January 2007
news.intranetics.co.uk/articles/3192.html
All pretty words but what will happen?
Especially when the following is an example of todays situation.
From Auto Express
"The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) gave L-tutors until the end of the year to pass its hazard perception test. But with only a few days left, it says 1,255 still haven't done the exam.
Learner drivers have been sitting the computer-based assessment for more than four years, and can't qualify without it. The DSA has warned that instructors have to pass the exam too, and licences would be removed if they haven't. Tutors could even face prosecution if they continue to teach. The test uses video clips to assess awareness of road hazards, and the pass mark is a score of 57 out of a possible 75."
From the original article..
"Mr Ladyman ruled out proposals for a new driver curfew and ban on carrying passengers, deeming such measures too difficult to enforce."
How about getting current measures enforced? Traffic police maybe??
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Hi every-one, and a happy new year to you all. Well i seem to have yet another problem, as well as the wet floor saga (see post) with my litte daewoo matiz. it seems to be using a lot of water in the top up res. There are no visable leaks under the car, it does not over heat. Driving it this evening, i noticed a strange odour coming from the heater vents inside the car, which smells just like warm putty. It also smells the same when i lift up the bonnet. Any-body out there have any ideas ? The car runs perfect , and there does not appear to be any water on the dipstick at all, just nice clean oil. This is as strange as my water leak when it rains. I am just hoping any praying that it is not the head gasket.Any advice very welcome. Thank-you all, Fed Up Graham.
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Hi there aprillia, it turned out to be antifreeze leaking from a water hose in the engine bay. Thanks very much for the reply, cheers, Graham.
Well the time has come, and I will be shortly selling my much loved 2001 520iSE Auto. Anyone got any views on how quickly these are snapped up as a private sale?
Mine has full leather and 6 CD as well as usual SE luxuries. Shoe's done 80k and has FSH (Main dealer and indi).
The guru that is Glasses guide seems to massively over inflate prices at the moment as it's suggesting a whopping £7730 for private sale. Most seem to be advertised on Auto Trader for between £6 & £6.5k
I know used car price guides are only guides etc. but was astonished the the trade bible was around £1000 more optimistic than Parkers/What Car? and Autotrader.
Thoughts anyone?
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"Rule no. 1 when buying a used car:
If the seller describes it as 'she' (or worse still, misspells 'she') then don't even bother ringing."
How very helpful Mapmaker, thanks for your contribution. Apologies for my typo folks...!
Hi,
I am pretty non mechanical minded, so I apologise now!
I have a 98 MGF VVC, which today, has started to lose its water completely from the expansion tank?
The thermostat is normal, as is the oil temperature.
I have also checked the oil, and there is no white mess, as from previous Rover experience, know to look out for Head Gasket problems.
When I fill the water back up, the water isnt bubbling and trying to explode out either.
The water seems to be leaking in the middle of the engine, and from what I can see from under the car, just in fromnt of where you can see the exhaust go back up out of sight into the engine?
DOes anyone have any ideas what this can be?
Many thanks Read more
>>The water seems to be leaking in the middle of the engine, and from what I can see from under the car, just in fromnt of where you can see the exhaust go back up out of sight into the engine?<<
This is where the head gasket failed on my '97 VVC -( (there was no contamination of the oil in my case)
It could also be the metal pipes under the car - I had mine done when the car was 8 years old - and the (rover) replacements failed 14 months later ! So do get the Mike Satur replacements if the pipes have corroded. You may need to replace several coolant pipes - possibly including the radiator.
The cap on the coolant bottle can fail as well - I got through at least three
Keep a very close eye on this. do not drive it without a full coolant supply.
Does anyone know if its possible to manually programme a blank transponder key for a 1998 S-Reg Nissan Micra? (Non-remote version)
I have a non-dealer transponder key that fits the ignition - any tips or shortcuts would be greatly appreciated. My Nissan dealer is currently holding me hostage to fortune!
Thanks
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I should have said that the total cost of key + programming + VAT was £71
Is it feasible to fit a chip to increase the power output of the 90bhp hdi engine? They seem to be significantly cheaper but not as fast nor as efficient. Read more
The 110 does have an intercooler, the 90 doesn't. My Picasso ran fine for 40,000 miles with the upgrade, no problems at all. It actually ran smoother and the economy was no worse, it might actually have been a bit better because it had to be revved far less to build up and maintain speed. From what I've read and been told by various people in the know, any "big" increase in power will be felt by the clutch more than anything so provided the power gain is relatively modest you should be OK if you look after the car and don't stress the clutch by constantly flooring the accelerator in top gear at 1500 rpm.
Driving to Wales last Thursday was bliss - not much traffic, but what there was flowing nicely. What was apparent were the number of drivers who obviously didn't use the motorway much. On three occasions we saw drivers virtually stopped at the bottom of the slip road with indicators going. The first was somone joining the M1 near Leeds - I'd seen her near the top of the sliproad and moved over so the inside lane was empty, but she got to within 50 m of the end of the sliproad and slowed to almost a standstill whilst she checked her mirror and did a shoulder check before moving off.
The second one was an old couple sat indicating right as they sat at the end of the sliproad. They decided there was enough of a gap between me and the car in front so pulled away whilst I was doing about 60 - fortunately I'd seen them so was slowing and could take avoiding action.
The third was yesterday joining the A48 near Cardiff. Following a MB down the sliproad, nice and quiet, she got to the point where I thought she would merge and she just hit the brakes, stopped and I ended up overtaking her whilst she sat waiting for non existent traffic to pass.
All three showed total lack of understanding of how to join a motorway/dual carriageway. and the second could have resulted in a massive pile up. Read more
The ones I hate are the ones who come hammering down the slip road flat out, undertake you on the inside and then force their way in front of you when there was plenty of room to merge in behind you. Once on the road they usually cut straight across to the outside lane. Often they come in pairs with one chasing his mate in front and both driving like they are demented.
I have just had a Vauxhall dealer check my car with a Tech2, as the engine management light had disappeared.
They told me that the actual light on the intrument panel board had fused and that it was not replaceable, being part of the board. They suggested replacing the instrument panel which costs £200 plus fitting etc. Has anyone tried desoldering this light and replacing it either with a direct replacement or a LED? Read more
Well done for initiative, Ramde! That obviously made you feel good.
Just before Christmas we set off to meet a coach by taxi. The driver unloaded our cases etc , I paid him but he shot off with one piece of luggage. Of course we all thoougt all the luggage was aboard the coach the one peice containing swmbo's Gucci watch wasn't. Anyhow by the time we had got to Germany we had managed to get my daughter who was over here to 'phone the cab co and had the case taken to a friends for safe keeping. Guess what, the watch wasn't in it. We had taken out insurance but of course they won't pay as the watch was let out of our sight. Now have I a small claims case against the cab Co.? I know I should have been much more careful but we had 86 year old father in law with us and while trying to take care of him I didn't have the nounce to take care of me too. Any advice or comment welcome, swmbo is very upset as it was a 30th anniversary present and she hadn't even worn the watch. Read more
And you can file a report and get a crime/incident number on line
Does anyone know of a key provider other than mercedes for an 03 slk 230K please? Also what tyres might be quieter than the pirellis now fitted?
Thank you.
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Can't help with keys.
The Q on tyres try www.mytyres.co.uk clik as if you were getting a price for your size & then on many of the choices of tyre it offers, some will have a tyre road test, you can also clik on.
If that makes sense - you'll get a reasonable idea of noise levels, that way.
Isn't there an owners forum that'll give more specific answers?
VB
Browse
OK, so how about this idea:
Don't spend any more money developing the test, instead, put it towards old bangers in airfields, supervised driving off the road but in controlled environments - have 2 in every county and encourage young drivers to visit these.
We could have simulated situations like cardbord cars etc pulling out infront of drivers and awareness of actual stopping distances. Knowing them off by heart for my test IMO did nothing to help me on the road.
Excellent use of older cars that no one wants, a bit of fun for the young lads and lasses and maybe a route into other motorsport for some.
Yes, young people do take risks. I've been (in a car) with a young girl I used to work with driving and was scared stiff. She was just showing off for some reason. So it's not just a man thing.