March 2007
Hi all,
(Would a mod perhaps be able to pin this please?)
On the 24th of August 2007, I, along with other riders from the bikeaid.org.uk team will depart on a gruelling 3,500 mile round trip journey across Holland, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Belarus and the Ukraine to Chernobyl ? the site of the world?s worst nuclear accident. We will visit the town of Prypiat ? the town built to house the workers of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant which has remained abandoned ever since that infamous day - April 26, 1986.
Please see www.bikeaid.org.uk and www.chernobyl-children.org.uk for details.
Please go to www.justgiving.com/timwheaton to donate online.
My website is www.wheaton.me.uk which I will update on a regular basis with details of the preparation for the trip,
and for comments, questions and advice!
You can e-mail me at tim@wheaton.me.uk
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Hi, I have just recently brought a Focus ST170. Sometime when driving it will loose all of its power, the engine sounds fine, just no power. if i switch it off then back on again its fine. any ideas what would be the cause of this? Read more
Ok thanks. Its now booked in for Friday.
Nothing worse than having a powerfull car that wont go over 40mph.
I have a new petrol Ford Focus 1.8LX with standard steel wheels. It has a fair bit of vibration while driving at anything over 55mph. This can be felt through the steering wheel and the steering wheel can be seen to shake at times. I've had the front wheels balanced and the car examined at a dealership and they did need to increase the weights and reposition them and said everything else was fine. Unfortunately the vibration is still there. I've checked the tyre pressures and they are fine.
I understand the Focus is a firm drive but I've not read anything about feeling a lot of vibration in the steering. I also own a 12 year old Vauxhall Astra and that has far less vibration. I don't feel as if there's any loss of control but it makes your hands feel a bit numb after a long trip.
The vibration does seem to be affected to some extent by the road surface, although on recently resurfaced sections it can also be quite bad. When I test drove a Ford Focus I did not notice anything and I've driven my car over the same roads.
Does anyone know if this vibration is normal and to be expected and does anyone have any suggestions of how it can be reduced?
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worth a check to make sure the hub of the centre of the steel wheel is a snug fit onto the hub, I have come across this problem where the wheels were incorrect in manufacturer and the wheel bolts don't align the steel wheel to the hub 100%. Check front wheel run out on the rim incase the hub is bent.
It shouldn't vibrate at all.
For the first couple of miles its very juddery almost like its running on 3 cylinders but its not. After 1-2 miles it drives fine. Does anybody know how I can stop this from happening? I am worried the car will loose power completly. Its a 1.1 Valencia with single point fuel injection last serviced 400 miles ago. Read more
No, it was running fine in the cold until this week, now its really quite rough. It feels as if the engine is about to loose all power and cut out, but after 1 or 2 miles it runs fine. I know cars will always run a bit rough when cold but I thought all these electronic ignition systems are susposed to solve that.
I have gen3 se with just 4500mls on it and problem seems to have arisen with headlights misty up.It happened yesterday when we had sun and rain but was clear by this morn.Its happened again tonight when its been sunny all day when I parked with lights facing sun.Has anyone else had this problem as phoned dealer tonight but service was shut so need to wait till tomorrow.It would be helpfull if i had any info on this as have already checked to see there are no chips on glass and seals seem ok
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Got the new headlights fitted yesterday but then car wouldnt start.Dont know what they done but it took them 4 hours to put right..They said it was immobilser/alarm thing under dash that was loose but doubt that as car had been running and starting no problem.At least alls well so far
Just got a wheel back for the Vectra and the match to other wheels and the centre cap is not at all good. Are there any paint experts out there who could tell me if it is reasonable to expect the alloy to match the centre cap? Is it possible to match the original colour? Read more
Thanks Aprilia. Curiously the centre cap was repsprayed with the wheel as the guy had done the job once before and the finish wasn't good so I asked him to do it again. Better finish but even then the cap still doesn't match! It does seem to match the other wheels though.
I have put it down to the difference between the plastic cap and the alloy.
Here's one for ya!
Bought a 2001 '51 reg ex-BT Transit (I think that means its a Mark 5) which has a single front passenger seat, which I'd like to replace with a double seat. Since new ones are £800 and second hand ones are rare as rocking horse pooh, the plan is to get an older one and use a seat cover.
The four holes in my van's floor form a rectangle, 40 cm wide and 32 cm back to front, the left pair a couple of cm from the edge of the step recess. I'll go and measure a few old ones up at the breaker's some time soon, but would value some informed opinion.
I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if the anchorages in the floor compatible on earlier versions.
If not, is there a way to adapt an earlier seat to the newer version's holes in the floor.
Does anyone know anyone in Ford who's in a position to advise? My local Ford dealers have nothing to gain by helping me so aren't interested in even showing me some diagrams in technical manuals.
Many Thanks - musang Read more
I need to travel to Cornwall next month, staying 3 or 4 nights midweek. The easiest option is to fly to either Newquay or Plymouth, but the flight costs for 3 people is pretty expensive, plus airport parking and car hire at the other end.
I have been offered use of a car...my 10 year old VW Transporter and 12 year old Defender are not conducive to a long distance relaxed journey.
Any suggestions as to the best route and approximate travelling time( by car)..my cargo is two elderly relatives! Last summer I backpacked the South West Coast Path and travelled home with Virgin trains to Leeds, so this may be another consideration, but might not be too good for the 'oldies' and again I would need car hire at the other end.
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>>have you seen the cost of hotels ..3 single rooms....rant rant.>>
Plenty of keenly price, well run bed and breakfast establishments all over the UK. Some examples of how to find them:
www.bedandbreakfasts.co.uk/
www.visitus.co.uk/
www.bedandbreakfastnationwide.com/
www.bedandbreakfastsguide.com/
We used to use such establishments in Scotland in particular, where there is an extensive and low cost network.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
My 2001 sharan 1.9tdi seems to overheat when driven on motorways. The temperature gauge creeps up towards the red when travelling about 70mph, turning the heater on full blast brings it back to nearly normal but i am roasted alive. Running round locally it seems to behave itself. The fans operate on the radiator but wonder weather they come on at the right time or could it be a suspect thermostat. Anyone out there with more ideas greatly appreciated. Thanks .
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Would agree with steve.o. Classic poor circulation symptoms.
Cheers
DP
Hi Guys
I am currently looking to replace my current ride with a better one and I have narrowed down my choices to Mitsubishi Galant and Xedoss 6/9.
There are the options I have for my budget
1. 2001 X Reg Galant 2.5 V6 24V (AC+LPS) which has dont approx 75K mile for under 3K
2. 1999 V Reg Xedos6 2.0 V6 which has done 44K Miles for under 3K
3. 2000 V Reg Xedos9 2.3 Miller which had done 80K Miles for under 3K
After reading quite a lot of review i found that there are some general faults with these cars.
With the Galant quite a lot of complaints about the Auto Box
With the Xedos6 again problems with the Autobox and
With the Xedos9 The supercharger failing and the sutobox.
I dont know how much of this is true and I would appreciate if any one in here could help me come to a decision. All these have have leather trim and all the luxury inside.....
Can anyone please tell me which would be a better choice and how are these cars when it comes to maintanance cost.
Thanks a lot for your help.
Cheers
Prav Read more
One problem with old Xedos' is the work required to change the cam-belt. In the Xedos 6 I think the wing assembly has to be removed. If the one you're thinking of buying is due a cam-belt change....
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Thank you Graham - much appreciated. :o)