September 2006
Telegraph link:
tinyurl.com/owgfw Read more
Since the new child seat law came in, I cannot pick up my daughters from school in my Porsche 928.
I can't find a booster seat that fits!! They are all too big to fit in the back.
Obviously there aren't many supercars that get used on the school run, but is there a child seat manufacturer that can help??
One option would be not to bother with child seats, and when I'm stopped by Mr Plod, I ask him to sit in the back of the car. I'm sure that when he gets back from the chiropractor he'll agree that they are already child seats!!
Read more
i have just finished refitting my cylinder head and now it wont start.the timing is correct and i have bled the fuel system.i dont know what else to try. Read more
i was wondering does the make of the injecters have to
match the make of the pump as that is the only
thing that is different from the heads i have changed over?
If you're talking about diesel, I'm told that the injectors and pump have to match. Lucas CAV injectors operate at a lower pressure than Bosch ones. The injectors are easy enough to swap over with the correct socket from Halfords.
Also, check that the fuel solenoid on the front of the pump hasn't come loose
Could anyone with access to Fiat tech info please advise ?
What sould the normal operating oil pressure be, on the CVT auto box of a 93 Panda Selecta 1108cc and at what point in the system should this be measured ?
Thank you, Pete. Read more
...Tom.
I have a 910 and for a while it merrily bleeps away at every speed camera well in advance. The speed cameras were set as POIs. However, lo and behold, I update it yesterday and I've just noticed, it never beeped at the red light camera near my house. That was a little odd I thought - so I fiddled about with the POIs and not one camera is in there.
Is this, as I suspect, a way to force you to buy the camera subscription or have I cocked up somewhere?
Thanks,
Adam
Read more
Ha! Thats brilliant - very appropriate
I followed a Nissan Micra this morning which had a sticker in the back window proclaiming "I don't buy ESSO".
At the risk of generating anti-oil company rants, can anybody give me a clue as to why he'd do this. I seeem to recall an anti-Esso campaign a few years ago, and even then I wasn't at all clear what it was all about. Nor was anyone else I asked.
Enlightenment please.. Read more
Back to the original question. I seem to remember these stickers were a part of a protest against fuel pricing, nothing to do with "green". Several emails were flying around suggesting that we all stopped buying Esso so they would reduce prices and others would then follow suit. Some bright sparks at the time suggested we did not buy petrol on certain days - which would have no effect as the petrol companies don't mind if you buy your petrol on Monday rather than Tuesday, as long as you buy it.
(Subject of thread changed from "The Unbelievable HJ Column" to "Drag")
Some of you will have read the HJ column in the Telegraph tinyurl.com/hjyzx in which a reader tells of the improvement in fuel consumption achieved by putting mountain bikes inside the car rather than on a bike rack.
A physics teacher at the local school read this to a class, as a practical example of the importance of reducing the coefficient of drag.
One 16 year old boy absolutely refused to believe that this was true, on the grounds that a) no one would write to a newspaper on such a topic, and b) no motorist would ever think of doing such a comparison. Read more
70MPH:
Actual (GPS confirmed)
75 MPH displays on the speedometer.
Been thinking about this for two days now, and not sure whether my anger was justified.
Yesterday, I set off for work early and relaxed, to be confronted by a massive queue on the road I get to work on (I only work 4 miles away and it was blocked all the way along!). So, I turned round muttering the usual, went back through town, down the bypass and onto my alternative route. Blocked again.
Was it a bad RTA? Was it a flood? No, it was a census. Whatever that means. I finally got to the head of the queue where there were loads of numpties with clipboards, they asked me to stop but I said "I am really late for work, I am really low on petrol, and I don't want to answer your pointless inane queries" and unsurprisingly was waved on.
Is this bad conduct on my behalf, or should these censuses i) be done at quieter periods or ii) not done at all and the money spent on something worthwhile?
If I had been on my way to the airport or something, I would have gone mental. Read more
">> Blimey! Something else that's our fault!. It's got nothing to do
wth the Police and they (we) have absolutely no power to
stop it. Do you blame the Police if you run
out of baked beans!!!!!!
Calm down, dear!
It's only a post!
A word or two of warning to backroomers who might be inclined to indulge in a bit of horn blowing and gesticulating now and then.
On my way to work today, turning right from a major road into a minor one, I became aware of a car overtaking me during the manoeuvre. He was turning right as well, and decided to overtake me during the turn. I was a bit miffed, but he accelerated off and out of sight. A few hundred yards later I caught up with him at a bottleneck and gave him a piece of my mind - a quick toot and the proverbial finger. He got out of his car, I got out of mine, I was expecting a bit of arm waving and shouting but within seconds I was knocked to the ground and being kicked and punched. When he thought that I'd had enough, off he went.
The police were called, independent witness's came forward and statements taken. Traced by his number plate, it turns out that my attacker is 'known' to them, but that if he hasn't been convicted of a similar offence recently, and shows remorse for his attack on me, he's likely to get just a reprimand.
According to the PC who interviewed me at home, It seems that I should have reported his bad driving, and the police would then make a note of it.
Thinking back to the incident, good advice. You never know who you're getting involved with !
Read more
Years ago we had a Renault Fuego for a short while and ,until i tightedned the gear linkages, had what was at best could be called an orbital gearbox.
Coming home one night with the missus driving we were tailgated by a car on high beam.
The missus got increasingly ratty and when said car overtook she switched on high beam ,dropped a cog and overtook them, just as we drew level and i came eyeball to eyeball with four enormous blokes she lost the gears, we still had momentum and we coasted along side them glaring and me sweating.
Luckily our slip appeared and she backed off, found a gear and we retreated.
I promise it is not a regular occurance but another time another car did the same when we were returning home from a meal at the in-laws, this time it was flashing its lights as well as tailgating.
Broom !! it overtook !! Vroom the missus booted it and Christ !! the car in front stopped dead and we screeched up to the boot of the offending car.
When i had regained vocal and bladder control i recognised the car, it was my brother in laws car, the mother in law had found the wifes handbag and was trying to give it back.
I will not lower myself to make any derrogratory comment about their driving,,,,she's watching...
I'm thinking of buying a nearly new Peugeot 407 2.0 136 HDi. I test drove one the other day and was pretty impressed with spec, power and handling. I also like its design. I'm going to keep it for a good few years and before I take the plunge just wondered if anyone had any better ideas. Price range £10,000 to £12,000. I don't want something too polluting but that still has a bit of poke, is reasonably fun to drive and I need the room. I've also considered a Skoda Octavia, the Audi A3 Sportback, the Saab 9-3. Any better suggestions? Thanks. Read more
The Mondeo, Passat and Accord must be worth a test drive as well I would have thought.
Some silly deals on Mondeo LX TDCi 130's through brokers at the moment. Lots of places offering them with metallic paint for under £12k (£5.5k off list) or about £500 more for Zetec trim.
I'd also see what I could find "nearly new" or pre-registered.
Cheers
DP


As a follow up....
We have just picked up a child seat that is way too big for the rear of the Porsche, but fits perfectly in the front (there isn't an airbag to worry about).
None of the booster seats / child seats we tried, would fit in the back, so if I have to use the 928 to do the school run I'll just have to put the seat in the front!
I would take our Renault Scenic every day - but that's another thread!!!
----------------------------------
Colin-E
----------------------------------