March 2007
whats the worst tyres youve ever fitted to your car?, i put a pair of cheap chinese budget tyres on my motor and i couldnt hear the radio above 30, i had them balanced but the car still juddered and hopped ,in the end i put my old ones back on (very worn bridgestones) so i need to replace them soon any one know of a good cheap tyre pref not part worn? Read more
I was hoping the new Mondeos would be available with the 170bhp twin-turbo 4-pot diesel that's in the Pug 407 & 607, but according to the Ford website, it's not in the launch specs.
Anyone know if the car will definitely get this motor? Read more
I agree that the auto will be a detuned version of the new MIV 140PS engine. Because new both 2.0l diesel engines have particulate filters to be EuroIV compliant whereas the old Euro IV 130PS engine did not need such a filter.
Chinese owners of the MG mark ( not now Morris Garages but Modern Gentleman!!)
will have 2 models on sale soon.
MG 7 - A revised Rover 75 + TF2 - update MGTF
These will be Chinese Manufacture + Small Logbridge Centre for RHD MG TF2s Read more
Oh dear.
I'm looking at car hire firms for a trip to Spain in June, and Carjet are offering a 5-door Clio with AC for a weekly charge of £85, which sounds like good value. Have any Backroomers dealt with this firm? Any feedback gratefully recieved.
P. Read more
I've used them at Malaga (Nov 2005) and had no problems at all
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Go on, get out of the car...
www.mikes-walks.co.uk
Whats the best car (or one you remember fondly) for peanuts? mine was a Simca 1100 for £300 and though much derision was sent my way by my squaddie colleagues it did the job! Read more
In 1975 I bought a Mini from a colleague for the full asking price of £17.50. No radio. no carpets and no heater, but I drove it for about nine months before using its excellent engine in another Mini.
Has anyone else bought a car where the asking price hasn't been to the nearest £ ?
Clk Sec
I really hope that someone is able to help.
I purchased a 1997 Ford Escort Encore 1.6 Automatic from a dealer on Wednesday and so far I have nearly crashed twice!
It is fitted with continuously variable transmission (CTX) which itself takes some getting used to if you are not used to it but on 2 occasions now I have gone to brake only to find the car accelerating which isn't a very nice feeling.
Its only luck that no other vehicles have been around at the same time. I wear quite chunky boots for driving so put it done to this but then my Dad took it for a test run today and the same thing happened to him!
Has anyone ever heard of this problem. I have driven for 20 years and have always been quite confident but as you can imagine I am not comfortable driving this vehicle.
Many thanks
Tony Read more
The gearbox is fairly reliable but an expert is needed to set up all the control cables between the accelerator and various parts of the transmission.
hi, what could be the reason for the revs to drop from about 950rpm to 500rpm when i put the lights or the heater blower on full, faulty alternator or battery or both? Read more
Although a slight drop in idle speed may be normal for some cars (especially smaller engines IMO), I would say there is something wrong if it almost halves the idle speed. 950 rpm seems a little high and 500 rpm is quite low. Maybe there is an underlying fault and someone has increased the off load idle speed to compensate.
Driving across Dartmoor last Saturday, along a long straight stretch by a pub, suddenly two horses appeared in the road. Getting closer, they were clearly wearing a strange garb. They were waving pistols and wearing face masks. And were accompanied by a couple of labourers who strayed into the road, holding spades in a threatening fashion, plus open buckets. They all sported red noses, clearly they were collecting money and slowed cars to a walking pace.
I wondered how many laws were being broken here, firearms laws? charity laws regarding collection of money? may you obstruct the Queen's Highway in this fashion? Highway robbery?
I strongly object to the suggestion that because it's 'for charity' that it is suddenly acceptable to behave in this fashion. When I have been involved in charity flag days, the list of laws that has to be followed (collecting in sealed boxes, not approaching members of the public) is long. Suddenly 'red nose day' makes it all OK. Read more
If they aren't "above board",
>> the organisation's charitable status will be revoked.
The trouble is, it's quite above board to pay a bit
too much to professionals to do the collecting for you.
I absolutely agree. ISTR that in the accounts the net amount actually generated by the charity is stated (together
with the gross contributions) is stated. Some are far, far better at putting the money where iit is supposed to be.
www.charityfacts.org/charity_facts/charity_costs/i...l
may give some information on this matter. I'd far rather give to a charity which spends on whatever it's supposed
to be helping. I am sure there's a lot or wrong info. thats 'known as right".
I am looking for a replacement for my 130K 97 1.6 Si Primera.
I have had it for for nearly 4 years and have done 65K miles with under £500 of bills, other than changing oil, filters and plugs myself. It does around 40 mpg on mixed driving.
It is getting a bit tired but hopefully will get through the upcoming MOT without too many problems.
I have been considering a 1.8/2.0 P11-144 Primera or Honda Accord.
To be honest, I don't need such a big car and have also been considering the Almera/Focus/Astra.
I cover around 17K private miles a year. Perhaps I should also be looking at a diesel or lpg?
Getting to work involves 20 mins traffic free urban, 20 mins motorway queueing and 30 mins traffic free motorway, so the car needs to be comfortable and reasonably quiet at motorway speeds.
At the moment I have ruled out anything French, Italian or VAG but am completely open to advice/opinions.
Thanks Read more
Just echoing Avant's suggestion of an Almera: I've had a 1.8 automatic for a year, and am very pleased.
It's no style icon, but it's reliable and very comfortable apart from an unnecessarily harsh ride around town; performance is good, though it does have to be revved hard to really hop, and that trashes the mpg figures. Handling may not be as good as a Focus, but it's sharp and predictable; a bit lacking in feedback, though, so I never feel that I have a clear idea of where the car's limits are, as I used to have with Peugeots.
Personally, I'd have much preferred a Honda Civic 1.6, but they are much more expensive. For your money, you'll get a much newer Almera than a Civic. I'd suggest trying both and see whether you find the Civic enough of an improvement to justify the money. If you are carrying large rear passengers, the Civic's huge rear legroom coukd be a deciding factor.
I just don't know about this perceived quality, it seems so well put together. Lovely looking car, nice performance from the 2.0 Tdi ( a bit noisy when cold or when it idles) but quiet when crusing. Just couldn't buy a golf , just doesn't look nice enough in the MkV form,even the gti (R32 looks ok) so went for the A3. Hope it proves reliable!! Go on tell me i should have bought Japanese! Read more
My current A3 Sportback goes tomorrow - I've done 32,000 miles and enjoyed every one of them so I've ordered a direct replacement, except the new one has 170PS! You only live once, it's your money so enjoy it!
Browse
Fair point, but there must be a better compromise than what I have now.