August 2006
Has anyone replaced any bulbs in their car with the new LED sort? I want to give it a go but I want to find some that have the resistors built in, I have looked but all the different websites lead to information overload after a while.
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Hi,
My trusty Toyota Corolla M Reg has a hole in the engine sump approx 3mm wide which the engine oil has all drained out on to the floor. I first noticed this when changing the oil about 3 weeks ago. Tried ringing round for a second hand one but no joy and new one is 200 pound of which I am a bit reluctant to pay as the car isnt worth much more than that.
Any ideas for a quck fix or any reputable spares places you could put me in touch with please. Read more
jb kwik weld available halfords........£5 at maccess
drain oil
clean sump of rust with wire brush then with either brake cleaner or thinners
allow area to evaporate
the product will NOT work if any oil is allowed to dribble out (jack car up if hole at bottom and still dribling so oil is away from the hole)
mix jb and aply to an area covering a 2 p piece
leave 2 hours min at this time of year double in"t winter
replace oil
cover sump in old oil to stop further rotting
get on with life
I've seen both types on the roads round Chesterfield recently.
Are they the same things legally? One is car like with a roll cage and the other like a four wheeled motorcycle. Tyres look the same on both.
Hard to believe the little car-like buggy passes all the safety tests especially without the occupents wearing helmets..
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I wasna fu but just had plenty. Read more
Reckon the Quadski could be good if you lived in Ushuaia though as has been alluded to it is not made to rescue sheep or seals so is only a toy, in which case a Yamaha YZF 450 motorcycle and GP1300R wave runner would be both more fun and, I dare say cheaper, for info the latter has a 1300cc 3 cyl 2 stroke producing 170 bhp!
I have ridden quads and while they are enjoyable and useful on a farm two wheels are so much more fun off road.
does anyone know of a suitable programme or device to programme VAG transponder keys, currently use machine from advanced diagnostics but since all 7 digit codes have been encrypted am having problems extracting new 4 digit code. Read more
Just got back from a long wekend away in Berlin (i.e. early am Friday to late am Monday)
Was amazed that such a large city had such light traffic, even during the rush hour. Could it have been something to do with an efficient and easy to use public transport? Bus/train/tram services were excellent and clean. Several times, actually saw people swigging drinks (including beer) then leaping off train at next stop to dump bottle in waste bin, then jump on train again! Witnessed train platforms being mechanically cleaned. Paid 22 euros for a three day hop on and hop off ticket which took me on all trains, trams and buses in Berlin centre and suberbs whenever I wanted. What an excellent city! Read more
Amusing story off the Britboard:
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/5275866.stm
Not particularly motoring related, sorry Mods.
Hi
Can anyone give me some advice on how to avoid getting air in the hydraulic system when changing a push type clutch on a 406 please? Read more
Hi all,
a description of my holiday motoring woes will follow in discussion (probably after being run past DD for naming and shaming clearance), but...
The voltage regulator failed on my alternator, and was boiling the car battery, venting into the engine bay and (at lower speeds) through the ventilation system for about three or four hours of high speed driving on French autoroutes.
The alternator and battery have been replaced under warranty, and I plan to get the manufacturer to change the soundproofing on the bonnet as you can see where the fumes have melted the insulation.
My question - what else should I be pushing to have checked or changed? What else could have been damaged by the over-volting or the fumes? The car is only 8 months old and I'm planning to keep it long term (>200k miles). It's a Japanese 2.2 common rail diesel.
Cheers for your thoughts.
Gord. Read more
Quick followup. The car's been taken in by the manufacturer to be completely checked over. I'll follow up once I get the findings back
Problems in the meantime have been restricted to a period of a week or so a couple of weeks back when the alarm would sound whenever a door was opened (although indicators and lights wouldn't flash, it could be locked and unlocked normally and would start without problems while alarm sounding). Alarm has sounded very intermittantly since.
Here's hoping for no other damage...
Hi!
My mitsubishi carisma 1.8 gdi 51 plate (bad engine i know) seems to have developed a really bad tappett tick.
At first it was only noticeable when it was cold (to be expected) and that didnt last for long, however recently this ticking has become more constant regardless of engine temp. The only time it settles down is when the car is idling, and even then not all the time. I am using quite a good quality oil and have also tried a hydraulic lifter additive to no avail. Obviously i will be carrying out another oil change now but im wandering if this is a common problem and if there are any known cures.
thanks
stu! Read more
One of the buttons you press to release the locking mechanism prior to folding the back seat of my car has stopped working, the button doesn't now seem to be connected to anything, very loose action. Has this happened to anyone else - is there a way to release the mechanism to fold the seat without it - I've tried some gentle prodding with a screwdriver with no success. My car is 14 months old, Fords 3 yr warranty excludes trim - are they likely to knock me back if I try to make a claim? ( Before I ring Ford I hoped to get some idea if they're going to wash their hands of it ) Read more
The same thing happened on my Focus and the dealer sorted it at service time without any hassles.
Cheers
DP
Hi All,
Was listen to the radio the other day (forget which station) and caught the tail end of a conversation about what steps we as the car using/buying public can do to reduce our emissions (so to speak!) and environmental impact.
In this conversation, a workman was praised for trading in his old van for a new one (a Transit Connect TDCI) and the gist was that the new van has much cleaner emissions and we should all be doing that as manufacturers have made big strides in cutting pollution.
All true, except this Guy (who was doing the praising of the workman) was from the SMMT which for me made me suddenly cynical and I thought well he would say that wouldnt he - not biting the hand that feeds and all that.
Okay, this got me thinking.
I always thought that its better to soldier on with an old car doing it up when it needs it than waste world energy/materials regardless of wether the old car chucks out more emissions because your'e saving the manufacturing process and everything from ore to finished car.
Using the above theory, If you only changed your car when absolutley necessary, then at least over your motoring life you might save the production of thee or four new cars even if you only buy secondhand (cos its a knock on thing).
However, being a petrol head and a classic car enthusiast (I have an Allegro- I know, I know), I then wondered is there such thing as a point in time where a car drops out of the used car cycle i.e unwanted/old >10 years nowadays/unfashionable that you could buy with a clear concience knowing that your purchase of it is not causing the knock on effect of someone buying a new one at the other end of the market?
I'm asking cos I fancy and want to justify in my mind a pre cat 4.0 Sovereign Jag over a brand spanking Focus which I conceivable should buy (If the man at the SMMT is to be believed).
Sorry if its rambling
Cheers,
David
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It's certainly not everyones cup of tea and I've never liked to follow the crowd.
Funny thing is the more she nags me to get rid of it, the more I want to keep it....
On another note - is it possible to find out how many of particular type of car are on the road? I seem to recall that someone (possibly on this forum) managed to get some sort of report from the dvla.
Browse
That's odd. The Vauxhall implementation of dim dip used to put the sidelights on with the engine not running, and then, via a tee into the signal wire to the oil pressure switch, would sense the engine was running, and feed the headlamps at reduced power.
Is it possible that you had a fault with the dim-dip, or was this as Porsche meant it to be? i.e., are all 944 owners now rigging up alternative sidelamps?
Number_Cruncher