July 2006
we hear so much about motorists inconsideration for those on foot that I thought last weeks display of kindness worth a mention. while on holiday on the west coast of scotland my family crossed to the island of lismore by the passenger ferry from appin ,after walking for about 3 miles it was very obvious that we were going to get soaked by a cloudburst so turned to return to the ferry but 2 minutes later mr and mrs defender and 2 children were soaked to the skin and it didnt look like we were going to be back in time for the next ferry so would have an hour to wait.
however a kind chap with a small lorry took pity and although he had his cab full he took his passengers to the boat and returned to collect us ,the water was running out of our clothes by this time but there was no thought about his cab getting soaked ,despite having to go a bit further to turn he got us back to the boat which his mate asked to wait for us, he would take nothing for his trouble and just said it could have been his family
I hope I can repay him some day even if only by passing his good deed on to someone else Read more
I have had the above car for 2 years and use it mainly for towing our caravan the question is when towing the auto box very rarely locks up the torque convertor. Even when solo it will only stay in lock up at about 75-80 MPH, but when you select 4th gear with the tiptronic it will stay in lock up down to around 55 MPH towing or not. There is nothing wrong with the car as I have driven others, but my main question is would it be better for the gearbox left in fourth? when towing at about 60 MPH the engine RPM is still only 2300. Will the box stay cooler when in lock up? So Aprila can you share your opinion on this please, Of to France at weekend with caravan so will do around 2000 miles. Read more
Yes at the front below the rad there is what I would class as a large cooler, was away last weekend and when towing I left it in fourth and set the cruise about 62-65 at that speed it felt it could pull a house down & I think it was also better on fuel. I also understand that if the torque convertor is doing all the work the oil much be a lot warmer.
I've been phoning around trying to find the cheapest cat for my R reg 1998 1.8 8v Renault Laguna.(manual-petrol).
I've been asked does it have a Lamda?
Its cheaper if it hasnt one of these things.
What is it and does anyone know if this model would have one?
Thanks for any help. Read more
Got a cat form a Renualt spares specialist. £35 and it looks pretty new.
Is there any thing else I need before it gets repleaced?
Clamping sleeves? Anything?
Regards,
Dave
Is it me or do people try to forget that the M16 was a far worse engine than the K-series ever was? Great when it went, but always a case of waiting for it to break... sometimes ruined by 50k even with servicing! Read more
>>I cleaned a 420 GSi today with the T16 engine, owned by an enthusiast of sorts. It was of about 1998 vintage ( on private plate ) and to be honest, it wasnt the best advert for the car -
That was the tourer/estate version its problem was possibly inlet manifold leakage,it was very common on it,just that some people would not pay the price for it to be sorted.
Problems on K-series made this engine look decent
--
Steve
Does anyone know where the best place to get 6 months old pre reg cars . I would be also interested if anyone has an info on the ex rentals car as I have been told they get rid of the cars after six months. I presume these go the auction. Anyone know where. Many thanks for the help. Read more
I have bought 2 ex-rental cars - A Vauxhall & a Mazda.
Both required geraboxes to be fixed within 2/3000 mls - warranty job 1,2 & reverse were stripped.
Apart from the initial problem the Astra was sold with 70K+ on the clock and no expense other than servicing, tyres, brakes etc
Mazda is now 8 yrs old and still going strong - £150 for repairs, £60 to re-gas the AC + Brakes, exhaust, tyres etc
May be I have been lucky but both were excellent buys at about 6 mth old and 30%-35% off list price.
well, here is your opportunity to have your say and hope to make a difference !
from www.dvla.gov.uk/welcome.htm , on the right hand side "what's new" menu:
Cutting Red Tape www.betterregulation.gov.uk/
.....The Government is asking private, public and voluntary sector organisations and individuals to submit their suggestions as to where red tape and bureaucracy can be removed or reduced. This could mean anything from spending less time filling in forms, less time responding to government requests for information or less time spent on blanket inspections. ......
If you think your business or area of work suffers from unnecessary and excessive regulation and you want to make your views known to the Government, now is your chance to be heard. ....
Read more
How hard is it to change anti-roll bar bushes, in particular on a 2002 Volvo S40?
I'm reasonably competent with a spanner, but I've only got a 2-tonne trolley jack and axle stands, not a ramp. Read more
Cheers. Had a chat with the mechanic in work and he says the subframe needs to be dropped to do it and he aint got ramps so doesn't want to take it on.
I've not received the bushes yet, is it safe for me to drive the car with clonking anti-roll bars in the mean time?
Is this normal.Due to the hot weather I have the climate control on cold setting. I noticed when I park my car that water drips from the underneath of the car. When I turn the climate control off there is no water drips. Read more
Thanks. I can stop worrying now.
Travelling north on M1 Monday afternoon. Message just after jcn 26 saying M1 closed between 28 and 29. Well done Highways Agency. Left at 27 did a tour around Mansfield, Bolsover and joined at jcn 30. Thanks to GPS and some local knowledge it didn't take too long. Journey from then on was bliss, the motorway was dead as all the traffic was held up. The queues southbound were horrendous, from Bolsover you can see the M1 and it was shear hell. When we were back on the M1 it was queuing from jcn 30 almost back to 31 and we assume it was due to rubberneckers around the accident at jcn 28/29. We noticed that none of the southbound signs were letting drivers know of the impending problem they were about to encounter giving them the opportunity to find an alternative route. So the praise is given with one hand and taken away with the other! Read more
My commute takes in the delights of the London end of the M40 and four junctions of the M25 (Surrey / Heathrow stretch)
I learned after two weeks to ignore the gantries. Most of the time they report problems that don't exist, or fail to report problems that do. Based on 5 days a week for 6 months (give or take), they've been accurate just three times.
In terms of grip on pavement services just how much of difference does 4 wheel drive make. I'm refering to cars like Volvo and Audis ect...
Does it make a huge differnce as it seems they use more fuel.
Has anyone had experince of driving the same model with and without the 4 wheel drive? Is it worth it? Read more
If 4-wheel drive is better than 2-wheel drive, why do the
vast majority of perfomance cars make do with just rear-wheel drive?
There are no 4-wheel drive Ferraris, neither is the McLaren F1
or the McLaren SLR. None of the AMG Mercedes or BMW
M-series use 4-wheel drive. Only the Porsche 911 (for obvious reasons)
and Lamborghini use 4-wheel drive (for a much less obvious reason).
4-wheel drive with a computer control will probably be fastest for a novice.
Rear-drive is fundamentally unstable. But like with fighter jets, unstable sometimes means faster.
Front drive is like a safety razor
Rear drive is like a cut throat razor
Browse
Neil,
You must be telepathic.