November 2006
The past 2 days I've noticed a strange smell coming from my front wheels post driving. The pads were changed in May of this year and although there is no problem with braking I'm thinking that the brakes are rubbing, although I'm not sure. Any suggestions? If this is the case how much should I be looking to pay? It takes an hour to drive to and fro work (although it's only 45 miles there) driving country roads with sharp coners and braking, makes me think that this is exacerbating the problems. Read more
Today a scumbag has 'keyed' the full length of my newly aquired 02 VW Passat, driver side. And put 2 large dents in the drivers door.
Obviously this an insurance claim as the whole side of the car needs repainting.
Is there anything I should look out for/demand from my insurers about who should complete the work?
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Re chipsaway etc.......I'll check but I think its beyond their scope.
2 horizontal key marks extending from rear panel across both doors and to end of front wing.
Also 1 or 2 dents in the door.
I have a 1995 Jaguar XJ 3.2. It has always (as long as I've had it) been given 10W-40 semi-synthetic. Today I bought fully synthetic accidentally to top it up (no problems, just cold starts recently using a little bit more), not realising until almost half the bottle had gone in. The car will probably be serviced at the beginning of next year anyway, as the oil was last changed just over 6 months ago, but I just want to check that this will not cause any major problems until then. Read more
I would have no concerns about this
Given width, wheelbase, length and turning circle , is there a mathematical formula that determines the minimum size space you can parallel park in? Assume cars are rectangular with no sticking out bits. Read more
or the Austin Maestro (or Montego?) ad?
JH
'Tis very odd!
Its a 1986 "Classic" manual with fuel injection, and usually I quite like it. However......
Its just had surgery to repair rust for its MOT, so you think it'd be grateful. No chance! Every 3 or 4 miles or so it cuts out. Dead. Without warning. In the most embarressing places like the middle of roundabouts. Leave it for about 5 minutes and it starts and runs fine for about 4 miles then it does it again. I've replaced the petrol filter, and checked that when its stopped fuel is still being pumped by disconnecting hose and cranking over. (fortunately the rear floor was removed for the welding so its easy to get at.) I've even tried bypassing the filter in case it was faulty/clogged.
It never does it when ticking over in the drive, so it seems to be either when something is getting hotter under load, or after a few minutes at 50+ mph, tho' not always as I was hardly moving at the roundabout - tho' I'd been on a dual carriageway just before.
Any suggestions anyone?? (other than scrap it, I've only just paid for the MOT) Read more
I think they have a bunch of pipes that come out of the top. IIRC there were 2 types, the only difference being the number of fittings for vent, return, overflow etc.
Has it not had a new tank yet? They usually rust around the seam after 8 or 10 years, so it's probably time for it's second replacement. Lol.
Failed to pay and display in Calais, and have a ticket for 11 euros to pay. They want payment by cheque, not so easy. Any likeliehood of a chase up across La Manche? Read more
Wouldn't like to be in anyones shoes come judgement day and
they hadn't paid a fine !
Ultimately no one gets away from the ultimate Judge !
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Are you talking about Him upstairs or have you been reading too many comics?
Hello again Folks.
We're looking for a good quality lockable tool locker to put in our pick-up, can anyone recommend a reputable company that produces them, please.
regards
James
{Moves to discussion side of forum - DD} Read more
James
I can't comment on their service I'm afraid, I just found them when I was looking for a ladder rack for my Isuzu Rodeo. They were very prompt in answering my questions if that's any help.
I have seen the ones that Northern Tools sell and they look pretty substantial.
Hope this helps
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that a crack had appeared in the rear bumper of my 97 Mondeo estate. The crack ran from back to front on top of the bumper then (almost) vertically down towards the bottom. This was about a foot to the left of centre looking at the car from the rear. At first I thought that I had perhaps caught it whilst clumsily loading my fathers unwieldy wheelchair into the boot though there didnt appear to be any signs of an impact.
Yesterday, I noticed that the crack appeared to be slightly larger, though there didnt appear to be any loss of structural integrity and I couldnt close the gap at all by pressing on the bumper. When I mentioned it to my son, he said Mondeos are known for it.
I just wonder if the crack has been caused by the expansion of the anti-impact foam contained within the bumper possibly by the ingress of water/freezing???
Have any Backroomers come across this phenomenon and does anyone know of a successful way of dealing with the crack, preventing it getting worse and potentially stopping further ones occurring?
Please forgive poor punctuation and lack of apostrophes My broadband line keeps going down in the middle of writing a post. When I copy and paste, certain punctuation marks get turned into hieroglyphics. Cheers Waino
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Thanks for the replies, chaps. I had wrongly assumed that there was more to a Mondeo bumper than meets the eye. With all this talk of crumple-zones etc, I had assumed that the bumper served some practical purpose - but it turns out it's just a pretty shell! When I had a look underneath, it appeared to have been designed to dredge and retain as much Norfolk muck as possible so that it can be re-dumped here in Suffolk when I wash it.
The crack was only a m.m. wide, so I filled it with Araldite. Unless the whole thing disintegrates, I don't want to buy a new bumper - I doubt that the car is worth much more than £150. Oh for the days of black polythene bumpers!
I've been thinking . . .
1) Diesels have generally had better residuals than petrol cars
2) Some people on this forum have expressed reservations about buying a 2nd hand CR diesel because they see it as risky (because, for example, it might have been mis-fuelled). Having read of these reservations I would now be a little cautious myself - and so might other backroomers.
If this caution were to become widespread (through the motoring press, word of mouth, etc), I can see a time when CR diesel residuals would fall sharply. Does anyone think this is likely?
And conversely, , if CR diesel residuals remain good, for say, the next 5 years, should that be taken as evidence that buying a 2nd hand CR diesel is no riskier than buying a 2nd hand petrol car? Read more
Personally I hope the price of CR diesels crashes, then I can buy something newer - another Xantia. Has anyone factored in that there are now far more diesel cars than there used to be?
Mine Xantia's on 140K now.
---
Xantia HDi.
Buy a Citroen and get to know the local GSF staff better...
Last night, I was involved in a shunt.
The Jag - oh, my once-beautiful Jag - now has a deep caved-in section down the driver's side that will probably end up with my having two new doors. A car heading out of town hit me as I queued on my way into town. The car that hit me is totalled. Most importantly, though, no-one was hurt.
The accident happened when the Escort that hit me was nudged into my side by a Peugeot that didn't stop. The blame lies with the Peugeot driver, but they are gone and probably untraceable. In light of this, does this now get settled knock-for-knock? As far as I can see there are two ways ov viewing this:
1. The accident clearly wasn't my fault (I was at a standstill on my side of the road in a traffic queue). It wasn't the fault of the Escort driver.
2. However, an equally valid way of looking at it is that from my point of view the Escort hit me, so I have a claim. Brutally, what caused the Escort to hit me is the Escort driver's problem.
Does anyone have any experience of this type of situation? Which viewpoint won out?
I want to stress that I'm asking out of interest more than a desire to press my case. All I'm really bothered (and very pleased) about is that no-one was hurt at all.
V
PS Dynamic Dave, all it took was a good motive to post! Read more
My wife's made a point (I'm hijacking my own thread here).
Is it my ownership of a Jag that's started me using
fighter pilot phrases like "Pranged" rather than "Wrecked" or "Crashed"?
V
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wait until you've had the blighter for some years old chap, you'll be able to come out with spiffing yarns then.
Browse
good to see your all safe and sound, best to be sure than not!!!