June 2006
Can anyone unlucky enough to have had their car broken into offer a reliable method of removing fingerprinting powder from plastic trim?
Punto was broken into two years ago (but not taken, fortunately, thanks to the immobiliser), after which the police dusted for fingerprints. While most of the powder rubbed off the steering wheel, dashboard and door handles afterwards, some powder remains trapped in the textured pattern of the plastic.
Since then I've tried furniture polish, interior trim cleaner and upholstery cleaner, none of which shifted it. I've just tried acetone, which dissolved the carrier paste - but only enough to spread the powder about more.
So, what have other Backroomers found works without making an even bigger mess?
Thanks in advance,
- Gromit Read more
I would be grateful if anyone could advise me how often a cam belt should be replaced on an Audi A3, 1.6L 1998 model.
My mother has a 98 model with 36k on the clock.
Cheers Read more
This is an interference angine and the damage done would ber circa £1200-£1500. Get the belt changed. The fuel filter is not usually changed until the 80K mark but I have seen a few which corroded clips and even corroded cannisters so I would change every 6 or 7 years. Fuel these days is pretty clean. Regards Peter
I have acquired an old two stroke mower built in 1959. It was being chucked out as the owner said it wouldn't start. Anyway I hate to see old things chucked away so I took it away and stripped it down. The carb was full of oil and the jet completely blocked but after cleaning all that out and putting fresh fuel in it, it started after about 20 pulls. I have used it a few times since, it will start from cold first time but when hot it is a pain to start. Does anyone know why this might be? I have cleaned the airfilter and put a new plug in. Read more
Roly, check the date of the post. Hopefully by now the problem has been resolved, or it's in lawnmower heaven ;o)
Guys -
Since the hot weather has arrived, my wifes Fiesta Zetec has started leaving a puddle in the passenger footwell. The puddle doesn't smell of coolant etc so I assume its clean water. Its only really been evident since she has been using the air con lots so im guessing its a blockage in the condensation drain pipe? I doubt it is the usual suspect (pollen filter cover) because it hasn't been raining!
Any suggestions? If it is the condensation drain pipe, any idea how I get to it to clean it out / replace it?
Cheers
Steve
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Thanks guys
Steve
The above is offered as an extra on my car insurance.
Has any Backroomer experience of this service? Do they run their own fleet of vehicles? What are response times and helpfulness?
Your comments would be appreciated.
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Mondial generally run breakdown schemes for manufacturers rather than individuals. So if you ring your main dealer for breakdown assistance or if your car is under warranty and you ring a central helpline then you are more likely to use the services that Mondial Assistance provides, rather than just being a 'normal' private customer who has broken down.
Mondial also generally cover the breakdowns of the prestige manufacturers such as Aston Martin, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes, Rolls Royce etc, as well as a few of the run of the mill manufacturers, but are regarded as being at the upper end of the market.
With this in mind you should get a 'better quality' of breakdown/recovery assistance as the Mondial recovery operators are vetted and only the 'better' ones are chosen for their contract work. So theoretically you shouldn't get any old cowboy coming along to fiddle with your car. Whether this works like that in practice is another matter. Its all very well getting a man turning up in a shiny new truck with a shiny new jacket etc, but he will probably be no more knowledgable than the guy with the 5 year old truck and the dirty overalls from the local service station 'down the road'.
I recently purchased a VW Passat automatic, with 2.5 v6 TDi (AKN) engine. It is 4 years old and 111,000 'motorway miles'.
I keep suffering from loss of ability to accelerate.
For example, it is a bit slow from a standstill in 1st gear, but worse is when turning right at traffic lights, you can roll up and wait for a gap in oncoming traffic and press the accelerator right down but nothing much happens for 1-5 seconds, then there is a violent surge in power and a puff of black smoke.
It also does this at roundabouts, when you roll up to big roundabouts on A roads, it is a bit dangerous as it just crawls onto the roundabout and when you have gone halfway round there is a sudden boost of power (If it was like that all the time I'd be pleased)
So while in the deserted countryside I replicated this, and with CC off and widows open, I could hear a quiet hiss from the engine, and at the exact point the power boost occured the hiss stopped and there was a noise like a pneumatic valve closing, (split second rise in pitch like when you let go of an airline trigger)
It is almost like a wastegate stuck open which suddenly snaps shut, but I have read it doesn't even have one as it is a VNT turbocharger.
All obvious service items replaced, and visual inspection under bonnet doesn't reveal anything untoward.
I can see the VNT actuation lever, all pipe clips look original, but I can't hear any air leaks at this stage.
I have read lots of info about the N75 valve on 1.9tdis, do I have one of these?
Thanks for any help before I go to VW, and roll my eyes!
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Ashok
This isn't an anti-spyware issue is it? Some of mine hate ElsaWin with a vengeance and block it's registry hooks to stop it installing. Tried disabling your anti-virus/spyware and seeing if that made a difference? IIRC those 4 data DVDs contain about 9 Gig!
***** This thread is now closed, please CLICK HERE to go to Volume 136 *****
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I'm just about to buy an Olympus E500 to complement my trusty old OM1 and OM4 (plus a couple of digital compacts and a 6x6.) Available for around £600 including 14-45mm (28-90mm equiv), 40-150mm (80-300mm equiv) lenses and a 1GB card, it covers just about everything I need as a fairly competent amateur.
If I need something special, I hire it.
Kevin...
{Although this thread is now closed, please continue with any questions in the next volume - DD}
Has anyone experienced a loud rattling noise seemingly suspension related? Mine seems to come on after about 40 miles or so and can be really loud, but you've guessed it, it miraculously disappears when approaching a Fiat dealer so its really difficult to track down. The dealer has been helpful and checked all the nuts and bolts etc but without hearing the noise they're a bit stymied. I wonder if a damper is intermittently losing its damping ability for some reason allowing the suspension to crash about but I only think that because I cant think of anything else. Any ideas out there?
Its a 1.2 dynamic with 250 miles on if thats any help. Read more
Check all the steering rack joints for signs/feel of movement.
I purchased from a dealer a Laguna with Carminat Sat Nav. However, it didn't come with the manual which covers the radio/ CD player and sat nav. The dealer cannot get one from scouting around he says, the previous owner took it out the car (why?, why?) and it seems that I cannot get one from Renault as it doesn't have a part No. and they aren't printed anyway.
Now I have got the hang of most of the system, but not all of it. I am thinking of the future re-sale here as well.
Where can I get the manual for my sat nav/cd/radio? the car is an 04 reg so it's not that old is it ?
And if I want to update the maps can I do that easily enough?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks. Read more
Never really thought to count them, er lets see.....yes, think so. Very good I'd say. If only I had the manual.....
A press release from The Assocation of British Drivers:
Speed Humps Dumped in South Gloucestershire
Speed humps in the town of Yate in South Gloucestershire are to be removed after a successful campaign by local residents.
In 2003 South Gloucestershire Council installed speed humps on Shireway in the town after just 38 people responded favourably to a consultation. About 4500 people live in the immediate area.
Following intensive campaigning by residents fed up with the humps, a second consultation received 435 responses of which only around 60 were in favour of the speed humps remaining. Over 200 people attended a public meeting organised by the council.
Cllr. Pat Hockey (Lib Dem), the Committee Member responsible for Planning, Transportation & Strategic Environment has been forced to execute a 'U' turn and order the removal of the humps as a matter of priority. The council will instead install a pedestrian crossing and vehicle-activated speed limit warning signs.
ABD Local co-ordinator for South Gloucestershire, Paul Hanmore said: "This just goes to show what can be achieved when all the local people seeking a sensible solution work in concert."
ABD Policy Director Mark McArthur-Christie added: "All over the country we have seen examples of speed humps and traffic calming being imposed, justified by consultations that have failed to consult all those affected.
We welcome South Gloucestershire's decision to move away from stone-age traffic calming and towards better, more effective and modern solutions.
We're delighted that the Council has now listened to residents. This is a real result for road safety."
Read more
Doesn't worry me, my fully loaded 1.6 Zafira will be hiting top speeds of at least 30km /h ; -)
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Fingerprint 'dust', as far as I can remember, is simply very fine aluminium powder.
Yes, soapy water and a fine-bristled, but stiff brush would have done the job.
Acetone or any other strong solvent such as tetrachloroethylene will have dissolved the surface layer of the plastic within which the spread aluminium powder will now be nicely encapsulated.
You might try further gentle abrasion (T-cut or CIF cleaner) but do try it out in an inconspicuous corner first.
Quite why they 'dusted' a highly textured surface I don't know, I'd have thought it unlikely to yield any usable fingerprints.