June 2006
With all that talk of the Senator rear lights on Bristols, its kinda made me hanker after one now! If I cant have the Bristol, I can have a car with the same lights :)
I like both the 80's and 90's ones so which ones are best? 2.5, 3.0 or 3.0 24v? Which is the most reliable? Can you still get parts ok?
I like the earlier cars most, but are they all rusty now?
On of my neightbours has one of the later shape ones in a sort of gold colour and its really smart, I see it every morning! Read more
Does anybody have experience of these as they look good value. I have seen some reviews but would appreciate views from the backroom
Thanks
Andrew Read more
Which is the best fully synthetic diesel oil mobil 1 or millers.
Read more
It's the fleet people who
have lumbered us all with stupid long-life servicing and *life-time fluid
fills, but oh! - no lifetime warranty.
There is nothing fundamentally wrong with long-life servicing especially on a fleet car which does the mileage relatively quickly. The only achilles heel is failure to check oil levels and top-up/use the absolutely correct grade and spec of oil as prescribed by the service regime. These modern synthetic oils are far more robust than most people think, and even long life service regimes leave quite a margin for negligence.
Okay, this is starting to take the michael now. I had an old battery for my Honda Prelude (Which I kept having to recharge once a week). However, I bought a new one for £69.99 from Halfords (One from the new Calcium HCB Range). I bought it on the 5th May.
Just tried starting car, and battery is dead. Just started charging it. Just want to ask if anyone else has this problem? I know many people who never have to recharge their battery for at least a year, but my car seems to take the michael.
1. Is this normal?
2. Could there be something in the car that sucks up all the energy from the battery? All I turn on at night is a simple alarm, nothing else. Maybe something else I don't know about?
Regards Read more
Assuming the new battery is OK then as suggested you need to monitor the current after the car has shut itself down - so maybe 30 mins after ign off.
Then pull the fuses one by one untill you find the one that protects the circuit that is taking the current. Then investigate whatever is on that circuit.
(pull and replace the fuses - you dont want to end up with an empty fusebox and a pile of fuses and no record of what was where.)
A council in the Australian city of Sydney is taking radical measures against car-revving youths - the calming tones of singer Barry Manilow.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5047610.stm
Aussies....
Read more
I wonder of the old offence of 'furious driving' is still on the statute books. Apparently causing wheelspin can constitute 'not being in proper control of one's vehicle', as does drifting or locking the brakes when stopping.
There is a valvebounce kid round here who always revs his noisy car to the red line. What's he trying to prove?
I've just had a look at a Citroen ZX 1.9D to buy and was dissappointed to see that the exhaust is puffing out black smoke when blipping the accelerator, it's not too dense but definitely not clean. The dealer who is selling it is going to get a year's ticket on it. However if it still smokey should I be concerned or is this something remidial that say some jet cleaner won't remedy? Read more
Thanks steve o that sounds right, I might ask the dealer to do that. But surely if the head gasket has gone the engine would not run cool but very hot. Even with air locks I would have thought the engine would run hot. I wonder if the fan is coming on below temperature. Anyway I'll have another look at it tomorrow and make a final decision.
My dad, the person least interested in cars that I know, has just bought a Nissan Almera and a Daewoo Matiz. As a PC houselhold, him and my mum share the cars, my dad doesn't have the bigger one by default!!
Question: any goods/bads/things of note on either of these? The Almera will do quite a few miles and carry an electric piano, and the Matiz is just for bezzing around locally.
Almera is a 1.5SE, Matiz is the 800cc one. Read more
"Coup it".
Sorry, I committed a Scotticism, against my own principles really.
To coup it means to capsize it, which was alleged to be possible with the Matiz!
As to the Ignii, aforesaid Matiz was succeeded by an Ignis Sport, probably 2 years ago. Unfortunately I gather it is not insured for me to drive, but they seem very happy with it.
I thought they were supposed to be reliable - VW Beetles that is.
Yesterday evening proceeding Eastward on the M40, there was a trail of VW Beetles at regular intervals on the hard shoulder.
Were they all returning from a VW Owner's wake? I did notice that a lot of them were stopped under bridges (it was raining) do they leak as well? Read more
There was also a "large" Mini, the Mini was brilliant but let's remember it was designed using 50s technology but was very Avant Garde for it's time........something like the difference between an Escort and a Focus but more. Anyway the Morris 1000 was far better car than the Beetle ever was.
Oh dear, what have they done...
tinyurl.com/n3ko8 Read more
>>I think with computer designing,there wont be any difference in shape between any car.
I think you are right Steve, but, I also think that it is simply a case of form following function (albeit a rather slow evolution). In exactly the same way, most civil jets look pretty similar* in shape and proportion (OK, there's some with rear mounted engines, rather than hanging engines beneath the wings, but that's not much different to the front wheel drive / rear wheel drive thing that goes on with cars)
* unless plane spotting is your excuse for sporting an anorak and thermos!!!
Number_Cruncher
I am close to deciding on changing my X-Trail 2.5 auto for a Subaru Legacy Outback 3.0. I can live with the fuel consumption as it won't be more than 2 mpg worse than the X-Trail.
I wondered if the very few Outback owners who post here (Thallium springs to mind) could tell me if the scooby 3.0 cam is chain driven. I had assumed that all Subaru engines had cambelts, but I recently saw an American website detailing service schedules indicating that the 3 litre is the only Subaru with a chain. Is this correct?
Before I make the final decision, is there anyone out there who thinks I am mad. If so please put me off now and save me some money! Alternatively, if anyone thinks the Sports Tourer (3.0R or SpecB auto) would be preferable please have your say.
Many thanks
HectorG Read more
Increased ride height of Outback will improve the ride for your use. Good choice.
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
Browse
Ive got about a year or so to find the right car so plenty of time im hoping!
Anyone got any other suggestions on cars to think of?