October 2006
Hi
Rather than look up Google, is the speed limit on the big lorries and coaches 56mph, and if that is so, how can they reach 70+ with speed limiters ?? Are speed lomiters fitted to all coaches and large lorries and do the lorries from Europe have speed limiters as a mandatory item?
Thanks Read more
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Didn't go in a tux though. Could only manage a three piecer and a top hat.
I saw the thread about highest mileage cars, but what about highest mileage motorbikes.
Highest I know is the 185,000 miles BMW motorbike in the Ride Magazine this week.
Any other nominations? Read more
If I remember correctly, the MZ racing engines were rotary valved, an entirely different beast to the piston ported engines of the mundane road bikes. BTW, the rotary valve was a Scott invention, dating back to 1912.
I am not the worlds greatest fan of speed cameras (having being nicked by one) however I'm sure they are effective in certain circumstances.
In the village near to where I live there is a long straight main road (about 3/4 mile long). Alongside it are a mix of houses and a secondary school.
It has always had a 30mph limit. Up until about 2004 it was not unusual to see drivers doing 50mph+ along that road - sometimes more. There were quite a number of accidents involving children, one of which resulted in a death.
In 2004 mobile speed camera signs were errected and every now and then a camera van turns up. Almost everybody now sticks to the 30mph. I don't think that there have been any more pedestrian accidents since then - I have not heard of any, anyway.
Another thing that gives me some reason to support cameras in the right cicumstances is that our local IAM driving examiner is a traffic officer and goes out to, and investigates, accidents - and he's a strong supporter of cameras on the grounds of safety. Read more
No regular readers of this forum and/or this thread will be amazed to learn that out of 161 unmarked police cars caught speeding, just in SouthYorkshire, the police were unable to name the driver or the named driver was not prosecuted in 147 cases. 13 officers paid fixed penalties and 1 appreared in court. (Details from todays Daily Telegraph)
I drove to Hereford over the weekend, and thought (not for the first time) how pointless and needlessly expensive bilingual roadsigns were -
I came across the following in a recent copy of 'The Week':
'Cyclists in Wales were confused last week by a bilingual sign telling them they were suffering from bladder trouble. The "Cyclists Dismount" sign was put on a road near Penarth to warn cyclists of roadworks ahead, but the Welsh translation underneath ran; "Llid y bledren dymchwelyd," meaning: "Your bladder disease has returned."
It is thought an online translator mistook 'cyclists' for 'cystitis'.'
P. Read more
...and TVM just remember you'll have to love them even more when they have the monolopy on drinking water......
For the last 6 months my Galaxy has been very slow on accelerating and top speed of about 75. It really caused problems in Wales !!!! I have changed the MAF sensor twice - Fuel filter - air and oil filters - and checked intercooler and as many pipes as I could find. The symptons were: acceleration very slow of the mark until hit 2000 rpm and turbo kicked in and then kicked out straight away. I eventually took it to a garage and they diagnosed sticking variable vanes on the turbo. Ford wanted £1500 for a new one - so sent it off to Turbo company who confirmed diagnosis. Turbo rebuilt for £200 and fully tested. Excellent service. Refitted and hoping for a major change in performance - BUT it is slightly better but top speed now only 80mph. I know the turbo is producing boost. I have full code read and it shows no faults? There is no smoke from exhaust. The only sympton I can describe is that the engine feels very rough. between 1000 and 1500 rpm the engine shakes the car - similar to one cylinder not firing.
Any suggestions most welcome as I am at my tether..... Read more
There's an interesting article in this months Car Mechanics about a Galaxy with a engine problem, They tried replacing a sensor but it didn't fix it so they called in a specialist who diagnosed a faulty turbo with stuck vanes.
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Xantia HDi.
Buy a Citroen and get to know the local GSF staff better...
Please help
I have just bought a peugeot 406 2.0 glx automatic 52 plate and this evening it has come up with this message anti theft device failure. the car will turn over and not start. is it a simple problem or is it really broken needing a lot of money spent on it. any ideas would be greatfully received#
#Thanks
Sara Read more
What does the handbook say/? I am afraid it is likely to be "Refer to your local dealer" but an independent might help, if you can get the car to his premises. Do you belong to a breakdown organisation - if so what do they say? If you have just bought the car, from a dealer, you have rights re any faults with the car for up to 6 months.
Coming 'soon' to a street near you (maybe?)
www.t3motion.com/product.html
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Top speed 25 mph - but with all the stability of a Suzuki 4x4.
I was talking to one of the mechanics at my local garage today when a woman entered the office. She said that she?d been parked in the town car park and a car had hit her wing mirror, which was hanging by its wires. Could someone fix it?
The mechanic went out to look, and came back five minutes later shaking his head in disbelief ? he?d relocated the mirror and checked it was secure, whereupon the woman just got into her car, and drove off !He said that he wouldn?t have charged anyway, but would have appreciated a ?thank you?.
I suspect that if she ever calls in with a more serious problem, all the mechanics are going to be busy.
P.
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one
>> lady even vehemently objected to the references to 'male' and
'female'
>> plugs...!
>>
I wonder if 'rapist' and 'victim' plugs would get a better reception.
Perhaps 'plug plug' and 'socket plug' would pass muster. The militants I knew from the Ladies' Liberation Front didn't go in for this petty PC stuff, after the first burst of enthusiasm. They were quite cool actually.
Perhaps stevied has a correct terminology? :o)
.......Gordon Brown reacted to the Stern report that's made the news today by slapping punitive taxes on cars over, say, 1.4 litres (petrol) and 2.0 (diesel)?
My B200 CDi probably isn't an offender, but if we had something bigger, what would we get instead?
I'd put on my shortlist:
Toyota Yaris 1.3 like my daughter's - it goes like a bomb
Skoda Fabia Combi 1.4 petrol or 1.9 diesel if I needed more room
Honda Jazz
but probably go for a VW Golf 1.4 TSi or 2.0 TDI 170.
I'd look at a BMW 120d - not sure if I'd like it.
Not a Mini, much as we love SWMBO's, as despite only being a Mini One, it uses more petrol than her previous 2-litre Honda Civic.
Not a Prius unless I drove mainly in towns - a diesel makes more sense if you go out more.
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My sentiment exactly.
The UK (apparently) produces just 2 per cent of the world's so-called greenhouse gas. Until the likes of China can moderate their environmental abuse while maintaining a sensible level of growth I'll just be cynical about 'green' taxation, refuse to drive an eco-friendly puddle-jumper and put two fingers up to the politicians passing me on their latest bandwagon.
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the thing that gets me and i know i am in the frozen north but as each year goes on you find that the foreign driver has more respect on our roads
when they pass me in my old truck and i flash them its safe to pull in with their drawbar trailers or their extra lond rigids they say thanks, the english registereds on the whole dont
if they pull up and ask for directions in their eu trucks they might not speaka english but they sure know how to say tanka the english dont, i have to say thankyou to them as they go back to their trucks and they turn and give me a glazed look