I know there are clear warnings in the owners manual but have you tried driving a manual Honda (or any other make) with the aluminium gear knob when the car has been sat in this weather.
Blimey it burns - does anyone know where I can get drivers style oven gloves ? - the ones with the holes on the back. Read more

Visited local VW dealer and just bought a 2006 06 Reg Golf SE TDI 1.9 105 BHP prevously registed with the dealer for £15000 dead. Allegedly comes with additional centre arm rest. No P/X, cash deal had 30 miles on th clock, taxed untill the end of August. Priced on the forecourt for £15750 local dealer would provide me exactly the same car for £15,800 with no previous owbner. Good deal what do you think? Read more

I would like to know if the two different manuafacturers of radiator cooling fan motors for the Peugeot/Citroen range are interchangeable? I am talking about a 1999 306 1.6 petrol, but there seems to be lots of PSA models covered by these parts.

The two types are either GATE or ECIA. Even the main dealer asked which type were fitted to my car (some help the chassis number is to them!)

Does anyone have "chapter & verse" on this issue? Are the drive shaft diameters the same (so I don't end up having to buy a new fan blade also)?

I have seen phoographs of both types and the fixing pitch circle and connectors look to be identical, but I dont want to end up with a brand new part that won't fit, and I need both the engine cooling and aircon. ones, so twice the trouble if they are wrong.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help. Read more

my speedometer on my corsa 2001 stopped working and the steering felt very heavy. took it to the garage. iv got cover with the aa for the parts and labour but it doesnt cover the speedometer and i dont want to end up getting ripped off by the garage. any ideas how much it could cost.

{Garage name removed as there's a suggestion they might rip you off - DD} Read more

Just incase anyone labours under the misapprehension that US carmakers have learned anything over the past 15 years..

Cars heavier, faster but US fuel economy unchanged
Hybrids don't make a dent as fuel efficiency increases but is offset by weight and power.
July 18 2006: 11:56 AM EDT


WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- New vehicles in the United States are the fastest and heaviest in three decades, with the fleet's fuel efficiency no better than the figure for 1994 -- about 21 miles per gallon, the government said on Monday.

The mileage estimate for 2006 passenger vehicles -- cars, sports utilities, pickups and minivans -- continues a recent trend even though gasoline prices have risen steadily and now average $3 per gallon, the Environmental Protection Agency said in an annual efficiency report.

Gains from gas-electric hybrid engines and other fuel saving technologies -- mainly seen in compacts, sedans and other passenger cars -- were noted. But these technologies represent a fraction of what is available in showrooms and bigger models continue to blunt efficiency.

Overall domestic sales were off in June, pulled down by a sharp decline in consumer appetite for less efficient SUVs and pickups.

EPA's efficiency estimates are less conservative than widely cited calculations used by the Transportation Department for measuring passenger vehicle fuel standards or Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE).

The EPA has proposed tougher government-wide requirements for calculating fuel economy. The Transportation Department is also reviewing its standard for passenger cars to reduce overall U.S. oil consumption, but any change is not expected for a few years.

Gasoline use accounts for about 40 percent of U.S. daily oil demand that averages close to 21 million barrels, government figures show.

SUVs, pickups and other members of the light truck class average 6 miles per gallon less than cars on average and account for much of the decline in fleet-wide fuel efficiency, the EPA said.

For 2006, sedans, wagons and compacts are expected to average 24.6 mpg. SUVs are expected to get 18.5 mpg and pickups 17 mpg.

This year's cars and light trucks are estimated on average to be the heaviest, fastest and and most powerful vehicles ever built for every day passenger use since the EPA began tracking them in the mid 1970s.

Eight major manufacturers account for nearly all sales, but fall into two groups for fuel performance.

Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Toyota Motor Corp., Hyundai-Kia Co. Ltd. and Volkswagen AG all make vehicles, mainly cars, that average between 23.5 mpg and 24.2 mpg, the EPA found.

General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. all make vehicles, many of which are the most popular SUVs and pickups, that get between 19.1 mpg and 20.5 mpg.

Since 1992, average fuel economy as measured by the EPA has been relatively constant, ranging from 20.6 to 21.4 mpg. This 21.0 mpg value is 5 percent lower than the fleet-average fuel economy peak of 22.1 mpg achieved in 1987-1988.

money.cnn.com/2006/07/18/autos/fuel_eco_trends.reu...m


madf Read more