May 2006
What a waste of time! I had reason to use the A650 to Bingley last night there is a bus lane between two sets of lights, no more than 150m in length. At the second lights there are two lanes, one straight ahead, one to turn right. The bus lane ends two car lengths before the lights to allow cars which aren't turning right to move across to the left lane. What actually happens is the cars queue in the bus lane for it's entire length and the bus ends up using the right hand lane to make prgress where as there is no traffic. I also used the right hand lane as I didn't want to risk a ticket for being in a bus lane, but moving from the right hand lane back to the left involves pushing in to the front of the queuing traffic. By driving legally you effectively put yourself in a position of being the target of someone who has waited patiently, albeit illegally in a queue of traffic. The car in front of me in the right hand lane (but wanting to go straight ahead) was also timid about acting legally and the female driver stopped for a while to consider the conundrum this crazy road layout puts drivers in. Read more
i purchased this as a e-bay headgasket gone job but it was the oilcooler, the only prob with it is the clutch is v-heavy and the change from 3rd to 4th is a bit odd,i find it easier to double declutch and also going from 2nd down into 1st it`s some times reluctant. myfirst thoughts are that i may need to rebush the g/change and can i adjust the clutch or is it automatic??
cheers Ray
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I bought one off of bay too, a 96 TDI SXE with sloppy gearchange and heavy clutch! I put a couple of washers in the gearchange linkage and it has helped a bit. Don't know if yours is the same box, VW 02a. The clutch could do with being changed but due to the price of the car I won't be in a hurry to do it - I use it to carry my building DIY project house.
This is a car forum!
My sister lives in Liverpool, works in Chester and has a freshly acquired 95 ZX turbo-diesel with 115k miles. The car is reported to be in excellent condition but the documented service history stops three years ago at 90k miles at which point the timing belt was changed. I have recommended oil and all filter change she also reports that the glow plugs need replacing (7 years driving xuds). Money is very tight. I am in Tyrone so a bit far to go to service car. So:
Does the timing belt need done?
Any recommendations for reliable trustworthy reasonably priced garages near her? ie ones that will change all glow plugs without ringing them etc. She has recieved quotes of up to 170+vat for a 'full' service. (what is a full service????) Read more
Keith Davis Citroen Specialist
Parsonage Garage, Middle Lane, Aldford, Chester, Cheshire CH3 6JA
Tel: 01244 620399
And this one. I checked my earlier posting and there is no listing in Yell.com, which is where I found this one.
Tuesday 13th June at 8pm
Venue:- The Swan on the A556 just off M6 J19.
tinyurl.com/qbg6v
Right seeing as it usually takes several months to get these things organised it seems about the right time to start the ball rolling on the next north west meeting.
Plan is to find out what nights are best for most people and then try to pencil in one particular date that is best for most of us.
I personally can be free most nights with sufficient notice and can get to most places across the North West so all suggestions for venues greatfully accepted and i'm sure i can have some fun trying them all out! Read more
Then only about 8 showed up at the Ace Cafe to
meet Growler (over here from the Philippines).
Speaking of which has anyone heard from him recently? We mentioned last night that correspondence from the phillipines had been absent recently.
whats the future for bio diesel , is it better,. had a phone call todayfrom someone trying to sell some hot shares in worldwide biodiesel plc in durham about to float on aim. sounds like a scam . any body know? Read more
'Worldwide Biodiesel PLC' might be just a 'boiler room' scam to sell dodgy or difficult to trade shares?
tinyurl.com/h7by6
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I'm sorry to inflict this on you, but an ad currently running on Virgin Radio for a certain no-win-no-fee law firm is driving me up the wall!
The example bloke in it claims he was working for a national firm of tyre fitters when the jack collapsed on the lorry he was working under crushed him. Naturally, he gets plenty of compensation and lives happily ever after etc.
Now, my point is that surely anyone who takes such an insane risk doesn't deserve any compensation? Would you work under a lorry supported only by a jack? How can this possibly be the employer's fault?
I would have thought one of the first things that they tell you when you're employed is that you don't work under a jack alone, and if he skipped the training course it's surely his own responsibility.
Thanks. I feel better now. ;-)
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A fair few years back, I worked at one of those great DIY Superstores. It was ituated about 400 yds from the local Fire Station.
We had a YTS-type kid 'assigned' to us who, depsite our best efforts to train him in some sort of life skill, was only useful, to quote MacDonald Fraser, for 'carrying unbreakable objects, over level ground, under supervision.'.
Anyways, one day a car (a Cortina Mk 2) caught fire in the carpark. Said numpty saw the blaze, and RAN to the Fire Station to summon help.
He arrived back, grinning, in the fire tender.
Interesting conversation afterwards, subsequent to checking his training records, and interviewing the guys who had done his training (all 100% by-the-book, with Q and A's) along the lines of "WHAT have you been told to do when there is a fire? DOES the phrase 'assembly point' mean anything to you? WHO is supposed to dial 999? IF there had been a fire in the building, would you have run to the Station, leaving Muggins here inside looking for you when you turned up missing?"
The long and short of it was the numpty was told to leave.
Apparently there are some unpleasant roadworks from the Sandhill Park & Ride to the Headington roundabout.
I have to go to Oxford from N London and back tomorrow and cannot afford to get stuck. Are there any locals who can sugest whether I should:
1. sit it out (if so, how long?); or
2. go on one more junctio on the M40 and come down the A34?
I need to arrive at 1.30 and will be leaving c. 4.30.
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Wow a 3 min response time.
I am delivering my wife and a friend to do the tourist bit.
My wife has done this many times.
I will then probably drift off to a park n ride to join them.
I guess from the one north by the A34
They would like to start at Magdalen Bridge because we think it is THE way in.
I have been in and around the centre and out to the Trout many times as son was at Magdalen.
I have no problems finding my way around the central car no go area.
My wife is an excellent navigator so any route in using any side road is well within our capabilities.
Hence was looking at drifting cross country from J7 or Wheatley to Blackbird Leys and maybe Iffley Road to the bridge.
Thanks
Cut and paste (to save HJ's bandwidth)
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/4968242.stm Read more
>The increased incidence of untreatable windscreen damage is one of the drawbacks of using dual carriageways.
Apology in advance for my ignorance Mr. Snail. Why is this so?
Happy Motoring Phil I
Had my Scenic in for the seatbelt recall today and asked them to put new blades on the front. Now I know its my own fault for not confirming the price but when it had been in a couple of months ago, I had asked then and was told they were "30 odd quid".
Well, SWMBO went and collected the car tonight to be hit with a cost of £44.56 each, plus VAT, plus £15.60 labour!
A total of £107.34! For two blinking wiper blades!!!
Now I know as I said its my fault for not confirming the price beforehand, but has anyone else replaced these wipers and if so, how much were they?
(Incidentally I had went to Halfords and couldn't find wipers for my car and didn't really like the look of the fittings on them for changing them!) Read more
Just as a little follow up, after emailing Renault over the course of a few days, the dealer has phoned me back today to apologise and say they got it wrong!
Apparently it was a Trainee (?) in the parts dept that day and he used the code for a pair of wipers instead of the individual ones, and so I was charged for 2 pairs instead of one pair.
Yeah I believe it - NOT!
Anyway, I am getting a refund for the difference. Still won't be going back to the dealer.
Has anyone used these hotels in France? Normally I drive the 650 miles from Bath to central France in a day but with two drivers. Her ladyship does not want to travel this time so I'm going on my own and need a night on the way. I refuse to use the west country ferry routes so I thought I would book into the Formula 1 hotel in Abbeville, about one hour from Calais. However the cost seems ridiculously cheap at 30 euros. What is the catch, if any?
Thanks
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but I swear by the gadget I have got to open the Peage gate automatically and pay the toll.
You don't need a French bank account to get a Liber T transponder. I use my Liverpool Victoria credit card rather than my CCSO account. I can vouch for the joy of having one. It can be a bit disconcerting at first as the barrier doesn't rise until you are about two feet away from it.
On a longish stretch of 40mph dual carriageway in my home town, they've put a bus lane in the entire stretch running from 7am - 7pm.
Fine you may think. Trouble is, there's only one bus an hour.
Compare it to the town I live in now - right through the town centre there are bus lanes but sensibly the times are something like 7:30am to 9:30 am and 16:30 to 18:00.
Makes much more sense.