200 job at the dealers - and this is the third one on various forums just today! - or it's about £2000 less to get a specialist to pop the lid off the pump ECU and re-solder the cracked joints.
There's quite a variety of opinions as to whether these VP pumps are actually coded or not. Well worth checking the engine control relay is OK before doing anything else.
i have recently bought an x reg rover 25,i admit im i girl and am just about capable of putting in the petrol!the car has just come from garage having had some minor things done to it,and now i dont know the code to turn my stereo back on!ive a 10 week old baby,music volume a neccesity when traveling with a baby!!can anyone help?am pretty low on the old purse string status too!!
{Subject header amended from "help" to make less vague. DD} Read more
Do you still have the folder that comes with the car,normaly either in glovebox/taken indoors.
Inside should be a card about the size of a credit card,on this will have 2 lots of 4 numbers-one should be marked radio code-other emergency key access code/you dont need that.
radio manual should be in the same folder which will explain how to enter code,usualy by using no`s 1-4 on program presets ie press button 1 and use channel up/down button to go to number specified on the card.once entered press next preset no 2 then as before.once all numbers are in radio should automatically turn on
or has it been lost?
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Steve
i own a 1998 omega 2.0 gls the radio works fine but when i try to play cd.s theres a message ER4 comes up. vauxhall want to charge me to test it has anyone else had this problem and know how to fix it.the modle is the CDR 500 radio thanks mark Read more
These error codes may well be listed in the audio guide that came with the vehicle. Generally, these error codes are "can't read disc" or "can't load disc";If the disc is loading correctly and after a few seconds an error code is displayed, the problem is usually the first. The laser pick-up is either dirty or faulty.
You could try a cleaner disc, but in my experience they won't clean the sort of filmy dirt encountered in cars. Best to contact a local car radio repair shop. The CDR500 is quite a good machine, if you can find someone to repair it!
BMW recommend that all four tyres are the same make and tread pattern due to possibility of messing up the antiskid software/ ABS otherwise. I can see that in an ideal world thats what you'd do but I have 6mm left on my fronts and the rears need changing. Dunlop dont make my rears anymore (they are a different size to the fronts). What do most people do; all four the same or matched pairs? Has anyone experienced problems with different pairs?
Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks JB
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JB
Matched pairs have been fine on my E36. Never had any ABS or TC problems even with new fronts (Pirelli) and well worn rears (Bridgestone). It's probably more important that they are matched side to side than back to front.
JS
My central locking works as normal except that the rear door on the offside does not lock or unlock on the remote. The "pipper" will come up if the interior handle is pulled and will stay down if manually pushed. I guess its the unit in the door thats broken. I was charged £210 by VW last time on a different door which included a window regulator. Has anyone any experience of changing these themselves? How difficult/ fiddly/expensive is it?
Thanks JB Read more
Thanks very much, that's great.
JB
This time last year I bought a 03 Rover 75 Diesel tourer with 16k miles. On the whole we are very pleased goes well very comfy looks good etc
I paid £11500 this was before Rover went Mammories up. I was quite prepaired to accept that it would be worth nothing after the colapse & will have to keep it for many years as it will be
valueless.
A cab driver brought me home from the station remarked if it was the Diesel apparantly cabbies are after them, he's tried to get one at auction and failed
In my local Partco yesterday. A local dealer remarked on my Rover. He said the Diesels are fetching top money at auction mainly going to cabbies he thought. He said what i've always thought the Diesels were the best bet of the 75 range
So should i keep or sell now while it may worth something?
I will answer my own thread and say they are only popular because they are cheap!
Anybody have any idea of what they are going for?
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Good luck with it, hope you get what you want. Boisterous eh? Yes, very close coupled for one thing and if using the original RR springs a bit bouncy too perhaps... but I don't suppose you ever need to press the loud pedal very hard even up cliffs... 25mpg on the way to Liverpool, I can't help wondering?
Where is the Data Link Connector to install the diagnostic tool? I've been under the dashboard with a torch and cannot find anything that looks like a vacant 16 pin connector. engine compartment - ditto. Read more
Thanks for the input lads. I did eventually find it in the passenger footwell directly underneath the glove box. It faces down and is covered with a black plastic clip-on cover, so it does not look like one would expect until after the cover is removed. All I need now is a diagnostic tool...
Yet again earlier today I had the ubiqtious white van man trying to push me down the road by staying a few feet away from my bumper for a few miles until he got the oppertunity to take a risky overtaking manouvere with the obligatory middle finger salute as he passed by. (I drive as slow as i can if you tailgate me)
But the said van had his company email/website address splashed on the rear door, so should I email and complain?
Or am I asking for trouble?
If I do what should I say?
Input would be apprieciated before I decide. Read more
I used to brake-test these people, until the point at which it dawned on me that if they DID hit me, irrespective of where the liability for the accident lay I'd still be stuck with a bent car, possibly a fat lip (or worse) as well, given some people's lack of self-control these days, and to what good?
Nowadays I just remember an excellent piece of advice I picked up on this forum, usable in any situation where somebody else on the road is being a PFD: Whatever his/her problem is, why do you want to be a part of it?
Browse
Thanks to all who replied, I have let him know the good(?) news that his is illeagal at the moment.
To add insult to injury he has just told me he got snapped by a camera.. .. .. thats another story!