March 2006
Ooops.
Funnily enough this thought occurred to me only a few days ago when this forum was debating TomTom routing preferences.
Courtesy of BBC News.
Satellite navigation systems are being blamed for directing thousands of cars through a quiet Somerset village.
Residents in Barrow Gurney claim 10,000 vehicles a day are going through the centre to get to Bristol Airport.
The airport's official directions take traffic onto the A38, but sat-nav users may select alternative routes to avoid jams which send them through villages.
Parish council chairman Geoff Coombs said it had a knock-on effect for communities like Barrow Gurney.
"I think there really should be some special dispensation not to route these very high volumes of traffic through small villages close to facilities such as airports," he said.
Makers of the TomTom system said: "Drivers are given various means of deciding the route to take and also have the opportunity to receive live traffic updates to make it as easy as possible to avoid congestion problems.
"If a driver ever feels that they are being directed down an inappropriate road then the TomTom can quickly re-route them."
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I have a 52plate 1.9 TDCi S40, which seems to have a rock steady temperature. It takes what seems to be a normal amount of time to get the neddle to just before half way up the guage, but once it's there it never seems to move until the engine goes off!
It's either super efficient or there's a needle stop on the half way marker.
There are no temperatures printed on the guage like my last car so I don't know what it's running at.
Does anyone know roughly where it should be sitting? Read more
Thanks for all the replies. I can drive a little easier now...
I was wondering, because as mentioned, the 1996 Alfa I drove before the Volvo used to wander a fair bit, especially when the thermostat opened up.
Any ideas how I can find out what a particular car would be likely to sell for at a BCA auction?
I currnetly have a personal lease car which I presume will be sent to auction when it is de-hired in July.
I emailed BCA asking how much it's likely to sell for but they said it's impossible to tell this far away :-(
I just need a rough idea to the nearest £1k
If a car has a dealer forecourt value of say £14k how much would it have been sold in auction for?
I have a buy back price from the lease company but it is more than I'm willing to spend.
I hope this made some sense!
Thanks
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WHAT CAR? VERDICT SHOGUN SPORT 2.5 Diesel (2 stars)
"Copes easily when shown a rutted track; V6 has plenty of
go; high image. Based on a pick-up truck and it shows
in the ride and handling, which are crude; serious lack of
cabin space; diesel noisy."
Yeah I saw that which makes me wonder if they based the report on the pickup as well!
There is no way that anyone could say "serious lack of cabin space". That might be true of the L200 double-cab pickup....
They also got the service interval wrong which lead me to believe that they don't actually know what they are talking about
:-)
As my leg will be in pot for the next few weeks after damaging my achilles, I have traded my manual Passat for a 2004 PD 130 Highline with tiptronic.
The car has done 34,000 miles, many of which have been done towing a caravan. It drives well and has been properly serviced but I am a little worried that there may be problems in store from gearbox/brakes/engine.
Any suggestions as to what I should look out for?
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I am NOT an expert but reading various threads here I have learned that an automatic car used for towing may need a supplementary cooler for the gearbox fluid and that the colour of the fluid can give an indication of high temperatures which may have occured in the past. Pink fluid=good and dark fluid= burned/overheated. I guess a VW agent should be able to advise fitting a cooler if needed. Good luck!
Does anyone know the official view on changing your tyre brand from the manufacturers recommendation? I'm sure I read somewhere that if you put a non-recommended tyre brand on and then had an accident, there was a risk the insurance company wouldn't pay out. Maybe this is more of an issue in America?
I ask because I've realised I can save about £50/tyre by buying Michelins from Costco instead of the supplied Pirelli's from somewhere local. The tyres are the same size and speed rating, etc, so I find it hard to believe the Pirellis are worth another £50 each. Read more
As I posted in the technical forum the cheapest michelins for my car (Megane 175-70-13) online fitted was £86 for the pair. First time I have used costco and I got the very same tyres for £62 fitted, a saving of £24 and the job was done to perfection.
Road Cameras 'Could Catch Drivers on Mobiles'
Roadside cameras could be used to catch motorists using mobile phones on the move.
A transport expert will suggest the move to an influential committee of MPs later this week, according to The Guardian.
It said Robert Gifford of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts) would include the idea in a submission to the transport select committee.
Stolen, wanted and untaxed vehicles are already tracked by a network of cameras that are activated when they detect a suspect number plate.
Extra revenue could be raised to pay for them by checking whether their drivers are breaking other laws, such as using phones or not wearing a seatbelt, under the proposals, it was reported.
The committee, chaired by Labour's Gwyneth Dunwoody, will take evidence on Wednesday from the police, road safety campaigners and motorists' groups as part of an inquiry into "Traffic Policing and Technology: getting the balance right''.
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"such use will catch multiple offenders, citing the fact that the 7/7 bombers traveled to Luton station by car. "
Just another case of using "terror" to justify these things. Exactly what "multiple offences" had the bombers committed on their way to the station? Even if they had been speeding/using phone /not using seat belts they would and been caught on camera (had they already been in use) surely they would just receive a NIP a feww days later? That wouldn't stop a bomb that day would it? Same with ID cards - they don't stop the bombers - the 7/7 bombers were law abiding citizens up to the bombing weren't they? If ID cards had been in use they would have had one. I seem to remember that one who died had multiple pieces of identification on him so that he would get the "credit " for the bombing. The 9/11 plane hi-jackers all had passports - and necessary ID cards - otherwise how would they have been on the planes?
"Slight reduction of liberty" in this way is not to make catching terrorists easier, it's just another way of raising more fines from motorists. Why don't they just be honest and say that? - oh, and say that phoners/non seatbelt wearers are breaking the law, so will get fined if caught.
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Phil
i have a Mercedes A class X reg 1.9 auto. When i slow down to a stop - or nearly - say, at a junction, the gearbox takes a while to drop through the bottom two gears and sometimes does so with a 'clonk'into first. If i don't wait for it to sort itself out and accelerate before it has, sometimes the gear engages with a jolt.
Does anyone know what is the problem? MB said something about a switch in the gearbox(?!)and what work and costs are involved.
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All tyres are moulded with wear markers to show when they reach a minimum tread depth. Is there any reason why this could be done by a different colour in the rubber. This would cause uneven wear across or on one side of the tyre to become instantly visible. It would also make it far easier to spot worn out tyres, especially for a M.O.T.
Any thoughts anyone.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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It is being rumoured in the trade that our "friendly" EU masters are considering regs to make tyre manufacturers incorporate a colour (white or yellow) in the moulding process. This would help the police to check at least the rear tyres of travelling vehicles. In addition to what daveyjp posted the full report of the test done by ROSPA at MIRA Nuneaton can be found in Auto Express 18 May 2005...
My OP was on the basis it seemed a logical safety measure relating to tyres. I had never realised the EU was considering a similar measure, nor did I see daveyjp thread. Thank you all for your comments.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
A crofter who had nine previous convictions for drink driving has been jailed for six months and banned from driving for life.
Angus Macmillan Macleod, of Cromore, South Lochs, Lewis, pleaded guilty to driving a quad bike while disqualified and nearly three times over the limit.
The 52-year-old appeared at Stornoway Sheriff Court on Monday.
Sentencing Macleod, Sheriff David Sutherland said it was the islander's ninth drink-driving offence.
He imposed a six month sentence on the first charge and banned Macleod from driving for life.
Village drive
The sheriff also handed down a three month sentence and a five year drivng ban on the second offence. The sentences will run concurrently.
The court heard that police officers on patrol saw the accused driving the quad bike through the village of Cromore.
The vehicle was stopped and a breath test showed excess alcohol of 108 microgrammes when the prescribed limit is 35 microgrammes.
Stornoway solicitor Ken Macdonald said his client seemed to be under the impresson that driving a quad bike was different from driving another type of motor vehicle.
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Had an ex boss who had one DD conviction, he got
a Discovery as a co car, we used to joke that
it was so he could get home from the pub without
going near a road.
Been there and done that - had a mate who lived on a farm between Newbury and Reading, we worked out that we could get to a pub about 4 miles away without going on a single public road (much of it was not on roads at all), I had a heavily modded range rover at the time, so we gave it a go - seemed alot easier on the way back!!!!
Does anyone know how these things work?
I reset mine last time I filled up 20 odd miles ago, and since then the MPG has sat resolutely at --.-. It usually starts displaying numbers within a mile or so.
The miles are accumulating, as is the running time. Interestingly the remaining range has increased from 328 miles at reset to 333 now. Perhaps it's producing its own petrol inside the tank, and I need to remove the filler cap to let some out!
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"They all do that, sir".
Mine does it occasionally, too.
Resetting it again usually does the trick (by holding 'info' down when the MPG display is up)
Alternatively, if you hold down the 'info' button for several seconds, it resets everything to do with the trip computer, and always seems to get the MPG thing working - this is what I usually do after a fill up.
Browse
Shortest route. x - mile diversion is rather too literal and tries to take you back onto the original route as soon as possible even if that is now not the fastest route. IE it does not recalc the total route.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >