March 2007
Hello,
Can anyone confirm if this model is belt or chain driven?
Thanks
Dave Read more
SWMBO picked up an expensive thorn (new Bridgestone Potenza for the EOS).
Tyres fitted are 235/45 R16 97W Extra Load.
Thought this was a bit OTT so checked the book which does not tell me what tyres to fit - It does not mention tyre sizes anywhere!
Rang the dealer - very helpful, could tell me what was fitted to our car from the reg. no. but not what the VW minimum spec is! Could not even tell me what is fitted as standard on the 16" wheels unless I could give him a chassis/reg no of a car! Suggested I ring VW Customer Service.
Customer service clearly don't understand and said they did not have this information, asked me to ring some other dealers.............because they may have more experience of the car! What I want is what VW tell the dealers, not what the dealers may have experienced, I thought that VW, being a German company, would have this easily to hand - along the lines of "YOU WILL NOT FIT TYRES OF LOWER THAN..."
When it becam obvious that they would not do anything else until I called some other dealers I decided to go through the motions - the list of dealers was nothing special - just the same list the VW website gives if I put my postcode in.
So far one was honest and said they have no information and suggested I call Customer Service. From two others I have different answers, one said 97W or higher and the other looked at a car in the showroom and came up with 93Y - so this might not meet the VW spec.
Went back to customer service and explained and they suggested I e-mail "Erwin" - the answer will be intersting when I work out how to e-mail him as the contact details refer you back to your county importer (Probably VW customer service in the UK)
It does say something in the book about having technical information readily available to answer queries on the car! Read more
Quite normal, my Mondeo came with 91Ws, when I was checked I was advised that 89Vs are fine so ran it on Bridgstones of that spec, now on Falkens which are 93Y.
Stuck in traffic on my commute home last night I idly decided whilst stopped to look and see how many oncoming drivers were using handheld phones.
The results I found interesting, and so this morning, as a passenger, I repeated the exercise on my way in to work.
I counted 100 vehicles last night and 300 this morning, so the game is: out of those 400 drivers on the A10, rush hour, how many were using handheld mobiles?
Nearest one..oh I don't know..wins.
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Thanks for that, I was having a lot of difficulty finding it. I would agree that it's an interesting read. Unfortunately I'm at work, so was only able to skim it and try to get to the important bits.
There are several doubts I have about it:
As I expected, when they talk about 'being drunk' they seem to be talking about people who are exactly on the drink-drive limit. Do you think that's the general rule for drink-driving people?
Their measure of driving more dangerously seems to be almost entirely based on reaction times. Reading into the text surrounding this point, it does admit that the people on a mobile drove slower (negating the reaction time issue) and that the drunk drivers were more likely to leave their lane accidentally (personally I would class that as FAR more dangerous than the difference in reaction time they state)
I don't think that drivers reporting it was easier to drink drive than to phone drive is relevant - they were drunk! One of the whole points of that is it makes you think things are easier!
I have been on driving simulators, and they are completely removed from reality. They really do feel completely unlike the real thing, and I found myself reacting completely differently to how I would in a real car, on a real road.
20 is a VERY small sample. Without going into the stats (because I'm terrible at it) I would be very surprised if, on a scientific basis, that study proved anything at all.
I'm not attempting to argue that mobile-driving isn't wrong. But I don't really see the statement 'it is worse than drink-driving' proved by that study.
I recently received lots of support for my choice of a Legacy Tourer as next car. However, it just isn't big enough for our needs. my son is 14, 6 ft 2 and still growing and we also wanted a bigger boot. so my other half goes down the MPV route and gets all excited by a Zafira. The folding third row of seats is perceived as some sort of magic trick and the prospect of seven seats (there are only four of us) whets her appetite further. We look at several and take a test drive. We are looking at very nearly new 06 models. lots of underpowered 1.6s available. our local car supermarket has one at a very nice price and we whip down. it's had a hard life so far and pieces of trim are loose and rattling around. I have reservations about the Zafira full stop. We look at all the alternatives and get all depressed at the seeming lack of a car that does what we want. seats four, spacious and with as big a boot as possible. We are sitting in a cafe one sunday morning stuck as to what to do.
Then it all becomes clear. I tell SWMBO we are going to see the car we will buy. Off we go and there it is, a new one sitting in the showroom. Loads of space and a boot you could almost stand up in. The financial arguments are also all stacked in my favour. frankly, she is in a state of shock. The kids are won over immediately by the free portable DVD promotion. Well, it takes Mrs J a week to get her head around the idea, (partly), but eventually she has no rational arguments left.
So, last friday we took delivery of a new, silver, 1.6 HDI, with aircon......
Berlingo.
So far, love it. Read more
>>
It seems blindingly obvious .
You are of course, quite correct, Flunky - how very unobservant of me - sorry.
Sunday, and it's time for young Rob to take his first ride as pillion. His brother and sisters have been but he hasn't. That's because they are at least 8 years older than he is. He was 10 in september. He's got a helmet the right size and he understands how to work the intercom. He's got some protective gear, his feet reach the pegs and he's been nagging me for months, every time the sun has shone since Christmas, in fact. We climb aboard the V-Strom and set off. 15 mph is too fast. No it isn't, can we go faster?. 25 mph is too fast. No it isn't, can we go faster? An so on in increments up to 45 mph. It's incredible, Dad, how fast you can go in an open space without straps or windows or anything. And how does the bike lean over without us falling off? We complete a 3-mile circuit. Wow, can we go round again?
The thing that spooked him most was going on a bridge over the A1 with 4 lanes of traffic belting along 30 feet below.
When we get back inside the house, the size of his grin makes it difficult to get his helmet off.
I'll have to take him out again, won't I?
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land Read more
My first pillion ride was on the back of a mates Norton. He was an ex courier rider.
I ended up stood up on the pegs as he weaved through traffic I had to jiggle from side to side to avoid losing kneecaps. I was concentrating so hard on keeping my knees intact that I forgot to worry.
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I read often, only post occasionally
I'm away from home at the moment and was hoping some of you lot might be able to help. I've just had my car broken into and lost the following
1 - company laptop
2 - my laptop
3 - I Pod nano
4 - 40gb MP3 player
5 - 1gb USB MP3
6 - 40gb backup device - hadily left in the case
7 - Noise cancelling headphones
8 - a £100 laptop case.
I'm fully comp and covered for light business use. As I have never made a claim before, what are the norms when it comes to things stolen from cars. Everything was locked in the boot.
Oh and they have knackered the lock and door handle so I can't lock it.
Any help would be appreciated. Oh and Sainsbury in Uxbridge do not have cctv on their car park. Read more
Oh and they have knackered the lock and door handle so I can't lock it.
Bad luck. It's a learning processs, but whenever I have learned in the same manner (car broken into, house burgled etc) I've usually got off lightly. You really got hammered. They say you learn from your mistakes, but it's cheaper to learn from other people's.
As for the locks, when I had a similar thing done to my car I just parked it up against a wall and got in and out the passenger side until it was fixed. Naturally all locks and the ignition had to be changed so I didn't have 2 differnet keys for the car. Could mount up. Do some sums... what's the cost of the repair compared to the cost of losing a few years no-claims?
Well, it happened again. Out felling Spruce in some woods in North Dorset today with 6 other guys. We had a Defender 110 and my Disco3 with us. Section we were working was about 1.5 miles into the wood down a soggy clay track with the odd branch, stump and other debris littered across it. Stuck the D3 into the mud and ruts setting in low range and merrily pootled along behind the 110, which proceeded to get stuck at the point where we were meant to be turning to have our vehicles pointing back out of the woods (you don't want to be messing around with a 3-point turn if you have a chainsaw accident victim to get back to civilisation).
After a lot of cursing and messing about we got the 110 past the patch in question, and onto firmer ground but then it wouldn't come back out again across the same sticky spot. Luckily the D3 made it through without and drama and I was able to hitch a recovery strop to the 110 and pull it back out again.
Chelsea Tractor? Not from where I was sitting. Read more
Greetings again Mr Beattie. Sort of; I'm currently balancing my time between the insurance industry and, amongst other things, tree felling. Planning on going into countryside and estate management and figured it wouldn't hurt to get some practical hands-on qualifications for the subjects that are currently under legislative scrutiny, so getting my NPTC CS30 and CS31 qualifications over the next few weeks before moving on to other subjects.
Now Mark, we told you how to get rid of the red ants but you didn't want to do what we suggested, you bad boy you. Not really one you can lay at my door! Unfortunately ants aren't known for compromise, so when you have the problem on the scale you have it's the all-out nuclear option and goodbye large swathes of garden until you can replant or you live with the little critters.
After a discussion at work today I feel that maybe I as a motorcycle owner (as well as a car owner) am being shortchanged by the Chancellor's adjustments to the VED banding or if you prefer - the price of the tax disc on your motor.
My theory is based upon these facts. I own a 2003 model 599cc motorcycle which for that priviledge I have to pay £47 per year road tax. All motorcycle tax discs are related to the cc and fall into different bands and my bike is in the 401-600cc category. Now compare this to a workmate's sons Ford Fiesta. He has a newish 1400cc diesel powered car and his tax banding (B) had just been reduced down to £35 per year in the latest budget.
Is it correct that my bike is more environmentally unfriendly than a 1400cc diesel engined car? I somehow doubt it, and when you consider the other issues such as the associated wear and tear on the road surface that a car produces in relation to a bike, how can the Chancellor justify charging bikers more than some car drivers?
Does anyone else have any thoughts on this matter?
Read more
I guess you could try stuffing a local cat down the exhaust pipe to claim a reduction in tax.
BIG
Hi,
This is on behalf of my mate
This weekend cambelt snapped on N reg Bravo 1.8 HGT, not sure of damage but with 16 valves to bend it wont be cheap
Bought car 3 years ago with 65K on clock, car has now got 82K. garage who he bought it off said cambelt had been change and a service done. Is it acceptable for him to take ot back to garage and demand a fix for this. 17K for a cambelt. This is only if it has been changed
I think not
Is it acceptable for a garage to have said cambelt done and for it not to have been evern after 3 years
Dont want him to be out of pocket, however it is possible that he doesnt have a log to stand on?
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance Read more
>>it's going to the scrappy IMHO.
Your friend could put the car on ebay as spares/repair if the rest of the car is in good condition, he should get £150 to £200 or break the car himself (not on a public road) before sending it to the scrappy.
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Roger
A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
Hi all,
Discovered a slow puncture on drivers side rear. Getting it check out at a garage tomorrow but will there be any probs in using the spare. Its been in the back for a few years without use. The pressure is fine but I worry about using it after it being in storage for so long. I'm driving on motorways and can't get the tyre (slow puncture) checked out 1st thing.
Cheers
Rich Read more
Discovered a slow puncture on drivers side rear. Getting it
check out at a garage tomorrow but will there be any
probs in using the spare. Its been in the back
for a few years without use. The pressure is fine
but I worry about using it after it being in storage
for so long.
It should be fine unless (possibly) it's a decade or more old. Check that it's still "rubbery" and give it the once-over for "blisters" after a trip.
I had an old Firestone tyre on a "classic" motorbike I used in the late '90s. I know for a fact that it was fitted some time before 1969. It was fine, used it at speeds up to about 75 - but eventually it wore out!
Browse
Can vouch for this. Got Audi 80 wth this engine however I change at 60K miles just to be safe